The Story of Jaxson's Departure

I'm really still too tired to do this entry, but I did some work from home tonight and am just now winding down. (Before you think my employer is an ass, please know that I'm doing it by choice to help make up time I miss for appointments, so it's a favor and it did NOT have to be done tonight...I just decided to get step one done.)  Phew.  What a disclaimer!   I got up at 4:30 this morning and made it to work by 6:30 since they've loosened up my schedule, but I will NOT be doing that tomorrow.  Not seeing what the clock is telling me now!  :)

Nurse Terri gave me the new wrap with tighter compression on Friday, and told me that as soon as I had two days under 30cc, they'd pull the drain.  I let her know on Tuesday that it was 25, and she said, "Call and come in tomorrow if it's still under 30 and we'll pull it."  It was 28.  Rock on.

I called as soon as the office opened on Wednesday, and the lady said, "We can get you in on Friday afternoon."  I nearly cried.  I gathered my composure and said, "But Terri said to come in this afternoon."  She asked if I was seeing only Terri, or also the Dr.  When I told her it was just me and Terri, she said, "Oh!  OK, how about 1:30 today?"  PHEW!

It was pretty quick.  She cut the stitch, told me to take a deep breath, and then said, "That's it!"  He was out.  She held a bit of gauze over the opening like they do after removing a needle after a blood draw.  After a few seconds, she pulled it off to look and said, "Oh boy!  Oops!"  and put the gauze back, asking me to hold it there while she got more.

She got more, I let go, and she said, "Woah!" as she put more on.  I would have worried, but she is amazing and kept telling me that it is nothing to worry about, it's normal after a drain is in that long, and it's better to leak out than to be retained inside.  OK.  She asked me to hold the gauze once again and got a thicker, plastic-backed bandage.  It was taped to me and we crossed fingers that it wouldn't leak, since I was going back to work.

It didn't.  I hit "the wall" around 4 and headed home.  I wasn't even 5 miles from work when it leaked a bit.  Talk about timing!  At least I was gone!  By bedtime last night, it was nothing but a tiny dot on the bandage. Kind of like what you have on the cotton ball they put on you after drawing blood.  After all day today, there wasn't even a dot.  I guess it's done.  Except...

I'm getting a seroma that will likely require a trip to the cutter general surgeon's office tomorrow.  I'm supposed to go to the plastic surgeon for the first fill of my tissue expander, and Terri and I have already discussed the fact that I'll likely be sent there for needle aspiration.  Cutter's office has an ultra sound, so they can do it while making sure they miss the tissue expander.

*sigh*  That means leaving work shortly after noon, going to Leawoodfreaking, KS, and then being sent to St. Luke's on the Plaza.  (That won't mean anything to anyone not from this area, but it's an inconvenient trip, OK?)  After all of that, I have to call the oncologist.  Yup.  Time to get chemo back on the calendar, now that Jaxson is gone.  I avoided that for today, just to have control over one more day.

Childish?  Yes.  Too bad!  Tomorrow, I'll act like an adult again.

Back to Work

I went back to work today.  I'm nearly dead.  Due to the "near death" status, this shall be a short post:

I have been napping daily, including yesterday.  Therefore, I couldn't fall asleep until after midnight.  Therefore I worked nearly a full day at work, for the first time in over 6 weeks, with only 5 hours of sleep.  That won't happen again.  I came home, exhausted, and refused to let myself nap.  I'll be going to sleep soon.  LOL   And I'll sleep well.

Jaxson played nice and only offered up 25cc, despite the fact that I stripped the drain several times to make sure nothing was slowing it down, other than healing.  Terri said that, if he's under 30cc again in the morning, I can get him pulled tomorrow afternoon.

I'm tired and must go to sleep soon.  Please cross fingers that this JERK drain leaves tomorrow.  I wanna blow him up with one of those TNT plunger things that Wile E. Coyote uses.  Yup.  That's where I've gone now.  It's completely out of control.  I've gone to the crazy place.

Attitude Adjustment and the Breakfast of Champions

I have not been posting much lately because I have had an attitude problem for the past several days.  Time to get over it.  A crappy attitude is NOT going to fix anything.  I think I'm done pouting now, and ready to move on.  Sometimes you have to say, "What are ya gonna do?" and just go along with what has to be done.

