Drains

So far my recovery from surgery has been fairly smooth.  I'm actually in less pain than I imagined, and when my right side starts to feel stiff or painful I have percocet and valium to keep things under control.  The meds, and undoubtedly the surgery, make me a little drowsy so I have an extra nap here and there but otherwise, not terrible at all.  I still can't lift G-ski and raise my right arm very high, but I haven't done dishes or changed a diaper in a week so I'm not complaining.

The one definite pain in the arse, are the drains.  I have two drains at the incision sites that I need to empty twice a day and record how much fluid collects in the receptacle.  (Nasty!)  When the plastic surgeon deems the volume is low enough then he'll take them out.  I need to keep the collection bulbs safety pinned to the band of my bra so they don't pull on the drains, or worse, the kids don't rip them out.  One is coming out today, and hopefully the other one by the end of the week.  For the most part they are under my shirt and out of the way as much as is possible.  The tricky part is showering.  I can't exactly hold two drains in my hands and shower, so they gave me a little fanny pack to stick them in.  I still need help holding them when I'm toweling off and re-attaching to my clothes but at least it's manageable. Apparently some surgeons don't let their patients shower for a week+ until the drains are removed.  Thankfully my plastic surgeon is a little more laid back.  Here's a shot of the last drain to come out.  You'll be happy to know I took the photo early in the morning before the bulb had time to collect much fluid.  I was definitely not cut out to be in the medical profession.