I didn't get out of bed until 7a. No one came to me prior to that. Wow. That's rare.
Grace, our piano teacher who comes to us on Thursday mornings, was kind enough to do Remie's hair because I couldn't. She did gorgeous French braids and set the standard very high.
Rachel, Nadia and I had a rejuvenating walk and coffee after drop off. Carrying my grocery shopping into the house afterwards was a bit if a challenge. Then I got to take off the bandages and have a shower. Bliss!
I saw Carol, the other lymphoedema physio, for my next steps. She ran my L-Dex (lymphoedema index) score, which had come down to a 60 from 77 (normal is under 10). She explained that the lymphatic fluid that is causing my problem is in the tissue, not sealed like blood in veins, which it why it can't be detained. She also gave a timeline for getting this "episode" under control that has Christmas as it's endpoint (!). She took all sorts of measurements on my arm for a custom sleeve and glove. She then gave me an off-the-shelf sleeve and gauntlet (glove without fingers) to use until my custom items come in next week.
From there I crossed the foyer and went to talk to Dr. Andrew about getting my expander out and next steps surgically. We discussed the lymphoedema and then I broached how I want to proceed. I said I wanted my right breast removed for peace of mind and symmetry. He said he wouldn't do any surgery until 6 months post-treatment (November). He urged me to consider a DIEP reconstruction as it used my own tissue (from my abdomen) to rebuilt, meaning I wouldn't be using a foreign body, which could help with the lymphoedema. He also suggested I look into lymph node transplant. He urged me not to rush my decision and sent me away to gather more information and think about it. I will indeed do this as a full rebuild was not on my radar.
Bedtime was easier with Nick home. Alex, however, woke at 9.30p crying and saying he was "sad". He didn't seem to know why.
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