Home Sweet Home....again

Just in brief, coz I'm a bit tired, I am home with two sets of antibiotics, strong pain killers and anti-sickness tablets to counterbalance the side effects of the anti-bs.

I had the drain taken out yesterday afternoon and it was surprisingly pain-free. The tube itself easily slid out when the stitch was cut, and there's just a bit of burning/stinging pain now around the drain hole which I'm told is normal. I have a stoma bag over the hole to catch any drips, but that will probably come off on Thursday as there's nothing coming out. Now that the lymph fluid isn't being drained out, though, it's become evident already that my body's not reabsorbing it. My abdomen has a fluid pocket on the right-hand side, a pocket on my inner thigh, and my right upper leg circumference is already measuring 8cm bigger in any given place than the other leg. Some swelling is normal but it remains to be seen whether it'll stay like this or whether it'll bloat up into a massive elephant leg.

Either way I'm back at Whiston hospital on Thursday and will likely have fine needle aspiration into the fluid pockets. I am so sick of needles now. My arms are really bruised from all the cannulas, injections, blood tests and failed cannulas (flushing, i.e. injecting saline, into a cannula that's not properly in the vein causes a huge stinging bruise thus):

I will ask if there's a topical local anaesthetic cream I can have before I'm aspirated. Going to bed soon and keeping everything crossed for minimal swelling tomorrow.

In some good news, I'm allowed to drive now the drain's out - a step closer to normality. I'll give it a go round the block tomorrow when my husband can come with me, just in case cancer leg won't behave itself.