Operation Friday

So we get up nice and early at 5:30 am, I didn't need an alarm that day!

I apologise for the detail but as a secondary and boring function of this blog is so I can document what happens for next time (my left side).

We head off to the hospital with a bag of useless items quietly stressing about the traffic. I had on my meditation to try and relax and calm me, but my nerve endings were complaining and I was shaking quietly. The anaesthetist asked me to come earlier to get paperwork done as I was 1st on the list. At 6:45 am I completed the paperwork and at 7:40 am I was waiting in the theatre holding bay in my theatre clothes wrapped up in a warm sheet that was killing me from my hot sweats.


My 'Hilton' for the next 8 days

I was cannulised which hurt like hell from my anaesthetist, the only painless cannulas I've had from males (sorry to be sexist but it's true) are the ones from those that work in the cancer centre. and my breast surgeon came to see me to ask if I had any questions, then The Plastic Surgeon came and drew all over me with a black texta like I'm some kind of art project, well essentially I guess I am for him.

They wheeled me in and I don't remember much else. There were a lot of people in the room probably 15-20 including an assistant surgeon for My P.S. And that was that.

I woke up in recovery and 8pm that night. The mastectomy part took 2 hours removing my axillary nodes from my arm and breast tissue. She had a quick look and could only see inflammation - no tumours she will wait for the pathology report.

The P.S phoned John when his part was done and said I was a difficult patient. I didn't have enough vine after all, my scans picked up a vein but it was too short and not connected from 1 conduit or something. So he had to find another one and attach them. These veins are attached to my new tissue and to under my arm. My arm is in a sling to stop me pulling on this muscle while it is binding. I swear nothing is straight forward with me - it is frustrating.

Then I had my journey with pain killers, sweating profusely from endone and sick, dizzy and nauseas. The anti nausea medication took the edge off but not completely. On Saturday and Sunday I spent most of the time lying around with no appetite for eating. I was so sick and miserable. Tried tramadole to try and avoid the effects but made the nausea 5 times worse. I felt I needed to give my body a break - it had been fed a raft of drugs and it was full. I had been taking whatever was on offer. So tied to the bed with catheter, 3 drains and pumping leg machine and hot sweats there wasn't going to be much joy. They also checked the temperature and heart rate of the flap every half an hour for 24 hours - do you know how loud those dopplers are right next to your ear? It was like I had a baby all over again, waiting with anticipation to hear the heart beat of life.

http://www.thewebelongproject.com/blog/open-letter-mastectomy-patient
This letter I came across on a breast reconstruction group I'm in, very timely for me. (link kept crashing when I posted it, might have to copy and paste it into a browser Search to read it.

My P.S. came and saw me Saturday and Sunday. On Sunday he brought in his little girl, she was adorable through my dizziness. She was about 3 I think with long flowing curls and was checking out my flap as well with Damien. She will be desensitised to this stuff when she's older. At some point she might wonder why Daddy checks out everyone's boobs. My breast surgeon came in to see me on Friday night after her surgeries to give me an update as well. A lot of nurse and staff asked if I remember meeting them on Friday night but I didn't. I was responsive but there was nobody home. Apparently 1 nurse even bathed me but I don't remember - I remember brushing my teeth in bed. I had a nurse by my bedside at what felt like the whole time which I guess is fairly normal with recovery. She had an unusual name similar but not to Emma Lou or Emmy everyone called her.

So that was my weekend - finally Sunday at dinner I started to feel better about things. I stopped feeling so miserable and negative. There was some concern when they put the catheter in surgery, that there was blood in my bladder. I started asking questions about my medication, side effects etc, I didn't take much on the Sunday and was comfortable. All of a sudden I became clear headed and hungry. Although my first meal for the day was a Thai fish with cous cous, probably not the best choice of food when you have a sensitive tummy - I just had a taste of everything and ate my jelly. I thought I'd be careful and not push my luck.


Happy Flowers from John and Kids

From then on I had a dry biscuit with most of my medication and refused one medication which was tagine - a slow release narcotic. I just didn't want to go back to those dizzy and nauseas 2 days. So they offered me panadol every 6 hours, but then I got worried that it might hit me all of a sudden before my 2nd operation with no options left. So I called them back. Apparently it is a dangerous drug and there needs to be 2 people when administering and have to see me swallow it.

One of the many beautiful nurses brought me in a midnight feast around 11:30 on Sunday night as I was supposed to be fasting for my 2nd op the next morning at 7:30 am. what a sweetie, and if I was awake any time during the night they would offer to make some tea for me



Gosh, so I don't know how expensive they are but they had to get another one and supervise me. I started to become a high maintenance pain in the butt, but in some way less so. They pulled out the catheter and the drip so I was a little more free to move around with my 3 little buddies in tow (drain bottles - Huey, Dewy and Lewy) the nurses were lovely and showed me how to manage myself when getting around with them, bathing etc.

I have my arm in a sling while my bum tissue knits with the abductor muscle so little movement with my arm for 6 weeks.