My Staples are Out!

OK – they actually were taken out back on Tuesday, but I’ve just been too busy (or lazy) to make an update. Steri-Strips have replaced the staples. In any case, it’s adiós “Zipper Leg”! The best part about having the staples out is that I can now sleep on my left side (something that was just too painful to do with staples).

I mentioned to Dr. Monson the issues I continue to have: 1) the buildup of fluid in my leg, 2) loss of flexibility, and 3) numbness around the surgical site. He responded to #1 by putting a huge syringe in my leg to suck out the fluid (yes that hurt . . . a lot). For #2, he has prescribed physical therapy (3x a week for 4 weeks). PT starts next Wednesday. I should be able to get that done and out of the way before heading into the office each day. As to the numbness, well that is “normal” and should go away over time.

It seems hard to believe that I’m already 3 weeks plus 2 days out from surgery. I’m still using a single crutch at this time (now mainly just for balance in case my leg gives out while walking, which it does occasionally). And I still have to do stairs “old man style” (meaning one step at a time). But I’ve been seeing tremendous improvement recently (especially over the past 2 days), so I think I’ll be losing that crutch within a week.

Finally, it’s worth mentioning that Dr. Monson reiterated on Tuesday that “We hit a homerun” regarding the pathology report on my tumor. I’m relieved to see (and report) that this story will most certainly have a happy ending.

Update on Holly
It turns out that Holly is going to need chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and radiation treatment to fight her breast cancer. You can follow the details of her journey here: http://hhnbreastcancer.blogspot.com/