2. My last reconstruction surgery was planned for the middle of July, but because my blood levels are so strong right now, the doctor called and moved my surgery up to 7/1, which gave me exactly 3 days to prepare. That meant getting my surgeon to fax my doctor here in Porterville all my pre-op orders. I had an appointment with my doctor on Tuesday to get all of the testing done, but at 3:00 Monday afternoon, I got a call saying that I needed to get to the hospital immediately to get all my tests run so that they would be back in time to not hold up my Tuesday appointment. I had just pulled into my driveway returning from a trip to Porterville, but I drove through my driveway after returning from Porterville. No reason to get frustrated. It had to be done, so I drove through my semi circle driveway and and headed back down the highway even though I had a school board meeting at 5:00.
3. At the hospital, I was treated with great respect and everyone rushed to get my tests done quickly. Urine analysis, blood tests, EKG, and chest X Ray. I was in and out in 1/2 an hour. 1/2 an hour, I say! This is unheard of. Yet, I can testify that it actually happened. All of the standard tests for surgery preparation were done with absolutely no hassle.
4. The next morning, my doctor already had the results. Everything looked wonderful and surgery was a go.
5. I had to find someone to travel with me to Glendale where my surgery was. Janie has a three year old, so she couldn't do it. Ian had to work, so he was out. Brian was working, so no go there. Sarah could go with me on Friday but not on Thursday. So, my poor mommy who got back from a 10 day vacation on Tuesday had to be my driver. Unfortunately, she has never driven on a freeway. She would have to drive us home during rush hour in LA traffic on a holiday weekend. I was terrified of the prospect, but it was my only option.
6. On Thursday, I drove my mom and myself to Glendale. Hospital registration was a cinch. I know I've said this before, but Glendale Adventist Hospital is just the best hospital ever. Volunteers take you from area to area so that you don't get lost. All of the nurses are kind and never rush when they are working with you. You just feel so secure when you have to be a patient at this facility.
7. After registration, we stopped by a cute little thrift store. I found some adorable shoes. I tried one on before buying them. Perfect fit. 6 inch, snake skin, brand new heels. <3
8. We drove on over to our hotel. I only got slightly lost. Thank goodness for GPS. I was really only two blocks from the hotel. So, I'm not even sure you can called that lost. It was more like directionally confused. The Econo Lodge is definitely not luxury, but it's perfect for a one night necessity stay.
9. Once we were checked in, we went for a walk to find food. I was starving. I'm pretty sure it was because I was told I had to fast after midnight. Tell me I can't eat, and all of a sudden I want to eat. We walked a couple of blocks and found an authentic Italian restaurant. The waiter was quite obviously having an argument with a woman who I assume was his wife. He so didn't want to wait on us, but he did a good job . . . other than throwing the silverware on our table and refusing to smile.
10. If I lived in a big city, I would be so boring. I would never leave the block I lived on, because everything is so central. From the restaurant, we walked to the grocery store for water and forks, because you know. Forks are a necessary travel tool. From there, we walked to Starbucks, because Starbucks is a necessary survival tool. It was a lovely 89 degrees in Glendale with a lovely breeze. Quite a difference from the 109 back at home.
11. Back at our room, I tried on my cute new shoes and noticed that the left shoe felt a little tight. I thought maybe my feet were swollen from all the travelling and then the walking. So, I looked at the bottom of the shoe. It was a size 6 1/2. I wear an 8. Damn it!
12. My niece who lives and works in Glendale came by and spent a couple of hours visiting with us. She's just such an adorable young lady. It was fun to hang out with her even though it was in an Econo Lodge. Luckily, she wears a size 6 1/2. So, she got a super cute new pair of shoes.
13. The anesthesiologist called at around 5:00pm to remind me about fasting and preparations for in the morning. Shower before arriving at the hospital, no makeup, no contact lenses, no jewelry of any kind, no lotion, and no deodorant. Wear slip on shoes, loose fitting pants, and a button up blouse. See? This hospital actually has its nurses call to make sure you are comfortable before the procedure. The nurse also called to get my pharmacy information so she could call in my my post operation medications.
14. My niece, Caitlin, messaged me to say that one of the cute shoes I gave her was a size 6 1/2 and the other was an 8. LOL! No wonder they were such a good buy. So, neither one of us got to enjoy them.
