Just hopping on to let you know that I went in for my check up with Dr. Naik. She said everything is looking good and that she'll see me in 6 months. And so begins my bi-annual check ups! Fun times.
I am taking the tamoxifen. Today marks the fifth whole day, but my 6th pill will be taken tonight. So far, I am not seeing any horrible side effects. In fact, none at all. But I may be singing a different tune in another few weeks or so.
I have started working out more. I am working out on my Wii Fit. Feels good to be exercising on a regular basis again. I've been slacking... and I shouldn't be. Anywho, I was told by Dr. Chui that side effects are lessened if I work out. So I am taking his advice.
Showing posts with label Dr. Naik. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dr. Naik. Show all posts
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Day 282 - Phase 4 Hormone Therapy: Tamoxifen
It's been awhile since I last posted. And that I feel is a real good thing. There wasn't anything really to post. So let me catch up.
Following my last radiation treatment, it took about a week and a half for my skin to feel better. My skin was really red and mad. It wasn't so much the skin on the breast itself, but what really hurt was where the blister had formed and then peeled. I was putting silvadene and aquafor on the blister. I was also putting it under my breast as well because that was the next area that hurt. After the first week and a half, things calmed down. My skin started to crisp up and then peel. I was peeling like a snake molting. Some of the uncomfortableness was because the skin was drying up and when I went to stretch, the skin would crack. Think of chapped lips. My skin cracked the most right under the breast. The skin on the breast itself was fine. It just peeled like having a sunburn. The skin under my arm cracked like the skin under the breast. I had a two week check up on Oct. 2 with Dr. Marquez and she said I was looking good. I now have a final check up on my skin on November 7. My skin is feeling good. It no longer feels like paper. It actually feels like healthy skin. I have been spreading Eucerin Intense Dry skin lotion on it. It absorbs really quickly and also has an exfoliant in it. It works really well.
I've been stretching my arm out every day. I was told by my physical therapist that I want to continue to do my stretches every day for a year after my radiation. I can understand why. With my skin being less elastic, it helps to stretch. Plus the radiation also damages the muscle. So my body is repairing everything. But I have great range... I didn't lose any of it.
Work continues to go smoothly. I got the shift I wanted 4a-12.30p Monday through Friday. However, since the shift bid, we have been required to work a mandatory 45 hours a week. I don't think I've ever worked just 40 hours, but to make it mandatory really sucks. Plus you have to do it when they schedule it for you. But hey, at least I have a job. And last month my team did really well, so I will get a really nice bonus. Hooray. Just in time for Christmas and the cruise. Remember, if anyone wants to go on the cruise with us, I'd love it. :)
On Friday, I met with Dr. Steven Chui. He's my new oncologist. He's nice. I like him, but he's no Dr. Luoh. I really miss him. Our appointment was at 2.30p, but we didn't get into the office until 3.40. He apparently had an emergency procedure and that's why he was running late. Oh well, it happens. I did end up getting a little nap in while waiting.
So he was very pleasant. He knows his stuff. He didn't want to insult my intelligence and said so from the beginning because he (apparently) knew that I knew my stuff. He started off talking about studies of tamoxifen. He said that five years is good, but what he's found is that having younger women on tamoxifen may fair better in the long run. He said that hormone positive cancers have a recurrence of coming back later rather than sooner. So for me, he said that studies show that the cancer would come back ten years or more. He cited an example that a woman had breast cancer and 31 years later she has a brain tumor that is estrogen positive and has the same exact characteristics as her original breast cancer. Whoa! And I just want to let you know that I am paraphrasing all the stuff he talked about because he talked A LOT. So he didn't want me to be opposed to being on tamoxifen for more than five years. We also talked about getting the ovaries taken out because I am BRCA positive. He said that while I am eager to get things taken care of... I may want to wait on that because it puts me on instant menopause. In addition, I could get adverse effects of menopause. He suggested that I wait and then he give me a shot to suppress estrogen in my body and see how I do. But then he also flipped the coin and said that since I am BRCA+ it's a little different. To me, I know that I am going to get my ovaries taken out. Whether I do it now or later, the effects are going to be the same. With the shot to suppress estrogen, that's more for the women who can elect to have it taken out.... ones who aren't genetically disposed. In any case, it's something I'll have to discuss more. We also talked about if I do get my ovaries taken out, Dr. Luoh had said that he would put me on a different drug. The drug is for post menopausal women. Dr. Chui said that that drug is far superior [then tamoxifen], but it does cause bone loss. He said that with my age and my race, I am at a higher risk of osteoperosis. Tamoxifen actually helps with bone density. However, I could go on tamoxifen and switch it out with this other drug for a series of years - back and forth. Then I could get benefits of both drugs. All I said was "sign me up." I knew the risks and the benefits. I will trust my doctor because I know that they keep up with the latest and greatest information. I knew I'd have to go on tamoxifen for a couple of years so let's start now! In another few years I can ask about new drugs or switching to another. And Dr. Chui said that they have now started a new study - 31,000 people - to see if the effects of staying on tamoxifen for more than 5 years works. The initial study, which started in the 70s was a double blind study: tamoxifen vs. placebo. That was a year long study. They found that women who took the drug fared better, so they asked them to continue on for another year and another year and so on and so forth. That's how researchers came to the conclusion that 5 years of tamoxifen was good. But as the study went longer, the base size of participants shrunk. So that's why the study isn't very conclusive after the five years. But we shall see in five years. By then there may be a totally new drug out there. Or researchers will have discovered how to repair the DNA fix. Five years is an eternity.
So, yesterday I picked up my tamoxifen prescription and I took it last night before I went to bed. Some side effects: hot flashes, tiredness (goes away), flare reaction, mood changes, nausea, vomiting, blood clots, endometrial cancer, vaginal dryness... the list goes on. Now we wait and see.
Tomorrow I have a follow up appointment with Dr. Naik. See how my boobies are healing. November 5 I have an appointment with Dr. Thakar to see if I can get the tissue expanders out and the implants in. November 7 I have my follow up with Dr. Marquez for post radiation. Then... it's wait and see.
Following my last radiation treatment, it took about a week and a half for my skin to feel better. My skin was really red and mad. It wasn't so much the skin on the breast itself, but what really hurt was where the blister had formed and then peeled. I was putting silvadene and aquafor on the blister. I was also putting it under my breast as well because that was the next area that hurt. After the first week and a half, things calmed down. My skin started to crisp up and then peel. I was peeling like a snake molting. Some of the uncomfortableness was because the skin was drying up and when I went to stretch, the skin would crack. Think of chapped lips. My skin cracked the most right under the breast. The skin on the breast itself was fine. It just peeled like having a sunburn. The skin under my arm cracked like the skin under the breast. I had a two week check up on Oct. 2 with Dr. Marquez and she said I was looking good. I now have a final check up on my skin on November 7. My skin is feeling good. It no longer feels like paper. It actually feels like healthy skin. I have been spreading Eucerin Intense Dry skin lotion on it. It absorbs really quickly and also has an exfoliant in it. It works really well.
I've been stretching my arm out every day. I was told by my physical therapist that I want to continue to do my stretches every day for a year after my radiation. I can understand why. With my skin being less elastic, it helps to stretch. Plus the radiation also damages the muscle. So my body is repairing everything. But I have great range... I didn't lose any of it.
Work continues to go smoothly. I got the shift I wanted 4a-12.30p Monday through Friday. However, since the shift bid, we have been required to work a mandatory 45 hours a week. I don't think I've ever worked just 40 hours, but to make it mandatory really sucks. Plus you have to do it when they schedule it for you. But hey, at least I have a job. And last month my team did really well, so I will get a really nice bonus. Hooray. Just in time for Christmas and the cruise. Remember, if anyone wants to go on the cruise with us, I'd love it. :)
On Friday, I met with Dr. Steven Chui. He's my new oncologist. He's nice. I like him, but he's no Dr. Luoh. I really miss him. Our appointment was at 2.30p, but we didn't get into the office until 3.40. He apparently had an emergency procedure and that's why he was running late. Oh well, it happens. I did end up getting a little nap in while waiting.
