Reality Is Setting In

    Reality is setting in.  I'm pretty much freaking out!  There is so much going on and its adding so much stress to all of this.  I feel like my body is shutting down.  I just want to curl up in a vall and sleep through the next couple months.
    I have been reading stories on the DIEP Flap Support Group on Facebook.  I don't think I should have looked at the pictures.  Pretty freaky looking!  I know that the scars will eventually fade, but still.  I decided it might be a good idea to ask the ladies what they considered "must have" items for after the surgery.  I got some awesome ideas from them.  Here are some of the items that they mentioned that I plan on picking up:

• Cotton tank tops (dark colors so that if I leak or bleed it won't stain)
• IPad loaded with books and movies
• Little pillows (have some in the car to put between me and the seatbelt)  
• New wash cloths to wash and dry incisions (maybe baby wash cloths because they are soft)    
• "Grabber" (for if I drop something, so I don't have to get up out of my bed or chair.  Also because I will not be able to raise my arms above my head for several weeks)
• Lollipops (for the two days post op that I won't be able to eat or drink other than ice chips.  The lollipops will help relieve the dry mouth)
• Camera

      We found a hospital bed on Craigslist for $150.  This was another thing that several of the DIEP ladies suggested.  Now I just need to decide if I want the bed upstairs or downstairs.  If I have it downstairs I will either sleep downstairs or we will move the recliner upstairs for me to sleep in at night.
      The biggest Godsend I will have will be my dear friend Jen being here for two weeks.  She will be flying in from Texas and I am so excited to see her!  Having her here to help get the kids off to school and help me as needed will be wonderful.  The kids will get out of school the same day that she leaves so I will have the kids around to help me a little.
      So, the countdown begins.......just five more days.