Freedom!

In my previous post I mentioned that I only had one drain removed. Well when we got home from dinner on Friday night I started having severe pain in the drain that was still in (on my left side). It continued to get worse until Saturday morning when I couldn't deal with the discomfort. So we met the on call surgeon at the hospital and he removed it for me. I felt better immediately! It was an exhausting 12 hours with little sleep but I came home and took a nice long nap and felt like a new person when I woke up.

Jason and the girls and I walked up the street to dinner which was a big outing for me but it went well. The girls seemed really happy to have us all to themselves!

It's now 5:15 am and I've been up for an hour in bed. Insomnia is not something I usually deal with and it's bizarre that I can't sleep. I think that what's bothering me is the idea that my drains are out and I'm now officially allowed to take a shower (it's been 9 days, can you imagine!?!?!). But I've been terrified to look at myself for the first time. As I laid in bed trying to go back to sleep I finally made the mental switch and now I feel ready to face the mirror. It will be intense and probably trigger a lot of emotions, but I need to move forward and embrace the new me. After all, this surgery has saved my life!

I have also started reaching out to a few "breast cancer buddies" thanks to many of my friends. It's quite unbelievable just how many women my age have been faced with this same situation. Talking with them will be a tremendous help. Knowing I'm not alone in this journey makes a huge difference.