Thursday, June 15, 2023

Post operation

Continuing about my extended Monday at the hospital. 

After the blood draw fiasco at 12 pm, I met with the post operation nurse, who was able to look at my lymph nodes. Both the port and the breast incisions healed well, but the lymph area started to go numb and a seroma formed that was hindering normal movement. This is a lump under the armpit cavity, numb and full of lymphatic fluid.

It turns out that 50 % of the time after surgery, a lymph pool forms at the armpit cavity. The nurse removed it by aspiration, which means inserting a syringe and drawing it out. I didn't look as she was doing it, and she kept asking whether it hurt, and I said it didn't, but I lied!

George held my hand, which was very nice. He says it took 6 large syringes full of red fluid, 90 ml, more than she expected. Another, how to I get this off later, bandages... and I was told that for another week or so there is a 50 % chance that I would get another seroma.

Than, there was half and hour with the radiology specialist to sign my life away, so that they could schedule the preliminary measuring tests and, finally, we headed home


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