Soreness and stem cell research

Very sore! I am a virtual drug store having taken a little Tylenol, motrin and oxy along with my daily required aspirin. I am still extremely sore! Although I am thrilled to be home with my family I think this surgery as an out-patient may have been a bit of a stretch. Ice packs will be next for me I think. Whining aside, I am home and moving around so all in all not too bad.

I read over my written release instructions. Funny even though I signed them yesterday I had no real clue what they said. I get to take the surgical bra off tomorrow. There are bandages under it that must stay on and not wet until Wednesday. Getting this bra off will be good. It is very tight and annoying. It could be worse!

So an interesting thing happened before the surgery during my pre-meeting with the surgeon. He explained that due to the controversies over the use of embryonic stem cells, doctors have been looking for others that would be useful. He is part of a team researching stem cells derived from fat cells. He asked for consent to use the fat that would have been discarded from the liposuction as part of the research study. He said that the results so far showed that though not as robust as those in the embryonic cells, the fat-derived stem cells were showing promising results. Very cool..sure use my fat and if you need more take what you like!

It would be nice to think that some day it will be possible to treat tissue or bone defects or other diseases and that my fat will have been part of it!

New nips and lots of pain

And finally it is over! According to my surgeon, everything was a success. I can not judge because I am wrapped up tight and told under no circumstances can I peek for at least a week. We did discuss before hand that it would be necessary to cut pretty extensively in order to complete the revision surgery on the boobs. Again, I can not tel how large of a cut but I think I feel every inch and I am not enjoying the pain.

My friend Oxycodone came home with me again and as I type I am waiting for one to take effect.

Further updates will follow. For now, a nap.

An apology for my girls, an education for me

I remember when my girls were born, such little angels. So helpless. As I have written before, I still thought they were helpless before the Mastectomy. Over the last 52 days since, they have shown me how wrong I was, how much they have grown. I debate with myself if this “growth” was good or forced because of my surgery and will therefor have a negative impact.

From time to time I feel I owe them an apology. The other day was one of those days. Maybe with the surgery tomorrow, my mind has been swirling a little more that I thought. The apology went a little like this:

I know this summer has not been what you had both hoped for and for that I am sorry. I know that you would rather have been doing a hundred other things instead of taking care of me. I am sorry for that and I love you both very much! Megan quickly jumped it with: ” No problem mom. If I understand what you told us you did this so you would not get sick. So if you do not get sick then you will be around when I have children and I need you to be around because I don’t even know how to hold a baby”. To which Madison jumped in with “me either Megan, do you have to keep a hand under the babies head?”

That was the end of the apology and the beginning of a 15 minute conversation about babies, holding them, diapers, baby gas and were they gassy babies. I guess growth comes from all experiences good, bad, positive, negative, forced and intended. All are necessary and I guess the important thing is ensuring we are always there for them to talk to no matter what is happening.

After a conversation like that I realize…they are just fine. Perfect as a matter of fact! No matter what they will always be my babies, and I will worry about everything but they are growing into wonderful little girls!

Tomorrow is the day! NEWPPLES!

And yes, they were both gassy babies!