I'm back, sans half a nipple.

...and just like that, they released me!  I still can't believe it, but I am currently writing this from the comfort of the house I grew up in.  I still have 3 small drains in me, but that discomfort pales in comparison to the discomfort associated with the hospital.  They just never leave you alone.  I will say that this MD Anderson experience was, without a doubt, the best one that I have had.  They listened to me, they were accommodating and they did everything they could to make me as comfortable as possible.  Kudos to them for being so remarkable, but I can say that I hope I never see them again.
The doctors say that everything looks fine right now for me.  I am recovering better than they expected and they saw no reason for me to just hang out in the hospital any longer.  They expected me to be in the hospital 7-10 days, and I was only there for 3.  I was on the pain pump until this morning, then I transitioned to oral pain pills.  They seem to be doing the trick, but I do have pain and at times it gets fairly intense.  My chest and neck area is definitely beginning to resemble film adaptations of Frankenstein's monster.  I also don't remember signing consent for them to remove half of my left nipple.  I asked the question yesterday, where is my left nipple?  Today that question was answered, well at least halfway answered.  It is right on a stitch line that sweeps across my left chest and it looks to only be about half there, but I will save some hope that it returns when I get the stitches out and the skin stretches back out slightly.  Either way, life will go on for now and hopefully we can get some normalcy in the coming months.
The followup plans are unknown currently, but we will likely have a couple appointments on Thursday and then we will be able to head back to our home in Lago Vista.  That will be AWESOME!  We will also probably have followups the next Thursday and Friday, but we can make that quick trip with no problems.  It's all worth it to be home and sleep in my own bed, that is a feeling that can't be replicated or replaced.  After next weeks appointments, I should get a break for a couple of months from any appointments and we can concentrate on summer.  We are in the midst of planning a driving tour of the western part of the US to give the boys some real life experiences with us while we are all healthy enough to do it (mainly that applies to me).  The next couple of days could be interesting, but only time will tell.