One piece of good news…
I’ve transitioned (mostly) to a sports bra rather than the uncomfortable compression bras, which is infinitely more comfortable and just about equally as compressive. They are a pain, literally, to wear. The bottom band and the elastic that lines the armholes are just rough and painful on the skin. The band particularly, as it rested right on top of the still healing mini incisions from my chest tubes. One of those little incisions has been the bane of my existence and that band rubbed it raw. A microfiber towel between my skin and the bra helped a little bit but nowhere near enough. The band on my sports bra is much smoother/softer, and it’s wider so it covers the incisions without creating friction. And honestly I don’t get those compression bras. The ones I have were made primarily for post-augmentation use. Yet I can attest to the fact that they are not made for larger breasted women.
Less fun…
The pain levels seem to be increasing as I heal. I think it’s a bit of the cumulative effect. With twice-daily cleanings, each of which consists of multiple steps, my skin never really has a chance to rest before being abraded again. There’s really no choice, but it sucks. The incision has to heal from the inside out, so there’s a lot of gauze and Q-tips in there, keeping it clear and clean. Along with healthy does of Hibiclens, which stings like a mofo. Then it gets packed with a layer of wet gauze and topped with dry, all neatly taped in place. So there’s a lot going on. And my poor skin. It’s so sensitive, and in a painful way. All that tape, plus the trauma of surgery, has left my skin hypersensitve, super painful, and often feeling as if it were on fire. Between that and the waves of stabbing pain in the incisions, and it’s really a great time. Not.
More fun…
Man Child #3 and I do the holiday baking every year. Needless to say, it’s not been as huge this year because I’m just not up to it. But I managed to knock out a couple batches of spritz, and he did a batch of sugar cookies and another batch of snickerdoodles. Today, Man Children #2 and #4 are gonna help me do the chocolate/candy cane cake balls, and tomorrow they’re gonna help me with pepparkakor. Also fun, Man Child #3 and I decided to try our hand at icing our sugar cookies. After his nasty bout with salmonella, he eschewed even the thought of royal icing. But John Kanell of Preppy Kitchen has a great sugar cookie icing recipe that involves no eggs. So we used that. My takeaway… this year was DEFINITELY the learning year. We made most of the icings a little too loose, which was our fault rather than the recipes. And we didn’t have the time to wait for the flood to fully cure, so we had to do wet-on-wet. Do most of them look like a kindergartener did them? Yeah, but it was lots of fun. Man Child #4 and the hubs, however… their first ones were so much better than any of mine, and most of Man Child #3’s. So there’s that. Oh, well, it was fun nonetheless. Our… works of art(?!)… Also not the greatest of photos.
Also fun, or at least it felt like an accomplishment…
I managed my first foray out into the world on Saturday. At least the first one that didn’t involve going to the hospital for post-surgery appointments. Man Child #3 accompanied me to the PX while the hubs went to the commissary. He dropped us off so I could do a little stocking stuffer shopping, dip into Bath & Body Works, get a little lunch with the kid at the food court. My husband wasn’t thrilled with the idea, as he thought it was probably overdoing it. He wasn’t wrong. But I needed a moment of holiday joy, a moment of normalcy. So it was worth it.
My latest gnomes…
I love PamPino Crochet‘s gnome patterns, after having done several of them. I just finished a poinsettia gnome and a moose gnome, adding them to a Christmas candle gnome, a Christmas tree gnome, and a reindeer gnome I’d already made.
I’ve done a few others, too, for Halloween and fall. Next up is a couple for St. Patrick’s day and some spring-themed ones. I love me a gnome!
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