So he was very pleasant. He knows his stuff. He didn't want to insult my intelligence and said so from the beginning because he (apparently) knew that I knew my stuff. He started off talking about studies of tamoxifen. He said that five years is good, but what he's found is that having younger women on tamoxifen may fair better in the long run. He said that hormone positive cancers have a recurrence of coming back later rather than sooner. So for me, he said that studies show that the cancer would come back ten years or more. He cited an example that a woman had breast cancer and 31 years later she has a brain tumor that is estrogen positive and has the same exact characteristics as her original breast cancer. Whoa! And I just want to let you know that I am paraphrasing all the stuff he talked about because he talked A LOT. So he didn't want me to be opposed to being on tamoxifen for more than five years. We also talked about getting the ovaries taken out because I am BRCA positive. He said that while I am eager to get things taken care of... I may want to wait on that because it puts me on instant menopause. In addition, I could get adverse effects of menopause. He suggested that I wait and then he give me a shot to suppress estrogen in my body and see how I do. But then he also flipped the coin and said that since I am BRCA+ it's a little different. To me, I know that I am going to get my ovaries taken out. Whether I do it now or later, the effects are going to be the same. With the shot to suppress estrogen, that's more for the women who can elect to have it taken out.... ones who aren't genetically disposed. In any case, it's something I'll have to discuss more. We also talked about if I do get my ovaries taken out, Dr. Luoh had said that he would put me on a different drug. The drug is for post menopausal women. Dr. Chui said that that drug is far superior [then tamoxifen], but it does cause bone loss. He said that with my age and my race, I am at a higher risk of osteoperosis. Tamoxifen actually helps with bone density. However, I could go on tamoxifen and switch it out with this other drug for a series of years - back and forth. Then I could get benefits of both drugs. All I said was "sign me up." I knew the risks and the benefits. I will trust my doctor because I know that they keep up with the latest and greatest information. I knew I'd have to go on tamoxifen for a couple of years so let's start now! In another few years I can ask about new drugs or switching to another. And Dr. Chui said that they have now started a new study - 31,000 people - to see if the effects of staying on tamoxifen for more than 5 years works. The initial study, which started in the 70s was a double blind study: tamoxifen vs. placebo. That was a year long study. They found that women who took the drug fared better, so they asked them to continue on for another year and another year and so on and so forth. That's how researchers came to the conclusion that 5 years of tamoxifen was good. But as the study went longer, the base size of participants shrunk. So that's why the study isn't very conclusive after the five years. But we shall see in five years. By then there may be a totally new drug out there. Or researchers will have discovered how to repair the DNA fix. Five years is an eternity.
So, yesterday I picked up my tamoxifen prescription and I took it last night before I went to bed. Some side effects: hot flashes, tiredness (goes away), flare reaction, mood changes, nausea, vomiting, blood clots, endometrial cancer, vaginal dryness... the list goes on. Now we wait and see.
Tomorrow I have a follow up appointment with Dr. Naik. See how my boobies are healing. November 5 I have an appointment with Dr. Thakar to see if I can get the tissue expanders out and the implants in. November 7 I have my follow up with Dr. Marquez for post radiation. Then... it's wait and see.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Day 192 - How much does a double mastectomy cost?
I really don't have too much to post today... rather, there's no agenda. I've got dinner all made. I made an easy bake lasagne... where one does NOT have to cook the noodles before hand. :) Simplicity is key. As of right now, the girls are quiet and playing in the living room, which is also called the playroom. The house is quiet and there's no crying, screaming or yelling. Kind of nice!
Oh, I thought up of an agenda or a subject for this post... how about... how much it costs for a mastectomy? I've got most of the bills for my bilateral mastectomy. The numbers are mind blowing. I am just happy that I don't have to pay a cent of it. So here goes...
Pre-op appointment for Dr. Naik - $341.00
Pre-op appoitment for Dr. Thaker - $254.00
Labs and x-rays before surgery - $1165.00
Radiologist to read the x-rays - $27.00
Pre-anesthesia work-up - $436.00
Dr. Naik for bilateral mastectomy - $9195.75
Pathology - $1140.00
Dr. Thakar for reconstruction - $6921.00
Tissue expanders - $1296.00
Anesthesia - $2281.50
That's a total of $23,057.55! And that total doesn't even include the hospital stay which was 3.5 days... but I am sure they are going to charge 4 days worth. I am hoping that each day they called Cigna to make sure I was covered.
Another interesting fact is that my PET/CT scan cost $8721.00. Normally (under my plan) a secondary scan is not covered. And at first my plan denied the secondary scan and sent me a pamphlet of why it wasn't covered. However, in the paperwork, it stated that a secondary scan can be done if surgery was not an option to figure out restaging following treatment. That was me all the way because some of my cancer was considered non-surgerical (supraclavicular node). So a secondary letter was sent to me stating that my PET/CT scan was covered. All the hoops that one needs to jump through. Makes your mind go numb.
Here's another break down:
January - $20,910.31
February - $29,072.41
March - $30,749.39
April - $24,831.75
May - $19,133.86
I have been billed approximately $147,160 since the start of this cancer thing (through June). Interesting, huh... how the bills just continue to add up. That would pay off a nice portion of my mortgage. Ha! Thank goodness, I don't have to pay that much. I would be bankrupt if I had to.
Well that's making my head spin.
Oh, here's the recipe to the easy lasagne:
1lb of ground beef
26oz of your favorite spaghetti sauce
15oz ricotta cheese
2cups shredded mozzerella cheese
9 UNCOOKED lasagne noodles
2/3 cup of water
Cook the meat until brown (season if you wish, but the sauce should have seasoning. Sometimes I add more garlic, parsley and oregano). Add 20oz of sauce to the meat and stir. Put a few spoonfuls down in a rectangular baking dish (7"x11") so it covers the bottom. Put 3 uncooked lasagne noodles on top. Spread half of the ricotta cheese on the noodles. Top with 3/4 cup of shredded cheese. Add half of meat sauce mixture. Repeat - 3 uncooked noodles, rest of ricotta cheese, 3/4 shredded cheese and rest of meat sauce. Layer once more with last 3 uncooked noodles. With remaining 6oz of sauce, pour over noodles. Add about 2/3 cup of water to the baking dish, carefully pouring on the side of the dish (not over the actual lasagne). Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake 375 for 45 minutes. Remove foil, add on last of the cheese and bake for 10 more minutes. Let stand about 5-10 minutes (so the lasagne won't fall apart). Cut and serve... Makes about 6 good portions.
Oh, I thought up of an agenda or a subject for this post... how about... how much it costs for a mastectomy? I've got most of the bills for my bilateral mastectomy. The numbers are mind blowing. I am just happy that I don't have to pay a cent of it. So here goes...
Pre-op appointment for Dr. Naik - $341.00
Pre-op appoitment for Dr. Thaker - $254.00
Labs and x-rays before surgery - $1165.00
Radiologist to read the x-rays - $27.00
Pre-anesthesia work-up - $436.00
Dr. Naik for bilateral mastectomy - $9195.75
Pathology - $1140.00
Dr. Thakar for reconstruction - $6921.00
Tissue expanders - $1296.00
Anesthesia - $2281.50
That's a total of $23,057.55! And that total doesn't even include the hospital stay which was 3.5 days... but I am sure they are going to charge 4 days worth. I am hoping that each day they called Cigna to make sure I was covered.
