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2011 - Blog

On 7 December 2011 at my post-operative follow-up appointment, Mr Cant told me that I was free of disease!  He referred me to the Oncology Department.  I would have yearly follow-up appointments in the Primrose Unit.  Jenny told me that - 8 weeks after surgery - I would be seen in the Amethyst Room to be fitted with a breast prosthesis, alias a falsie!  I asked Jenny about obtaining a breast prosthesis which I could put in a pocket in my bathing costume - to which request Jenny said 'you can't go swimming yet, you're not healed'  In due course, I did explain to Jenny that I didn't intend to go swimming yet, but I did not admit to going swimming after two resections on my sixth postoperative day - before the dressings had been removed!  In any event, I was told that a breast prosthesis is not 'designed' to be submerged in highly-chlorinated water. 

I informed Mr Cant that the remark I had made to his Registrar - to the effect that I would be quite happy to have clinical photographs taken of my mastectomy wound for clinical teaching purposes [the pictures shown to me by Jenny were well-healed] - was quite serious.  Mr Cant did not, of course, express surprise at my suggestion but he did opine that such a 'reaction' {I cannot quite remember the exact word he used} was unusual!  Good!  Forthwith a photography request form was signed and JH went to the Clinical Photography Department and handed her form to the lady Photographer. JH chatted on to this lady who eventually had to tear herself away from her garrulous model!  In fact, I did feel like a model in the studio surrounded by large metal umbrellas reflecting the light on my fresh mastectomy wound.  But as my head was out of the picture, no identification of this new celebrity will be displayed . . . my head was cut off!  I wonder if my photo will ever appear in a text book . . . not in this modern age of instant e-confetti of digital images!

I was pleased to receive an invitation, from my GP Practice, to go along for a check up: I attended on 12 December 2011 and saw Dr  Ben Tutty who checked my mastectomy wound; furthermore he reassured me that I did not clinically need support stockings (anti-embolic or whatever).

15 December 2011: Abbey offered to take JH to the Primrose Unit for the patient's next visit to have fluid aspirated.  Abbey could not get out of her flat because her partner, Adam, had decided to move furniture around and somehow blocked the stairs with a chest of drawers - but Abbey has so many interests and other commitments that she tends to be a 'last-minuter'!  As I got into Abbey's car, Margaret - whom I have known for many years, having met at various venues - walked passed, so we 'compared notes' quietly, instead of having a heated discussion about putting 'the world to rights' as was our wont, in the middle of Colebrook Road!  Margaret had had her mastectomy some 18 months before JH.  Jenny aspirated 200ml of serous fluid.  Jenny and Abbey recognised each other as they had met before.  On return from the Hospital Abbey and I had a chat:- JH wrote the names of Abbey's relatives in the back of her address book, as JH was confused about names and relationships!

On 16 December 2011, I 'took the plunge' when I went swimming at Saltash Leisure Centre!  Interestingly . . . a lady came in to the Ladies Loo just as I was going out through the door and, as I was in my bathing costume, and we did not have the space to do otherwise than squeeze passed each other, I felt sure she cursorily noticed my missing bulge.  After that, all consideration of JH being carefully singled-out for curious scrutiny was pure vanity: nobody was going to count my bulges!  The Staff at the Leisure Centre did give me the phone number of the Reporter for a local paper - with a view to asking her to come to take some photos and do a report about the Hippo Lady still being in the swim after Breast Surgery!  In any event, this proposed publicity stunt - suggested by the Hippo Lady to promote the Leisure Centre - was never followed up. Was this because the Hippo Lady was not a suitable celebrity, or because media reporting from any public venue is now so hedged round by security considerations - or whatever.

22 December 2011:
I went under my own steam to the Primrose Unit.  Pat Coghill, Jenny's Colleague, aspirated 120ml of fluid from under my skin flaps.  Pat observed that the fibrous tissue was 'beginning to form trabecular tissue'.  I had heard of trabeculae way back in the days of my human anatomy lessons:-

A trabecula (plural trabeculae, from Latin for "small beam") is a small, often microscopic, tissue element in the form of a small beam, strut or rod, generally having a mechanical function, and usually composed of dense collagenous tissue [Wikipedia]

In other words . . . the potential space under my skin flaps filled up with a fibrous network of tissue so that serous fluid could not slosh around.

I am not a great 'Celebrator' of Christmas but did notice that we were only three days away, so I showed Pat and Jenny the home-made Christmas Card which I had received from my long-time nursing friend, Angela - whose cottage was undergoing major building work.  The toilet pedestal was 'in situ' but out in the open air as the roof and walls had been removed to enlarge the room: Angela had taken a photo which she labelled 'public convenience' . . . ?!

 
 
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