[2023-07-09] Saturday Synopsis #51 and recovery day 2
Even though I'm a day late with my Saturday Synopsis, I decided to do it today, along with providing an update on my recovery. Preparing the Saturday Synopsis gives me an opportunity to look back at this week one and two years ago. It's enlightening to read where I was mentally and physically in July 2021 and July 2022. Soon, I will have three years' worth of posts to look back on, when I hit my three-year anniversary with Jenesis on August 6, 2023.
Recovery Day 2
I slept better last night than my first night home from the hospital. My Fitbit sleep score last night was a good 86, compared to a fair 61 the previous night. I felt more comfortable.
On the day of my surgery, I described my chest as feeling like the day after a new personal trainer had convinced me that I could bench press 50 pounds. By yesterday, it felt more like I had bench pressed 30 pounds. And today, it felt like I had lifted an unweighted barbell. So that's progress. I can also take deep breaths again with no discomfort.
I occasionally get a sharp pain in my left breast when I change position, but the sensation is fleeting. I've stopped taking Dilaudid (hydromorphone). Though I was given a prescription for this opioid, I decided not to fill it, as I still had some pills left from my ovarian cancer surgery in 2020. I took a total of three Dilaudid pills since getting out of the hospital to keep ahead of the pain, as they say. But since I have no pain most of the time, I'm making due with just Tylenol and Advil.
Yesterday and this morning, my throat felt irritated when I ate. The irritation was probably caused by the endotracheal tube the anesthesiologists would have inserted at the beginning of the surgery. A little cool yogurt soothed my throat, and by this evening's supper, my sore throat was gone.
Fortunately, I have no discomfort in my shoulders. I was concerned about that, based on stories from women who had experienced mastectomies. My only limitations in movement are related to not wanting to disturb the bandages on my breasts. I have slight stiffness in my neck, which I think is caused by my upright sleeping position and slightly hunched posture as I try not to disturb my bandages and drains. Chris brought me a heatable neck pillow today to drape across my shoulders, which was lovely.
My drains continue to do their job. The earliest they could come out, based on how much I'm draining each day, is Wednesday. I have a follow-up with Dr. Zhang, my plastic surgeon, on Thursday, so perhaps they'll come out then.
I'm taking antibiotics to prevent any infection. Fortunately, I have MyChart to help me keep track of all the medications I need to take.
Every day is better than the day before—one step in front of the other. This is unlike my recovery from ovarian cancer surgery, which sometimes felt like one step backward for every two steps forward.
As I reflect on my first entry in this week's Saturday Synopsis (my blog post of July 6, 2021), I recognize how much I had faced to that point without knowing how much more I would face in the future. In July 2021, I had been diagnosed with and completed treatment for ovarian cancer, and I knew about my faulty BRCA2 gene. However, I didn't know that another cancer―perianal skin cancer―was lurking, which would require more surgery and 25 rounds of radiation. And I didn't know that I would ultimately decide to have a third surgery (a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy with immediate reconstruction) to lessen my risk of breast cancer, brought on by that faulty gene. I remember talking to the officiant at my and Chris' wedding and learning that he had faced three different cancers in quick succession. I was struck by how much one person could overcome. But, as per one of my favourite quotes (by Dean Acheson): "The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time." As I said two years ago, "I needed to trust the process and adjust."
Saturday Synopsis
3 Ideas From Me
This time last year, I was oblivious to the cancer that was in my body. Just a few weeks after my 54th birthday, I received an unexpected diagnosis of ovarian cancer. So much changed for me in that moment and in the subsequent months. I stopped working at my job, and started focusing on my health. I got married. I launched this blog. I underwent surgery, followed by six rounds of chemotherapy. I learned that I have a faulty BRCA2 gene. I began taking a maintenance drug designed to suppress new cancer tumours. At just about every stage, I needed to trust the process and adjust.
While I'd like to say that I've always succeeded in turning the mundane into champagne, the reality is that I forget all too frequently how pleasant an obligation can be when doing it with someone I love to spend time with.
It is often said that culture starts at the top. If your boss is caring, respectful and empathic, you and your colleagues are more likely to be the same. With a few adjustments, this quote from the Times article seems equally applicable to employees as children: "[Employees] develop these qualities by watching us and experiencing our empathy for them. When we show that we truly know our [employees] by understanding and reacting to their emotional needs, exhibiting interest and involvement in their lives, and respecting their personalities, they feel valued. [Employees] who feel valued are more likely to value others and demonstrate respect for their needs. When we treat other people like they matter, our [employees] notice, and are more likely to emulate our acts of caring and compassion."
2 Quotes From Others
A surprisingly effective way to get what you want is to not settle for less than what you want.
~ James Clear
Our lives are not determined by what happens to us, but by how we react to what happens, not by what life brings us, but by the attitude we bring to life. A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events and outcomes. It is a catalyst, a spark that creates extraordinary results.
~ Author unknown
1 Question For You
I wanted the reward and not the struggle. I wanted the result and not the process. I was in love with, not the fight, but only the victory. And life doesn't work that way. Who you are is defined by what you're willing to struggle for.
~ Mark Manson
What have you been willing to struggle for?