Therefore, I will most likely be going back to work on Tuesday morning.  I really wanted to wait until Jaxson's departure, since that will be a pain to deal with, but whatever.  He's been holding steady at 50cc per day for nearly 3 weeks.  I'm going to the plastic surgeon's office this afternoon just because they haven't seen me in a while and they cannot believe that Jaxson is this stubborn.  The record in that office is 7 weeks for a JP drain to stay in, and Jaxson's been around for 5 weeks and 2 days (but who's counting?)

It'll also be good to have them verify that there are no signs of infection from me having it so long.  I've been on pretty strong antibiotics since surgery, so I doubt it, but it's worth letting them take a look, anyway.  They won't remove it with the output being this high, but maybe they can give me some guidance as to why the amount hasn't dropped in 3 weeks.

I was up until nearly 1:00 am, watching crap on TV.  I had an alarm set for 5:30 so the drain amount that I give them today is for exactly 24 hours.  (Why did I have to wake up so early yesterday?  LOL)  The plan was to go back to sleep.  So much for plans.  Natalie was in my room, watching TV (I sleep in the recliner and Kevin was gone to work) so I spoke to her, and then I instantly started thinking about today's appointment, so sleep was futile.

I started having coffee and doing my typical, early morning internet surfing, and Natalie said she would make some eggs for me.  The only problem was, we are apparently out of eggs.  Dang.  What did she offer to make instead?  Or stranger yet, what sounded REALLY good when she offered?  Grilled ham and cheese!  She fixed one for me and I had some of my mega thin chips with white queso dip, and it was an amazing breakfast!  What a sweet kid I have.

Oh, and the coffee we've been having is the best coffee in the world (in our opinion.)  It can only be found in Texas, because it's a store brand at HEB.  You can order online, but the price gets really high if you do that, so we stock up when we go to Texas, and our Texas friends always bring some along when they visit.  The problem is, we haven't been down there in nearly a year, and our friends haven't had the opportunity to visit, so we've been out for quite some time.

Actually, another friend (not from Texas) ordered online and had some sent to us in bulk since we were there last (shout out, 'Shell) but it's been gone for a while.  Well, one of my Texas friends (shout out, Susie!) sent a care package recently with SIX bags!  It is SO good.  I think I'll go refill my cup.

I only have four more hours to kill until we leave for my appointment.  *sigh*  Wouldn't it suck if they told me I had to quit coffee and chips in order to get rid of this drain?  ARGGG!  ::shudder::  What a nightmare THAT would be.

Missing Girls and Sleeping Upright

My girls aren't really missing, but I was thinking about the name of mom's most recent blog post.  The girls are, however, both gone.  At 9:30, Natalie walked in and announced that she wanted to spend the night at a friend's house down the street and friend's mom said OK.  Why not?  Then Monica felt left out, so she contacted her usual hang-out house and headed over there for the night.  Welcome to summer in my house.

I was talking on a message board to another lady who has had her JP drain nearly 5 weeks (her surgery was the same day as mine,) and she said that she found out that it would drain less overnight if she slept sitting up more.  I've been sleeping in the recliner based on other recommendations, but when I wake up, I'm usually reclined back as far as it will go.  She tried sleeping upright and is getting her drain pulled tomorrow.

I'm trying to form a plan that will keep this reclining from happening.  I asked Monica to sit behind the chair all night and hold it up, but she declined.  Come to think of it, perhaps that's why she left for the night?  At this point, I'm willing to give anything a shot.  If I wake up lying back too far, I may choose the corner of the couch tomorrow, instead of the recliner.

OK, Monica has called to tell me she made it OK.  The distraction of typing this blog post worked.  Have a fabulous week!

Jaxson, HFMD, and Job Hunting

Jaxson is a big ol' jerk.  The quantity went up, significantly up, yesterday.  I almost let it break me.  My girls were here to watch season finales with me and keep me from melting into a complete pity pot, although I did post some pretty whiny stuff on Facebook and my favorite message boards.

There is a reason that this is happening.  I'm either not supposed to lose this drain yet, or I'm not supposed to start chemo on Tuesday.  I don't know what the reason is, but I'm sure there is one, so I'm going to shut my dang mouth about it.  Whining will get me nowhere.

I took Natalie to the Minute Clinic yesterday morning.  I told them, "She has a sore throat, sores in her mouth and spots on her hands and feet."  The nurse practitioner asked, "What are you thinking?"  I said, "I think she has Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease."  She nodded that she agreed.  Then she went to Bing on her computer and looked up the facts that she thought I should know.

