Recovery Era ✨
Sooooo I'm now a week post-op. Not gonna lie, it BLOODY HURTS. Buut that been said I'm doing okay. I was discharged from hospital on Sunday and I'm very glad to be back home with my babies and home comforts. This last week has been a bit of a blur to be honest (probably the anaesthetic and painkillers) I'll do my best to fill you all in.
Woman with many attachments
I know I did a lil baby post a few days ago, but I had my op on Weds the 28th. The plan was to go in with cameras and remove the lesion and some bone around it on my 6th rib. When I woke up I soon realised I had a bigger scar and when the surgeon came to see me he said they couldn't get to where they needed to so had to open me up (think it's called a Thoracotomy although I ain't no surgeon!). They said the didn’t need to put anything back to support what they’ve taken out as it’s well protected by my shoulder blade (really pains me to call it that 😳, it’s a scapula) so I guess we’ll see how that goes 🤷♀️ deffo got visions of poking where I don’t want to when putting my bra on 🤮.
Annywayyys, I woke up with the big scar which is conveniently in my back fat fold (when been chunky pays off ✌️), a few holes where the cameras had gone in and a drain. I also had the charming experience of having to be catheterised on Thurs morning because my brain would not let me wee - another experience I must say! 😳 So on Thursday, I was attached to a LOT of things including the loveliness that was the syringe driver aka the magic button. It was fab, I could just press a button and pain relief went straight into my veins. It was short lived though because I got very very very itchy to the point of wanting to rip my own skin off and after checking everything else the Drs decided it was probs the drugs so they had to give me other stuff instead.
The physios came on Thurs and Fri to get me out of bed and moving - another experience! On Thurs the lady that came got me up and walking down the corridor holding onto her and the drip stand but what got me was how nonchalantly she clipped my catheter bag (bag of wee) to her trousers. Clearly does it all the time and does not give a crap!! My brain and bladder had made friends again by Fridays walk so luckily the guys that came dodged that one. I managed though, I walked on the ward on Thurs and Friday and did not die (always a bonus). The guys on Friday gave me a rolled up towel to use under my arm and to cuddle when I cough (got to keep coughing and deep breathing) and that towel is now my bestie. We are never separated.
As I mentioned before I had lots of visitors keeping me company whilst I was on the ward and I'm so grateful to all my friends, family and colleagues for taking the time to check in on me 🫶🏻. I think the ward clerk and nurses were getting a bit tetchy about the amount of people coming in and out buuuut I suppose if there are any perks of working for the NHS, having your mates around and able pop in is one of them.
FOMO 😩
I was soo gutted to spend Halloween in hospital as my boys and mates were having a Halloween party, I spent it hooked up to a nebuliser (Been on them a few times a day to keep the lungs sparkly clear) watching Most Haunted re-runs and probably looked scarier than any of them anyways haha. The boys also came to see me in their Halloween costumes on the Friday and we had a little venture off the ward and had some fun in the hospital corridors, they deffo scared a few porters.
Filling the fun tank 🔋
I knew I would be rather incapacitated for a few weeks after my op so I made sure that I jam packed the few weeks leading up to it with some craazzzy and fun stuff that I won't able to do for quite a while.
We took the boys to London just before half term as they'd never been as we wanted to go to the Harry Potter Studios. We spent 7 hours in there. 7 HOURS! We all absolutely loved it, both me and Ry love Harry Potter too and it has changed so much since we went pre-kids in 2015. We also did some sightseeing days and did all the touristy stuff. I asked Jack what he liked best about our trip.. he said the tube! We booked to go on the London Eye as the sun was setting on one of the days and it was absolutely gorg! highly recommend! We did however discover that Oliver was petrified of heights when we got near the top and he spend most of the ride in tears bless him.
Kirsty's crazy ideas #1
The first of Kirsty's crazy ideas was to go wild swimming. Yes, in October! I'd never done anything like this before but I'd seen loads of people raving about it and wanted to see what all the fuss was about. We went to Pool Bridge Farm near York one Sunday afternoon and I loved it! The water was a chilly 11.1 degrees buuut we lasted a whole 20 mins in the water which is amazing considering we all thought we'd dip in and then be like nope! Very glad of been persuaded to wear a full wetsuit too! Although getting into said wetsuit was rather traumatic (why do the arms never fit?!) and as I couldn't pull iu up properly, swimming was rather challenging. It was dead invigorating and I was proper buzzing afterwards (especially once I'd got my clothes back on). Thanks Hazel, Lisa & Charlie for participating in this craziness and wedging me in my wetsuit. Maybe I need to invest in a cold plunge?!
Review: 8/10 Would definitely do it again, beautiful setting but lost points for having to wrestle into a wetsuit and then back out again
Kirsty's crazy ideas #2
This one was a biggie... Indoor Skydiving!! I am deffo just chasing the adrenaline rushes at this point. I managed to convince some of the Rugby and School lot to come too and we literally had the best afternoon! It is harder than it looks! I could not have lasted more than the 1 min you get for each ‘flight’ because it is soo hard on the shoulders and as you’ll see in the pics I was nearly bent in half backwards 😂. I was also just pleased I didn’t end up as a scrambled mess in a wind tunnel. We all loved it and we most of us did the ‘high flight’ where the instructor takes you up the tunnel which is think was mega brave for the kids! We’ve not got the official photos or videos (and don’t know if we ever will but that’s another story) so we only have ones taken from the outside.
Review: 10/10 Sooo fun and would absolutely do it again. Made me want more!
What next?!
Sooo I guess now I’ve just got to heal and recover. I can’t drive for a while or lift anything. I have to have some stitches out next week and some of my regular treatment (literally never stops). I’m up and about and taking each day as it comes. I haaaate sitting about and doing nothing and I’m bored already. So if anyone fancies picking me up and having a coffee or a mooch round the shops or something…
In true Kirsty style, the indoor skydiving has also made me want to do the real thing. Yep I know it’s literally a massive leap (all the puns intended). I did the indoor skydiving because I never thought that I would be able to bring myself to do the real thing… but now I do. I have had a look and Breast Cancer Now have some sponsored Skydives next year and I am 100% intending to do this eeek! A few people have already said they will join me 💪🫶🏻 but if anyone else is crazy enough here’s the info - https://breastcancernow.org/get-involved/challenge-events/thrill-seekers/big-pink-jump-june
Let me know and I will get organising for when I am able (I do need to check they will let me 🤪).
Gonna end this with this little gem I bought yesterday, I’m in my Pitbull (as in Mr Worldwide 🌍) and loving this line at the mo. I’m gonna get this tattoo’d on me once I’m better too. It’s my new mantra ✨
Hope you’ve all enjoyed the madness that is my brain ramblings,
Kirst xx
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