Fri 22 May 2020: Day 7 - Discharge Day

Fri 22 May 2020: Day 7 - Road to Recovery 

5:30am readings taken by nurse Robin. Medication taken. Blood thinner injection.

Pee and poo.

8:00am breakfast: scramble eggs and bacon, 2 slice of bread. Apple juice. Tea.

9:15am shower

9:30am nurse makes bed. Changes my dressing and puts on binder

Mare delivered a bunch of flowers from her mum,Jacq and her to home.

11:00am Dr Joe visits. Says drains can come out. And I can go home.

Says Mel will organise an appointment in 10 days time for follow up. I may get build up of liquid in belly, if so, he will inject and suck out.

Just take it easy. 

**Ask Mel for Medical Certificate.

Other dressings to be replaced before discharge 

11:40am Nurse Dee takes final drain out. 

Gives me medication 

Gives me script for antibiotics 

Gives me extra dressings

Stay in bed for 20mins.

12:00pm lunch: assorted sandwiches. Ice cream and fresh fruit

12:30pm Dee brings me discharge papers to sign

1:27pm Lily picks me up

Receptionist comes to get me. 

2:00pm home.

Jen and Daz are there already. They have bought pork rolls for us.

Soph is having a kebab 

Ollie is home too.

Straight to jigsaw

5:00pm lie down on couch watching tv

6:30pm dinner Hainan chicken rice with cucumber and choy. Krispy kreme donut

9:30pm keflex and 2 panadol

10:00pm sleep

Thu 21 May 2020: Day 6 - Road to Recovery

 Thu 21 May 2020: Day 6 - Road to Recovery

5:30am readings for bp, temp

Pee

7:30am pee and poo 💩 

Blood thinner injection given. When they ask if I have any pain, I think this injection is the most painful. My right thigh is covered in bruises. Left thigh not too bad.

Hpb tablet taken. Some other tablet also taken.

7:35am Dr Fred pops in to check on drains and doppler. Says it will probably come out 2moro and then I should be able to go home.

Nurse Dee on duty (not as helpful as other nurses)

Breakfast: croissant with butter and jam. Poached egg with mushrooms. 

Wait for bathroom to be cleaned.

Go for walk while nurse changes sheets and makes the bed.

Pee and poo. Brush teeth 

9:00am shower. Earliest I think.

9:30am all my dressings cleaned and changed and binder put on. Sox too.

10:00am morning tea - tea with small pastry

Watched The memory keeper’s daughter.

12:30pm lunch : grilled sea perch in caper and citrus butter sauce. Side salad. Ice cream and fresh fruit 

2:35pm afternoon tea - hot chocolate with cake

3:00pm readings taken for bp, temp, doppler

5:00pm dinner : stir fry chicken with rice, sweet potato and seasonal veggies - capsicum, carrot, snow peas and zucchini. Black forest gateaux, fresh fruit and apple juice

Take medication 

Raining heavily- looks like the bathroom has sprung a leak

7:00pm blood thinner injection 

Looks like no tea or coffee tonight??

Words with friends pwd  wwf424581

Watch news, MasterChef, Watch Sandra Bullock movie

Pouring down with rain 

Toilet wall is leaking water 

Wet my gown. Need to ask for another one. Report leak

10:00pm take medication 

10:40pm sleep

Wed 20 May 2020: Day 5 - Road to Recovery

Wed 20 May 2020: Day 5 - Road to Recovery

They let me sleep through the night.

5:30am wake up for bp, temp, doppler.

Pee and poo

7:30am pee and poo

Blood thinner injection- heparin 

8:00am breakfast- toast with vegemite and raisin toast

Nurse Susan takes over

10:00am shower. Change dressings.

Have tea with cake. Tea goes cold as I shower.

11:00am Dr Joe pops in to check. Says one of the tummy drains can come out. So in for a few more days.

Nurse brings me a new cuppa.

Removes left tummy drain.

Changes right drain

Ask LC/JT to bring in tshirt/singlet

12:00pm lunch : green prawns (3) with pasta salad with a dill, lemon grass dressing, ice cream, fresh fruit. Apple juice

Go for walk around the ward 

2:40pm Lily and Janet come visit but JT stays in car. LC brings me t-shirt, singlet, undie and pink robe.

