Tag: normal

An unsolicited comment :-)

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I saw someone today that I have not seen in a few months other than a drive by in a car accompanied with a quick wave.  Right around my surgery her father passed away so her own life was very chaotic. I ran out to get the mail this afternoon without a coat and this friend was driving by and stopped.  The normal niceties were exchanged followed by a wonderful statement, “you look fabulous”.  What a nice thing to be told!  The fact that I was wearing dirty sweatpants, an ill-fitting shirt with hair pulled back since I had been cleaning all day made the comment all the more special.

My surgery seems like a lifetime ago, something I never thought I would say. I have made a full recovery.  I still have some numbness in my stomach and in the noobs which may always be there. I have a terrible time with sit-ups but if I am being honest, I could not do many before having the DIEP surgery.. None of these things has any effect on daily life.

I see the scares everyday. I think sometimes I allow this to affect my mental health.  I get a little down, excuse to have the extra snack and skip the work out.  A kind soul offering a totally unsolicited (but very welcome and extremely kind) comment goes a long way to reminding myself that the scares are only on the surface.  They are a sign of a great fight and should be seen as almost a trophy. (alright, maybe trophy is a stretch). If nothing else it is a little boost to remind me of how far I have come.

The mundane and beautiful feeling of normal

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I am sitting and watching the Eagles game, I  wonder if I will even be able to stay awake into the second half.  The day started with a stop for shoes for myself and the girls, then to buy some organizational things for the kitchen and new sheets for our bed.  I can not remember when we got new sheets.   Then to Justice for a new outfit for school pictures this week.  Lastly a stop for a new binder that Megan will need in the TAG program.

At home, time to put it all away and jump right into the organization projects. First put the new sheets into the washer. Back to the projects,  I have a “junk” counter where everything collects.  It is a tiny stand alone counter in a corner that is really not good for anything kitchen related so it became the home of my purse, bills, binder full of insurance paperwork etc from my surgery, all supplies office/school related, glasses, phone charger, tissues  etc.  The ever going list is why it was time for some way to attempt to organize.  This along with another little project took about 2 or so hours.  By the time I was finished it was dinner time.

After the dishes were cleaned up, outside for some Halloween decorating. Back in grab the sheets from the dryer and put them on to the bed, love the feel of the sheets first day on the bed!  Bath the little one, get snacks ready , sit for reading time with Madison, blink and realize the day is all but over.

AHHH, normalcy. For as tired as I am after a day like today, it is still a nice feeling.  Just a few short weeks ago my activites were still restricted due to the mastectomy.  Even when I was released to normal activity I could not imagine pulling off a full day of activity.  It is nice to be basically back to normal, whatever that means.  I never have a day where I am not reminded of the mastectomy (and I do not mean the obvious).  I still have the ever present tightness in my abdomen and the scar has really become irritating.   The newpples are still uneven and one remains twice the size of the other.  Wearing a bra is still not my most favorite thing but I can get through most of the day without an issue.  I can finally lay on my sides for a short while in bed which is a welcome change.

I dread the thoughts of another procedure in my future but I know that is will be minor in comparison to the past two.  Almost there!