Unexpected Surgery

That proverbial 'Road to Recovery' took an unexpected turn...

I had not felt real great for several days, but nothing specific no temp, no redness/swelling, no drainage, etc. etc. etc. BUT last Tuesday evening (Jan 5) was chilled, ached - thought I caught Glen's 24 hr bug - Awoke Wed am, with 102 temp, nauseated, dizzy, VERY SICK!!!

We already had an appt. in St. Louis that day for Dr's appt., another fill - kinda like going to the gas pump..."filler up"... and hoped to have the two remaining drains pulled, as THEY ARE A PAIN!!!!!!! However, by the time we got to the docs office, although I felt much better, the appearance of my right breast was apparently 'not good' - Not only did I not get a fill, nor did I get the drains pulled, I got admitted directly to the hospital for IV antibiotics!

Hello!!!! This is not supposed to happen to me!!!!!!! Not in the plans! Interfering with my schedule!!! OK, I really didn't respond in that manner, not outwardly anyway :)

At the time, I felt sure the antibiotics would take care of it and we'd be on our way in no time... Just another inconvenience...BUT - it takes 72 hours for lab results to reveal the specific bacteria causing the infection - so, was there at least that long... Sure enough, when the pathology came in, had to change the antibiotic they were giving me... Then wanted to observe response for at least 48 to 72 hours to that antibiotic....which all along, there seemed to be improvement each day - BUT - physicians feared that the bugs could adhere to the expander, and would cause more trouble in the future - and that possibly when had the surgery to exchange the expanders for implants, that the implant too could become infected...

So, we opted to have the expander removed (for now) - had surgery last Wed - fortunately it's not the side that will be getting radiated next month - so when I've finished radiation, will go back to surgery, have a tissue expander placed again on the right, have it filled in time for the exchange surgery - which won't be until June anyway - and back on track to 'normalcy'...

Glen's theory is that this 'boob' is getting back at me for treating it the way I did - after all, it hadn't done anything wrong....why did we discard it so willingly? Ha!! Leave it to Glen to come up with that analogy!!

So, I'm HOME - after 8 day hospital stay - Wow, hadn't been outside in as many days...CRAZY feeling! I did miss out, however, on those brutally cold days last week....

Kudos to BJC -North Campus:
I must say, if ya have to be in the hospital, this would be the place to be!!! No complaints...every nurse (and since I was there so long, I got acquainted with almost every nurse) seemed genuinely happy to be there. Each nurse was very accommodating, personable, attentive, and competent!!! Everyone from housekeeping, food service, security, pastoral care, physicians - Really EVERYONE was very pleasant, welcoming, just nice!!

And Food Service - is actually called 'Room Service' - Can order anything on the menu anytime between 6 am and 8 pm - And although there were a certain amount of necessary interruptions, i.e. vitals, medications, just checking...the floor was very quiet!!!

Even the kids, when they came to visit, said "this doesn't look like a hospital"!