I Bleed Burnt Orange....Literally

Daisy Love

These past few days of recovery have gone better than I had expected. Despite the random once occurring bloody nose and the stingy-suction feeling from being "milked" 3 times a day, I would have to say I'm moving along quite nicely in my recovery. The most difficult part of this process is actually "needing" help. Yes, as independent as I am, I even need help at times, which can be somewhat frustrating, however, I am enjoying it too.

Let's start from the beginning, my pain has been minimal....well, I've managed to keep it under control with meds. Yesterday, I only took the pain meds twice, once in the morning and once going to bed mainly for preventative reasons. I have yet to take any today, so fingers crossed I can manage the day without any. I still feel like I've done a million push-ups and pull-ups, but it's a soreness my body has become accustomed to since joining CrossFit. The only nuance still comes from my upper back. It is still quite tight and the muscles knotted making movement a little uncomfortable. The area where my drains have been inserted is a little bothersome at times, because of the tape that is used to keep the tubes in place. I think whomever put the tubing in must have mistaken my arms for a tall man, as they are about 3 foot long...without being stretched. Which gets me into my next topic, my utters.

My Utters

Yes, I did say utters, because that is exactly what they remind me of. These "utters" have to be drained 3 times a day, and THIS is what I least look forward to out of this initial recovery period. The drains are meant to remove fluid, avoid clotting, and to prevent infection in the surgery site. I have a total of 4 drains, 2 on each side. It's actually kinda cool (in a weird medical-scientific way) how they work, but I remind you that I am infatuated with medical devices. Anyhow, these tubes are stretchy and have a rubbery grenade looking thing at the end, in which when stretched and pulled creates a suction. This suction obviously sucks the excess fluid and clots out of the surgery site. The first time I was "milked" in the hospital, the fluid was a bright clear red. The goal is that it eventually will turn a clear yellowish color. Yesterday, my fluid was almost the color of burnt orange, which I thought was the best thing ever! (For those of you who don't already know, I am a HUGE University of Texas fan! Hook'em Horns! \m/) I literally was "bleeding" burnt orange!! Surprised? Definitely not. ;) On a serious note, the fact more yellow fluid is coming out is a very good thing! It is a quite uncomfortable at times, as I can feel the suction and a burning sensation when the fluid is being pulled through the tubing to be emptied in the rubber grenade.

I Bleed Burnt Orange

I definitely have welcomed with open arms the help provided by my mom and Trevor. It has been quite tough giving up control of doing things for myself, but I have learned quickly it is ok to let others help me. I don't want to have any complications and want this entire recovery process to go smoothly, BUT I need the help of others to remind me to "slow down" and "relax". My mom has done a great job of making sure I have the right balance of activity and down time to give my body adequate healing time. Each day, I have done a little more activity than the previous day. Today, we are actually going to venture out in the car and head to support group, so she can meet the wonderful group of ladies I meet with twice a month.

Delish Paleo Cookies

Lastly, I am beyond grateful and appreciative of the thoughtfulness of some of my supporters. Your kind-hearted deeds do not go unnoticed. :)

Here's to a positive post-op appointment on Tuesday and a beautiful Monday!

Gentle Hugs,
Allyson