Botanical Gardens - Montreal 2013
It was March 2007 and I was going to get to go home from the hospital! I didn’t feel as bad as I thought I would after having a bilateral mastectomy but I did feel a bit apprehensive about leaving the hospital. As much as I wanted to go home there is something comforting about being at the hospital and knowing that there are professionals checking on you periodically. It would now be my responsibility to empty the drains attached to me and ensure that I took my pills when necessary. I also needed to do the exercises recommended by my doctor and do them twice daily. After arriving back home, I was able to visit for a little while with my family, I took my pills, and then I crashed for the rest of the afternoon. I had some dinner and visited with my Dad before watching a bit of the hockey game. It was a sad day because the Ottawa Senators lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs in overtime.I suppose I put in a somewhat restful night and only woke up a few times. It just happened that when I woke up it coincided with the times I was scheduled to take pain relief pills so that worked out quite well. My incisions hurt quite a bit during the night when I would try to roll over in my sleep and then I would be pulled awake by the pain. It didn’t take long to fall back into sleep though. I woke up craving healthy foods. My body was trying to heal itself so this was a good sign. I pretty much ate salad and fruits those first few days home. I was also trying to remember to do my exercises that were recommended and I was finally able to have a “bath” and take off those horrible support stockings for circulation that they put on me at the hospital! I must say that my legs felt great after removing the support hose. It was really quite liberating!
Bailey at Home - Summer 2012
I was also finally able to get dressed in something other than pjs. Afterwards, Mike, Bailey and I went for a walk around the block. Man did that feel good! It was such a gorgeous day with plenty of sun and temperatures above zero for the first time in a long time. You could feel that spring fever hitting you. We took it slow and did one circle around the block before coming back home to take some pills and rest for the afternoon. I expected to feel so much worse than what I did. I thought that I would be in extreme pain and flat on my back for several days. So this was much better than I had anticipated and I prayed that things were healing as they should be.
Sheila, Dad & Me - Fall 2008
The week after my surgery was a somewhat restful time and having my Dad and Sheila at home was a blessing. They took the kids to the Museum of Civilization, to the library, for walks, to the store, to the movies, and generally kept them busy. Since it was March Break it was nice to have someone that was able to entertain the kids so they wouldn’t get bored out of their minds. I was not much fun during those days and Mike had to go to work. Also, since Alex still had his broken arm he was pretty limited as far as activities go. The kids were both also able to have some time with friends and video games, DVD rentals, hockey card trading and lots of books were the order of the day.As for me, I continued to sleep fairly well at night and took my pills regularly. The drains were a pain and were pretty gross to look at. I spent my time hiding under long sweatshirts as best as I could and I really did not feel overly comfortable to leave the house. However, one day I ventured out on a big outing with my Dad and the kids for a coffee and a muffin. I dressed in a way that would hide the drains because they were just incredibly gross.
I did manage to go for a short walk nearly every day and I really focussed on resting and healing. I am not sure what I would have done without my Dad and Sheila there to look after us all. I am forever thankful for these two amazing caregivers. Handle With Care - The Traveling Wilburys
