No, no, don't worry, I didn't GET stitches...but in the last few days I've had quite a few removed. I think about 2 came out of my original groin/thigh crease skin graft harvest site (one was a string about 2+ inches long that slid right out!), 1 from the other thigh crease, and about 5 or 6 from behind my new ear where the additional skin graft was put on 18 days ago.
Since new news is slowing down at this point, I'm mainly just going to update after a big change of some sort or about once a week...whichever happens first.
At this point, I'm still having some soreness in my chest, but it's not even really annoying anymore. It's more just something to be noticed from time to time. I'm scared to really do sit-ups or something strenuous on those muscles because it's uncomfortable (not really pain, just tight, bloated, stiff feeling), but for everyday activities, I don't even think about it anymore.
I'm not back to my usual energy yet, but getting a lot closer. Some days are worse than others, it really depends on how busy I am. Basically, I need to not be running around for more than 3-5 hours a day (that includes "running around" in the house to cook, clean, etc.). Otherwise, I get really exhausted way before bedtime! But getting up keeps getting easier, so that's a plus.
The incision on my right groin/thigh crease is almost 100% de-scabbed!! There are maybe 2 areas with tiny 3mm diameter spots, the rest is just red. It really started shedding good about a week ago when I wrote my last update, and has moved along pretty fast. The last scabs were flaking away last night, and as I gently brushed to loosen them, that's when I removed that really love thread from my thigh...it was very weird to realize it had come from inside me since I didn't feel a thing as it slid out.
The other thigh area is also doing well. Not scabbed over yet, but not nearly as red or irritated as the incision on the other side (which was also 3-4 times longer). It's only a few millimeters wide at the widest, so no worries.
The skin graft placed behind my existing ear is FINALLY starting to look like normal skin color...at least from a distance, and without catching it with the wrong light. You will see what I mean in the pictures of it below. Overall, I'm happy, especially since you can't see it unless I pull my ear forwards to the point where it cuts off most of my hearing from that ear since it covers the canal. However, I also really see what Dr. Griffiths means when he says skin is like fabric...it's all fabric, but there are lots of different colors, textures, and thicknesses. It's very apparent back there...I wonder what the tiny patch of the same type of skin will look like on the back of my new ear...
The new ear is looking fabulous! I love running my finger from the rim down towards the canal at the top and seeing how far it's gone it. However, I noticed a couple days ago that I can do this from the rim on the middle part of the ear (near the back of the head area) towards the canal and also just start to feel where the hard rim drops off beneath the swelling. It's impossible to see in pictures, and not too noticeable in person, but it is happening! Similarly, the raised area right before the ear drops into the canal is starting to look higher than the rim of the ear near the back (which is what's supposed to happen because that's the way my good ear is shaped). So now, when I take photos, I can make the ear look a lot 'slimer' if I move the lens slightly in front of the ear than if I shift it just a tad farther back. I didn't get a great comparison for this update, but will try for the next. It's surprising...if my ear were a person, I'd say it lot 10 pounds between the two photos!
Most everything else about the ear I will cover in the photos or right before them. The only other thing to note that I'm not sure I directly say in the photos is to take note of 'clues' in the photos that tell you swelling, etc. has changed. It's hard for me to capture all the details in every photos, especially with different lighting and not being a professional photographer (heck, I'm using my smartphone afterall...), so sometimes those things are better indicators. They include:
- Notice the top of the ear below the upper rim...first it puffs out, then it's flat with extra white and lumps, and now it's going in concave like it should.
- Notice the projection at the top of the ear where it connects to the head. There becomes more height between where the ear connects to the head and the top of the ear rim.
- Notice how the ear is becoming more uniform in color (talking only about the grafted skin itself, not how it compares to the existing skin yet). As well as the swelling, it can take a year or more for the color of the new skin to completely settle.
- A tell tale sign for swelling in the lower part of the ear is where the new skin was stitched to the lobe.
- Stitches fade and change color and size.
- Note time of day. The ear will ALWAYS be more swollen in pictures taken early in the day. The ear swells overnight when I lay horizontally, and "drains" during the day when it's at the top of my body. (Unlike lower body injuries, which do the opposite)
Enjoy the photos!
~Katie
This next one gets me. I'm amazed at how the stitches on my scalp started off so wiggly, and have, over the last month, become a gently curving arch!
My 'Slug' story:
...and just 4 days later...
(p.s. - I thought my pan trick was really clever! I am very proud of it!)
I'm not even sure I've mentioned this in my blog...but I use my BAHA overnight as a alarm system for my new ear. Basically, I leave it on and if I try to roll onto my new ear (which I'm not allowed to do), the BAHA squeals and I am alerted and roll the other way. That was also my invention. In fact, after the revision skin graft surgery, Dr. Griffiths was debating the best way to protect the new graft. I told him about my 'alarm system' because I had just done it 2 nights at that point and wanted to both make sure that that was okay, and to share because it's funny to have an alarm system on my head...he liked it so much we continued to use that to keep the new graft safe...I didn't have to have any more bandages!
