Trying to regain a sense of normalcy

The end of last week brought me closer to getting back to a more “normal” life. It started out on a high note with having those drains REMOVED.  Hallelujah!  Oh what a glorious moment that was.  Not gonna lie, those suckers HURT when they came out..but they are out.  24 hours later, I had my first real shower in almost 2 weeks.  Who knew I would become a pro at sponge bathes and washing my hair in the sink.  I’ll add that to the resume.  It was a bit weird as I was nervous and hesitant to get in the shower.  I kept thinking to myself..is this going to hurt?  How is the water going to feel?  It’s a weird thing to wrap your head around, especially when I’ve never once had these thoughts before about taking a shower.  But alas, once in there..it was wonderful and continues to feel wonderful!  A hot shower is something I won’t take for granted.  Something as simple as shower is so symbolic of how refreshing and re-energizing it can be for the body and mind!

Also last week, I had my first time with having my tissue expanders filled with saline.  Like all of these experiences, this too was unique to say the least.  During my mastectomy, my plastic surgeon placed a tissue expander in each breast.  These are to create a space for my permanent implants, which will hopefully be place in the next 3-6 months.  Over the next couple of months, I will see Dr Sadowski, who will gradually fill the tissue expanders with saline.  During my most recent visits, 50 ccs of saline were added to each breast…and voila!..instaboobs!  It’s a such weird experience.  I couldn’t watch her fill them as it weirded me out to be honest.

Dr. Sadowski has been quite pleased on how I am healing!  I too have been feeling a lot better and have been trying to get back to a bit more normalcy over the past few days by playing the role of chauffeur for Allie & Coop and playing a bit more of an active role in the house.  Its felt good to be out but I’m also working on doing a better job of listening to my body and taking a nap when I get tired or asking for help if I can’t do something.  Sounds so simple to do these things but as someone who is independent and always multi-tasking, doing things slowly and methodically is hard but is working for me and yielding pretty good results with my recovery thus far. As is getting outside…thank you mother nature for all the warmth and vitamin D today.   I’ve also been trying to drink more tea and reading more.  All little things I know, but all have felt really good to get back into and are feeding my soul.   Right now I’m reading “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens and definitely recommend!

Its still so surreal to reflect on the past 2 months and can’t fully wrap my head around everything that has gone on. In this short period of time, I’ve gone from having a routine mammogram, to more tests, to my DCIS diagnosis, to surgery and now to recovery.  Its been a whirlwind. I’m still trying to catch my breath and trying to understand all that has happened, and what this next phase of life has in store for me from my learnings.  A lot more reflecting and healing is still to come but definitely getting and feeling stronger more and more every day! ❤