8 Week Update

Hi everyone!  I'm sorry this is a few days late...I've been really sick and pretty much in bed sleeping all week.  On top of that, I'm having a lot of unexplained abdominal pain.  It is highly unlikely a result of the rib graft harvest since I had pretty much no pain for so many weeks beforehand.  However, right now we are wondering if it is related.  Last Saturday (the day before the pain began) I had to carry my cat in a cat carrier.  My guess is that although I am fairly healed from surgery, that was too much weight (plus the weight kept shifting its center since the cat would move) and since the healing area is still week, I put too much strain on the surrounding muscles.  The worst pain started near the incision site, but now it's more right in the middle of my chest a few inches above my belly button.  I also have pain along the bottom of my ribs on my left side.  Needless to say, this is frustrating and until I see my family physician on Monday, I'm trying not to aggravate the area.  This means pretty much no movement of my right arm other than what I can't avoid, as well as no bending over, since that also makes my stomach hurt a lot.  I have been in contact with Dr. Griffiths and am keeping him posted.  The last time I spoke with him, I had not thought about the cat carrier incident, so I will mention it next time and see what he thinks.

So, some disappointing setbacks in my abdomen, but everywhere else is doing really well!  I plucked my first dark hair from the back of my left ear where the skin graft from my upper thigh went, but otherwise that area is finally starting to smooth out.  It's still not very nice to look at, but it feels better to the touch, so I'm more optimistic about the final appearance now.

My beautiful new ear has come a LONG way since last week.  I have found better ways to protect it overnight (I use hair tape - yes, apparently that's a thing...it's like paper tape but gentler - to tape gauze behind the ear and over the front).  I found that using paper tape was irritating my skin and actually caused some open sores on my face.  I found hair tape (I went with a friend to a cosmetologist only store) and tried that.  It's pretty much paper tape but gentler...plus I can now hold down the gauze from all 4 sides, instead of 2!  Yes, it does hurt a little to take out and pulls a few strands of hair out, but that's much less damage than the paper tape.  The pulling on the hair when I take the tape out is probably comparable to having a small knot worked on in your hair.  This is allowing me to sleep more normally.  The past few nights I have spent a lot of time sleeping on my new ear.  But I have learned something to keep in mind: invest in a memory foam pillow!  I just happen to already have one.  I also have a small pillow that I sometimes put over top.  I put the small pillow on top of my memory foam one last night and tried to sleep on my new ear...it was REALLY uncomfortable!!!  I felt like I had this huge lumpy bulge on the side of my head, and it was very uncomfortable.  I removed the small pillow and just used the memory foam pillow.  At first, I can feel the ear, but as soon as the foam conforms to my head, I would never guess it was there...it's probably safer for the ear too.  On the small pillow, I felt like all of my head's weight was resting on my ear!

Even though I've been sleeping on the ear more, I continue to wake up with less and less swelling every morning.  The outer rim is usually fairly defined these days, and the ear is in general appearing "thinner".  It still has a long way to go, but seeing all the tiny progress just makes me realize how much it's still going to change.

Before sharing some photos, I have one more thing I'd like to share.  I said that getting an ear was for me.  That I felt like I had a missing body part and that it had less to do with the ear's actual appearance.  I am happy to report that I am confident that I was not lying to myself in an effort to hide some vanity I was embarrassed to admit.  Yes, it's lovely and I do like keeping everyone involved in the process updated, but it ends there.  I'm not in a hurry to show anyone or talk to anyone about it if they don't already know about it.  I love how beautiful it is and think the artistry in it is amazing, and I do like sharing about it when people ask.  But mainly, I just like walking around - even at home - knowing that I have an ear there.  I don't feel the need to show it off, because I am satisfied inside just knowing it's there and having the feeling of an ear.  Now, that doesn't mean I don't like talking about it and showing it off and being excited about it with my friends and family - and all of you...because you all get it.  You're already part of the story, and who doesn't like sharing joys - and hardships - with friends and family?  There was some concern in the back of my mind that I was going to get this ear and just want everyone to see it and want to talk to everyone about it, and that that, in my mind, is not a good reason to have had this done.  So, as the days go by, and I find I am really happy to know that I am interacting with others like normal, not wanting to brag about my ear, but instead feeling very satisfied inside to know that I can feel its presence and no one seems to notice.  That makes me feel very good inside.  I have grown as a person, and I am at a point in my life where I can be happy for me, and that is enough.  This experience helped me get there, and now as I heal, is helping prove to me over and over again that it's true; I have changed, and I love every moment of it!

~Katie

Here are some pictures from this week:

When I first plucked the hair, it created a large pimple-like bump and I was a little concerned.  A few minutes later, I took another photo, and it was already calming down.  I have heard that if my new ear gets a bug bite in this first year, that the ear may very well get very red and swollen.  That's normal, and I have been told not to freak out.  So, I had my fingers crossed that this would work the same way.

And I always save the best for last...no comparison photos this week because the other photos have all been moved to my desktop, but I cannot operate my mouse or keyboard without abdominal pain, so I am back on my netbook for now.  I will tell you, though, that it's getting so much more definition...and that puffy white spot at the top is -again- starting to sink in the way it should.  As I said, the color has a ways to go, but in general, the shape is fantastic!  Unless I put this ear in direct comparison with my other ear, I forget that it is indeed much thicker than a normal ear.  I am very pleased with the overall shape and appearance of the ear at this point.  I know I'm still really swollen (my right temple is still puffy even), but that only makes me more excited since it means there's still a lot more swelling to disappear - and hence and even more defined ear!