Houston, I thought we were done with you!

Over the past few days, my right side has gotten progressively more and more sore. First, it was just around where the drain was. That isn’t that abnormal…I do have a tube going deep into my side, and it is stitched in to keep it from getting yanked out. The opening gets sore, the stitches get sore…it is just part of the joy of a drain.

The pain spread slowly over the past couple days.

By the middle of yesterday, the pain had spread to my shoulder blade, my shoulder and my side. I was running a low-grade fever. As I type, it is INCREDIBLY painful to move my right arm at all. I also have a lump near my incision.

So, Dr. Gainer is concerned. She has asked me to come see her on Friday. We will likely have an ultrasound done because she suspects that I have some sort of fluid collection (despite the fact that I still have a drain) that is getting infected. The physician’s assistant said that increased fluid production can happen after trauma.

What trauma, you ask? Well, last week we took a shuttle van to the airport after our appointments at MD Anderson. On our way, a car ran a red light, and we t-boned them in the middle of an intersection.

We were in this vehicle.

This is the car we hit.

(Sorry for the dark images. It was 4:45 am.)

Everyone in the shuttle walked away. Alan was sore for a couple days. I am still a little sore and had some seatbelt burn that is gone now. Basically, we were all lucky. The girls in the car seemed to be okay, but went to the hospital via ambulance to get checked out.

I hope that a fluid collection and little bit of an infection are all it is. My shoulder is so painfully sore, and I feel like the muscle in my shoulder blade is cramping. Like a charley horse in your shoulder blade. That seems weird to me if it is an infection under my arm and on my side.

That said, when I had an infection around my expander, I had a lot of pain in my sternum and ribs and felt a major tightness in my chest which made it hard to take a deep breath. So maybe it isn’t that abnormal that my shoulder hurts…the pain seems to spread, I guess.

So, I’m drugging up on pain meds and riding shotgun on the way to Houston tomorrow afternoon.

Nothing is simple, I swear.

12 thoughts on “Houston, I thought we were done with you!

  1. You’re not kidding with the comment that nothing is simple. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help out. You’re always welcome in our home, and we’re happy to run errands, visit, or do whatever we can to make things just a tad bit easier on you.

  2. Jenny and Alan,
    So sorry for this setback. So happy thats it’s just that – a setback 🙂
    Never forget you have hundreds if not thousands of people cheering you on from the sidelines. We don’t always post but we always read and we always send our best thoughts or prayers your way.
    Highest regards,
    #TeamJenny adoptees

  3. I am so ready for you to catch a break (or 20)! So sorry to hear of this complication–sending thoughts of strength and healing your way. Stay strong, girlie! <3

  4. Hate to hear you are still in pain. Hope it can be taken care of quickly since simple doesn’t seem to be an option right now. Let me know if y’all need me.

  5. So sorry to hear of the latest news. I keep hoping all of the bad will be behind you and there will be nothing but good news ahead but I guess it just doesn’t work that way. I hope you feel better soon. Hugs, prayers and lots of well wishes to you!

  6. I am so sorry Jenny!!!! That is terrible!! Hopefully they can get this infection situation fixed asap! I will be thinking about you!!

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