Skip to main content

Pockets and possibilities

"It has pockets for the drain tubes," I told no less than 3 nurses. "You'll help me get into this thing, right? It pulls up over my hips, apparently." Pockets for the drain tubes! Imagine that! A camisole with pockets to organize those drain tubes. Now we're talking. Pockets. Genius!

It is true that the camisole Bob picked up for me at Cancer Services had pockets with velcro tabs that could accommodate two drain tubes and bulbs on the affected side. I had done some research of course, and saw lots of pictures of such camis online. They were supposed to be soft, comfy, and could fit over the ace wrap that I'd have to wear every day until my follow up. I did my research. This is what they look like.

Without the tubes and bulbs. 

I think of myself as pretty realistic. Apparently, that is, until I get cancer. Then I live in a sort of wish-world where tubes and bulbs have zero mass and add no bulk to the sleek look of my mastectomy camisole. Instead, it was a bumpy, bulgy, disturbing sight.

A day after coming home, I put the mastectomy cami in the closet, just for now. I decided it was probably much better for after the tubes are out, when I'm ready to try another pocket it's equipped with for the... ahem... stuffing.

It's just a problem that needs solving, I thought. I'll figure it out. I'm creative, right? I have tried no less than 10 different configurations, including various placements using pins, pockets, tucks, rolls, a lanyard, and today, a little zippered pouch clipped to a belt loop. Cute, huh?

This is all temporary, of course. The drains will come out very soon. I think the drain debacle is actually just a defense mechanism. Thinking about these things that have been added is keeping me from dwelling too much on what has been subtracted.

(Maybe a fanny pack... yeah, that could work...)




Labels:

Comments

  1. UnknownAugust 30, 2016 at 7:01 PM

    You will figure it out!!!!! You are so precious!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownAugust 30, 2016 at 7:01 PM

    You will figure it out!!!!! You are so precious!!!!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

May I Have a Word: The Case for Saying What We Mean

By a show of hands, how many times have you used these phrases, in conversation, on social media, in email communications, or in chocolate syrup on a pancake? Don’t Judge Right? You Need To Friends, my hand is way up there. Don’t judge me for pointing this out. These are common phrases, and we’ve all used them, right? You need to read on to see why these words have become a problem. Now that I have gotten that out of my system, let me say that I am working hard to eliminate all these very common and seemingly well-meaning words and phrases from my vocabulary. I’m not usually one to wave the banner and try and get people to join me, but this time I think I am. Lately, it feels like we have become very lazy in how we express ourselves. It’s like the shortcut version of actual communication. Verbal texting. But, there is more about these five phrases that has been sticking in my craw. I’ve been binge-watching movie adaptations of Shakespeare's plays. His words demand attention—every l...
Post a Comment
Read more

Wake Up, Jesus: On Frozen Pipes, Panic, and Peace

 Some days it is like Jesus is taking a nap on a cushion in the back of my boat while it is filling up with water and I’m sinking fast. Or it’s just the laundry room floor filling up with water and my hopes are sinking fast. Which happens like clockwork every winter for the last eight years. A frozen drain pipe. Sometimes frozen water pipes. But either way, it ends the same. I’m in tears, knee-deep in wet clothes, and trying to figure out when I will be able to make it to the laundromat. Over the years we developed a strategy for coping with the annual drain pipe freeze. If the weather predicts anything below 20 degrees for more than a day, we shift into Emergency Laundry Mode. That means I do as much laundry as possible in as little time as possible. A completely empty hamper is the goal. If I can get the clothes off our backs into the machine before the cold hits, I do that. When it’s all clean, dry, folded, and put away. I high-five myself. That is until one article of clothing ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Mood Swings, Moisturizer, and Minute Rice: I'm Trying Stuff in January

Most Januarys I spend a little time thinking about how I do things, what products I use, and what I might want to change. It’s not exactly about making “resolutions” because I know some of these changes will stick and some won’t—and that’s okay. I think it’s more a matter of long, cold, dark winter days giving my mind too much time to wander. In the grayest corners of my brain, ideas come and go, and I start experimenting with little things that catch my interest. Most of these experiments are so mundane I don’t even mention them to Bob anymore. I’ve seen that glazed-over look enough to know better. But once in a while, I think maybe some of these things are worth sharing—or at least good for a laugh. So here’s a non-recurring, possibly non-useful list of things I’m trying this year. Mood and Energy Tracker I’ve been thinking about health and wellness lately—hardly surprising in January with all the “New Year New You” messaging out there. It’s like annual mind control. This year I dec...
Post a Comment
Read more