A Week and a Half Out...

Today I feel a little bummed about the speed of my recovery.  Obviously, it is going to be a slow process.  It takes at least 6 weeks for tissue to heal... no matter who you are.  But what is frustrating to me is the fact that I'm still draining so much fluid.  The more I drain, the more Chris tells me to get off my feet and take it easy.  And I find that tough because it starts to grate on my nerves when my dirty dish sits in the living room too long or there's a pile of things that need to be carried out to the recycling bins.  I like to just take care of those things so I don't have to look at them anymore.  It's difficult to just park it on the couch and ask for everything you need.

Anyway, the drainage is frustrating because it means I'm still in danger of swelling if we remove my drains.  And the longer I have these in, the longer I have to wait to shower and move around like a normal person.  A week and a half is a loooong time to go without a shower.  I try to wash my armpits at the sink but it isn't doing much good. Haha!  Twice since my surgery I've had someone wash my hair for me but the process is always extremely tiring and my drains are always full by the end of it.  So we don't attempt it often.

On the bright side, I have had so much fun with the revolving door of loved ones who've been staying with us to take care of me and Elsa.  That part has felt like a 2-week sleep-over!  So far we've had my dad, Angie Barnes, my sister-in-law Katie (along with my Mother-in-law Suzanne for part of the time), & Jess and Kate Barnes stay with us.  And this week, it's my sister Mallory, my brother-in-law James, and my sister-in-law Kelly this first part of the week.  And the second part of the week it's my former roommate Kelli and her husband-to-be Garrett!  Ordinarily (as an introvert) this amount of company might begin to get to me... but it's amazing how thankful you are for it when you can't do most things for yourself!  I have needed every moment of care these people have provided, and I have loved the time spent with them.  In almost every case, it's the longest one-on-one time I've had with each of them in years!  What a blessing!  And my #1 caretaker has been Chris.  Keeping me comfortable throughout the night often means loss of sleep for him... with a full day of work the next morning.  I'm so thankful for him.

So for those of you continuing to pray, I'm so thankful.  My prayer is that my recovery would continue to go well, with minimal irritation, inflammation, and pain.  And ZERO infection.  And that the drainage could begin to slow to a stop so I can get my drain tubes out.  My next appointment is this Wednesday, but from today's vantage point, I'm not optimistic about the possibility of them coming out then.  :(  I'm bummed about that, but the numbers don't lie.

That's all for now!