The many Scars of Cancer.... (Warning- Icky Photos)

I thought I should start this with at least one nice photo, because the next few are going to be not so pretty. See, I want to keep a record not just for myself, but for anyone who has to go through this. Unfortunately, having cancer means having scars. All kinds of scars. So, this is  my advance warning... what follows may not be pleasant to look at, so feel free to skip this post if you have a delicate disposition. But for those of you who may be curious, or who might be getting ready for surgery, or know someone who is about to have surgery, I am not shy about my scars. Right now, they are a little frightening, but I know they will be better later.

This first picture is a surgical drain. I had three to begin with, and as of today, I have one remaining. It collects fluid from the incision site. To have it removed, it has to produce less than 20ml of fluid in a 24 hour period. I am still producing around 40ml, so I am probably looking at another week with this thing.

This is where the drain enters my side. The bandage beside it is where drain #2 was located until last week. The tubing extends almost halfway across my chest wall. When I "strip" my lines, I can feel a pulling sensation near my chest bone, so I know exactly where it ends. It is held in with a stitch that pulls every time I move.

This is my chest. You can see where both breasts are missing, and the scar where my port is located.

This was my non-cancerous breast. The scar is straight and relatively even. Because this breast was okay, the surgery was neat with little bruising. That puckered up area above the scar is my port. Yes... you can really see it now that the breast is gone.

This was the cancerous breast and lymph area. It is not quite as pretty as the other side because of how much tissue had to be removed. It is still very bruised.