The fact that I diagnosed her and they used a search engine didn't keep them from charging the full $25 copay. LOL  It's viral, so there's not much we can do other than Tylenol for pain and a prescription mouth rinse that helps with the mouth pain.  She is miserable.

I can NOT get this stuff.  Seriously.  That would cause a whole new batch of problems for me.  There is a lot of hand washing going on in this house.  LOL  Hand washing and complaining (from both of us.)

Monica is out of school for the summer, so the great job hunt is on.  She attacks a different nearby town each day.  It's amazing how many places won't hire you unless you are 18.  I don't remember it being that way, but it's probably a safety issue.  I hope she finds something.  I'll never forget how great it felt to have that freedom, responsibility, and MONEY!  ha ha

OK, If I disappear for a while, it means I have nothing new to say.  I don't want anyone to think that my absence means there is a problem.  I just find myself turning into a whiny-post person, and I don't want to be that person.  I can promise you with 100% certainty that I will post an update the moment I lose the drain.  :)

I Can Drive!

As is typical of me, I do a lot of online research about EVERYTHING.  When it comes to something that directly effects my health, you can multiply that research infinitely.  I even found an amazing online community to join at http://breastcancer.org/ where you can join in message  board type chats, as well as search for answers.

I noticed a lot of folks on there who were driving themselves around, even though they had a JP drain (or multiples) in place.  This piqued my curiosity, so I emailed my handy-dandy PS nurse Terri to ask.  The only restriction on my driving is the pain pills.  What???  I could have been driving for two weeks!  As soon as she answered, I jumped in the car and left.

My poor car has been parked under the neighbor's trees for a while, and was so covered in bird dookie that it was hideous.  The girls and I laughed pretty hard about it and made the car wash my first stop. Due to a very generous donation, my windshield has been replaced (from the deer damage-no more duct tape) and getting it clean felt great.

From there, we hit Sonic's Happy Hour for drinks, and then to WalMart.  It wasn't long before I realized it may have been a bit too soon to run errands on an afternoon in which I had not napped.  Seriously?  The first day in weeks that I don't nap, and I decide to run around driving?  DUH!

I really thought it would be OK, even though I have a standard transmission, since that uses my right arm, and my left arm is the one that doesn't work.  WRONG!  I guess I actually use my left arm quite a bit.  Part of the reason for that is that NOTHING in my car is automatic.  Windows, locks, etc all need to be worked manually.  With a non-working air conditioner, that meant rolling the windows up and down a few times.

Anyway, I drove.  I can drive.  I'll be careful not to overdo it, and to maybe go earlier in the day, so I still have time to nap when I get home.  In other news:  Jaxson only gave up 10cc this morning (after nearly 12 hours) so it's looking like we might have an improvement there, too!  Fingers crossed!

And Here is Another Week

Wow.  Another Monday is here already.  I slept a LOT yesterday.  Recent surgery or not, I slept so much I felt guilty!  I would wake up for an hour or so, think I was done napping, and then BAM, back to sleep for another couple of hours.  I didn't feel as bad as I did on Saturday, but I sure was tired.  The day ended with a visit from coworkers bearing meals.  Yum is an understatement.

This morning, I decided to rest as needed, but NOT sleep the day away.  We'll see how THAT goes.  LOL  Heck, it takes an hour to shower and get dressed, 20 minutes to go to the post office and back, and then it's time for this important internet-type stuff.  :)  By then, the day is half over, so I think I have a solid plan to prevent non-stop sleep.

I've got Jaxson down to double digits, but we still have a way to go  before I can get rid of him.  Yesterday was 53cc.  The day before that was 87, so I'm hoping yesterday wasn't a fluke (because that's a huge drop.)  It has to be under 30cc for two days straight before they can remove it.  I am SO flippin' tired of dealing with it.  Tired to the point that I tear up as I'm trying to shower or get dressed or change clothes.  Of all the things that are horrible about cancer, who would have thought a stupid drain could cause this much grief?

I guess I'll go email my nurse the Jaxson status and see what she says.  Fingers crossed...

The Jaxson Saga and Mother's Day

Wow, no post since Wednesday must mean no news, huh?  That, and I'm keeping weird hours.  I've never known anyone to sleep as much as I have been sleeping lately.  Other than a baby, perhaps.  I'm not complaining, however.  I am learning to adore a good nap or three during the day.

