Surgery day started early I woke up before 7 and FORTUNATELY was able to have black coffee because it was more than 4 hours before the scheduled surgery time. I'm not sure how pleasant I would have been if I hadn't been allowed my coffee. I am an addict I fully admit this.
Paul & I arrived slightly before my appointment at 8 AM. I am also always early almost pathologically especially for appointments. We were warned that this was going to be a long day , to bring things to do and snacks for Paul. We had the laptop with firefly cued up on it ( I had thought it would be funnier to watch episodes of "the Big C" , but decided that maybe others wouldn't share my (sick) sense of humor.)
" How are you doing today"
8:00 ish I was registered and sent back to wait for the admitting nurse to take me to Ultra sound.
8:30 ish "Hi how are you today?".. .the nurse gave me the uber-attractive hospital gown ,and one to go over top of that like a robe. I got to keep my sweat pants socks & Birkenstocks on .I CUT A DASHING FIGURE I TELL YOU! sent me to change and then I sat to wait to get the ultra sound done.
Time gets a bit waffely from here on in. As I have said previously I am almost phobic about injections, I was also stressed out and teary because people were about to cut something out of my body.We waited for a little bit but not too long,all this stuff was preset.
I was sent into the ultra sound room, and the technician asked "How are you today?" ...
"I have cancer and someone is about to cut something out of my body... how are you?"
OK no I didn't say that I just started leaking. When I am stressed I cry, when I am angry I cry , and when I'm scared... yeah I cry. I don't want to I try not to do it but it happens anyway... so yeah my response was simply to tear up. This seemed to baffle the technician ( a woman btw, just in case you had some sexist idea about insensitivity being the domain of men.) She told me it was all going to be ok. ( yep.) But kept reminding me I was having the ultrasound AND an injection... like I was going to forget that bit
After she did the initial ultra sound the Radiologist arrives to insert the guide wire into my breast "Hi how are you today?" "OK PEOPLE SERIOUSLY FUCK OFF! I'm doing the best I can." again I only really said the latter part. He explains the while going to freeze the breast ( YAY injections!!!) then insert a thin wire with a hook on the end into the tumor(area) (ASIDE: sorry I know explaining things is important & necessary but really this makes me slightly nauseous) He froze me up, which is never as painful as I think it's going to be, but still not something one would do for fun. The funniest thing was that with a big fat sharpie pen he made a GIANT X on my boob...so he knew where to place things. I decided not to "suck it up" as usual and when he asked if the pain was sharp or a pushing I let him know "Sharp!"..more freezing ( this become important shortly) Froze up, guide wired up, and wrapped and taped so nothing will shift I head back to to ANOTHER waiting room.
Hey lookit that one of those RADIATION danger signs.... yep off to get the radioactive isotopes injected into my breast! Not sure the rest of the waiting room was as amused by my joking with the hubby about which super powers I was hoping for, but that's how we roll in my world! The technician (honestly I don't know if she was a nurse or Dr. or what so anyone who I don't know their specific job title is simply called a technician.) was sweet and kind..but still asked "How are you today"...grrrrr
She began slowly carefully started explaining to me why the radioactive stuff was "safe"... he face was shocked ( and a little hilarious...I know I have a sick sense of humour) when I looked at her and said "I'm not scared of the radiation part , I get it. I just hate injections...HATE INJECTIONS!" she laughed and just got everything ready. NOW remember I said the extra freezing would play into thing again? Well you guessed it, this was THE most painless part! awesome...I recommend being a wimp and getting more freezing!
BACK to the day surgery waiting room... and wait...and wait ..and wait...all of this happened between 8 am and about 10:30 am, my surgery was scheduled for 12:45. So a little before 12:30 I finally got called... and went to wait in the OR waiting room ( giggle)
I met my surgeon ( again) "Hi how are you?"
I met the anesthetist "Hi how are you"
I met the surgical nurse "hi how are you, we need to fill out this paper work"
kissed the hubby goodbye and walked into the Operating room. Then things moved fast, up on the table, thins arm goes here , were putting the IV in ( FUCKING OW!! OW OW!!) "wait what ? yes that's me yes that's what were doing, wow this drug is working fast... "Noelle you have to keep your eyes open..." "Oh Ok.... wa?" ( just an interesting thing I realized days after surgery EVERYONE in the operating room was female.)
next thing I remember is waking up in recover wondering why my throat hurt... the remembering where I was and why I was there. My throat hurting surprised me, I guess I forgot I'd need to be intubated.
Also my arm and breast hurt horribly, but I was expecting that...well when I remembered where I was. Morphine time, PAUSE to say modern medicine is a wonderful thing.
When I was a little more awake & comfortable I was move to the 2 nd recovery room. I was kept there for awhile... longer than I thought I would be, and no one brought me the hubby, not until I was ready to go home. Which kinda bugged me , everyone else had someone with them, & I knew he'd be worried.
My Dr stopped by and told me everything went well, and I would see her in a week.
They gave me instruction/a prescription for pain medication got me a wheel chair to get to the exit, and sent me home to my own bed. that was around 4:00 or 4:30
so yep it was a long day...
SO....... hi how are you?
1 comment:
Hi, how are you today?
Still thinking of you and hope you are feeling better.
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