Hello Cruel World
Monday, November 06, 2006
Toasted Mastectomy
They were right; it does get worse after the irradiation is finished (see photo below). This is actually good compared to the bad effects on their skin others can get, and so far it hasn't had the hideous internal effects that my radiotherapy for the last cancer did, though it is painful and uncomfortable and limiting.
Latest photo (NOTE: Some photos were taken in a mirror, some direct. Maybe I should flip them so they all look the same way around.):
[NOTE: My 'hide behind a cut'-technique isn't working, so I've tried to disguise the grusomosity by putting a kitty as the thumbnail that you click to go to the medical section.]
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Shininess in picture is lots of moisturiser. Also have a water & glycol based semi-liquid wound dressing' and a large square hydrocolloid-type more solid one. I can smear the liquid one onto the solid one and apply it, or use the square hydrogel by itself. So far the best way to hold it all on has been knitted cotton tubing I wear like a boob tube top, with a soft pad under the edge over the sore bits. To keep it from rolling down, the nurse cut a slit in one side that I put my arm through, creating a sort of strap over that shoulder which also stops the top of the square dressing from flapping over, without having to tape it down. It took a while to work all this out, but now I can set myself up & get dressed, then lay down for a while & go to work pretty well.
The fatigue isn't good, but. Have missed a bit of work. Those easy-make food packs I laid in before have been useful, not so much for the sort throat as just being able to heat'n'eat. The weather's been cold, so warm food is OK. Otherwise I might have even eaten some stuff cold, just 'cos keeping up the nutrition to help the body heal is an important aim.
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