I had my dressings removed on Monday (25th) I could not wait for this appointment as the plasters were becoming very itchy! Also, whilst the dressings were on, I was not allowed to get my chest wet which meant I couldn't have a proper bath or shower. 

I went into the appointment expecting the worst, my nipples have been removed along with the breast tissue and I didn't know how I would feel about my breast without the nipples. I also expected the scars to be quite raw, red and inflamed. 

They look amazing! The scars are practically non-existent, there is no redness and they look completely healed...just one very straight and faint line across the centre of each breast. And having no nipples isn't bothering me at all, in fact the surgeon left a small amount of pigmented skin at the top and bottom so I actually have an oval of pigmented skin that is taking the place of my nipples. I will be making pictures available at some point but I am still trying to decide how best to do this...Uni lectures and old school teachers are now aware of my blog and I don't want to give them a fright! If anyone reading is considering/having surgery and think they would benefit from seeing the pictures sooner rather than later you can get in contact with me and we will sort something out. 

I feel great too, apart from not being able to lift anything heavy I'm completely back to normal! I'm not in any pain but the nerves around my breast are starting to regrow so my skin is hypersensitive around my bra line. This starts to get a bit annoying towards the end of the day as I have to wear a sports bra 24/7 for six weeks and it rubs in the exact place where my skin is sensitive. 

Sean and I keep forgetting that I had surgery, we are moving house and decorating our new flat at the moment and it isn't until we stop in the evening that we realise I have probably done too much! 

I left hospital on Friday! 
I was allowed to leave as soon as my drains were removed and this wasn't nearly as painful as I expected...kind of like pulling off a really sticky plaster. 

I was home by about 10am...I think they could see I was keen to be off so told me to send someone to pick up my antibiotics at lunchtime. 
As soon as I got home Sean helped me to have a bath. It felt amazing to be clean again after only having wet-wipe washes since Tuesday!

I wasn't up to much on Friday, I just slept and sat on the sofa really. Mum picked up my antibiotics from the hospital, my course was due to finish on Monday so I had to carry on taking them over the weekend. I took the antibiotics at about 2pm and felt so sick and awful that I cried and refused to take them any more...and that was with anti-sickness tablets!

As I medical student I know how important it is to finish a course of antibiotics, especially when the risk of infection is high. But at this time I was not a medical student, I was a patient and I was fed up of feeling sick. The operation was fine and I was in no pain at all...the only thing making me feel ill was the tablets that were meant to be making me better. 
So I put them in the bin...but don't tell my dad...he would be very upset with me! 

The first day since my op that I dared to venture out! 

Sean drove me down to the Quayside, I walked down some steps and into the coffee shop of the Baltic, I had a drink, I walked back to the car...and then I had to sleep for three hours!

I wasn't eating very much at all, hadn't been since my op, and this was making my mum quite worried...in our house if you're off your food you're proper poorly!

Since Saturday I have been out everyday and gradually got my stamina back.

Tuesday night I slept like the dead, morphine induced of course! I stopped taking my morphine in the wee hours of Wednesday morning as I didn't need it at all. 

Coming off the morphine meant I started taking oral codeine and paracetamol. All went well until the evening when I had horrendous visions every time I closed my eyes. I was also sick on Wednesday night, I thought these symptoms must be due to the codeine so stopped taking that and managed pain free on paracetamol alone. 

Two of my closest friends came to visit me, along with the usual Sean and parents. I think I was an engaging patient...I didn't fall asleep at least!

Due to the sickness on Wednesday night I was now taking anti-sickness tablets with my antibiotics and paracetamol...an anti-inflammatory had also been added to my meds. 

The anti-sickness did little to stop me feeling nauseous and completely knocked me out...I could not keep my eyes open when Sean and my mum came at visiting time!

I was thoroughly fed up of being in hospital at this point and considering imaginary ways to make the doctor suffer if he refused to let me go home the next morning!
I had to stay in hospital until my drains were draining a minimal amount of fluid from the wound site. 

I have heard people do an awful lot of moaning about these infamous drains, now they're not a barrel of laughs but they are not as bad as I expected. I had two on each side, they were pint glass size and the tubes were long enough for them to reach the floor, and this is where they sat most of the time...on the floor at either side of my bed. When I went for a wander around all I had to do was bunch them into one hand, half way down the tubes.
They entered my chest just under my armpits and one looped round the bottom, the other round the top of my breast on each side. A single stitch was used to secure each of the drains to my skin and they didn't pull much at all. 

Although they weren't as bad as I thought, getting them out meant I could go home and for that reason they became hated and I couldn't wait to be rid!