Another interesting fact is that my PET/CT scan cost $8721.00. Normally (under my plan) a secondary scan is not covered. And at first my plan denied the secondary scan and sent me a pamphlet of why it wasn't covered. However, in the paperwork, it stated that a secondary scan can be done if surgery was not an option to figure out restaging following treatment. That was me all the way because some of my cancer was considered non-surgerical (supraclavicular node). So a secondary letter was sent to me stating that my PET/CT scan was covered. All the hoops that one needs to jump through. Makes your mind go numb.
Here's another break down:
January - $20,910.31
February - $29,072.41
March - $30,749.39
April - $24,831.75
May - $19,133.86
I have been billed approximately $147,160 since the start of this cancer thing (through June). Interesting, huh... how the bills just continue to add up. That would pay off a nice portion of my mortgage. Ha! Thank goodness, I don't have to pay that much. I would be bankrupt if I had to.
Well that's making my head spin.
Oh, here's the recipe to the easy lasagne:
1lb of ground beef
26oz of your favorite spaghetti sauce
15oz ricotta cheese
2cups shredded mozzerella cheese
9 UNCOOKED lasagne noodles
2/3 cup of water
Cook the meat until brown (season if you wish, but the sauce should have seasoning. Sometimes I add more garlic, parsley and oregano). Add 20oz of sauce to the meat and stir. Put a few spoonfuls down in a rectangular baking dish (7"x11") so it covers the bottom. Put 3 uncooked lasagne noodles on top. Spread half of the ricotta cheese on the noodles. Top with 3/4 cup of shredded cheese. Add half of meat sauce mixture. Repeat - 3 uncooked noodles, rest of ricotta cheese, 3/4 shredded cheese and rest of meat sauce. Layer once more with last 3 uncooked noodles. With remaining 6oz of sauce, pour over noodles. Add about 2/3 cup of water to the baking dish, carefully pouring on the side of the dish (not over the actual lasagne). Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake 375 for 45 minutes. Remove foil, add on last of the cheese and bake for 10 more minutes. Let stand about 5-10 minutes (so the lasagne won't fall apart). Cut and serve... Makes about 6 good portions.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Day 160 - A mastectomy is draining
Not much to report today except that I only have one drain in my body! This morning I emptied my drain on the right side and it was 48 hours of having 30 mL or less of fluid coming out. So I called the reconstructive surgeon's office and told them I wanted to get the drain taken out. I went in at 1p with mom. She got to see the tube being taken out, what the tissue expander looks like (I have a picture) and the silicone one that I will have placed inside me. Hopefully on Monday I will be going in to get the last drain taken out of me. It feels so nice to have the one out on the right side. I can now lean on my right side and maybe even sleep on my right side tonight. That will help with the kink in my neck.
I also finished the Fallen series by Lauren Kate. That's a fun series. I enjoyed it.
So, let me finish with my stay in the hospital. I believe I was on Monday, June 18.
I woke up early that morning to the junior doctors doing their rounds. The first batch came in at 6a. That was the reconstructive doctors. They said that I was healing well. They also took a look at my pain ball. They said that it was low, but I still had some left. They could fill it if I needed it. Then they left and I was left to fall back asleep... which I did quickly. Then at 7 the next round of junior doctors came in. This time it was the surgeons. The doctor who wanted to discharge me the day before was there. He said that he saw that I was having nausea issues and that's why I never left. Then his little doctor wanted to look at my wounds. Then she wanted to look at the other side, but instead of walking around the bed, she tried to lean over me and look. I told her to please go around. But then the other doctor said that it was okay, she didn't have to look because plastics had already been through. She said okay and then left with the other doctor. By that time I was already awake, so I asked Brad to order me some breakfast. I knew by the time it came, it would be 8. Breakfast came around 8... french toast and hashbrowns. It was good. And surprise... Cathy was my day nurse again! It was a surprise. She said she normally doesn't work three days in a row. But we were happy that she was my nurse again because she rocked. She got my discharge papers all ready to go. She got my prescriptions and gave them to Brad to fill at the pharmacy at OHSU. Meantime, I got a visit from Newman. It was nice to see him. He's been with us on this OHSU trip since practically the beginning. It was the only visitor other than Bill who I allowed to come into my room. He had me laughing so hard... and I told him to stop because it hurt so much. I couldn't breathe too deeply. Then they left to go drop off my prescriptions. Brad hung around the hospital room for awhile before he left to go get some breakfast. He wanted to make sure he was here if Dr. Naik came to the room. He came back and she still hadn't come.
In the meantime, we talked to Cathy because we wanted to get my pain ball refilled. Oh my gosh! What a pain! First they said they weren't going to fill it. Then Cathy couldn't find a doctor to get a prescription to get it filled. Turns out there was some sort of conference going on. So then she went and paged the head of plastics to get this taken care of. Then the pharmacist came into the room and said the same thing... but they were mixing my pain ball prescription so I could leave. They wouldn't be able to give me the ball until the prescription was done and signed, but they could at least get it ready. Then the pharmacist left. Cathy came in and told me what was going on. Then a little later, the pharmacist came in and said that they were supposed to fill my pain ball up on Saturday, but they never did. So push come to shove, I got my pain ball prescription. In the meantime, the physical therapist came in and gave me some exercises to do while I recover. Wonderful. She made me practice some and she also made me practice getting out of bed and walking around the room. She was impressed with my mobility. Somewhere in that time I ordered lunch. Cathy also came in and said that she was waiting for the pain ball stuff, but in the meantime she was going to lunch. If it came in, she said she told her fellow nurse that a doctor had to be paged to exchange the ball. We told her we wouldn't leave the hospital until she came back from lunch. She wanted to say good bye to us and same for us. Finally the pain ball came in and we told the fill in nurse that she was supposed to call the doctor to give it me. She said that she changes them all the time. Whatever. She left with my prescription and about 10 minutes later, Cathy was back with it. She ended up hooking me up to it. We got it working and it was working good because I could feel the medication numbing up my chest area. I wonder how long I had been without it. Hmmm...
Oh yes, Brad decided to take some of our stuff to the car. It was at that time, Dr. Naik appeared. She was doing some rounds. I had to call Brad because he had questions for her. She stopped in for just a few minutes and then left.
Finally... shortly after 1, Cathy wheeled me out of the hospital and I was on my way home. I got home and both girls were napping. It was nice that I came home to a quiet house. I went upstairs and laid in bed reading. Amelia was the first on who woke up. Brad brought her into my room and I just started crying. I was so happy to see her. It had been three full days where I didn't see or talk to her and it was great to see her... know why I am going through this hell. Elaina came in later and I got to kiss her. Sweet thing. Dinner was good... left overs. I didn't have a huge appetite, but it was nice just to be home. I didn't spend too much time downstairs, but I spent enough time to see my family.
At around 730 that night, I got a call from Cathy. She was leaving for the night and thought that she forgot to unclasp the clasp on the tubing to make the medication go. I told her that she did do her job and that the pain medication was flowing so nicely now. Crazy, huh? So that's how my stay ended up!
I also finished the Fallen series by Lauren Kate. That's a fun series. I enjoyed it.
So, let me finish with my stay in the hospital. I believe I was on Monday, June 18.
