Packing It In

Yesterday I had my followups with my surgeon and Infectious Disease.  The surgeon was happy with the drainage around the irrigation wound and removed the penrose drain that was still in there.  It was an odd and painful feeling as he pulled the tube from my buttock:  It's odd to have that feeling so deep under the skin.  The drain was only about three inches beneath the skin, at this point, as the rest had healed and pushed the drain outwards.  Afterwards, the nurse had to pack it using gauze, which wasn't all that bad, although we get to pull a rabbit out of the hat today as we remove it to clean and debreed the wound.  Now THAT sounds like fum!  (For my next trick... Trying to figure out how to manage pictures or video of this one.)  My wife was able to visually inspect with the surgeon poking around and the wound has shrunk to the size and depth of my pinky to index finger.  It's closing well, so let's hope it continues down that track.  The sensitivity around the lower lapo site (the larger one) is to be expected and take a while to heal.  I can feel some of the scar tissue so it wasn't bowel or anything of concern.

He also removed the sutures from the anus.  I remember the fellow that removed the JP drain in the hospital (Making Progress) that the area is sensitive.  My, oh my, yes it is.  I guess on the good side, that means that most of the nerves in that area are functional, which is good, considering it controls so many other functions, such as urinating and anything from a genitalia perspective (thumbs up).  The downside is holy crap is it sensitive!  There were only four or five sutures, but it felt like I was being reeled in on a fishing pole with a shark hook.

The appointment with Infectious Disease was pretty quick.  They verified my numbers were stable and the high white cell count was due to the prednisone.  I guess we'll be able to confirm that once I'm off the prednisone!  The hemoglobin is coming back slowly, and no concern from their side.  He was able to confirm that since I came off the antibiotics, this wonderful rash around my groin was fungul - jock itch.  Awesome:  Let's tack that on to the fun.  I look like a monkey as I have one hand scratching in the front and one hand scratching in the back.  When asking him if I was healthy enough to eat sushi (which I miss terribly), his response was "Wait a minute.  You're asking an Infectious Disease specialist if you can eat sushi?  Raw fish?  Are you sure you don't need to the psychiatrist next door?  I'm not signing off on that... That's all you!  The last thing you need is a tapeworm"  Well, geez, since you put it like that:  Now I can't figure if that's a yes or a no, but considering I ate it before, I should be good now:  He's got me a little freaked out though!

I'm up to walking about a mile and quarter (one of the loops around our development) per day.  The sutures were bothering me during those walks so hopefully with them out, I'll be able to increase the pace (30 minutes for 1.25 miles isn't motoring) and hopefully the distance.  It's great to be outside and to be vertical.  Laying down for a majority of the day is starting to become a little annoying.  With the drains and sutures out, we should be sitting here shortly and hopefully decreasing the pain meds!