So, today I had the pleasure of meeting my oncologist. Oh what fun!
When all of this began, the 'Mammacentret' had given me a nice little binder to keep all the wonderful information about my surgery. Now that the surgery part of this is done, and the results are in, time to move onto another department, and another little binder. Actually, she asked if I'd like to have everything put into my original binder. I said yes - so now I have 2 books in one - the doublemint book, per se.
So here's all the gritty details, for those interested in such things. (I'm going to do my best to put the danish into english!)
Invasive Ductal Carcinoma
Tumor removed - 11 mm
Estrogen-receptor positive
Normal HER2 (don't really know what this one means)
29 lymph nodes removed - cancer in 14 of them
No distant metastasis
So, what does all that mean? Well it means I get the full treatment - Chemotherapy, radiation and anti-estrogen.
Step 1 - Chemotherapy
Next Wednesday will be my first treatment so today I went in for the introduction and the 'book'. There is all sorts of little pills, in little bags, with a nice little diagram of when I have to take each pill. Funny thing is, all these little pill bags were then placed right into the binder for safe keeping. So my little binder/book now resembles a small pharmaceutical company.
Come Wednesday, I will receive my first dose of EC - epirubicin and cyclophosphamide. After 3 treatments of EC, I'll then receive docetaxel for 3 treatments. And once all that is done, then I get the pleasure of radiation - but I'll worry about that bridge when I get there.
I can't really say that I'm looking forward to any of this! But hey - it's for my own good right? Right?
Friday, May 15, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Run for the border..
No, we didn't go to Taco Bell, but come to think of it, that would be pretty cool too!
This past weekend, in my continuous effort to limit my computer time, we decided to head for the border, as in the German border. I find just a trip to the Citti market is exciting as there is way, way, more product selection in Citti than there is in your average Danish grocery store. I honestly cannot say whether Germany exists beyond Flensburg, as that is the furthest I've ever wandered into Germany, and I'm not sure it really counts, since it used to be Denmark there, but anyway...
Here is one thing that I think is really, really cool about the parking garage there:
I happened to have brought along the non-lady of the family, so we didn't park there, but still!
Now we've ventured down to Flensburg before, but this time, something new and exciting awaited our arrival - something that solidified the fact that we were going to get in the car and go...
Woohooo! Not really sure how the "J" became a "K" but who cares - it's the same place! Sort of.
You know how at TJMaxx you find rows and rows of stuff that isn't really all that organized but has those wonderful little red stickers where the price has been slashed ridiculously low and you suddenly buy things you never knew you needed? The German version wasn't quite as bountiful. There were red stickers, but they haven't quite learned yet just how far I expect them to discount things! Since we'd made the trip, I scoured every aisle as I was definitely taking something home with me - no matter what. I did finally find two nice throw pillows with removable covers for only 5 Euro each, and given the fact that Lexi went through a pillow chewing phase, some new pillows were needed. I bought some other things as well, but given that one of those things is for someone who reads this, nah nah nah nah, I'm not telling!
After shopping to the 'Maxx' we wandered out to the shopping street, but didn't stay long there. Then we spent an hour or two wandering through Citti grocery, grabbing yummy things I can't find here. I bought a few cans of stuff that looked like good lunch food, like canned ravioli and tortellini. These cans have since confused Ole a bit - he thought I bought them as a side-dish for dinner but couldn't quite figure out what to do with them. The fact that they happened to be Weight Watchers brand (not for any reason other than it looked good, lol!) and therefore the can said "4 points" on the side, led to even further confusion. And all that confusion led him to not prepare that as a side dish the other night - so that's a good thing.
Our original plan was to get Ole's coca-cola at Citti market, but they were sold out (note to all - do not attempt to buy Coca-cola over the border on a Danish holiday weekend!). Eventually, since the coca-cola is as necessary to Ole as iced tea is to me, we stopped at the border store and loaded up the car before finally heading home.
Tried one of those things that I DID buy as a side dish last night, and it was very tasty. We weren't sure about it, so had only purchased one of that variety, which means before long, I'm going to insist on another run for the border. Weeeeee!
This past weekend, in my continuous effort to limit my computer time, we decided to head for the border, as in the German border. I find just a trip to the Citti market is exciting as there is way, way, more product selection in Citti than there is in your average Danish grocery store. I honestly cannot say whether Germany exists beyond Flensburg, as that is the furthest I've ever wandered into Germany, and I'm not sure it really counts, since it used to be Denmark there, but anyway...
Here is one thing that I think is really, really cool about the parking garage there:
I happened to have brought along the non-lady of the family, so we didn't park there, but still!
Now we've ventured down to Flensburg before, but this time, something new and exciting awaited our arrival - something that solidified the fact that we were going to get in the car and go...
