SURGERY DAY! Hooray!

When I arrived at the hospital we were early so we sat in the car for a bit, I was not overly excited to be early for THIS event! God has a way of reassuring me through music.  When I made an abrupt job change a few years ago, there was a Christian song (Aaron Shust's "Give Me Words to Speak")  that kept following me in the many days surrounding that crazy time.  During the process of this double mastectomy choice Britt Nicole's song "All This Time" keeps following me: on the radio frequently, popping up on my ipod shuffle.  Low and behold AirOne decided to play it right then and I sat there and cried as I heard the now familiar words that gave me the confidence that He HAD been looking out for me for a long time and today was no different. "All this time from the first tear cry to today's sunrise and every single moment between, you were there you were always there. It was you and I, you've been walking with me all this time." 

So I got that out of my system and walked confidently into the hospital right at 9:28 a.m. We checked in at the surgery desk and I was surprised when they sent me out to sit in the waiting room which my family would spend the rest of the day in. While waiting there, I was blessed with the comfort of social media.  The well wishes were just what I needed to boost my confidence. 

My bag was packed with: 

*a comfy set of pjs to wear home - make sure they have an elastic waist & button up the front to make it easy because you won't be able to lift your hands above your head

*underwear, but no sports bra yet

*toothbrush and toothpaste

* regular meds (BCP)

*face cleanser

*lipgloss & hairband,clips

*phone, charger, and headphones

*picture of my kids

*Bible

*small notebook & pen

*small pillow for ride home

*left my wedding ring at home

After 10 minutes or so, I was called up to answer a few questions and then was taken back to my pre-op area.  It looked a lot like an emergency room to me, curtained off areas for each patient.  Myron helped me bring in my bag, but he was returned to the waiting room until I was set up. My nurse was helpful, but the tone was much more serious.  I placed my clothes in one of those hospital bags and asked for a second one for my sparkly flip flops, trading them in for hospital socks.  After a bathroom break & pregnancy test (yes, that's standard), they strapped coverings on my leg that massage the legs to help deter blood clots.  An IV was started, the anesthesiologist came in and described his portion.  My general surgeon came in to see me and it was so comforting to see a familiar face and hear his calm voice.  He was ready to start nearly an hour early! My parents had not arrived yet from my hometown an hour north.  

My husband was allowed in and the plastic surgeon was contacted and able to join in early but there would be a pre-op delay so I would not lay there waiting under anesthesia (thank you!).  In the waiting time, a friend who works there just happened to check on equipment in that area and stopped in and kept us busy chatting. My parents arrived and were able to come back, followed by my sister and finally one last kiss from Myron.  

They wheeled me out of pre-op, down to the operating room.  I really did not want to see anything..at all..and wondered just how long I'd be awake.  The surgical nurses took over and were nice.  They placed the oxygen over my nose and that was it.  I was out....

My family was very appreciative of the information they received on my progress during the lengthy surgery from the hospital staff. My niece had also come down to spend the day and my cousin came over in the afternoon.  I know it was a long day for all of them and I so appreciate them rearranging their schedules to be there and all their co-workers and sitters who helped make that happen.

The surgeons each came out to chat with them as their portion was over.  Everything was normal in appearance and looked standard.  The tissue would be sent off to pathology and later came back clear. The plastic surgeon was able to halfway fill my expanders due to my excess tissue, 250 mL each, which would reduce my number of follow up fills. 

FIVE HOURS after it began, the surgery was over and successful!  I was so happy to be awake and know it was over.  I was so happy to be alive, that was always a slight risk on my mind.  I was so happy my anesthetic worked, I never knew what was going on and as I recovered I was never sick from the anesthesia.  Thankful for such blessings. 

Mainly, I was NOT in pain.  Some had said it felt like a semi-truck on their chest and was hard to breathe; I felt cautious of how to move but not in pain, more like stiff.  My male nurse was kind and it seemed like I was quickly moved up to my room after I awoke.

The trip to my hospital room was the worst part of the whole experience and that is not much to complain about.  Suddenly I was aware of every groove in the floor as the bed's wheels rolled over the grooves of the door frames and elevator.

My nurse got me settled in my room and I was still flat on my back.  A pump of pain medication was added to my IV so I could control when I wanted meds.  In the early stages, I opted to react before the pain rather than wait for it to come.

My family soon arrived in my room and it was so great to see them!  I don't remember a whole lot, I just felt relieved.  Eventually, I felt hungry since I had not had anything liquid or solid in my stomach all day.  French toast, fruit, water and coffee fit the bill.  I napped a little and my family all headed out for dinner.  

Everybody came back to tell me goodbye before they headed home, bringing me some pretty flowers to brighten my room. We were still undecided on if Myron would spend the night. .  

Moving out of my bed was the biggest obstacle I crossed.  I was ready to get up and brush my teeth, ready to head to the sink, but then I was reminded I had four tubes hanging off me:  the IV, a catheter, and a drainage tube from both sides of my torso. 

My bed sat me upright, but I needed to twist my legs to the side and push myself out of bed while not yanking any cords.  People were there to help with the cords but I was very resistant to pushing myself our of bed.  Push yourself out of your seat, see what muscles you use! It was a slow process but soon I was on my feet, gradually moving to the sink.  

This is when a surprising limitation occurred: I could not push down the soap dispenser far enough to get the soap out.  This continued through my recovery time, always surprising me because there were so many things I COULD do.  The muscle used for that movement must be in your pectorals.  

It was at this time I decided my husband should stay just to help me in and out of bed for any unexpected needs.  My nurse was nice but young and not too equipped with some of the tricks I could have really used for things like getting in and out bed :)

I slept good but was obviously drugged up because when she woke me for my middle of the night vitals, I told her I could not believe I slept all night.  It was not till later I realized it was only 2:30 a.m.! 

I pressed my pain meds to hold it off and went back to sleep, thankful for such a successful day!

Next entry: going home, handy tips & items useful to the patient