Jaxson seems to finally be slowing down.  94cc on Thursday, and 83cc on Friday.  Keep going that direction, buddy.  I may get rid of you before the week is out, which is actually imperative, since I am to start chemo the following Tuesday, and cannot start chemo until Jaxson is out of the picture.

Today, we're going to have a Mother's Day meal of burgers and dogs on the grill.  Brett and Melissa are coming over and bringing the kids.  I can't WAIT!  It's been weeks since I've seen them.  Even Kaylie is coming, and she NEVER makes it.  I stocked up on bubbles and sidewalk chalk, so we should make it a great day.

Chemo has been Scheduled

So yesterday, I just sat here.  Yup.  That's pretty much what I did.  I let the HVAC guy in to fix our a/c, and then I wrote a check to him.  I changed the channel several times, took medication and logged drain output.  Quite possibly the laziest day I've participated in for a LONG time.  If that's what it takes to get better fast, I'm going to have to heal slowly.  Jeez, what a long day.

I'll avoid running errands that aren't necessary (we'll leave those up to Kevin,) but I'm not going to sit in this chair 24/7, THAT'S for sure.  Today, I think I'll walk up to the post office.  All the way up town, by myself.  (Those who know this town will get the joke.  We're talking 4 blocks.)

I got a call from someone yesterday (I cannot keep track of what nurse is from what office anymore) but she was somehow affiliated with the oncologist.  I am to go in at 10:15 on May 22.  I'll have a meeting with the oncologist and then have my first chemo treatment.  I'm supposed to plan on being there for many hours, especially for the first visit.  Maybe as many as six!

The problem that I see (and it may not be a problem, but I'll be asking) is that I expect Jaxson to still be hanging around then.  I still have not dropped under 100cc in a 24 hour period, and it's got to get under 30.  If you aren't familiar with Jaxson, go to this post and read the last paragraph.  I didn't think to ask yesterday, but I have an email in to my favorite nurse/source of information to see what to do about it.  Maybe Jaxson will just go along for the ride.  LOL  He's always enjoyed a good road trip.

I slept in my own bed last night, and I believe I slept better than I have in three weeks.  Can you believe it's been three weeks?  I may try to make the transition back into there now.  This poor recliner deserves a break.  :)

I Suppose I Should Just Sit Here

I think I overdid things on Saturday, so I spent Sunday recuperating.  I was exhausted, sore, and even had a pretty big chip on my shoulder by the end of the day (I know!  Shocking!)  I was slowly but steadily recovering, and the setback just ticked me right off.

I got up this morning after sleeping a bit longer than usual, and still wasn't great.  What the heck?  Fine, I'll take another easy day.  Mom even offered to take me with them to McD's for breakfast (not that I eat breakfast, especially theirs, but she knows I look for chances to get out of the house.)  I turned her down.

I tried to take my daily nap, but after 4 interruptions, I gave up on that pipe dream.  Maybe tomorrow I'll pull my head out and silence my phone and put a DND sign on the door, huh?  I got up and fixed one of the meals provided by my wonderful coworkers (which was easy and amazingly delicious) and then asked Kevin to take me to the store.  I was relatively sure I felt well enough to go.

Wrong.  I did well 3/4 of the way through the trip, and then started fading fast.  I almost felt feverish.  I'm on antibiotic, so I'm sure I'm not, but I was just "off."  Got settled in for the night and decided that I shall not move for at least 2 days.   I'll read, I'll surf, I'll sleep, and I'll twiddle my thumbs, but I'm going to quit jeopardizing my recovery, which is what I was inadvertently doing.

Oh, and I had also planned to be back to work by now, at least part time.  Yeah right.  Satan drain Jaxson is still putting out over 100cc per day.  It's still gotta get under 30.  I can't drive, I can't work, I can even make it to the damn store with a chauffeur without issues.

If you need me, check this recliner.  I'll be here.  Likely pouting.

Losing a Drain

Yesterday was my appointment with the surgeon that did the mastectomy.  I actually told him that I've been calling him the "demo doctor."  He thought it was pretty funny.  I don't have to see him again for 6 months.  People poured into the room while I was there, too.  He was joined by his nurse practitioner, another nurse, a lady who remembered me from my biopsy and wanted to come say "hi" etc etc.  It was crowded in there, but I'm important like that.

