Bilgewater

March 8, Howard Buford Recreation Area (Mount Pisgah)

Great news! Yesterday, one month after her bilateral mastectomy, Mrs. Random got the remaining post-op drain removed!! That was a gross little uncomfortable pain in the side that she doesn’t have to deal with anymore (and I don’t have to drain and measure the bilgewater anymore!). Its removal allowed her to actually sleep in our bed last night after 4 weeks of sleeping semi-upright in her recliner. Poor Betty, who’d gotten used to sleeping on her mom while the Tinycats slept with me in the bedroom, was a bit bereft. But she ended up coming into the bedroom with the rest of the family and sleeping on my folded nap blanket on the bottom shelf of my bedside bookcase. I reached down and petted her several times in the night and it started her purr engine right up :)

The doc also removed the Steri-Strips covering the sutures, which will dissolve over time. The 15-pound lifting weight limit is also removed, and she’s cleared to do most anything after the weekend. There's a small set of exercises—a kind of self-directed physical therapy—that's she's been doing for a couple weeks already. It’s so awesome to be on this side of the ordeal(s), with total recovery easily in view.

Radio Free Random has been quite active lately—five shows in just the past week. And today I’m likely to transmit a marathon broadcast once I get going. As always, check out recordings and tracklists on my RadioNOT blog.

We’re talking about hitting some open houses tomorrow. I’m signed up to get Redfin updates, and an email listing 10 weekend open houses hit my inbox this morning.