Finding balance in a body that has experienced an amputation, which is a crude word for a mastectomy, is a huge challenge. I am grateful I was not offered a double mastectomy. Trying to figure out how to get out of bed the morning after would have been hilarious if it wasn't so challenging! Instead of getting up automatically and not having to think where do I put my arm, my leg, how do I lift my head and shoulders....now I am thinking what do I move first. Oh, and hurry up and decide because not only do I need a pain pill but I need to pee! Yikes!
If I thought sitting on the throne was tough, try standing up afterwards! Having only one good arm and that arm being the arm that for years and years was just hanging out being decorative, was just insane. I could have written an entire comedy skit about my first day if I had only had the energy.
On the one hand, my relief was immense. The surgery was over and I had survived. I no longer had the anxiety of waiting. On the other hand, in many ways I felt like a new born. Nothing seemed to work the way I wanted it to. Simple things like washing and dressing ( putting on lounge PJ's), and learning how to cope with meals, was going to take planning like the Pentagon goes through before an invasion.
Who knew an over the range microwave would be such a challenge? Making sure I held on for dear life, I stood on a small stool to make a cup of tea. The same problem arose at meal times. Even something as simple as bending to retrieve a frozen meal from the freezer almost seemed a waste of time. Taking care of myself and regaining my strength was the motivating factor to pushing myself to drink lots of fluids and eat healthy meals.
Did I mention drain management? Good thing I am not squeamish! Emptying the drain clipped to my compression tube top, then measuring the liquid to keep track of the fluid output became almost as important as eating. Cleanliness cannot be stressed enough.
For several days, I ate, slept, drank fluids, slept, washed, drained, slept, and took pain pills. I was on the mend!
If I thought sitting on the throne was tough, try standing up afterwards! Having only one good arm and that arm being the arm that for years and years was just hanging out being decorative, was just insane. I could have written an entire comedy skit about my first day if I had only had the energy.
On the one hand, my relief was immense. The surgery was over and I had survived. I no longer had the anxiety of waiting. On the other hand, in many ways I felt like a new born. Nothing seemed to work the way I wanted it to. Simple things like washing and dressing ( putting on lounge PJ's), and learning how to cope with meals, was going to take planning like the Pentagon goes through before an invasion.
Who knew an over the range microwave would be such a challenge? Making sure I held on for dear life, I stood on a small stool to make a cup of tea. The same problem arose at meal times. Even something as simple as bending to retrieve a frozen meal from the freezer almost seemed a waste of time. Taking care of myself and regaining my strength was the motivating factor to pushing myself to drink lots of fluids and eat healthy meals.
Did I mention drain management? Good thing I am not squeamish! Emptying the drain clipped to my compression tube top, then measuring the liquid to keep track of the fluid output became almost as important as eating. Cleanliness cannot be stressed enough.
For several days, I ate, slept, drank fluids, slept, washed, drained, slept, and took pain pills. I was on the mend!
Comments
Post a Comment