My plastic surgeon's nurse had told me that, if I came upon someone who would/could remove drain one any time after Monday, I could ask.  Otherwise, I could go have her do it.  She's all the way over in Leawood, KS, so I asked yesterday.  They pulled it!  It was the one not causing any issues, but it's still kinda nice to only have to deal with one.

I slept in my bed last night, and it was very comfortable, but I paid for it this morning.  I guess I am destined to sleep in the recliner for a while longer.  Oh well.  I'm having a teary kind of day, so I ran to Lexington with Mom and Dad to see how much money I could blow at Dollar General.  $47, if you wondered.  Kevin's Monster drinks are cheaper there, so a lot of that was for those.

It was an early-out for the girls, so Natalie is here to keep me company now, and Monica will be home from softball practice when it's time for Natalie to go to track practice, so I should have someone with me the rest of the afternoon.  Uncle Phil and Aunt Faye are stopping by this afternoon, too, so I will have company all afternoon for sure!

JP Drains-TMI Again

This is another TMI entry. I'm warning you!  If I have to live this disgusting crap, then I'm dragging you down with me.  If you don't want to see the nastiness, or do not want to deal with my current reality, click here instead.

Today I'll explain the biggest current pain in my neck...the JP drains.  These drains are a necessary evil, because they carry the post-op fluids out of my body.  If the drain is pulled to early, it could cause a seroma (sp) that would need constantly drained with a needle frequently, because my body would not be able to absorb all of the extra fluids.   So yes, I get why it must stay.  Yes, I understand that it's for the best.  And yes, I now feel that I've typed enough that the squeamish folks could have clicked away without accidentally seeing anything.

Four times per day, I deal with these stupid things.  There are two long tubes that come out of my body from my left side, and the long tubes each end in a bulb.  The bulb is to be squeezed tightly and then capped, which keeps constant, gentle suction on the drain.  Four times per day, I uncap the bulb, drain the fluid into a cup with measuring lines on the side, and strip the hose from where it exits my body down to the tube.

This last step is to make sure there are no clogs.  It's difficult to strip it without pulling, and pulling HURTS.  I'm learning to pinch with one hand and use the other hand to strip the hose.  Whatever.  Since I already showed a picture of the drains leaving my body, I didn't do that again today.  It's the second image on this entry, although the coloring of my skin looks better now.

So I head into the restroom and get the drains ready.  As usual, drain one is nearly empty and drain two is full.  It hates me.

There are some variances in the color of the fluid, but the main difference with these two today is an optical illusion due to volume.  You can see that the bulbs are squeezed like I mentioned, to keep gentle suction going at all times.  If it is bulb shaped, meaning not squeezed at all, it's not drawing and I have to fix it.  I haven't had to do that since leaving the hospital.

Next, I get my lovely measuring cups out (don't worry if you ever come here for dinner...I don't use THOSE measuring cups,) and empty the contents from the bulbs into the cups.  I could empty drain #1 only once per day since it's so slow, but I always do it when I do the other.  Heck, I'm in there anyway.

Then, as you can see by the above image, I've squeezed the air out again (and stripped the hoses, see how empty they are?) and it's time to read the amounts from the sides of the cup.  Then, I can tuck them away in these discreet little pouches, which Velcro to the bottom of my bra.  Yes, very discreet.  That's not obvious at ALL!  Here they are:

The only way these aren't obvious is if I'm wearing a big ol' sweatshirt over my T shirt, and even then they aren't completely hidden.  This is the reason that, even if I felt amazing (I do NOT) I wouldn't return to work until the drains are gone.  Walking around with extra lumps, stopping to measure and log fluids, etc, etc.  No thanks.

Finally I log the drain amounts on the document in hopes of seeing the amounts drop (they are NOT dropping.)  When drain two gets below 30 cc per day, it can come out.  It put out 50 cc this morning (I slept longer than usual, but still!) so it's not coming out any time soon.  See?

So this is currently my life.  Tomorrow afternoon I have a follow-up appointment with my surgeon (the demo guy.)  He'll probably want to check this portocath, among other things.  (Don't worry, my chest is NOT as hairy as the one in the picture at that link.)  Then, on Thursday I have a follow-up with my oncologist.  I really want to know what the plan is.

I want with ALL of my being to NOT do radiation.  That would delay my reconstruction by as much as a year.  Chemo only slows it down a bit.  Whatever the plan is, let's get it moving.

