Fighting Breast Cancer: The Balloon-like Drain Hanging from My Chest

The surgery is over, and I don't feel the pain of the incision.
But that's because the anesthetic IV is still running.
I took painkillers three times a day—morning, noon, and night—the next day,
and I suppose I took them twice a day, morning and night, the day after that.

But in truth, I didn't really need to take them that often because I wasn't in pain.
(At least, I wasn't, lol)

What hurt more than that was the large tape stuck to my body.
It kept pulling at my skin.

Moreover, after surgery, your body produces
serosanguineous drainage

This flows into a small balloon.
And it hangs from your body.

I don't feel any discomfort from the fluid flowing into it,
but since the thing hanging from my body is taped down securely so it doesn't come out, that part hurts.

Every time I move,

"Ouch... phew."

is what I say. The drainage in the tube is mixed with blood,
the color of 100% grape juice.

What an incredible color... They told me to tell the doctor if it was bright red,
but since the nurses are checking it,
I figured there was no need to say anything.

So, I just observed it on my own.

The color also gets lighter as the days go by.
For some people, the color fades after five days,
and the amount decreases.
Once that happens, you get discharged.

By the fifth day, my color had faded,
and I was thinking, 'It looks just like acerola drink!'
but unfortunately, the amount didn't decrease.

When will I be able to go home?!

I was grumbling to myself.
After all, the pain was gone and I was feeling energetic,
just reading books, playing games, and watching dramas.

It was just a repetition of that.

Ah, I want to go home!
That feeling just kept growing.

I was told to take a shower the day after surgery, but
honestly, I was scared to shower on the second day
and besides, it's such a hassle the day after surgery.

So, since I didn't take one,
during the rounds on the third day,

Doctor: "Didn't you take a bath?"

Me: "I was scared to."

Doctor: "You need to take a bath (shower) and wash up,
otherwise you might get an infection, so please do it tomorrow."

That was said to me as if driving in a thick nail,
so I showered timidly the next day,
but it was actually totally fine lol.

It didn't sting, and it didn't hurt at all.
Looking at my own body,

"My boob is completely flat lol"

was about all I thought.

During the rounds the next morning, the doctor checked the state of the wound.

Doctor: "You showered. Yeah, that's fine."

Anesthesiologist: "If you say you're scared, that's where an infection can get in,
and it could turn into something much worse."

That was that.
However, on the fifth day after that,
the surgeon was off, so they wouldn't be coming for rounds!
I probably wouldn't get caught if I skipped my shower today!

Thinking that, I decided I would skip the shower.
However, I felt a tinge of anxiety about breaking my promise...
so I asked the always-kind AI.

I was sure it would say something like, "It's fine for one day!"
But that wasn't the case at all.

AI: "To conclude, I cannot recommend 'skipping a day based on your own judgment'.
Let me explain the reason properly.

Post-operative baths (showers) are often instructed for the following reasons:
・To prevent infection
・To wash away sebum and sweat from the wound to improve healing
so if it's not impossible, you should take one for your own sake!"

That was that.

The AI always derives the optimal solution for humans,
and it's an AI that won't say things to go against humans.
In short, they are always there for you no matter what.

That was actually a no-go?!

I decided that this was truly a case where I should properly take a shower, so
I kept taking showers.

And so, I successfully left the hospital 7 days after my surgery.

It means you shouldn't be afraid and, even if it's a hassle, you should
take a shower every day.

When showering in the hospital, they said it's fine to just gently pat soap onto the wound.
After being discharged, they told me it was fine to wash it vigorously.

So, starting today, I'm going to wash vigorously lol

*I also write short stories.