[2023-07-30] Turning a corner and recovery day 23
Today, I feel like I turned a corner.
My fever finally disappeared. Today, my temperature ranged from 36.7ºC to 37.1ºC—much better than yesterday's range of 37.2ºC to 38.2ºC. Although I woke up with night sweats, I'm hoping I've seen the last of those.
I had more energy—enough to go for a walk with Chris, our first one since last Wednesday. We did our usual bird walk around Rice Lake and dog walk around Bruce Pit. At the bridge overlooking the pond, we saw three small turtles basking in the sun. At the two grey Adirondack chairs, I heard the loud but shy Virginia Rail. I decided to sit awhile to see whether it might appear. It did, though not in the open where I could get a good photo of it. I saw one larger specimen and what looked like a smaller, younger bird walk through the reeds. They were visible for no more than three seconds. My photos look like the kind people claim shows a Sasquatch. Nevertheless, I know I saw the Virginia Rail, and that was exciting.
I tidied up my room. It's amazing how quickly a space can be thrown into disarray when you've been ill.
Warning: Medical details below that might not be for the squeamish.
I thought I would put the results of my appointment with CBI Health's community clinic this morning at the end of the post so that those of you who aren't keen on medical details can skip this bit. I'm lucky that my closest CBI clinic is just a few kilometres from my house. This morning, I was greeted by Brontë, who was as sweet and welcoming as can be. She asked if I had brought my folder, the one nurse Alexandra had left with me on my first CBI home visit on July 8. Of course, I had forgotten it. I apologized profusely, but Brontë assured me that it was fine. She would just print a few documents that she needed.
Her colleague Stacey then took me into a small room where she had a look at my right breast. She seemed pleased with what she saw, which was consistent with what Dr. Pitt described as a mild infection. She inspected my drain site, which appeared to be healing well. As she replaced the dressing, she recommended that I keep it covered for a few more days, then let air do the rest of the healing.
Then she examined my breast more closely. The fluid that now has no outlet through a drain is dripping from my incision. Stacey wasn't alarmed or surprised by this. I explained that bandaging the incision stopped the draining, and I thought that allowing it to drain was a good thing. So instead of bandaging the incision, I had lined my sports bra with two panty liners to absorb the fluid without stopping it. Stacey thought that was fine. She did apply some Iodosorb, which is a cadexomer iodine ointment, and sent me home with a tube of it. The best description I could find for what this product does was this one: "Iodosorb (cadexomer iodine) is a gel that's applied to the skin to treat wet ulcers and wounds. This medication can kill bacteria, absorb exudate (pus), and clean out your wound so it can heal faster." Stacey said that it would promote the growth of healthy pink tissue. She also measured the length, width and depth of the small gap in my incision where the fluid is coming out, as a reference for future visits.
I had almost cancelled the appointment today, figuring that I didn't need it because my drain had been removed by Dr. Pitt on Friday. But I'm glad I kept it. It gave me an opportunity to have a healthcare professional examine my breast two days after the drain removal and four days after the start of antibiotics. I left with a new medicine to support the healing of my incision. And I have a follow-up appointment with CBI on Friday, almost a full week before my next follow-up with one of my surgeons.
I can't say enough good things about CBI Health's home and community services. The nurses are lovely. They're kind and gentle. They're patient and accommodating. They're reassuring and available. At times, when I couldn't reach anyone else, I could always reach CBI. If you're ever in a position where a doctor or hospital sets you up with this community-based health support, take full advantage of it.