Go for walk around the ward 

Help with putting my singlet on and the binding over it. 

Nurse Dowa takes over (she’s very friendly and was very helpful) - from Nepal

Have a nap

5:00pm dinner : roast beef with gravy, mashed potatoes, peas, carrots, corn. Fresh fruit with cheese and biscuits. Apple juice.

Readings for bp, temp, doppler 

Blood thinner injection 

Watch news

MasterChef

The secret she keeps

Bull

10:45pm Sleep

Tue 19 May 2020: Day 4 - Road to Recovery

Tue 19 May 2020: Day 4 - Road to Recovery

Had a hard time sleeping last night. Couldn’t get comfortable. 

Wee at 11:58pm

Got woken by nurse for readings. Checked my binder which was oozing on left side. Got Nurse Robyn to check it out. Put padding onto stop the ooze.

5:30am readings for bp, temp

Blood thinner injection- heparin 

8am breakfast: vegemite on white bread. Poached egg and mushrooms. Apple juice.

Dr Fred pops in to check

9am shower. All by myself. Can dress in pjs but dressings on left side soak into my bottoms. Now wet. So back into a gown.

10am. Maintenance man in to fix broken louvre.

10:22am Chat to family: They've got me out of bed today. Still have 2 drains in either side of my tummy. Drains might come out tomorrow or Thursday, depend on amount of fluuid. So probably going to be discharged on Friday.

Sitting on chair out of bed.

Go for walk.

12:00pm lunch - lasagna with salad. Fresh fruit and apple juice.

Get binder retightened.

Nurse comes in and replaces bandaid over belly button 

2:30pm go for walk with physio. Up the stairs. And back down. She says I am doing well and my Physio sessions have ended. I pass. 

Get a hot chocolate and cake for arvo tea.

Time for a nap.

Nurse Bernadette takes over from Nurse Dee

5:30pm dinner - pork and bamboo shoots braised in a green ginger sauce with mashed potatoes and cauliflower, carrots, pumpkin. Fresh fruit (orange, grapes, watermelon and rockmelon- honeydew isn’t sweet at all). Apple juice.

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6:00pm go for walk around the ward and up and down stairs. 

Watch MasterChef

Blood thinner injection- heparin 

NCIS

Panadol and antibiotic 

10:00pm sleeping 

Mon 18 May 2020: Day 3 - Road to Recovery

 Mon 18 May 2020: Day 3 - Road to Recovery

Woken up for medication and they redo binder around tummy.

Go to toilet 

Go for a walk along one of the corridors

Take medication 

Zonk out

7:40am breakfast 

Pancakes with maple syrup 

Yogurt and apple juice

8:40am Dr Joe pops in to check on me with Mandy Brady, manager of the hospital. Breast drain can come out. Catheter also can be removed.

9:00am shower with help

2nd Canula removed. 

Wee by myself 

11:30am Sarah Physio pops in. Go for walk around ward.

Wee by myself 

Back in bed

12:00pm lunch - but not very hungry. Chicken chasur with fettuccine. Have green jelly and fresh fruit.

Getting up and about. They have taken the breast drain off. Just the 2 tummy ones still in. Using a pillow case as a drain bag.

2:30pm go for a walk around the ward

Runny poo just before dinner 

5:00pm dinner - ham and relish, ham, cheese and tomato, sardines with lettuce, salad and egg with lettuce. Only have some of the tomatoes and basil soup with a dinner roll. Apple juice. Fresh Fruit

Watch news 

MasterChef 

Have you Been Paying Attention (HYBPA)

Sun 17 May 2020: Day 2 - Road to Recovery

Sunday 17 May 2020: Road to Recovery

6am get up with help to go to toilet. It’s an effort, but prefer to sit on toilet than to use a bed pan. Nurse Yvonne and another nurse get me to the toilet. I do a poo 💩 but can’t wipe. Again need help. How embarassing.

Then back into bed. 

7:00am breakfast- poached egg with mushrooms. Apple juice. Canned fruit- peaches and pears. Raisin toast with margerine. Movicol for constipation.

Dr Fred Clarke pops in to check on breast. 1 Canula can come out. 

8:30am Physio pops in. Breathing exercise. Leg exercises.

10:00am nurse preps me for shower but when she takes canula out, it’s bleeding. So need to wait. And then she goes on her break.

