Long time no talk...

Well, no news is good news! At least in this case. I can’t believe it’s been since June that I’ve written. To be honest, there has not been much excitement in Kirsten’s medical life since I last wrote and that is a good thing.

I had a couple of concerning things going on that got checked and were nothing. I had a full body workup a few weeks ago and there remains no evidence of disease which is (obviously) great! My numbers all look good, etc.

I had my surgery, as planned, on Nov. 9. I’m currently holed up in my sister’s spare room, which is far more comfortable than my bed, truth be told. The surgery went according to plan. He fixed up the wonky side and then did extensive liposuction throughout my abdomen (and love handles!). I had gained 15 pounds to supply enough fat for the surgery and it worked. He said he had just enough and used every last drop(?). Without the weight gain, he said he wouldn’t have had enough. So, wearing pants that are far too tight and having a floppy belly for two months was worth it, I suppose. :)

Now my stomach is the flattest it’s ever been and hopefully someday soon won’t feel like a giant bruise. Lipo is no joke — I’m far more sore from that than where I have my incision (though that doesn’t necessarily feel like kisses either). My incision isn’t healing quite right — much like one of my incisions from my mastectomy didn’t. But this one won’t have to be surgically repaired like that. I’m putting a special cream on it and hopefully it heals right up in the next week or so. Because up to 50% of the fat dissolves, he put extra on the side he was repairing, so they remain asymmetrical for the time being. But Dr. Sherbert said that should work itself out in the next couple of months.

He is letting me drive James to Ionia and back for Thanksgiving, but other than that I’m to remain on the couch/in bed. We’ll stay in Ionia for a few days so I can get some help with James — welcome one and all who might want to entertain her! Then we’ll return home and I’ll stay in bed the following week.

I see him again on Dec. 1 and hope all will be healed up enough to get the green light to go back to work. As it is I’m taking one more week off than I thought I would have to, so hopefully I can get back to it on Dec. 3.

This is the first time I have had surgery when my body was actually well and strong. Before it was par for the course for me to be laying around and feeling yucky. While I’m quite sore, it’s admittedly a little more difficult (and guilt-inducing) to be laying around doing nothing. Other than the lipo, there was no actual surgery on the right side, so it’s been nice to have one arm I can kind of reach with, pick things up with, etc. Huge difference, in terms of sitting up, getting dressed, bathing, etc.

That’s about it! Sarah, Loren and the boys are taking good care of me and I get my own private concerts when the boys practice their Christmas songs on the piano down the hall. My tea gets delivered to me within minutes of waking up, not to mention meals and water refills. They better be careful or I might not ever leave.

This should be the last time I have to go under the knife or have an extended period in bed for a long time, unless/until I decide to have my ovaries out, etc. My doctor is giving me some time to breath if I want. I think I’ll give myself a little bit of a break for now. ;)

I’m looking forward to being around family and eating too much of my mom’s pumpkin pie this week. Have a nice Thanksgiving, everyone!

Kirsten