I woke up early that morning to the junior doctors doing their rounds. The first batch came in at 6a. That was the reconstructive doctors. They said that I was healing well. They also took a look at my pain ball. They said that it was low, but I still had some left. They could fill it if I needed it. Then they left and I was left to fall back asleep... which I did quickly. Then at 7 the next round of junior doctors came in. This time it was the surgeons. The doctor who wanted to discharge me the day before was there. He said that he saw that I was having nausea issues and that's why I never left. Then his little doctor wanted to look at my wounds. Then she wanted to look at the other side, but instead of walking around the bed, she tried to lean over me and look. I told her to please go around. But then the other doctor said that it was okay, she didn't have to look because plastics had already been through. She said okay and then left with the other doctor. By that time I was already awake, so I asked Brad to order me some breakfast. I knew by the time it came, it would be 8. Breakfast came around 8... french toast and hashbrowns. It was good. And surprise... Cathy was my day nurse again! It was a surprise. She said she normally doesn't work three days in a row. But we were happy that she was my nurse again because she rocked. She got my discharge papers all ready to go. She got my prescriptions and gave them to Brad to fill at the pharmacy at OHSU. Meantime, I got a visit from Newman. It was nice to see him. He's been with us on this OHSU trip since practically the beginning. It was the only visitor other than Bill who I allowed to come into my room. He had me laughing so hard... and I told him to stop because it hurt so much. I couldn't breathe too deeply. Then they left to go drop off my prescriptions. Brad hung around the hospital room for awhile before he left to go get some breakfast. He wanted to make sure he was here if Dr. Naik came to the room. He came back and she still hadn't come.
In the meantime, we talked to Cathy because we wanted to get my pain ball refilled. Oh my gosh! What a pain! First they said they weren't going to fill it. Then Cathy couldn't find a doctor to get a prescription to get it filled. Turns out there was some sort of conference going on. So then she went and paged the head of plastics to get this taken care of. Then the pharmacist came into the room and said the same thing... but they were mixing my pain ball prescription so I could leave. They wouldn't be able to give me the ball until the prescription was done and signed, but they could at least get it ready. Then the pharmacist left. Cathy came in and told me what was going on. Then a little later, the pharmacist came in and said that they were supposed to fill my pain ball up on Saturday, but they never did. So push come to shove, I got my pain ball prescription. In the meantime, the physical therapist came in and gave me some exercises to do while I recover. Wonderful. She made me practice some and she also made me practice getting out of bed and walking around the room. She was impressed with my mobility. Somewhere in that time I ordered lunch. Cathy also came in and said that she was waiting for the pain ball stuff, but in the meantime she was going to lunch. If it came in, she said she told her fellow nurse that a doctor had to be paged to exchange the ball. We told her we wouldn't leave the hospital until she came back from lunch. She wanted to say good bye to us and same for us. Finally the pain ball came in and we told the fill in nurse that she was supposed to call the doctor to give it me. She said that she changes them all the time. Whatever. She left with my prescription and about 10 minutes later, Cathy was back with it. She ended up hooking me up to it. We got it working and it was working good because I could feel the medication numbing up my chest area. I wonder how long I had been without it. Hmmm...
Oh yes, Brad decided to take some of our stuff to the car. It was at that time, Dr. Naik appeared. She was doing some rounds. I had to call Brad because he had questions for her. She stopped in for just a few minutes and then left.
Finally... shortly after 1, Cathy wheeled me out of the hospital and I was on my way home. I got home and both girls were napping. It was nice that I came home to a quiet house. I went upstairs and laid in bed reading. Amelia was the first on who woke up. Brad brought her into my room and I just started crying. I was so happy to see her. It had been three full days where I didn't see or talk to her and it was great to see her... know why I am going through this hell. Elaina came in later and I got to kiss her. Sweet thing. Dinner was good... left overs. I didn't have a huge appetite, but it was nice just to be home. I didn't spend too much time downstairs, but I spent enough time to see my family.
At around 730 that night, I got a call from Cathy. She was leaving for the night and thought that she forgot to unclasp the clasp on the tubing to make the medication go. I told her that she did do her job and that the pain medication was flowing so nicely now. Crazy, huh? So that's how my stay ended up!
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Day 158 - The Pain in my Neck...
Wow! I can't believe how much has changed since Friday! I am feeling stronger and stronger each day and I feel better and better. Today I took a shower and ditched my pain ball! That thing was a pain in my neck... literally.
With the help of Brad, this morning I managed to bathe myself and get a lot of that disinfecting orange crap off of me. Parts of my body reminded me of Jersey Girls. Ha! I looked like a spray tan gone horribly wrong. The shower took some time and maneuvering. I had to take my pain ball (which is housed in a fanny pack) and drape it over the other side of the shower door. I took a hanger, hooked the fanny pack onto it and then threw the tubes over the top of the shower door. I let the tubes hang down that were attached to me. Then for my drains, I attached them to a lanyard and put that around my neck. It was very cumbersome. Nevertheless, I had the help of my CNA Brad! I can't believe the only two CNAs in the hospital that asked if I needed assistance in "personal hygiene" were Jacob and Thwang, both males. I declined their assistance. I wonder what was going through their minds. Hee hee hee! Then after being soaped up and getting rinsed off (I couldn't let the shower hit my chest, I had to let the water just run over the front of me), I got a pat down with the towel. It felt wonderful to be clean again. A shower re-invigorates a soul. After my shower, I got Brad to pull out the tubing for the pain ball. He took off the plastic guarding the soaker hose tube. Then read the directions of how to remove the ON-Q pain ball tubes. Just pull slowly. He pulled and I could feel the tubing coming out of my breast. He kept pulling and pulling. There must have been at least 12" wrapped up in my breast cavity. It was unbelievable. Next it was the other side. We did the same thing. The only thing that hurt was when it was coming out it was pulling on my skin a little bit. So that wasn't very fun. But once it was out, it was nice to walk around without having two tubes coming out of my body attached to a fanny pack. Normally I would walk around the house with the pack around my neck... hence "Pain in my neck." But that was the best place for me to put it. It was heavy because it was still filled with pain medication. After getting freed from that, I actually could hug my kids without fear that Elaina would pull on the tubes. Yes, I still have drains, but those are tucked in under my shirt. So I don't fear them touching that part of me. (I'll post a picture of the pain ball later.)
After my shower and Dr. Brad working on me, I went out shopping with Karen. We hit up Target (needed to get the final book to the Lauren Kate series Fallen... thanks Ann!) and I bought "Rapture". After that we went to Kohls. Karen lucked out at both stores, picking up a shirt and a pair of capris. My shopping excursion caused me to become a little tired, so I took a nap. Then it was dinner and now my kids are bathed and smell so wonderful.
I also got a call from the social worker at the Center for Health and Healing Cancer floor, Kerry. She said that I was emotional after surgery and wanted to know if I was okay. I said I was and that it was emotional because of the fact that I had been through surgery and it was all done... the hardest parts of the whole treatment are done and I can now look forward to recovering. I told her that I wasn't emotional because I lost my breasts... I actually didn't care. But she wanted to check up on me. I thought that was nice.
Tomorrow I have two follow up appointments. One is with Dr. Thakar. Hopefully I will be able to get the three drains taken out of my side... I'll settle for taking out even one or two. They suck. Then I have a follow up appointment with Dr. Naik. Hopefully she will have the results from the axillary node dissection. I hope she got everything because I really don't want to undergo another surgery to get my lymph nodes taken out. I wonder how many they ended up taking anyway. I will let you know.
Now back to my stay in the hospital...
