Skin graft

 

I went into the hospital yesterday morning at 5:30am for the surgery to finish the skin graft on my forearm.  They took a partial thickness of skin from my upper thigh to do the repair. 

They felt my tongue was healing well and they took out my trach.  I am so excited to no longer have the trach!

I was home from the hospital by early afternoon.

My forearm now has a cast-like bandage on it, attached to a wound pump.  The wound pump has to keep going 24/7 until my follow-up appointment next week.  The pump creates a vacuum to speed healing and help the graft to adhere.  Even though it's portable and could easily fit in a backpack, it sounds like a ticking time bomb so I don't imagine I'll do any shopping other than online this week.

My thigh has a thin bandage that I'm supposed to dry with a hair dryer on low twice a day for 15 minutes at a time.  The bandage is supposed to dry into "a thin antibiotic scab."  It feels like I got burned or scraped or something, but I have good pain meds so it hasn't been too bad.  I just still feel really sleepy.

 

A few quotes about skin.....

Carving is easy, you just go down to the skin and stop.     

                       Michelangelo

I don't think that bravery is about skin. Bravery is about a willingness to show emotional need.    

                      Richard Gere

All the beauty of the world, 'tis but skin deep.    

                     Ralph Venning

I'm tired of all this nonsense about beauty being skin deep. That's deep enough. What do you want, an adorable pancreas?    

                      Jean Kerr

Many will call me an adventurer - and that I am, only one of a different sort: one of those who risks his skin to prove his platitudes.    

                    Che Guevara

Nobody grows old merely by living a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.                     Samuel Ullman

Flowers from Joyce with fill-in roses from Connie.  Thanks!

Comments

[Connie Cross]

Hurray no trach!
And skin from thigh
For goodness sake
New arm to make!
I heave a sigh
You’re sleepy you say?
Find spot to lie
Til end of week draws nigh.
New arm, new thigh,
New “trist,” Oh my!