Hi All,
Happy Holidays!
Things here have been good. I’ve been healing well from surgery. I am still not allowed to lift my arms or carry anything; not sure how much longer that will be but the expanders in my chest are sewn in so I imagine at this point it won’t be until my next surgery, when they do the reconstructive portion. The surgeon has started to ‘expand’ the bags in my chest. It’s a fairly simple process and she injects saline into them little at a time. I feel nothing since all the nerves are gone which is bizarre but good because I don’t want to feel needles going into my chest. She’s been really pleased with my progress.
The hyperbaric has been treating me well, the doctor signed me up for an additional 10 rounds and I’ll be done with it next week. It’s quite relaxing once I’m in the chamber, just sitting and watching a movie, but I am getting over the daily task of going and not being able to do the things I want to do, like getting my life back on track. But, I’m glad it’s working, my nipples are healing nicely and it seems like removal won’t be necessary.
Feeding tube was going well until I decided Saturday that I was over it and I’ve gone cold turkey on it. I eat apple sauce, banana baby food, smoothies, juices, pasta, and a few other things by mouth. I had a 2nd endoscopy last Tuesday and the doctor was pleased with how things looked, he said the inflammation and ulcers were looking much better. The biggest change is that my duodenum has started to swell a little so that’s another thing that w
ill take time to heal. The duodenum is what connects the stomach to the small intestine. The feeding tube won’t come out until February or March and that’s when the next endoscopy will be done to see how everything has healed. It’s kind of a pain to have a feeding tube, it hangs from right by my belly button and just gets in the way of everything, I can’t wait until it’s gone.
Overall, lots of progress made and I’m feeling really good. Been able to get out for walks, eating feels good and have been slowly trying to get my strength back.
I can’t wait until 2023 comes, 2022 really was the worst year for us. We’ve had years that were challenging and things happened, but this year far surpasses anything we’ve dealt with. I had no clue going into this how challenging it would really be. You imagine tough, but going through it was beyond that. I don’t even know how to describe it, but can tell you it challenged us physically, mentally, and emotionally…but, I am reminded (thanks to Chris) that every outcome throughout this journey has been positive and I will cherish that. Farewell 2022, I will unfortunately remember you but will never allow you to control my life.
Happy Holidays, may 2023 be a wonderful year!
Lauren