Sunday, June 17
Bright and early I woke up to the doctors doing their rounds. The breast surgeon fellow wanted to discharge me that day. I said no problem, however, I was already starting to feel a little ill. I ended up throwing up several times and then I had issues getting water down. As soon as I drank, I threw it up again. Uh oh. I wasn't going home. I was okay with that. Then my IV line blew and they couldn't push anything in it. It would hurt. So they ended up getting IV therapy in the room. She tried three times puncturing holes everywhere in my arm and couldn't get it. She said I give up, packed up her things and said to call when I get more hydrated. Um, yea, that's my problem. I can't get hydrated and that's why I needed the IV. The doctor had ordered phenergren via IV. If they didn't get a good line in, the drug could wreck my skin. It's just as toxic as chemo on my skin. Lovely. So then my wonderful nurse, Cathy W. (who I had for the second day in a row) suggested a suppository. That would be awesome. I was down with that. So she ordered the phenergren via suppository. Then another nurse, Aaron, came in and wanted to have a go at putting in an IV. He got it, but then it blew again. He said he tried. He also suggested that I try sucking on a popsicle. I said sure, I'd try anything. He got me a grape popsicle. The popsicle made me feel better. I don't know if it was because I had just gotten my suppository or because I was finally getting the water I needed and some much needed sugar in my body. I started feeling better. Then another IV therapy person came in. This time he came in with an u/s and found my teeny tiny vein via the machine. That was nice. I ended up not needing it anyway. Then around 5, I became hungry. I made Brad order me penne pasta. I got that and ate it ALL. I managed to keep everything down as well as the water that I was drinking. It tasted great. I even had a little tomato basil sauce on top with a roll. I kept dinner as bland as possible.
Bill came to visit around 6 or so and I was feeling great. Brad and Bill went to dinner in the cafeteria and I told Brad that he needed to bring me some "contraband" back to the room. I wanted some french fries. They didn't have that on my menu. Also, I told Brad to order me up another round of pasta, roll and a chocolate chip cookie because I was hungry. That came shortly after 7 when Brad and Bill got back from dinner. I wolfed that up too. I also ate half of the french fries. I was so hungry. It was the first full meal that I had had since Thursday night! Wonderful to feel a full tummy. Now I mentioned previously that the nurses were asking me if I had bowel movement. I kept saying no. Kind of hard to have one when you haven't eaten in days! Duh. Needless to say, I was feeling really good that night and slept wonderfully. I was ready to go home.
I'll be back with the Monday conclusion of my hospital stay tomorrow. I want to go and spend some time with Karen. She leaves tomorrow and then my mom will be here.
With the help of Brad, this morning I managed to bathe myself and get a lot of that disinfecting orange crap off of me. Parts of my body reminded me of Jersey Girls. Ha! I looked like a spray tan gone horribly wrong. The shower took some time and maneuvering. I had to take my pain ball (which is housed in a fanny pack) and drape it over the other side of the shower door. I took a hanger, hooked the fanny pack onto it and then threw the tubes over the top of the shower door. I let the tubes hang down that were attached to me. Then for my drains, I attached them to a lanyard and put that around my neck. It was very cumbersome. Nevertheless, I had the help of my CNA Brad! I can't believe the only two CNAs in the hospital that asked if I needed assistance in "personal hygiene" were Jacob and Thwang, both males. I declined their assistance. I wonder what was going through their minds. Hee hee hee! Then after being soaped up and getting rinsed off (I couldn't let the shower hit my chest, I had to let the water just run over the front of me), I got a pat down with the towel. It felt wonderful to be clean again. A shower re-invigorates a soul. After my shower, I got Brad to pull out the tubing for the pain ball. He took off the plastic guarding the soaker hose tube. Then read the directions of how to remove the ON-Q pain ball tubes. Just pull slowly. He pulled and I could feel the tubing coming out of my breast. He kept pulling and pulling. There must have been at least 12" wrapped up in my breast cavity. It was unbelievable. Next it was the other side. We did the same thing. The only thing that hurt was when it was coming out it was pulling on my skin a little bit. So that wasn't very fun. But once it was out, it was nice to walk around without having two tubes coming out of my body attached to a fanny pack. Normally I would walk around the house with the pack around my neck... hence "Pain in my neck." But that was the best place for me to put it. It was heavy because it was still filled with pain medication. After getting freed from that, I actually could hug my kids without fear that Elaina would pull on the tubes. Yes, I still have drains, but those are tucked in under my shirt. So I don't fear them touching that part of me. (I'll post a picture of the pain ball later.)
After my shower and Dr. Brad working on me, I went out shopping with Karen. We hit up Target (needed to get the final book to the Lauren Kate series Fallen... thanks Ann!) and I bought "Rapture". After that we went to Kohls. Karen lucked out at both stores, picking up a shirt and a pair of capris. My shopping excursion caused me to become a little tired, so I took a nap. Then it was dinner and now my kids are bathed and smell so wonderful.
I also got a call from the social worker at the Center for Health and Healing Cancer floor, Kerry. She said that I was emotional after surgery and wanted to know if I was okay. I said I was and that it was emotional because of the fact that I had been through surgery and it was all done... the hardest parts of the whole treatment are done and I can now look forward to recovering. I told her that I wasn't emotional because I lost my breasts... I actually didn't care. But she wanted to check up on me. I thought that was nice.
Tomorrow I have two follow up appointments. One is with Dr. Thakar. Hopefully I will be able to get the three drains taken out of my side... I'll settle for taking out even one or two. They suck. Then I have a follow up appointment with Dr. Naik. Hopefully she will have the results from the axillary node dissection. I hope she got everything because I really don't want to undergo another surgery to get my lymph nodes taken out. I wonder how many they ended up taking anyway. I will let you know.
Now back to my stay in the hospital...
Sunday, June 17
Bright and early I woke up to the doctors doing their rounds. The breast surgeon fellow wanted to discharge me that day. I said no problem, however, I was already starting to feel a little ill. I ended up throwing up several times and then I had issues getting water down. As soon as I drank, I threw it up again. Uh oh. I wasn't going home. I was okay with that. Then my IV line blew and they couldn't push anything in it. It would hurt. So they ended up getting IV therapy in the room. She tried three times puncturing holes everywhere in my arm and couldn't get it. She said I give up, packed up her things and said to call when I get more hydrated. Um, yea, that's my problem. I can't get hydrated and that's why I needed the IV. The doctor had ordered phenergren via IV. If they didn't get a good line in, the drug could wreck my skin. It's just as toxic as chemo on my skin. Lovely. So then my wonderful nurse, Cathy W. (who I had for the second day in a row) suggested a suppository. That would be awesome. I was down with that. So she ordered the phenergren via suppository. Then another nurse, Aaron, came in and wanted to have a go at putting in an IV. He got it, but then it blew again. He said he tried. He also suggested that I try sucking on a popsicle. I said sure, I'd try anything. He got me a grape popsicle. The popsicle made me feel better. I don't know if it was because I had just gotten my suppository or because I was finally getting the water I needed and some much needed sugar in my body. I started feeling better. Then another IV therapy person came in. This time he came in with an u/s and found my teeny tiny vein via the machine. That was nice. I ended up not needing it anyway. Then around 5, I became hungry. I made Brad order me penne pasta. I got that and ate it ALL. I managed to keep everything down as well as the water that I was drinking. It tasted great. I even had a little tomato basil sauce on top with a roll. I kept dinner as bland as possible.
Bill came to visit around 6 or so and I was feeling great. Brad and Bill went to dinner in the cafeteria and I told Brad that he needed to bring me some "contraband" back to the room. I wanted some french fries. They didn't have that on my menu. Also, I told Brad to order me up another round of pasta, roll and a chocolate chip cookie because I was hungry. That came shortly after 7 when Brad and Bill got back from dinner. I wolfed that up too. I also ate half of the french fries. I was so hungry. It was the first full meal that I had had since Thursday night! Wonderful to feel a full tummy. Now I mentioned previously that the nurses were asking me if I had bowel movement. I kept saying no. Kind of hard to have one when you haven't eaten in days! Duh. Needless to say, I was feeling really good that night and slept wonderfully. I was ready to go home.
I'll be back with the Monday conclusion of my hospital stay tomorrow. I want to go and spend some time with Karen. She leaves tomorrow and then my mom will be here.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Day 157 - Home Sweet Home!
So I am finally home after a long stay at the hospital. I am so happy to be home. I feel like I am on the road to recovery. Every day I can do more and more stuff.