11:30am finally have a sit down shower with nurse Dowa. 

While I shower she makes my bed. Dries me off on top. But walk back dripping to bed to get rest of me dry.

12:00pm lunch. 

Wait to be taken for a walk but doesn’t happen. Rest up.

5:00pm dinner. Roast pork with scallop potatoes, corn, carrots and cauliflower. Sweet potato soup. Jelly. Fruit salad- just eat watermelon and grapes.

6:20pm do a poo. Again need to rely on nurse to wipe my ass. 

Watch The Project and MasterChef

Sleep 

Sat 16 May 2020: Day 1 - Road to Recovery

 Saturday 16 May 2020

5:00am Early wake up

Blood pressure, temps and doppler (check blood in breast is moving.

6:00am bed bath given. Legs, arm and genital area given a wipe down.

Brush hair.

Interrupted by another patient with problems.

Face wash and brush teeth. 

6:50am Dr Joe comes in to inspect breast and check up on me.

8:00am breakfast- weetbix, milk, fruit yogurt, custard and cup of tea. Gives me menu for lunch and dinner and next days meals

8:30am Annie - physio comes in. Asks me to suck balls in respirator. Do ankle/feet exercise. Press knees down and butt squeezes

8:50am Pathologist comes in to take blood tests.

Watch TV. Doze on and off.

10:59am Chat to family: Still in bed. But they will get me up and about in next couple of days. On solid food now.

12:00pm lunch: beef bourguignonne with mushroom and bacon sauce and veggies- sweet potato, potato and pumpkin. Slice of bread with butter. Fruit salad and ice cream. Apple juice.

1:00pm - 1:20pm nurse gets me up and out of bed for a little walk around the room. A little light headed. 

She also changes the binding around tummy to a smaller size. 

5:30pm dinner: roast chicken with peas carrots corn and mashed potato. Jelly and fruit salad. Apple juice 

Nurse Dawa takes over from Nurse Mandy

Watch news 

Disney singalong 

Mamma mia

Doze on and off

Hands off to Nurse Yvonne

Fri 15 May 2020: Surgery Day

Fri 15 May 2020: Surgery Day

Woken up by nurse Riba at 5am. Readings taken.

Go poo, pee. Have shower with special gel. Lather all over, but hair. Rinse. Dry. Wear gown.

Tagged. Blood thinner given in thigh. 

Need to go through checking paperwork and confirm details.

Sticks id on top right arm.

7am Orderly and nurse wheel me out of room, tight squeeze to get out. Take lift to recovery area to be prepped for surgery. Nurse Nara. And 1 other.

Stick things to my forehead, 

Meet Andrew - anaesthetic. Gives local on wrist. Puts in canula.

Dr Joe comes in and draws on me. Marking chest and tummy.

Andrew administers anaesthetic and thats all I remember. 

2:00pm wake up in recovery 

3:30pm Nurse Mel (melanie) takes me back to ward with orderly

7:00pm nurse shift change. Nurse Robin (very old school) comes in every hr to give me a glass of water, Take readings and Doppler. Also do respiratory sucking of air to get 3 balls up.

Comments from family chat:

Sophia: Congrats on the new twins.

Only 2 visitors allowed.

Thu 14 May 2020: Breast Reconstruction Surgery

Thu 14 May 2020 - 22 May 2020: Breast Reconstruction Surgery

After having an early dinner, Daz and Jen drop me off at the Hunters Hill Private Hospital.

The receptionist gives me a temperature check. I fill in a covid form. Then I need to sign some other admission forms. Pay $200 excess with Citi, and then she takes me to my room 116. Large room but shared bathroom with room next door.

Watching MC. Nurses turn up to take measurements. Height and weight. 

Nurse Catherine Sun takes over and brings “goodies”. Goes through check list, allegies, medication. Explains process and what to expect. 

After MC 10pm time for bed. 

11pm night nurse comes in to check how much water I have drunk. Only 1/2 a bottle. Brings another one in. Cold water. Now I need to pee. 

Sun 10 May 2020: Mother's Day

Sun 10 May 2020: Mother's Day

Celebrated Mother's Day at home with just the family.  Maximum numbers for gatherings is 10, and that's what we had.

Ordered KFC takeout for lunch.