I’m a little out of it this AM- I woke up in more pain than I’ve had for a while, and when the Robaxin (muscle relaxant) and a couple of Aleve didn’t cut it, I’ve added in the Oxy again.  I HATE how it makes me feel (see As You Wish) but it makes me stop hurting, which is evidently what I need to do.

Usually, I don’t like to take a lot of pain meds for things that are muscular.  When it comes to a headache, all bets are off, but I figure muscle pain means that I’ve pushed something too far, so I try not to take too much.

In this case, I’ve been staying on the Robaxin religiously because it’s what helps the most. When I let it go, my pecs can twitch, and they ache and burn. Since I’ve broadened my range of motion I’ve been more sore, but I know that the only way to keep a range of motion.  It’s kind of a use it or lose it thing.  I also think that spending as much time as I have with my hands on a keyboard doesn’t help.  Even when I keep my wrists still, typing means small movements in my pecs… which makes them more angry.  The feeling is like I have a big, really tight bandage around my chest from my solar plexus to just under my armpits.

When the Robaxin wears off, it just feels tight and achy, but when it’s really bad, like today, it’s a pins & needles feeling, like my pecs have fallen asleep and just woke up.  I’ve had that feeling since the first time I woke up around 3a until I took Oxy at 10:30a… and even then it’s not really gone, just duller.

Tonight I’m going to try to take the kid to practice again.  It’s a lot of sitting, but if I get cold at all, then my body tenses up and it hurts. A lot.

And that doesn’t even go into the discomfort from having the JP Drains in… I was hoping to get them out so the drain sites could start healing over the Labor Day weekend, but that was not to be… I’m still putting out 45 cc/day and I have to be down to 30 cc for two days before they go. The drain sites are getting less sore, but they are still gross, and still keep me from laying on my side… and from cuddling with my boys. That’s the worst part of the last two weeks. I can’t wait until they are OUT.  (Here’s a link on how they work, although I have a separate site where they are attached instead of disturbing the healing on my main surgical site when they finally do come out.)

I do have one other update- next Friday I get to go back to plastics and they will start filling the deflated water balloons (aka tissue expanders) in my chest that are causing the pec pain.  I’m looking forward to getting back to having something other than wrinkly lumps on my chest… after 38 years as an hourglass, it’s hard to suddenly be a pear.  I just hope the fabu boobs that are supposed to be at the end of this road are worth it!

With that, I’m going to check in with my boss and maybe take a little break from this PC thing.