15. I had a very difficult time falling asleep, but sleeping in was fine the next morning.
16. Mom went to the continental breakfast in the motel lobby while I got ready. That way I wouldn't feel hungry or even worse feel deprived of coffee. I braided my hair into two braids, because I have learned this is the best way to keep hair out of the way during surgery. One braid is uncomfortable, because it makes a bump on the back of your head. Two braids are the way to go. Easy to tuck into that cute little hair net you have to wear and keeps your hair from tangling.
17. Before heading to the hospital, we stopped and got gas, and I once again got slightly directionally confused. I turned the wrong direction and went two blocks in the opposite direction. Still, we made it on time.
18. Surgery was originally scheduled for 11:30 am, but it was moved to 12:30pm. I didn't actually go in until 1:30. During this time, you get dressed in your gown, your funny slippers, and your cute little hair net. You swish your mouth with an antiseptic. You get an IV of fluids so that the thirst isn't as bad (by this time, I hadn't had any water in over 12 hours).
19. I met with my surgery nurse and my anesthesiologist. Then, my doctor came in and drew cute pictures all over my chest. These are his notes to himself. I'm still trying to wash these off. Of course, he uses sharpie. On this super pale skin, even using rubbing alcohol takes several applications to remove this stuff.
20. The surgery was supposed to take about an hour and a half, but it ended up taking 4 hours. There were complications of some sort, but I have no idea what they were. I'll get the full story when I meet with him next week. I do have tubes again. We all know how much I despise these things. Having holes in your ribs with tubes attached to balls is no fun. It pretty much sucks. I have to drain these suckers twice a day and measure the lovely gunk that comes out of my insides.
21. We didn't start release papers until 7:00pm. Because it was so late, we knew I would not be able to pick up my meds at our pharmacy in Porterville. It would be closed by the time I got there. So, my nurse tried to get the hospital pharmacy to fill my medications. Their pharmacy wouldn't accept my insurance. WTH?! They accepted my insurance for my past two surgeries but not for my meds. So, we decided we would just go to the 24 hour CVS in Porterville on the way home to pick everything up. That meant a pretty long time without any pain meds, but what choice did we have?
22. My mom did pretty good driving. She didn't kill us or anyone else. We got to Porterville only to discover that the CVS is no longer 24 hours. I thought I could make it to the next day without any thing.
23. By the time we got home, the muscle spasm were in full swing. This is normal for breast surgeries. I was crying, and we couldn't find a pharmacy anywhere. I knew I could not get back in a car. So, my saint of a mother went and picked up my 82 year old dad, and they drove to Visalia to get my medications. I have pain meds, muscle relaxers, and antibiotics. I didn't get to take any of my pain meds or muscle relaxers until 1 in the morning. It was incredibly rough, but I'm still here to talk about it.
So here's what I had done. When I had my implants put in back in December, it was an emergency situation. We had to get the expanders out, because one had lodged itself into the muscles in my shoulder. Torn muscles and tons of pain meant we had to move ahead with reconstruction. In fact, I now have permanent damage in that shoulder from the expander tearing tissue and nerve endings in there. So, my doctor put in temporary implants. The implants we had planned on putting in were not yet here, because we thought we had another two months to get that situation all settled. For the past 6 months, I've pretty much had square boobs. Sponge Bob Square Boobs. Sponge Bob Square Boobs. Sponge Bob. Square Boobs. Are you singing it? I liked my little geometric bobbies, because they were at least bumps on my chest, but they actually had corners.
My new implants are the gummy bear implants we had wanted (I say "we" because these decisions were all made with my doctor). Plus, he added mesh to give my breasts shape.
This was supposed to be a much easier surgery, but we all know I don't do things the easy way. I have been in more pain than I thought I could bear over the past couple of days. I thought I would only be down for a couple of days this time, but it will be 10 days.
My son is making sure I'm fed, and he's taking care of my doggies, my mom runs errands for me, and my son's girlfriend Rachel is helping to take care of me (brushing my hair, helping me get dressed, bringing me coffee etc.) Thank goodness for these three awesome people!
I can't believe people CHOOSE to do breast surgery. This is some gnarly, challenging, painful stuff. I'm so done with surgeries. D - O - N- E!!!! As soon as these tubes get ripped out of my sides it's time to celebrate.
I made it! It's been two years, but I made it. It's over. All of this has been for a reason. All of the growth that I've made physically, emotionally, and spiritually has been worth it. I'll continue to write this blog. I'll continue to talk about ways to lift yourself up. I'll continue to advocate for my fellow breast cancer warriors. I hope you'll stay with me as I move into the next phase of this crazy thing called life.
I love you all more than I can ever express!