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Visitors' Stories -- Maxine's Story (page 3)DAY TWO - THE DAY AFTER THE OPERATION Friday 19 January I don't know what time the first knock came upon my door but it was too early. I couldn't see the time - my watch was on the bedside cabinet and I couldn't move to reach it. It was the arrival of the newspaper I ordered when I checked into the hospital. Shortly afterwards arrived the breakfast I had ordered some time the night before. It remained there untouched - all bar a few sips of the pineapple juice - until it was removed some time later. After lying in the dark for what must have been a couple of hours I decided to open the curtains. I don't think I should have got up - the pain in my chest got worse. I keep using the word heavy but that is how best to describe it. Heavy, sore and bruised. Being a naturally squeamish person anyway, I also started to feel queasy at the thought of my incisions and what I had just been through. I pressed the red button and waited for a nurse to come. Two nurses came to my assistance and, with the arrival of assistance so too came the tears. The nurses sympathised and said I hadn't had any painkillers since the night before. They tried moving my bra about a bit and readjusting the bed and the pillows. I climbed back into bed and waited for the painkillers to take effect. I felt quite scared and alone - my whole chest area felt alien to me, large, heavy and very much 'up in front'. Paul telephoned me at what must have been around 10.00am - I told him that I was waiting for the surgeon to see me and Paul informed me that he was leaving to come and collect me. I felt better after hearing that. It hurt to lean over and pick up the telephone though! When the surgeon arrived he had an amused, mischievous look in his eyes. The nurses had told him about my tears earlier that morning - apparently I was the first of his patients to do this! He diagnosed me as having a low pain threshold and informed me that he had arranged for stronger painkillers to be available to me for use at home over the next few days. Up until this point I had been laying quite still, not moving so as to avoid any pain and had got quite used to this. I was not amused when the surgeon told me that keeping still was the worse thing I could do - I needed to make sure I didn't stiffen up anywhere whilst at the same time minimising use of the upper arms and chest muscles! Now he and the nurses wanted me to get up and stand in front of the mirror in the bathroom to have a look at my new breasts. I didn't want to look in the mirror; I didn't want to be touched and certainly didn't want to take my bra off. I started to feel all queasy. I felt top heavy - my breasts were HUGE!! They weren't just huge; they were also a strange shape and seemed far separated from each other, almost pointing in opposite directions! They were sore to the touch. The surgeon said they looked fine although I couldn't agree with him. The nurses added that, at this particular stage in the process, my breasts looked well. The surgeon encouraged me to feel my breasts and hold them, explaining that they would remain swollen for the next 6 weeks. I must wear the bra continuously for the next 6 weeks - he assured me that I would feel more comfortable with it than without it although it didn't feel like it there and then. I was to have complete bed rest for two days and then I must take it easy. No lifting, stretching or driving for the next 2 weeks and the bandaging (which came down to just above my naval) was not to get wet at all for the next two weeks - no relaxing in the bath or enjoying an invigorating shower. I was so pleased when Paul arrived. I told him my adventures and then he helped me pack my things and get dressed. He packed everything in fact which was great because I had been wondering how I was going to manage it all! I felt totally dependent and vulnerable. The journey home was slow and careful, I think it took about 2 hours. I had enjoyed the journey - it was great to be out of hospital. I didn't wear my seat belt. That would have been unbearable. I can't say how I felt about it all - again I was still quite emotionally numb yet excited to have come through it all alive and seemingly well. When I got home I noticed the bruising - mainly at the top of my chest. The most severe bruising was on my inside left arm where the blood samples and anaesthetist had taken their toll. I also noticed how bloated my stomach looked!
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