DIEP Reconstruction Aftermath: 2 Weeks

So, it has been two weeks since my reconstruction, three since my mastectomy. It's hard for me to believe the surgery was only two weeks ago and that it was only a week and half ago that I left the hospital. I'm a world away from that now. I think I'm doing pretty well considering that two weeks ago I had my abdomen and chest sliced open, and a chunk of my abdomen stuffed into the space where my breast used to be.

At the risk of sounding overly optimistic, I will say that I feel like I have turned a corner. Just how many more corners there are between me and Fully Functional I cannot say. Here's how I'm feeling two weeks after:

• I'm having moderate pain where my incisions are. Most of is just tightness and discomfort, with random shooting pains every few minutes or so. But overall it's manageable. I've been taking ibuprofen about twice a day, and one oxycodone at the end of the day. I could probably do without the oxy, but I am very sore at the end of the day, and it helps take the edge off, and helps me sleep. 
• I also have this strategy of slowly stretching myself back to normal in my sleep, while I have the help of pharmaceuticals and unconsciousness. 
• Unfortunately, since getting home from the hospital, I've relied heavily on sleeping pills to sleep. I've been taking temazepam every night. My one attempt to sleep without it was a miserable fail. 
• As for straightening back out, when I'm at my best, I'm somewhere between 160 and 170 degrees when I'm standing up. When I'm at my worst, I'm still using my walker (though that is rare, thank goodness). 
• These improvements have led to improvements in my back pain. Although my back is still giving me a lot of grief, it is nothing like it was a week ago. 
• My days mostly consist of reading and messing around on the computer, with a nap while watching something stupid on TV in the afternoon. I've been showering every other day, and while that is something I really look forward to, it zaps me of energy. Things like going upstairs, getting dressed, and going to the kitchen to find something to eat for lunch make me ridiculously tired. But hey, I can do them! That's a start.
• I'm really glad I chopped my hair off pre-mastectomy.
• I drove once, yesterday, and tonight I went upstairs for the first time since my mastectomy, to read to the kids before bedtime. I've been sleeping downstairs in our family room, on our recliner, and my kids have been bringing books downstairs for me to read to them. It felt good to add going upstairs for bedtime to my very short of list of Things I Can Do.  
• I must say that my husband's hideous love seat/recliner is one of my favorite things right now. That, and the shower chair. Mastectomy must-haves, in my opinion. 
• I'm regaining some feeling in my chest and abdomen, but not much. 
• I have quite a bit of tightness in my chest and limited mobility in left arm, but I'm working to improve it with a self-designed exercise regimen. I can lift my arm above my head, but not easily. It doesn't really hurt, but it feels really uncomfortable and my arm feels weak.
• My nipple. is. disgusting. I would provide details, but I get sick just thinking about it, so my guess is you would get sick if I told you about it. It's so gross I sent a panicky e-mail to Dr. L this afternoon. Being the dear that she is, she promptly replied, telling me, 'It will heal from the bottom up, then the scab will fall off and, viola, a new nipple will appear! Important not to pick at it though...' Enough said.

My husband is taking my kids on a trip this weekend - leaving Thursday and returning Saturday. I feel confident that I will be fine on my own, with help from my parents and friends. I continue to be in awe by the goodness and generosity of the people who surround me, and I am so very thankful. I pray it will continue, and that I will continue to heal both physically and emotionally.