Sean and I arrived at the hospital at about 7.15am and went to our allotted ward, we were the first there and were shown to a room containing about six recliner chairs in the place of beds. It was quite a strange set up, how I would imagine a chemo suite to look. 

I was told I was first on the list and would be going down to surgery at about 8.30am. Between arriving and being taken to surgery various people came to visit...nurses, anaesthetists, surgeons....they all had something for me to sign or a swab to do or blood to take. Sean was allowed to stay with me throughout all this and it was a very calm environment. I was worried that one of us would get upset but no-one in the room did. 

I had to put on compression stockings and a surgical gown fastened at the back, I was allowed to leave my knickers on. And then it was time, I was lead down to the recovery room by a nurse to wait for the anaesthetist. One of the surgery nurses came and was a bit too cheerful, he obviously spends a lot of time calming or cheering people but I just found him a bit annoying. 

I was taken into the anaesthetic room at about 9.15am. ECG leads were put on my back to monitor my heart and then I was given an injection into the cannula on my hand...this made me feel very drunk. A mask was then put over my mouth and nose and another injection given that made me go to sleep. 

And then I woke up...I can't really tell you what time it was, I made sure to look at the clock before the op but I understandably forgot to look when I woke up! 

I was in no pain, the nurse kept asking me to rate my pain in the recovery room but I had none...I did however desperately need the toilet! The nurse brought a bed pan and I had a wee...and instantly felt much better! 
I was hooked up to a drip and a morphine pump and I had an oxygen mask on. 

I think I must have been in recovery a long time...they kept ringing the ward but no-one came to get me for a while, they must have been busy. I got to the ward at about 3pm. I don't know how long my operation took...the surgeon expected it to take 4/5 hours and that would fit with when I got back to a ward. 

On the ward my drip and morphine pump were kept up and my oxygen mask was swapped for one of those tubes that just sits inside your nose. I had a button to press when I needed pain relief that would release a small amount of morphine...I honestly didn't need it, however I did press it as I didn't want to have the morphine wear off and realise I was in pain. I had to use the bed pan a few times more during the evening but at about 2am I decided I would like to get up to go to the toilet. I was unhooked from the drip and morphine so I could go to the loo and I got there fine...a bit wobbly but I made it!

The drip and morphine were reconnected but I decided not to press the button any more as I didn't need it. Both were taken away at about 4am on the 13th as I was drinking plenty and obviously not dehydrated judging my the amount of times I was needing to go to the toilet! 

I go into hospital at 7.30 tomorrow. 
My parents have arrived and there is quite a strange atmosphere in the house...everyone keeps asking each other if they're OK.

I don't feel scared, a bit short tempered and I just want it to be done. Tomorrow will be easy for me, I just have to turn up and lay there. I imagine it will be harder for my parents and Sean, they all have their plans to keep themselves busy. 

Sean will write again in a couple of days and my dad promises to make a fathers day guest appearance! 

I had my pre-op the other day, which was very funny...I don't think its meant to be but Sean and I couldn't stop laughing!

As soon as we got in the consultation room I was asked to go away and swab my perineum (!) good start. 
The appointment didn't really consist of much else...swabbing various orifices, blood and urine sample, a few of the normal questions (plus a few odd ones...do you snore!)

I then had to go have my chest photographed. It was quite odd to have my breasts photographed in a professional studio! The consent form asked for permission to publish the photo in medical resources...I don't really want my boobs in the next addition of Gray's Anatomy for all my peers to learn from so I politely declined!

And that's it! Now all I have to do is turn up on the morning of the 12th. 

I haven't had the anticipated panic yet. To be fair I have spent every waking hour decorating the new house so I have had very little time to worry about the surgery. 
It seems my plan to keep myself busy has worked. 

Its one week until my surgery now, this last week has gone incredibly fast. I still feel good...you know that feeling you get when you're about to do an exam or presentation and you have that nervous excitement...you know its going to feel amazing to have it over with...well I feel like that. 

The picture above is of the amazing cupcakes that my wonderful Aunty Kate brought to my Bye Bye Boobs Party...boobies with red sparkly nipple tassels! The party was fab, I had a lovely evening with friends and family. 

I have stopped drinking coffee and only had a horrendous headache for one day...unfortunately it just happened to be Sean's birthday. As for the alcohol...I felt so ill after the Boob Party that I don't mind if I never drink again! I said that I wanted to exercise everyday, well I'm painting the entire flat at the moment, I think that counts as exercise! 

Its my pre-operative appointment tomorrow, I have no idea what that entails so I will write about it on here after. Hopefully I will find out what time my op is...and hopefully I will be first on the list!