First to catch you up on the now. I am not taking any pain medication. My last pain meds were taken on Sunday at 3pm. So I have a full prescription of oxycodone. :) I am still on my "soaker hose" drip style pain medication which is constantly being infused into my breasts... or where the real ones used to be. I am fully mobile on my own two feet. I can get up and down out of bed and out of a chair. I can sit on the toilet with ease and get off of it with ease. My bowel functions have been normal... more about that later. I still need to take a shower. I must be somewhat stinky by now. My appetite is slowly increasing. I'm working on my range of motion and my exercises that I have been instructed to do over the next few weeks. I do believe that I am now over the proverbial hump. This mastectomy has, yes, been life changing... but not life changing the in the effects of my life has changed. My kids still love me and see nothing different. My husband still loves me and still gets upset and mad at me. I am still the same me. Nothing has changed on the interior and that's what makes me who I am. Only the exterior has changed and really, it's not as bad as I thought it was going to be.
So let me start with Friday. Some of you may already know a lot of the particulars, but many of you don't... so I will clue you in. I am sorry that this has been delayed. I wanted to post more... but Friday was a cluster, Saturday was a little better... but all I could muster up was texting. Sunday I felt awful, but I did manage to post! And yesterday I was too busy trying to get out of the hospital... and you'll find out why it was so difficult to do so. So, sit back and enjoy the reading... as I am in my warm comfy bed with my legs curled up underneath me with my laptop... well on my lap. :)
Friday, June 15 - Booby Day!
We left for the hospital at around 530a. We hit no traffic and if anyone lives around Portland, getting to OHSU can be a pain the rear. It was nice sailing through some of the lights without having to wait for PSU student pedestrians. We parked the car and got to the admission desk at about 6a. We looked in the waiting room and who did we see??? We saw Bill and Evelyn sitting there waiting for us. That's Brad's parents. They said that they weren't coming until 9a when I would already be under and hopefully well underway. The day surgery admission was packed already. I couldn't believe it. We had to wait to get checked in. My name was called and we got all the paperwork taken care of. At around 630 they called us to walk back the the surgery waiting area. (Wow, this is making my stomach all bubbly and nervous!) They brought us down to the curtained area where I would be waiting. It was the same exact bed that I was at when I had my port placement. I stripped down to practically nothing... I had a huge gown on, hospital slippers and my hat. I wanted to keep my head warm while I waited. It took forever for someone to come in to start on anything. The first person I saw was Dr. Thakar, the plastic surgeon. She marked me up... gave her guidelines to where my boobs normal are. Then she went over some stuff in a packet she had given to me previously. I asked some questions and then she was gone. Next who came in... I think was the anesthesiologist. It was the same dude that was going to be the anesthesiologist for my port placement. Crazy. Then he left. Next came the nurse anesthesiologist and she went over some things that she would be doing. She would be giving me some relaxing stuff and then when I was out they would be putting a tube down my throat and giving me my general anesthesia. Fantastic. Next Dr. Naik swung by. I asked her a couple of questions... something about lymph nodes and how they would be taking my port out... would it be through my scar or through the breast. She said that it would be taken out through my breast and she wouldn't have to go through my scar. Brilliant! By that time everyone was running behind. The nurse anthesiologist couldn't believe that an IV line hadn't been started. They tried to get one in and couldn't get on in my arm... well duh, I haven't hydrated myself. In addition, the veins on my right arm are very tiny. So someone finally got an IV in on my wrist - the underside of it. At this point I was getting anxious because of all the people coming in and out and the fact that they couldn't get an IV line in and we were already running late. That made the tears start to flow. Once the IV was in, the nurse anesthetist pumped me full of some relaxing medication and I felt so much better. I just closed my eyes and sort of waited. I don't even remember waving good bye or kissing Brad good bye. But he said I did. The rest... well... is history.
I woke up around 2ish... at least that was the time I actually came to and opened my eyes and looked at the clock on the wall. I felt real sluggish. But glad that I was on the other side. My chest hurt and it hurt to breathe in. I drifted back to sleep, but I could hear everything that was being said. I do recall the nurse who was looking after me that they put a catheter in me and got 300mL of pee out of me before being done. So I did have a catheter! Aha! Oh well. At least I knew that I wouldn't pee in bed. I think it was around 230 or 3 that they decided I was stable enough to get wheeled to my more permanent room. They cleared my drains... 30 for the axillary drain, 50 for the breast drain and 55 for the right one. I made sure that Brad would be the only one there escorting me to my new room. He met me outside the recovery room. It was nice to see him. Then they took me to my room in the main hospital. I was supposed to be in Kohler but for some reason they were all booked up. My first room was a shared room. I was supposed to get a private room. Nevertheless, it was shared room in the corner with no window! Brad wasn't too happy. To make a long story short, he had to call Brooke, the nurse navigator who got in touch with Dr. Naik who got in touch with bed control to fight for a private room. There wasn't even a chair in the room where Brad could sleep. They told him that he would have to sleep in the waiting room. Um, I could barely talk and move. What if I needed help with something? I wouldn't be able to do it. While Brad fought with bed control, Dr. Thakar came in and said that everything looked good and the surgery was a success. She said that Dr. Naik had to take a little more skin from my left breast (which I figured would happen since the tumor was so close to the skin) and she filled the tissue expanders with 100mL of saline. Not a bad start. I guess the right one could have been filled up bigger because there was more tissue and it was the non affected breast. Then Dr. Naik came in and said that everything went well. She talked with Brad and said that she would do her part with bed control. Finally the nurse came in and said something about where Brad was and that there may be a room... I didn't really know what was going on... but I did have my cell phone... so I called him and told him to come back. He did and did what he needed to do. I was coherent enough to text some friends... but my spelling was awful. Sorry!
At around 7, I think, I finally got the okay that a new private room was available for me. They started wheeling me out of the shared room and I got sick. I threw up three times into a bucket. It was just water, but nevertheless, I threw up. It didn't really hurt my chest. They stopped me in the middle of the doorway because they wanted to raise my head up. But I had done the deed. Then they got me to my room where I stayed for the remainder of my stay.
I did manage to pee that first night. That was a nightmare. But I had to go bad and I didn't want a bed pan. The nurse helped me as well as Brad. It was a gradual process to get me half sitting up, to sitting up, to dangling my feet over the bed, to standing up, to walking slowly to the commode. Then I sat and peed! Hooray... then it was back to the bed. That first night I got up several times with the help of the nurse and Brad. It got easier each time though. I am proud that I didn't need a bed pan.
Saturday, June 16
Boy do I really remember Saturday? All I remember is that all through the night the nurses and CNAs kept coming in to bother me to take my vitals. The CNA, Irene, was awful. She tried taking my temperature under my arm - the arm with the stitches under it without first asking. We told her NO! I just had surgery under that arm and to not to touch me there. Then she couldn't figure out the drain set up. What did it really matter? Lord have mercy. She kept me up for 20 minutes while she tried to figure out the drain crap.
Saturday morning, Dr. Thakar came in bright and early doing her rounds at 7a. She asked how I was doing. I told her I was doing good. Dr. Naik also came in to do her rounds as well. She was the oncall surgeon for the weekend. I also got to see plenty of "junior" doctors - the fellows and residents. They all wanted to see me. I ordered breakfast but didn't get much down. Most of it went to Brad. He ate my blueberry muffin. I got my first antibiotic and another dose of my iv form of pain medication. Soon after that I threw it up. We kind of figured that it might be the pain meds that may be making me sick... that I needed to eat something with it. Saturday was really peppered with napping, medication, napping and watching TV. I really don't remember much of it. Nor do I care to. I do remember that I did get a first look at my chest. I didn't know what to expect. It wasn't as horrible as I thought it was going to be. I thought I would look and start to cry and miss what I had. But I have come way to far to miss my boobs. I saw little boobies and a whole lot of stitches which will give me a great scar for the rest of my life. I was kind of shocked at how long the scars are. The one on my left side goes from where the nipple used to be all the way to under my arm... well... a little bit under my arm. The one on the right goes from the center to the edge of where my boob would end. So they are a bit longer than I expected. Hmm... something I might ask the surgeons as to why they seem so much longer. But maybe it's just perception. There are no dressings on my scars. They are covered with this stuff called "dermabond" which makes them water proof. The only dressing is over the drains. I hate drains. They hurt and are uncomfortable when the tubing shifts the wrong way. I know they are a necessary evil, but they suck. Literally.
