Top Pain Chart Countdown

I had my post op consultation last week. Mentioned the difficulty in moving my arm certain ways and my Consultant thinks it is "cording" which is something to do with the damaged lymphatic system in my arm since the lymph nodes were removed. It feels as it sounds, like there is a cord or wire very painfully restricting one's range of movement.

I have stretched it out which bloody hurt but did help a bit. As it happens, I was trying to think the other day what was the most painful thing I had ever experienced. Two labours with no pain relief? Immediate aftermath of surgery? That ear infection I had when I was 21?

Nope, none of those. It was first-time breastfeeding. My dear, stubborn first born thought she knew how to do it and would not be shown - the midwives trying to help me with this identified her as "feisty" on her very first night on this planet. She rapidly ruined my poor novice nipples and for the first couple of weeks I experienced the worst pain I'd ever had. Every. Single. Feed. But I was determined to carry on as obviously I could not allow my days old daughter to be more stubborn than me...

Anyway getting back to the point (I'm sure you were hoping we might arrive at one at some stage), the pain of stretching out cording is on a par with the early breastfeeding experience although marginally better overall, given that I have a choice when I stretch out the cording as opposed to having to do it every two hours including during the night. It doesn't involve dirty nappies each time either.

My Consultant also had some good news for me which was the 9 further lymph nodes he had removed were all clear of cancer cells. This means that as far as we know, the only lymph node affected was the one which was removed during my first surgery back in May. This was the best result that I could have expected from the latest op so I was happy enough with it. The worst outcome would have been for him to tell me that they had found live cancer cells in the nodes as that would have meant that all the chemo had not worked at all. 

I am seeing the Oncologist on 6th December to talk about starting radiotherapy. I just hope that the range of movement in my arm is good enough for the radiation beam to access the scar site otherwise if I have to stretch out the arm every time for 20 plus sessions, radiotherapy might quickly be making a new entry at the top of my pain chart!

Stunted Recovery

I came home from hospital last Wednesday. Had the drain device removed on Monday - much less painful than I expected, the worst part was peeling off the dressings. 

Unfortunately it would appear that the operation I have had is of the rather unique variety of procedures which gets worse as opposed to better on every subsequent day of so called "recovery".

Every day a new nerve in my arm reawakens from the operation and presumably realises "oh, actually, I appear to have been severed or severely damaged. Let's make my condition known to my human straight away!".

The result of this is that straightening the arm out or putting on anything other than a zip or button up top is very difficult. I have also taken to moving around with that arm slightly bent at all times. Touching the outside of the arm is a no-no as the sensation feels like very bad sunburn.

I am seeing my Consultant tomorrow so I will be able to get some advice as to whether I am doing the right thing by trying to stretch the arm out despite the pain and stiffness. It's nothing anyone has done wrong by the way, these are all common and recognised effects of this procedure. The benefits are supposed to outweigh the drawbacks and that is the basis upon which anyone having an operation gives informed consent. Unfortunately there is always some collateral damage which could sadly affect me for the rest of my life.

However I hope that what is happening here is that things are getting worse before they start to get better, fingers crossed.

At least it wasn't my dominant arm!

Second ever general anaesthetic survived!

So today I had my Axillary (armpit) lymph node clearance. I was told to arrive at hospital at 7.30am. Despite my real suspicion that it probably would not matter if I didn't arrive until lunchtime, I duly set my alarm for 5.30am.

Got to hospital at 7.30, went in the wrong lift, through two incorrect zones and after giving in and reading the actual directions signs, made it to Surgical Admissions at 7.40.

Saw my Consultant by 9.00. He draws on me then drip feeds me the first unwelcome bit of information which is that I am not going to be operated on until after lunch. His lunch, that is, given that I am nil by mouth and have not eaten since 8pm Sunday. 

Then I see the nurse to fill in the usual paperwork. After that another nurse takes pity on me and moves me out of the generic departure lounge and in to my own room with a bed. Pleased with that as the chairs were already making my bum ache.

The Anaesthetist comes to see me and drip feeds the next negative nugget of information - I am in fact last on the list. Not just after lunch anymore, last. As per my previous post I expected this so I was not too devastated. Just hungry. It's amazing how much the hours in the day stretch out when they are not punctuated by nice cups of tea and various meals and snacks.

The Anaesthetist also tells me that they do tend to put the "healthier" patients last, so presumably I was considered the patient most likely to survive 24 hours with no food and 8 hours with no water. And here I am, so they were right.

Went down for the op at 4.00 and was in recovery by 6.30. Tried a new (new to me) pain drug, Fentanyl. Quite effective. Off that now though and just on paracetamol and ibuprofen but I am allowed Tramadol too if I get bored, oops sorry of course what I meant to say was if it gets painful!!

I am now on the ward and still awake thanks to the anaesthetist reintroducing me to my old friend Dexamethasone, aka red bull on steroids. The nurse offered me a nice cup of tea just now and promptly received drinks orders from the two beds next to me as well. So we're all having a jolly post-midnight beverage. I'm pleased to report that I don't feel as much like I've been run over by a bus as I did after my last op and I don't mind being on the main ward this time either. I was a bit afraid of it at first but I am actually quite liking being part of the comings and goings. 

Anyway, I'm off to do some more ceiling gazing now and drink the rest of my tea. TTFN.