4/20/17 One Week Later?

    It has been about a week since my skin graft.  I went and saw the doctor, well the doctor's staff today to have a pump removed.  When he did the surgery, he recommended a pump that sucks on the wound continuously to remove blood and other bodily fluids, I was calling it Mando Sauce, cause it came from within me.  The machine was starting to annoy me, making me almost trip every time I started walking and making it harder to put on or take off shorts and I had to make sure it stayed charged so I was constantly either plugging the laptop by the bed or plugging the machine to keep it charged, such first world problems, waah.
    Anyways, the appointment was at 1:30pm back at his office and man, plastic surgeons do seem to surround themselves with beautiful people, he had two gals working the desk and wow, they have to be clients, I felt like I was back in elementary trying to ask the pretty girl a question when I checked in.  There was some paperwork to cover my history, which seems to be after the fact, he already did the bulk of the work, but I guess the history is always taken.  The same technician/nurse who took off the wrap last time was there again.  She was surprised that I already had the surgery, so I guess she was not there last Thursday.
    I had been scared since last week to see if it had worked, specially with all the henpecking from everyone to make sure and not overdo it while I am healing.  It was slow going and eventually a second nurse grabbed some scissors to get at the cut faster.  The pump was attached to the cut with a plastic material that was stuck all the way around the wound to make a vacuum seal.  The nurse then had to slowly go all the way around and remove the sticky material off.  Finally, we got to the cut and although at first glance the leg around the cut was blacker and more beat up and the new skin looked greenish and a little bloody, but they declared it a success.  The doctor, true to his personality, peeked in the door, gave me about 25-30 seconds, said it looked good and went back to playing Solitaire at his office.
    I was told to start showering once a day, mostly to change the dressings, but it will be the first time since around September that I can start washing my right leg below the knee.  Looking at it without all the wrappings and stuff, it sure looks like it needs to be scrubbed.  Provided I don't screw up and bash my leg against something, causing the new skin to shear off, I should continue to heal in a month or so.  The staples come off next week, and then from there, I will continue to grow new skin into the graft.
    I hope to put this long, dreary chapter behind me soon.  It has taken most of this school year, since Wife left to work out of town.  Man, I am never cutting the grass again.