I am a bit weary right now... more like my fingers. I'll catch you up with Sunday and Monday's antics a little later... :) Also, I am hungry. I smell lunch downstairs and my tummy is grumbling.
First to catch you up on the now. I am not taking any pain medication. My last pain meds were taken on Sunday at 3pm. So I have a full prescription of oxycodone. :) I am still on my "soaker hose" drip style pain medication which is constantly being infused into my breasts... or where the real ones used to be. I am fully mobile on my own two feet. I can get up and down out of bed and out of a chair. I can sit on the toilet with ease and get off of it with ease. My bowel functions have been normal... more about that later. I still need to take a shower. I must be somewhat stinky by now. My appetite is slowly increasing. I'm working on my range of motion and my exercises that I have been instructed to do over the next few weeks. I do believe that I am now over the proverbial hump. This mastectomy has, yes, been life changing... but not life changing the in the effects of my life has changed. My kids still love me and see nothing different. My husband still loves me and still gets upset and mad at me. I am still the same me. Nothing has changed on the interior and that's what makes me who I am. Only the exterior has changed and really, it's not as bad as I thought it was going to be.
So let me start with Friday. Some of you may already know a lot of the particulars, but many of you don't... so I will clue you in. I am sorry that this has been delayed. I wanted to post more... but Friday was a cluster, Saturday was a little better... but all I could muster up was texting. Sunday I felt awful, but I did manage to post! And yesterday I was too busy trying to get out of the hospital... and you'll find out why it was so difficult to do so. So, sit back and enjoy the reading... as I am in my warm comfy bed with my legs curled up underneath me with my laptop... well on my lap. :)
Friday, June 15 - Booby Day!
We left for the hospital at around 530a. We hit no traffic and if anyone lives around Portland, getting to OHSU can be a pain the rear. It was nice sailing through some of the lights without having to wait for PSU student pedestrians. We parked the car and got to the admission desk at about 6a. We looked in the waiting room and who did we see??? We saw Bill and Evelyn sitting there waiting for us. That's Brad's parents. They said that they weren't coming until 9a when I would already be under and hopefully well underway. The day surgery admission was packed already. I couldn't believe it. We had to wait to get checked in. My name was called and we got all the paperwork taken care of. At around 630 they called us to walk back the the surgery waiting area. (Wow, this is making my stomach all bubbly and nervous!) They brought us down to the curtained area where I would be waiting. It was the same exact bed that I was at when I had my port placement. I stripped down to practically nothing... I had a huge gown on, hospital slippers and my hat. I wanted to keep my head warm while I waited. It took forever for someone to come in to start on anything. The first person I saw was Dr. Thakar, the plastic surgeon. She marked me up... gave her guidelines to where my boobs normal are. Then she went over some stuff in a packet she had given to me previously. I asked some questions and then she was gone. Next who came in... I think was the anesthesiologist. It was the same dude that was going to be the anesthesiologist for my port placement. Crazy. Then he left. Next came the nurse anesthesiologist and she went over some things that she would be doing. She would be giving me some relaxing stuff and then when I was out they would be putting a tube down my throat and giving me my general anesthesia. Fantastic. Next Dr. Naik swung by. I asked her a couple of questions... something about lymph nodes and how they would be taking my port out... would it be through my scar or through the breast. She said that it would be taken out through my breast and she wouldn't have to go through my scar. Brilliant! By that time everyone was running behind. The nurse anthesiologist couldn't believe that an IV line hadn't been started. They tried to get one in and couldn't get on in my arm... well duh, I haven't hydrated myself. In addition, the veins on my right arm are very tiny. So someone finally got an IV in on my wrist - the underside of it. At this point I was getting anxious because of all the people coming in and out and the fact that they couldn't get an IV line in and we were already running late. That made the tears start to flow. Once the IV was in, the nurse anesthetist pumped me full of some relaxing medication and I felt so much better. I just closed my eyes and sort of waited. I don't even remember waving good bye or kissing Brad good bye. But he said I did. The rest... well... is history.
I woke up around 2ish... at least that was the time I actually came to and opened my eyes and looked at the clock on the wall. I felt real sluggish. But glad that I was on the other side. My chest hurt and it hurt to breathe in. I drifted back to sleep, but I could hear everything that was being said. I do recall the nurse who was looking after me that they put a catheter in me and got 300mL of pee out of me before being done. So I did have a catheter! Aha! Oh well. At least I knew that I wouldn't pee in bed. I think it was around 230 or 3 that they decided I was stable enough to get wheeled to my more permanent room. They cleared my drains... 30 for the axillary drain, 50 for the breast drain and 55 for the right one. I made sure that Brad would be the only one there escorting me to my new room. He met me outside the recovery room. It was nice to see him. Then they took me to my room in the main hospital. I was supposed to be in Kohler but for some reason they were all booked up. My first room was a shared room. I was supposed to get a private room. Nevertheless, it was shared room in the corner with no window! Brad wasn't too happy. To make a long story short, he had to call Brooke, the nurse navigator who got in touch with Dr. Naik who got in touch with bed control to fight for a private room. There wasn't even a chair in the room where Brad could sleep. They told him that he would have to sleep in the waiting room. Um, I could barely talk and move. What if I needed help with something? I wouldn't be able to do it. While Brad fought with bed control, Dr. Thakar came in and said that everything looked good and the surgery was a success. She said that Dr. Naik had to take a little more skin from my left breast (which I figured would happen since the tumor was so close to the skin) and she filled the tissue expanders with 100mL of saline. Not a bad start. I guess the right one could have been filled up bigger because there was more tissue and it was the non affected breast. Then Dr. Naik came in and said that everything went well. She talked with Brad and said that she would do her part with bed control. Finally the nurse came in and said something about where Brad was and that there may be a room... I didn't really know what was going on... but I did have my cell phone... so I called him and told him to come back. He did and did what he needed to do. I was coherent enough to text some friends... but my spelling was awful. Sorry!
At around 7, I think, I finally got the okay that a new private room was available for me. They started wheeling me out of the shared room and I got sick. I threw up three times into a bucket. It was just water, but nevertheless, I threw up. It didn't really hurt my chest. They stopped me in the middle of the doorway because they wanted to raise my head up. But I had done the deed. Then they got me to my room where I stayed for the remainder of my stay.
I did manage to pee that first night. That was a nightmare. But I had to go bad and I didn't want a bed pan. The nurse helped me as well as Brad. It was a gradual process to get me half sitting up, to sitting up, to dangling my feet over the bed, to standing up, to walking slowly to the commode. Then I sat and peed! Hooray... then it was back to the bed. That first night I got up several times with the help of the nurse and Brad. It got easier each time though. I am proud that I didn't need a bed pan.
Saturday, June 16
Boy do I really remember Saturday? All I remember is that all through the night the nurses and CNAs kept coming in to bother me to take my vitals. The CNA, Irene, was awful. She tried taking my temperature under my arm - the arm with the stitches under it without first asking. We told her NO! I just had surgery under that arm and to not to touch me there. Then she couldn't figure out the drain set up. What did it really matter? Lord have mercy. She kept me up for 20 minutes while she tried to figure out the drain crap.
