The Phoenix

*

It just occurred to me that the above picture would look a lot more realistic if the gas control console and yellow gas pipes were not visible....

But that's not what I wanted to talk about......

Okay, I have arisen like the mythical Phoenix.  Well not completely, but partially.  And when I say "arisen" I mean that I have been able to get off the couch for more than 10 minutes at a time.

Lord, these last several weeks have NOT been fun.

Okay, they did the operation.  Or, as the nurse said, the 4 operations.

When I woke up after the surgery, the doctor told me that he had had quite a difficult time.  He  did the first part of the operation where he took out the capsules that the old breast implants were in, also removing the implants themselves, which had ruptured.  Then he told me about the second operation, where he scraped had out all the hardened calcium deposits in my left breast, which was quite difficult due to the fact that there was so much of the deposits and that they had practically filled my entire breast.  And there had been some beginning lumps in the right side, too.  Then he had done the 3rd operation where he performed the augmentation part---where he put in the new breast implants.  Then he did the 4th operation where he relocated the nipple and "lifted" the breast.

Ok, I know I don't have to tell you that I was in pain like you wouldn't believe.  I already told you in my last post about all the meds I would have to take.  I began them when Blaine took me home.  I was wrapped in an ace wrap and was to see the Dr. the next day.

The next day the Dr. examined me, pronounced me as doing fine, and I began the next part of my treatment. And that is the wound dressing part and the sports bra part, which is very painful in itself.

Every day I have to put antibiotic ointment on my scars, which are covered with steri-strips.  I'm supposed to let them come off naturally.  After I put the antibiotic ointment on them, I dress my wounds with gauze, holding the gauzes in place with paper tape.

And then I have to put on a restrictive sports bra.  I HATE THOSE THINGS!  Sports bras have extremely tight elastic at their bottom edges and that aggravates the incisions I have at the bottom of my breasts.  It has taken me literally 2 weeks to figure out a way to do the gauze dressings down there to pad things enought to minimize the pain.

And so I don't do much these days.  I'm not supposed to lift anything heavy.  I have to wear the sports bras 24 hours a day for 6 weeks.  (I bought lots of them so that if some are in the laundry I still have clean ones.)

On my 2nd post-op visit, when I complained of the pain, both the doctor and nurse exclaimed:  "But your boobs look FABULOUS!"  I felt guilty for not saying it myself, but all I could think about was the pain.

But then I had my 3rd post-op visit yesterday and I redeemed myself by telling the surgeon that I had finally checked out my boobs from a new view---from a painful view to an aesthetics view---and that, indeed, I think he did a great job---the boobs actually do look fabulous.  They look better than the boobs I was born with.  They look better than the first time I got a boob job.  They look better than...

Where was I?

Oh yes, how my boobs look.

But I really don't see what difference it makes any way how they look because nobody's going to see them.  Nobody but Blaine, that is.  And well....er....I'm the kind of person who wants the lights off anyway, if you know what I mean...

So, I had my third post-op visit.  I am progressing fine and don't have to see the surgeon again for 4 weeks.  He said he'd take the "after" pictures then.  (Oh joy.)

Anyway, I'm kind of jazzed that after all that pain, they do look good---and also I am going to admit some vanity here and say that I'm glad they are bigger than they were before, heh.  (But you won't be able to tell that for 4 more weeks when I can begin wearing regular bras.)  And the Dr. seemed gratified that I had thanked him and told him how much I appreciated him for doing such a great job.

Now, as I have been doing for the last couple of weeks, I am still riding the couch for the most part.  I've felt pretty bad but in the last couple of days I have been able to get up here and there to knit for a very short time.  I'm knitting socks---Jelly Beanz socks, since I finished Blaine's house socks below.  Because after finishing his socks I am still in a sock-knitting mood and want to make some socks for myself---I want a bunch of pairs of Jelly Beanz yarn socks.

I also want to use my Bedazzler thingy to put some colorful studs around the iron-on patches of my psychedelic jeans jacket.  I saw someone who had done that on TV and I thought it would look cool on the iron-on patches on my jeans jacket.

Front:

Back:

Of course not everything on these jackets would be appropriate for lining with studs, as many of the patches are already sequined and beaded, but some little plain things will come out and "pop" if I do line around them with studs.  I have many sizes of silver studs, gold studs, and rhineston-ish colored studs.

But like I said, I'm only just now starting to be able to knit a little on some Jelly Beanz socks: :

Anyhoo, I'm healing a little at a time.  I can't hardly breathe in these tight sports bras.  And I've gotten quite used to laying on this uncomfortable couch.  But I am still alive and wanted to check in after such a long absence.  Hopefully my healing will start getting faster and faster.  I really want to make all those Jelly Beanz socks.

Deuces.....
*