[2023-07-23] Goodness and recovery day 16
Warning: This post contains information that might make some readers queasy. If talk of blood and blood clots makes you uncomfortable, stop now. Just know that I'm doing fine following a visit today from a home healthcare nurse.
Home healthcare nurse Iheoma came to visit me today. She told me that her name means "goodness" in Igbo, a language in her native Nigeria. She unequivocally lived up to her name, exuding goodness and what my daughter calls "compassionate straight talk."
I had spoken to Iheoma last night because the fluid in my right drain had slowed to a trickle. It had gone from 24 mL on Thursday to 13 mL on Friday to 2 mL on Saturday. With two consecutive days below 20 mL, I thought that I was in the clear to have that drain removed. Besides, it had become uncomfortable, which I assumed was because it was no longer draining fluid.
When Iheoma arrived, I mentioned to her that although the discharge in my right drain had virtually stopped, it was still dark red, compared to the pinky-yellow liquid in my left drain. She knew right away that low output plus dark red colour was not a sign that the drain needed to be removed. Instead, it was a sign of a blockage, in other words, a blood clot. This was not surprising given that I already had a blood clot in the bulb at the end of that particular drain tube. She said she was not comfortable removing my drain. Instead, she squeezed the tube, working the accumulated blood down and into the bulb. This took about 10 minutes. She told me that my fluid should look like chicken broth when the drain is ready to come out. By the time she had finished "milking" the tube, the red blood had been pushed into the bulb and the fluid in the tube now looked like chicken broth, matching the colour of the fluid in my left drain. She was happy with the right drain after this procedure. She also inspected my breasts, saying that the incisions looked good and were healing well. She said she would call me tomorrow (even though it's her day off) and that I might be able to have my drains removed on Tuesday at a community clinic in Kanata.
As she was leaving, I thanked Iheoma for being so good, calm and caring. Then I added:
— "I just made strawberry-rhubarb oatmeal muffins. Could I pack one up for you to take with you?"
— "Well, I can't say no," she replied with a shy smile.
My husband must have heard this exchange because he was already packing up two muffins when I walked into the kitchen.
In parting, I asked Iheoma whether the blood clot might have contributed to my low energy in recent days. She said yes. I'm hoping that with this issue resolved, I will return to feeling energetic. After Iheoma left and I had eaten an egg wrap (prepared with love by my husband) and a strawberry-rhubarb muffin (prepared collaboratively with my daughter), I went off to bed, hoping to regain some of the sleep I had lost last night.
Following my nap, I mustered the energy to prepare a dish that I had wanted to make for a few days: Peanutty Sesame Noodle Bowl with Tamari-Maple Tofu. I ended the day with much more energy than I had started.
Late in the afternoon, my brother and his partner stopped by to deliver a little pillow that her mother had made for me. It's the second funny little pillow she has made for me, the first one arriving almost three years ago, just a few days after I returned from the hospital following surgery for ovarian cancer.
So today has, by and large, been a day of goodness. Let's hope the trend continues tomorrow and that I can finally have my drains removed on Tuesday, which will be recovery day 18.