Woohooo! Not really sure how the "J" became a "K" but who cares - it's the same place! Sort of.
You know how at TJMaxx you find rows and rows of stuff that isn't really all that organized but has those wonderful little red stickers where the price has been slashed ridiculously low and you suddenly buy things you never knew you needed? The German version wasn't quite as bountiful. There were red stickers, but they haven't quite learned yet just how far I expect them to discount things! Since we'd made the trip, I scoured every aisle as I was definitely taking something home with me - no matter what. I did finally find two nice throw pillows with removable covers for only 5 Euro each, and given the fact that Lexi went through a pillow chewing phase, some new pillows were needed. I bought some other things as well, but given that one of those things is for someone who reads this, nah nah nah nah, I'm not telling!
After shopping to the 'Maxx' we wandered out to the shopping street, but didn't stay long there. Then we spent an hour or two wandering through Citti grocery, grabbing yummy things I can't find here. I bought a few cans of stuff that looked like good lunch food, like canned ravioli and tortellini. These cans have since confused Ole a bit - he thought I bought them as a side-dish for dinner but couldn't quite figure out what to do with them. The fact that they happened to be Weight Watchers brand (not for any reason other than it looked good, lol!) and therefore the can said "4 points" on the side, led to even further confusion. And all that confusion led him to not prepare that as a side dish the other night - so that's a good thing.
Our original plan was to get Ole's coca-cola at Citti market, but they were sold out (note to all - do not attempt to buy Coca-cola over the border on a Danish holiday weekend!). Eventually, since the coca-cola is as necessary to Ole as iced tea is to me, we stopped at the border store and loaded up the car before finally heading home.
Tried one of those things that I DID buy as a side dish last night, and it was very tasty. We weren't sure about it, so had only purchased one of that variety, which means before long, I'm going to insist on another run for the border. Weeeeee!
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Two Dogs and a Lake
This was actually filmed back in early March - as you may be able to tell by the fact that we are wearing parkas! It was a sunny, gorgeous day so we took the dogs out for a swim - which they absolutely loved.
We were like proud parents when Lexi decided to actually go for it and swim! Now when we get to the lake, she's in the water before we're even fully out of the car!
Zoe LOVES to swim - and roll in the sand!
Random Observations - Follow-up!
Rather than post a comment to reply to all the comments on the last post, I decided to post a follow-up as best I can!
The goosebumps thing...
Yep, it's all about the nerves. Since I previously had a hysterectomy, I did a little self-test and there are some spots along that scar that also seem to be missing goosebumps, I just never had noticed. Probably because I'm not in the habit of rubbing my stomach area when I'm cold - I'm more of a rub the arms kinda gal (certainly makes more sense), so I noticed the smooth spot on the arm immediately!
Swimmers Boob
I'm glad you all found it as fascinating as I did! It's made by Amoena, who I'm learning seems to have the worldwide market on breast forms. They call it an 'accessory', rather than an actual breast form. This is another way of saying that if you want it, you're going to pay for it - not your government health plan or your health insurance company. They call it the 'swimform' and here is the official description from their website:
"Clear silicone form with a hollow, concave back allows water to flow through so the form retains its shape in and out of the water."
So there you have it. I was just left wondering how well it fits into one of those super speedy Speedo suits all the olympic athletes were wearing in Beijing! (Hmm, wonder if those come with a pocket sewn in to hold the swimmers boob - I'm guessing not.)
As a further follow-up to the whole bra topic - I officially hate the silly thing, it's just not comfortable, and for the most part, I'm going with the baggy sweatshirt look instead (mind you, I had already adopted this particular look long, long ago, so, truth be told, nothing has changed). After a few more weeks, I can go to a store and pick out a few more stylish options that look just like normal bras, and hopefully will be a bit more comfortable.
The great deodorant debate
Yes, deodorant has aluminum.
In the interest of full disclosure, this is something I've read about as one of the ways to prevent lymphedema in my arm - not something that I was strictly told about by the doctors. In addition to the lymphedema thing, apparently aluminum deodorants have been found to possibly have some link to Alzheimer's, so, if there is an alternative, it's probably worth considering.
Great suggestions on the okologisk products - but, I have to say that in my experience, they haven't found to really work all that well. Interestingly enough, I did find a few types in a grocery store here, made by Sanex, that have that potassium alum ingredient but given the 'alum' part of that I'm not sure it truly qualifies as aluminum free. I'm no scientist (obviously) so I may very well be wrong, but it was enough to stop me from buying without doing more research. The other 'downside' to the lack of aluminum is that the aluminum is essentially what stops the sweat - so while the organic product may be a deodorant, chances are it's not an antiperspirant and therein lies the problem!
