Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Surgery is OVER

I had my surgery yesterday and all is going well. I was sore and in some pain yesterday. I arrived at the hospital at 7:00 am and was home at 4:15 pm. Here is some of the events that happened. I was called back to get prepped for the day. I was then taken to nuclear medicine to have contrast dye injected for the Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy. I had to put numbing cream on my breast and wrap it in saran wrap before I left home. I also put some glitter shamrock stickers and stamped the words "Happy St. Patrick's Day" on cardstock and mounted it on the Saran Wrap. How they did this was do four shots around the outside of the nipple area at the 3, 6, 9 and 12 spot (like a clock). It wasn't as bad as it sounds. I even watched him to make sure he was doing his job. I had a male radiologist do the shots of contrast dye. He liked the shamrocks and we joked about it. Here is a picture: Yeah I know I have a picture of my breast but you can't really see anything. Anyway I was taken back to my room only to be retrieved again to go down for a needle prep so the surgeon would be able to locate the cancer spot easier. This was a little harder to do. They did a set of mammograms to make sure the spot had not moved. They somehow measure the spot. After that is done they put a different plate on the mammo machine that has a hole in it with a measurement guide. They compress the breast again and then line the spot up with a light. The same radiologist came in to do the shot for this. When he came in the tech started to introduce us and he said he already knew me and asked me if I had my shamrocks. I told him no that he kept them. I also told him that he came back because he liked to poke by boobs..LOL He laughed. What he did then was stick a needle into the area they had marked and kept it there for the dr. to have a guide. They attached a styrofoam cup over it and taped it down so the needle wouldn't move. the tech told me I just doubled my cup size...LOL Anyway after the needle was injected and before the cup they took another mammogram to make sure the needle was in the cancer spot. Thank goodness it was so we didn't have to do that again. The radiologist checked the mammogram to make sure and he drew a shamrock on my mammogram to make it look like it did when he first saw me. The tech told him to stick with radiology because he couldn't draw.
I was back to my room and waited to go to surgery. My surgeon came in to see me and make sure I was okay and told me she would go get her jammies on and would see me before they knocked me out which she did. After that I don't remember much until I woke up in recovery. I wasn't in a lot of pain but it was sore. My family told me they had to take 3 lymph nodes to biopsy. I told them that wasn't what I wanted to hear but it turned out okay. I found out today they were clean. Once I ate some crackers so they could give me a pain pill and they showed my DH how to clean the drainage tube they put in we were set to come home.
Once I got home and all settled on the couch I napped. My DH has been an angel. He has been by my side making sure I have what I need and want. He had cleaned the drainage tube and even changed the dressing. By the way the dr. told us to get some Kotex and use for bandages as they are so absorbent. So now I not only have had saran wrap and stickers on my boob I an now wearing Kotex on them. Who would have thought? I joked with DH and told him he never thought he would have to change by Kotex. Not a thought he wanted to envision...LOL I can be so evil...LOL
I go tomorrow and have the permanent balloon put in for the radiation. I have a CT scan on Thursday to make sure the balloon is in place and then start radiation Friday. I would appreciate to keep the prayers coming that all goes well with the radiation.
If you have stayed through this whole post...thanks!

5 comments:

Dianette Seda said...

I'm SO VERY HAPPY you went out without any other outcome. I mean about the biopsy.

Take care and stamping recovery! LOL.

Karen Lindsay said...

I am happy too! It's nice that you see the humor in it all. I, for one, appreciate the sharing of what happens to you. We can learn from you and if we ever have to deal with a situation like this ourselves, we'll be better prepared. You're a sport and an inspiration to us all. Now to wait for the report..... :)

Hugs,

Karen

Unknown said...

Okay Rita,

I have been very quite about all of this. I have been praying that the new found Angel that I met back in 2005 was going to be okay, not just okay but GREAT ! ! ! I know that you have been inundated with tons of emails and Angels praying for you, so I have quietly waited, very impatiently too, but now I will tell you, you are a true Angel and God isn't ready for you yet, I mean come on how many people would have thought to put shamrocks and a stamped saying on their boob. Only our Rita.

I will continue to pray for you for a speedy recovery, a not so traumatic healing process, a healthy next 50 years (I figure that is long enough right?) and more importantly for a true Angel that has taken this knock and hit it out of the ballfield.

I love you and your posts and maybe you shouldn't do any jumping jacks yet, I mean the jiggling and all.

May God be with you during this walk and hold you in his hands.

Inky Huggz,

Missy Olson
Angel #1754
Team Leader of the
Hot 'n Flashy Angelettes
North Branch, MN

Mrs. Nancy G said...

Still praying for you Rita.

:-)

DPC Designs said...

Hi Rita-

You are one strong lady! Thanks for sharing your journey. You are in my prayers and thoughts. Take it easy!

Hugs, Dawn