My surgery... Contains grim photo!

DISCLOSURE... there is a grim photo coming up...

Well, as most of you already know, I had a huge operation on the 9th May due to the Breast Cancer. I chose to have a double mastectomy with a natural reconstruction using tissue from my tummy. I went into hospital on Sunday 8th May and had to stay over night because the surgery was really early Monday morning.

When Monday morning came around I was ready to just get it over and done with. I got up, had a shower, put on my cool thigh high DVT stockings, my lovely hospital gown and sat and waited for the doctors. They all came around one after the other asking questions, drawing on me and telling me lots of information. I eventually went up to the operating room at about 8am and by 9am I was in and under the knife.

To keep a very long story short, the operation lasted about 10 hours and went really well. the results were fantastic. I was monitored very closely the first night. The nurses came and checked on me every hour to give me medication and to check the wounds! I was very sore Tuesday and just wanted to get out of bed, but I just couldn't... the pain in my tummy was way too bad! But, Wednesday morning, I made it up and out of bed.

I had a number of tubes coming out of me... I had 5 drains coming out of the wounds. I had a tube in my neck (see picture) that they were using to give me medication and fluids, I had a tube in my left hand as well as my right arm! I'm not sure that I had any part of my body that didn't have a tube coming out of it!

So, Thursday, when they started removing them, I was a happy lady. They started with the left breast drain, then moved onto the neck drain. Friday they took a tummy drain. Saturday they took 2 more tummy drains and the 2 cannulas'.

I was in hospital for a week altogether. I came home Monday 16th May at lunch time and boy, was I happy to get into my own bed.

It's now been about 5 weeks since the surgery and everything is great. I am healing really well and everything is settling down well. I have had a bit of 'Cording' in my right arm from the lymphnode removal, but that is going as I exercise.

Thank you everyone, for your thoughts, prayers, cards, flowers, CHOCOLATE, magazines, books... you name it... I got it! So grateful for everything. Made me feel very loved!