Sweet relief

Yesterday was a day with ups and downs. I started the day just not feeling well. I was tired and the dizziness was really getting me down. I relaxed and slept most of the morning, and even skipped a FaceTime date with my work friends. They were having a walking taco potluck, and were kind enough to send me lots of great photos of their lunchtime fun. Here are a couple of my favorites:

They also let me know that I missed a fire alarm at work. This is a really big deal. For those of you who don't know, I am a Floor Safety Coordinator and I take this responsibility very seriously. It is my job to ensure that the individuals on my floor are safe in all emergency situations - fires, tornados, tsunamis, hurricanes, earthquakes, active shooters - the list goes on. I should have been there in my neon safety vest letting them know to evacuate the unsafe situation. Fortunately they made it out of the building, but clearly they were lost:

One struggle that I have had since surgery is pooping. There, I said it. Lower GI problems are common after surgery and I am no different. But yesterday was a big day in this area. I did have one friend offer to come over to help me via rectal stimulation, but fortunately I did not need to take her up on the offer. Coffee, dried apricots, and apple juice eventually worked. Aaahh, sweet relief.

I had a follow-up appointment with the plastic surgeon in the afternoon, and I managed to make myself look pretty cute for the appointment. The doctor said my incisions are looking good and gave me an A+ for progress. He was also able to remove three of the four drains. Having the drains removed was pretty awful. It didn't hurt, but feeling the tubing move out of my body made me just about pass out. Literally. The nurse had to tip me way back, put a cool, damp cloth on my forehead, and put ice behind my neck. I needed some Coca-Cola as well. It took quite a while for me to perk back up, but it was worth it in the end because now I only have one drain! If the output is low enough today we can take it out tomorrow. And I'll get to pass out all over again!

For today, I am hoping that my dizziness goes away! The doctor gave me a new antibiotic so I really hope that makes a difference. I'm thinking that I might post a picture soon of my chest; despite my smiling face, my chest is pretty terrible looking. And why wouldn't I want to share that with everyone?