Surgery Complete!

Had surgery at 9am and was home by 2pm. Better darn good. No nausea and for me and surgery that was a mircle in itself. I have to thank Helen for the guided imagery pod cast. They made all the difference. I could feel myself feeling calmer and calmer each day about the surgery. I'm saving those pod cast and if anyone knows of anyone going for surgery let me know so I can forward the link.

So here is how the day went down for those interested:

Whole family got to stay with me from beginning until they took my off to the OR. That was nice since I was told that at one point only one person could be with me. But, that didn't happen.

5:30 am checked in and got my first wrist band by the end of the day I had three on my arm and I have no idea how they all got there. Two were duplicates and one was my allergy band.

Up to the third floor to check in and sign paper work. Then they took me to a room where I got naked and but on the fashion gown. This time I had to fasten it in the back. For the last four months all I have heard is put the gown on open in the front but this time nope in the back. The whole gown they gave me unsnapped so I guess that's how they dealt with things. Pre op nurse was there. Took my vitals. Took a pee test. That was the second pregnancy test I have had in a week. So its confirmed no immmaculate conception! Went over allergies (2nd wrist band). Then just waited to be taken to have the wires inserted. I got to chat with Bequi for a while. That was nice.

7:30 they came and wheeled me back down to the first floor to the breast cancer center to put in the wires. My surgeon hopped on the elevator with us. Followed me down and told the radiologist exactly the angle she want the wires inserted for the best cosmetic results. I love my surgeon she is very hands on. Now the fun began. I can say from what I have read there a various ways this can be done and being Hoag I had it done the best way you can. They did a mammogram but not the squeeze of death mammogram since this wasn't for diagnosis but to see where the clips were. I was standing for this and when she was done I asked to see the picture. She showed it to me. Yep there were the three clips and clearly no tumor. I saw what those three clips looked like with the tumor and will always remember what that looked like. No tumor here. Another confirmation it was gone for me and it felt good. Then the radiologist came in we talked. So here's how it went down. They put me in a chair. An elaborate chair all cushy with a high back and it could be hydrolically raised and lower and it was on wheels. So in the chair I go then the wheeled me up to the mammogram machine, adjust the chair, gentle squeeze with the machine. Then the radiologist and nurse go look at the picture and discuss where to insert the needle. There's a hole in the bottom plate and there must be some sort of graph involved because they said things like yea lets go to C24. All I could think of was the game Battle Ship. Then she numbed me up and yes while still in the machine. Then inserted the hollow needle. Didn't feel anything after the injection. Then the second needle (one on each end of tumor bed). Now they took several pics. Decided it all looked good. Then they inserted the actual wires through the hollow needles then removed the needles leaving the wire behind. Then guess what? More pics to make sure the wire were where they needed to be. Ah at last out of the machine. I was told at pre op visit I then be wheeled to nuclear medicine for my radioactive isotope to be injected but, no they came to me. Delivery guy was a cutie putie probably in his twenties. It was a nice break from things. So the nurse tells me that the radiologist will be back in to do the injection and I say ok so I'm not going to really feel anything because I'm numbed up. And she says oh well you not numb were this is going to be injected and I'm not going to lie to you its going to sting quite a bit but it will be fast. It hurts but its really short so just tell yourself its over fast. OK. I'm not so happy now but braced. Crap turned out to be a piece of cake. I hardly felt anything. It involved two injection and it was less painful than the numbing agent. Nurse was shocked when I said what that's it you're kidding me that's nothing. Her and the radiologist were shocked and said your tough. I think maybe the numbing agent works really really well and it did have thing numb. Done. Now off to the pre OR holding room.

8:30 now in the pre OR holding room. Nice nurse puts third wrist band on. We talk about allergies all that good stuff. Then my surgeon comes in to check on me. She is raring to go. Now I meet my anethesiologist, Dr. Torres I love this man. I truly do. He says do you have any reactions and I said I puke. He says ok well, there are things that will make you more likely to puke and I will avoid those and I have stuff to give you before hand and I'll make sure you get those. Then he goes to set up the IV. He start to tie my arm off way to high for where I want the IV. So here I go with the instructions telling him exactly what to do. I love this man love him because he just did what I told him to do. PLUS he says ok I'm going to inject a small amount of numbing agent first. So vein is popped and feel a small prick and then nothing, its numb and then I can feel him put the needle in but no pain just the pressure of the needle going in. I say what? that was sweet. What is that about? and he says yea not everyone does this but, this is how I work. I said let me tell you NO ONE does this but I'm never having an IV again with out it! I couldn't even tell the needle was in there. Nothing is sore tonight. It makes me bitter. I don't know how many damned IV's I have had over the last four months but bastards I feel like I endured a whole lot of fucking pain for nothing! Of course I could be wrong. Maybe I couldn't be numb. Maybe they needed me to be able to feel what was going on but with blood return being what confirms its in the vein I really can't think of what that would be. I'm thinking it comes down to money and time. Fuckers.
But, I love Dr. Torres. Happy juice is administer and off to the OR we go. I'm some what awake in the OR and I can remember saying don't tie my arms down until I'm out. I can remember helping slide onto the table and the mask being put on my face and then zip. Nothing.

0:00 no idea what time it was when I woke up. Was groggy but not nauseus. Sucked in major Reiki and positive energies from all you loving people and managed to stay really really calm. Peaceful. I was in recovery waking up and I was peaceful. Instead of fighting that groggy I stayed peaceful. Would doze for a bit and then when I woke again I would realize I was more coherent. Nurse was talking to me a lot asking how I was doing. My surgeon came and checked on me and said I did great. She came pretty early on so she was a bit fuzzy. But, I just focused on how slowly I was becoming more and more awake and that groggy feeling was going away. There was clock I the wall I could see and from 12:00pm to 12:30 I became really fully awake.

12:30 off to my room where they brought the family in. First things first before they even got there I had to pee. My pee is blue. That would be the dye coming out. Its still blue tonight but light. about 10 minutes later I have to pee again the nurse is there so she helps me out of bed but I'm steady on my feet. When I'm done instead of flushing I come out of the bathroom and say to Chris (my 16 yo son) hey my pee is blue you want to see? He is all excited yea! Well go look and then flush for me. The nurse says its blue from the dye but I don't know what she thought about my son looking at it but, I have found that medical professionals are pretty cool with sharing. I'm sipping water and feeling anxious to get out of Dodge. Nurse comes and says you want to go? Yep.

2:10pm Home. Took about a three hour nap. Then got up and ate. Feeling good tonight.

8:00pm writing this enormous blog entry. No pain. Surgeon wasn't too happy about not sending me home with pain meds but I just throw those up. Told her Tylenol and Xanax plus ice would work for me if I had pain. She gave me extra numbing agent during the operation to help. Keep things numb longer chance to heal and avoid some pain. I don't know. Its a bit sore but I don't think its anything that's going to keep me up. We will see how it is tomorrow.

Other details: yes I'm bound up again tighter than a Christmas goose. But, its not with the stinking binding they use for the needle biopsy. But, pretty much a huge ace bandage around and around and then around my neck to keep it from slipping down and taped the hell out of. She said I could take it off Sunday. Then wear a sports bra 24/7. Now mom needs to go get one that fastens in the front or back. Don't own one that doesn't go over my head. Might have been nice if someone had suggested this before hand. Oh well.

Updates on healing will follow.

Hugs and Love to all.

Post Blog: not editing this so good luck reading to all.