Surgery Over

Surgery over. It was hideous and loooooooooong. We got there at 7am, checked in, I then was taken to Nuclear Medicine so they could take pictures of my lymph nodes (inserting dye to make sentinel node light up), nodes responded very quickly, so the procedure wasn't nearly as long as we thought it would be.

By 10am, I was finished with that part, taken by stretcher to the stand-by room for surgery. I sat there from 10am to 11:15am,alone, no one came in, nothing. I was getting half hysterical about Ray, since he had gone home to load my cat up on food, as this was gonna be longer than we thought. No sign of him, I called him at home, no answer. Now my mind starts working in all kinds of directions and I think he's had a car accident. I end up wandering out into the main desk and waiting area, hospital gown, IV pole, etc. Im sure they think Im mad and crazy!

They finally find Ray at 11:20am. Now the anethesia guy comes in, explaining that part, by 11:45am, it's time to go.

After all my bravado, in these last minutes, I start crying. I don't want to leave Ray, changed my mind, don't want the surgery, terror setting in, Im clutching him crying. They drag me away from him into the operating room (walking with IV pole), I lay down on this table (no easy task for me with my horrible bad back), the table is like 6 inches wide, no lie. Im laying there, looking at the massive light over the operating table, and the anethesia guy says 'we're gonna give you something to relax you'. LITERALLY last words I hear.

Next time my eyes open, Im in recovery, trussed up like King Tut with these velcro pads on my lower legs, a bra that would qualify for entry into a museum as one of the most binding, pain inducing products ever invented. And my THROAT! DRY DRY DRY, hurts like hell, can't stop coughing. I then find out a tube was down my throat. I cannot stop coughing, they give me ice chips to chew on. Stay there for over an hour, then move onto to a another recovery room where they again find Ray and bring him in. Stay there for an hour, now I can go. Ive coughed so much Ive pulled muscles in my ribs and stomach!

ALL I know about the procedure is what the surgeon told Ray, which is cloudy at best, as he was falling asleep at the time. But from what I can piece together, he said he doesn't SEE any node involvement (we won't know for sure until the pathology report comes back) and he says everything went fine. I don't know if there were clear margins or not, etc. But surgeon will call me tomorrow.

Couldn't WAIT to come home. In ALOT of pain, haven't changed the dressing yet, will today, Im mortally terrified of seeing the incision and my booby. Hurts, hurts, hurts. And I have to sleep on my back, which is the worst possible scenario with my back as it is. Now my back is absolutely killing me, so Im not in good shape, lol. My right leg is completely numb - that's from sleeping on my back, taking pain pills like crazy, 'cause they kill 2 birds: pain in my booby and my back.

Have to see surgeon and oncologist in 2 weeks - wait for it - on our Anniversary! lol. If there really IS no node involvement and there were clear margins, I may qualify for a radiation they do in 5 days instead of 6 weeks.

So that's where we are. Dicey getting around at best.

Thanks for all the emails and support!!!
More info when I get it!