Page 217 - She's One Crazy Lady!

patience paid off – he drew blood. Later he came back in to say they were putting me on iron tablets; that I didn’t need a transfusion and I didn’t have to go back to theatre. I wasn’t diabetic and I wasn’t anaemic.
The experience, however, left me feeling quite vulnerable and again I wished I had someone there with me, but there wasn’t so I had to get on with things, even though during those animated few minutes, of the ‘gowned man’ trying to get a line in, made me shudder.
I remembered Chris’s words from when he first saw me saying he felt I had the right disposition to bounce back. I would... I had to... and I did!
Tuesday:
Mr Varma came to see me and was very pleased with how the new boob was settling. We talked about aftercare and he assured me that I would be in for at least another 5-6 days – that there was no rush. Phew!
He also explained that he hadn’t performed the TRAM flap first time round as planned but had carried out a DIEP flap (Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator) – sounds very technical doesn’t it? He went on to say the DIEP flap uses the same amount of tissue and fat as the TRAM but preserves all muscle and is less painful to the patient making recovery quicker and any risks of a hernia, low. In my case, he said the tissue moved from my belly to my breast area didn’t get enough circulation which meant some of the tissue ‘died’ – they called it ‘necrosis’ (loss of blood supply) – and mine was a ‘partial failure’ – not all of the breast was affected. Therefore, he had removed the damaged part, preserved what was good and added skin and flesh from my back to make the breast whole again. It’s marvellous isn’t it? I believe there are even more advanced procedures nowadays.
When Mr Varma and his team left I was told I could get up and sit out for a short time.
It was hilarious!
How to get up...
A nurse (Jenny) sat alongside me on the bed, telling me to swing
my legs round using my good side to push myself up. I tried but my legs were like jelly and wouldn’t move. I had no control over them, or strength, and as I worked hard to push myself up, with Jenny supporting me, I collapsed – sadly on top of her – and she wasn’t very big. We did look a sight and it was the laughter I so needed! Two more nurses were called in (Margaret and June) and between them they heaved me (naked) on to a commode and pushed me to the sink to have a much welcomed wash... and where there was a mirror...
Oh Wow!! So much scarring – so many drains, tubes... but one large swollen breast – and a flat, but swollen tummy – the tyre... gone! I was so impressed but I was also simply thankful to be in one piece! I told
“I remembered Chris’s words from when he first saw me saying he felt I had the right disposition to bounce back. I would...
I had to... and I did!
”
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