Pain Management Or Drug Dealer

Denise came home on Monday afternoon feeling good. Obviously, her surgical wounds--the cuts made on her breasts and under her arm for the mastectomies and axillary lymph node dissection, respectively--were a major source of pain. However, the removal of the lymph nodes under her arm also involved the removal/irritation of a nerve and perhaps surprisingly this nerve caused her the greatest pain. She was also very bothered by the "drain" that came out below her armpit. The drain consists of a clear, soft, plastic tube connected to a bulb into which fluid drained. Once or twice a day, she removes the bulb, measures the volume of fluid, and discards it.

Her pain medicine is a narcotic pain reliever called Norco which is simply a different formulation of the same ingredients (hydrocodone and acetaminophen) found in the more popular pain reliever Vicodin. She doesn’t have the strength to open the cap on the bottle, so she must depend on her husband to push these drugs on her…..hmmm.

She spent Sunday in a hospital and was able to get the shower and sleeping positions down, so when coming home those simple tasks would not be an issue. Monday she was feeling good enough to have her first solid food (pizza) and she started doing her post-operative stretching exercises. Exercising her arms is important to make sure that she regains full use of the arms. If she doesn't regain her full range of motion in the next week she risks permanent loss. Every day she is able to raise her arm a little higher but still can't get it up straight all the way.

My sister in law Roxanne (Denise’s sister) arrived yesterday and will be spending a few days helping us out. She and our special neighbors have been a big help in keeping our kids occupied and getting them to practices, appointments, etc. So much relief to have them here.

Once again, we want to thank you for your support. Denise loves the cards, emails, and concern...you name it, she appreciates the support that all of you express. We are both learning to accept the help that you offer and are very thankful to have you there for us.