Cathy is Sunshine

Cathy is sunshine.  There are things that get her down a little from time to time, but she is sunshine anyway.  The pain is constant, the drain is an annoyance, she desperately wants to pick up Clara, and she loves hugs (which she can’t give).  Because I know her I can see that these things bother her, but she quickly pushes them aside through faith, love, and general cheerfulness.  She is the best person I know.

The left expander seems to be holding fluid adequately.  If the expander continues to do its job she will have surgery on Friday, January 4 to exchange the expanders for permanent implants.  All indications this week are that this plan will be a go!  She is down to one drain after starting with four.  This drain is only producing 20-25 ml of fluid each day.  Dr. Butterfield wants to remove them when they produce less than 30 ml in 24 hours, so I would anticipate the removal of the last drain tomorrow or Thursday at the latest.  Having this last drain removed will be a big boost for Cathy.  The drains are a pain - physically, mentally, and emotionally.  They are cumbersome, painful, annoying, a threat for infection, and a hindrance to clothing selection.

Cathy’s pain is under control, but definitely present.  Even though she is able to sleep longer stretches it still wakes her up from time to time.  She describes the pain as similar to the engorgement that came from the cessation of nursing Clara overnight.  It is a blessing, though, that she says the pain is less than that of the engorgement.  While the next surgery will surely bring a little more pain, from the description by Dr. Butterfield and her physician’s assistant, it will be a relief from the expanders in some ways.