Saturday morning, Dr. Thakar came in bright and early doing her rounds at 7a. She asked how I was doing. I told her I was doing good. Dr. Naik also came in to do her rounds as well. She was the oncall surgeon for the weekend. I also got to see plenty of "junior" doctors - the fellows and residents. They all wanted to see me. I ordered breakfast but didn't get much down. Most of it went to Brad. He ate my blueberry muffin. I got my first antibiotic and another dose of my iv form of pain medication. Soon after that I threw it up. We kind of figured that it might be the pain meds that may be making me sick... that I needed to eat something with it. Saturday was really peppered with napping, medication, napping and watching TV. I really don't remember much of it. Nor do I care to. I do remember that I did get a first look at my chest. I didn't know what to expect. It wasn't as horrible as I thought it was going to be. I thought I would look and start to cry and miss what I had. But I have come way to far to miss my boobs. I saw little boobies and a whole lot of stitches which will give me a great scar for the rest of my life. I was kind of shocked at how long the scars are. The one on my left side goes from where the nipple used to be all the way to under my arm... well... a little bit under my arm. The one on the right goes from the center to the edge of where my boob would end. So they are a bit longer than I expected. Hmm... something I might ask the surgeons as to why they seem so much longer. But maybe it's just perception. There are no dressings on my scars. They are covered with this stuff called "dermabond" which makes them water proof. The only dressing is over the drains. I hate drains. They hurt and are uncomfortable when the tubing shifts the wrong way. I know they are a necessary evil, but they suck. Literally.
I am a bit weary right now... more like my fingers. I'll catch you up with Sunday and Monday's antics a little later... :) Also, I am hungry. I smell lunch downstairs and my tummy is grumbling.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Day 152 - Night Before Surgery
Ooooh, that title post sends shivers down my spine. Oh wait, that's the AC on! LOL.
Well, I have finally made it to the eve of mastectomy surgery day. Ask me if I am nervous. Answer: of course. I don't want to do this. But I know I have to. I want to live. I want to see my kids grow up and I want to be a grandma. Put my happy face on. Reassure everyone that I am doing okay. I am, really I am. But to some degree I wish it were all over that way we can all focus on something else. I am grateful for all the well wishes, good luck and prayers. It's prayers that I will need most. Pray that the surgery is "run of the mill" and there are no complications. I am not worried about the surgery. I am most worried about serious complications... like a chipped tooth. Yea, that's a hazard of general anesthesia. Honestly, there's a part of me that's worried that I will never wake up. I know that is rare, but it's a thought that bubbles and festers in the back of my mind. But I'll be talking to everyone tomorrow evening.
As for my day today... got up at 3 and got ready for work. Worked until 8.30a and then left to go home. Got home, made a call to Dr. Thakar's office to get my FMLA claim recertified, vacuumed the house, got gas for the car and then made my way to my pre-op appointment with Dr. Naik. The appointment was fast, at least with the doctor. We had to wait and wait for the nurse to come in and go over the particulars of the surgery itself. When she came in, she told me that my surgery was the first of the morning! Hooray. I have to check in tomorrow at 6a. They want me to be in the OR by 7.30. The surgery should take 4-5 hours. After surgery, I will be taken to the recovery room. I'll be there for the next hour to two hours while I wake up from being under. Following that I will be taken to my normal room where I will stay until the pain management is in check and I am strong enough to be discharged. I will meet with Dr. Naik and Dr. Thakar one last time in the morning as well as with the anesthesiologist. Dr. Naik will also be taking out my port. Hooray!
My 12.30 meeting was joke. The only thing I got out of it (it was a pre-anesthesia appointment) was a special body wash. I am supposed to take a shower tonight and use half of the bottle on my skin. Let it stand for one minute and then wash it off. It needs to be applied from my neck down to my toes and not around my gential area because it will sting or make my eyes water. Interesting, eh? What's it for? It's supposed to kill all the bacteria that may be on my body. Interesting. I didn't have to do it when I got my port. Nor did I have to go through this pre-op BS. After showering, I need to put on fresh sleep clothes and sleep in fresh laundered sheets. Then tomorrow morning I have to do it all again. Other than that... that's all I got of that meeting.
After that I raced to get Grammy at the airport. We ran to Costco, picked up the kids and went to Fred Meyer. When I got home, I made dinner, packed, got the kids in the tub, read to Amelia, filled out the rest of my paperwork and am now posting. Phew.
Oh yes, I saw Dr. Luoh today. I was hoping I would because I wanted to say good bye to him. He told me that I would be all right and gave me a big hug. He's a great man. I like him a lot.
So I hope to be online tomorrow... or have Brad do it as I dictate to him... so I can at least say I am still alive. :)
Well... I am off to shower. Keep me in your prayers. Love you all!
Well, I have finally made it to the eve of mastectomy surgery day. Ask me if I am nervous. Answer: of course. I don't want to do this. But I know I have to. I want to live. I want to see my kids grow up and I want to be a grandma. Put my happy face on. Reassure everyone that I am doing okay. I am, really I am. But to some degree I wish it were all over that way we can all focus on something else. I am grateful for all the well wishes, good luck and prayers. It's prayers that I will need most. Pray that the surgery is "run of the mill" and there are no complications. I am not worried about the surgery. I am most worried about serious complications... like a chipped tooth. Yea, that's a hazard of general anesthesia. Honestly, there's a part of me that's worried that I will never wake up. I know that is rare, but it's a thought that bubbles and festers in the back of my mind. But I'll be talking to everyone tomorrow evening.
As for my day today... got up at 3 and got ready for work. Worked until 8.30a and then left to go home. Got home, made a call to Dr. Thakar's office to get my FMLA claim recertified, vacuumed the house, got gas for the car and then made my way to my pre-op appointment with Dr. Naik. The appointment was fast, at least with the doctor. We had to wait and wait for the nurse to come in and go over the particulars of the surgery itself. When she came in, she told me that my surgery was the first of the morning! Hooray. I have to check in tomorrow at 6a. They want me to be in the OR by 7.30. The surgery should take 4-5 hours. After surgery, I will be taken to the recovery room. I'll be there for the next hour to two hours while I wake up from being under. Following that I will be taken to my normal room where I will stay until the pain management is in check and I am strong enough to be discharged. I will meet with Dr. Naik and Dr. Thakar one last time in the morning as well as with the anesthesiologist. Dr. Naik will also be taking out my port. Hooray!
My 12.30 meeting was joke. The only thing I got out of it (it was a pre-anesthesia appointment) was a special body wash. I am supposed to take a shower tonight and use half of the bottle on my skin. Let it stand for one minute and then wash it off. It needs to be applied from my neck down to my toes and not around my gential area because it will sting or make my eyes water. Interesting, eh? What's it for? It's supposed to kill all the bacteria that may be on my body. Interesting. I didn't have to do it when I got my port. Nor did I have to go through this pre-op BS. After showering, I need to put on fresh sleep clothes and sleep in fresh laundered sheets. Then tomorrow morning I have to do it all again. Other than that... that's all I got of that meeting.
After that I raced to get Grammy at the airport. We ran to Costco, picked up the kids and went to Fred Meyer. When I got home, I made dinner, packed, got the kids in the tub, read to Amelia, filled out the rest of my paperwork and am now posting. Phew.
Oh yes, I saw Dr. Luoh today. I was hoping I would because I wanted to say good bye to him. He told me that I would be all right and gave me a big hug. He's a great man. I like him a lot.
So I hope to be online tomorrow... or have Brad do it as I dictate to him... so I can at least say I am still alive. :)
Well... I am off to shower. Keep me in your prayers. Love you all!
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