A Disappointing Day

Yesterday was the follow-up appointment with my plastic surgeon.  I kind of expected to get one drain removed, although I knew that the other one would be staying.  The output has to be less than 30cc in 24 hours, and I have one that will do 30 cc in one draining.  The other, however, has been hovering right around that 30 cc area and I was pretty sure it would go.

So Dad offered to take me to Independence to meet Kevin, saving him 40 miles of driving to get me to this appointment.  He picked me up, stopped by Sonic for me (he's a good Daddy like that) and we met up with Kevin.  As I got out of Dad's car and into Kevin's truck, the air hit me (it was very blustery yesterday) and I thought, "Why does my side feel wet?"

We got all of my stuff transferred to the truck and Dad took off.  I asked Kevin to please look at my side as I raised up my jacket as high as my limited-motion arm will allow.  I was soaked from just under my armpit to the waistband of my jeans.  WTH????  I haven't had any issue like this since surgery.

So here we are in Independence, headed to Leawood, KS, and I'm soaked.  Kevin had requested that I bring his tennis shoes to him, and I had grabbed a T shirt, too, since he gets so dirty at work.  He had remembered a shirt, so I had a spare T shirt, although it was quite big.  The other problem was the bra being soaked, and not having an ace bandage (my typical undergarment lately) with me.

We find a CVS, and bought gauze and could NOT find a normal ACE bandage.  It's a PHARMACY for goodness sake!  The closest they had was the kind that sticks to itself.  It wasn't ideal, but it would work to get us there.  We paid and then went together into the ladies' room for him to wrap me to the best of his ability.  Have I mentioned Kevin's willingness to do whatever it takes?

So much for stopping for a nice dinner somewhere, since I was now in an ace bandage, well, you don't want to be seen that way for MANY reasons.  Not just the imbalance.  The drains have to go somewhere and, well, it was going to be a drive-through for dinner.  Period.  That resulted in us arriving at the plastic surgeon's office nearly two hours early.  Kevin saw our (amazingly wonderful) nurse, Terri, and explained the situation to her.  She got us back into a room super-fast, cut the stupid ACE thing off me and got me into a gown.  From there on, I didn't mind waiting.

When it was our turn, Terri showed me how to "strip" the drains, and one of them needed it, which was the reason for the small amount on the last log entry for that one.  Turns out, even the other (slower) one wasn't coming out yesterday.  I got sent home with both.  I wanted to cry.

Everything else was great news.  He (the surgeon) said that everything looked awesome and I was healing very well and he had no concerns.  He answered any questions that I had and said that drain one would probably come out on Monday.  We'll see.  LOL  Drain two will be a bit longer.  As aggravating as it is to have them, removing them too early can be catastrophic, and I understand that.  I just wanted to cry.

So we got in the truck, I took my overdue medication, and cried until falling asleep.  Poor Kevin.  LOL  We came home and I wanted to be alone, so I decided to try sleeping in my bed.  BAD choice.  I woke up this morning hurting quite a bit.  Getting a shower and a re-wrap helped a lot, but it's back to the recliner for me. I think it'll be a while before I can comfortably sleep in bed again.

The bottom line is:  I'm healing well.  I need to get over myself when there are little setbacks, and I need to be more thankful for my friends who care.  I also need to travel with spare clothing, but that's another issue all together.

Appointment Tomorrow

Tomorrow afternoon is the follow-up with the plastic surgeon.  One drain will come out, the satan drain will not.  There is still just too much drainage.  It's depressing, but not surprising.  It'll probably be the middle of next week and she'll tell me to come back in, and then I'll need to get Dad to take me all the way to Leawood, KS.  Sheesh.  I'm trying not to be depressed by it, but I'm failing a bit right now.

The other things I'm experiencing are normal, I'm quite sure, but I'll ask anyway.  The outside of my left arm and my armpit feels like they have a bad sunburn.  I'm sure it's because of nerves that were cut and damaged during surgery, but I'll ask.

I also want to drive.  I know I can't drive with drains in, but as soon as they're out, I want to drive.  I'll stop pain pills cold turkey if I have to.  I can't be this dependent.  It's making me crazy.  I guess I'm just in a fowl mood about satan drain.  I'll get over it.  The timing will work out for a meal out before the appointment.  That should help, right?

The Satan Drain Saga Continues

I messed with that drain for a while.  It was clogged.  30cc last night and 20cc this morning.   There is no way it's coming out tomorrow afternoon.

Damn.