Mastectomy

Backtracking a bit....

SO, my mastectomy was scheduled for two days after my visit to the surgeon - on February 22, 2006. Didn't give my family a lot of time to plan. But my oldest son (who lives in St. Louis) and my daughter (Tennessee) both arrived the night before.

I had to be at the Breast Center early on the 22nd for three 'shots' in my boob. Forget what they called them and wasn't keeping a real good record at the time - but they were to help the surgeon navigate the lymph nodes and know if he needed to do anything there.

The radiologist who was supposed to give the shots had been called away and another came in - a man. Now, I wasn't modest enough to care if he saw me undressed from the waist up so that part didn't bother me. He explained that it would be just as easy to just give the shots without anything to deaden my boobs. And, he's a man, what does he know??? Obviously not much. If I could have moved after the first shot I'd have killed him!!!!

After he finished torturing me and I finished crying, I went back out to where my grown kids were. We didn't have to be at the hospital till noon, and it's about 9AM. "I" couldn't eat anything (or have coffee), so they didn't want to go to a restaurant. We wound up at the local mall where it was warm and we could walk around. Found a little stand where they could get something to eat that I didn't drool over, then walked around the mall till Dillard's opened.

Decided I might need some PJs - since I always sleep in gowns (I know, more info than you wanted to know). However, PJs could button in the front and that would be needed after I went home. So, shopped for PJs and a warm robe (I only had a ratty one that I'd had for years). Also managed to find a really great pair of shoes that I paid way too much (even on sale) for but that I absolutely, positively love and while they're really ugly they are THE most comfortable shoes I've ever worn.

On to the hospital and checked in at noon. My Pastor and his wife arrived before I went to surgery and prayed for me. Don't think the surgery took a long time, but I was goofy the rest of the day after getting to my room. Half my church was waiting on me along with my kids and Pastor. They had me on a morphine pump and apparently I entertained them greatly.

The gist of the surgery was that lymph nodes did have to be removed on the affected side, so I faced seeing an Oncologist when I healed a bit.

People slowly drifted away but my son positively would not leave. He was determined to spend the night at the hospital and take care of me - and so he did. He slept (what little sleep he got) in a chair next to my bed, and was there to help me every time I had to get up in the night (which was a lot).

My daughter relieved him the next day and she spent the second night with me. Son arrived back at the hospital on Saturday morning and took me home.

I understand some mastectomy's are done as outpatient - that's just crazy. There's no way I'd have gone home any earlier - and even when I got home I needed care & pain meds.... but home sure felt good!!!