One thing I did find was a product made by Adidas - something called Aluminum free Cotton-Tech or some such thing, but it's also apparently very difficult to find and may actually be discontinued at this point depending on which website you view for info.
For now, I'll stick to my normal stuff and see what else I can find out there the big, bad world!
The goosebumps thing...
Yep, it's all about the nerves. Since I previously had a hysterectomy, I did a little self-test and there are some spots along that scar that also seem to be missing goosebumps, I just never had noticed. Probably because I'm not in the habit of rubbing my stomach area when I'm cold - I'm more of a rub the arms kinda gal (certainly makes more sense), so I noticed the smooth spot on the arm immediately!
Swimmers Boob
I'm glad you all found it as fascinating as I did! It's made by Amoena, who I'm learning seems to have the worldwide market on breast forms. They call it an 'accessory', rather than an actual breast form. This is another way of saying that if you want it, you're going to pay for it - not your government health plan or your health insurance company. They call it the 'swimform' and here is the official description from their website:
"Clear silicone form with a hollow, concave back allows water to flow through so the form retains its shape in and out of the water."
So there you have it. I was just left wondering how well it fits into one of those super speedy Speedo suits all the olympic athletes were wearing in Beijing! (Hmm, wonder if those come with a pocket sewn in to hold the swimmers boob - I'm guessing not.)
As a further follow-up to the whole bra topic - I officially hate the silly thing, it's just not comfortable, and for the most part, I'm going with the baggy sweatshirt look instead (mind you, I had already adopted this particular look long, long ago, so, truth be told, nothing has changed). After a few more weeks, I can go to a store and pick out a few more stylish options that look just like normal bras, and hopefully will be a bit more comfortable.
The great deodorant debate
Yes, deodorant has aluminum.
In the interest of full disclosure, this is something I've read about as one of the ways to prevent lymphedema in my arm - not something that I was strictly told about by the doctors. In addition to the lymphedema thing, apparently aluminum deodorants have been found to possibly have some link to Alzheimer's, so, if there is an alternative, it's probably worth considering.
Great suggestions on the okologisk products - but, I have to say that in my experience, they haven't found to really work all that well. Interestingly enough, I did find a few types in a grocery store here, made by Sanex, that have that potassium alum ingredient but given the 'alum' part of that I'm not sure it truly qualifies as aluminum free. I'm no scientist (obviously) so I may very well be wrong, but it was enough to stop me from buying without doing more research. The other 'downside' to the lack of aluminum is that the aluminum is essentially what stops the sweat - so while the organic product may be a deodorant, chances are it's not an antiperspirant and therein lies the problem!
One thing I did find was a product made by Adidas - something called Aluminum free Cotton-Tech or some such thing, but it's also apparently very difficult to find and may actually be discontinued at this point depending on which website you view for info.
For now, I'll stick to my normal stuff and see what else I can find out there the big, bad world!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Random Observations
Now that I'm one breast short of a whole oven stuffer roaster, I felt it was time to give you some random observations of my new world.
Goose bumps - or lack there of
Given that the process of removing a lymph node also entailed cutting some nerves, I have just discovered that there is a part of my right arm that lacks goose bumps. I was cold and about to jump into the shower and as I rubbed my arms in a feeble attempt at warmth, there it was - a goose bump free area. Weird, eh?
Free pre-stuffed bras
One of my benefits of surgery was a free bra. This thing is like putting on some old-fashioned corset - there are 7, yes 7, hooks up the front of the bra. I would love to know who exactly determined that 7 would be the magic number. I can tell you that getting all 7 hooked is a bit of a challenge... hook the first few and by the time you get to the rest, a few previously hooked have slipped free. It's a test of will!
One half of the bra is currently stuffed with cotton so that I don't look all lopsided when I venture out in public. This means that after I finally do manage to get all those hooks hooked, I then get to "reshape" my cotton side - it tends to get a little lumpy at times. Eventually I will get something better to fill the bra, but I have to wait until my incisions are healed before I can go for my first official boob fitting.
I have learned more about filler boobs then I ever thought possible, but we'll save that for a later time! Okay, okay, I'll give you one preview - did you know they make one just for swimming? You can wear the normal one to swim but if you swim regularly (like several times per week), they recommend that you get the special swimmer's boob. Apparently it all has to do with the manner in which water flows through your suit as you're swimming. Who thinks of these things?
Secret
As in a Secret of the deodorant variety. At the present time, due to the physical inability to get in there, I am unable to apply deodorant to my right side. So, just as a cautionary warning to you.. if you're standing near me, you may wish to stand on my left.
And about that - apparently I should wear aluminum-free deodorant in the future. Given the lack of deodorant selection in this country, finding such a thing could be quite a challenge. What is it exactly with the lack of solid sticks in this market? Do Danish women actually prefer the cold goop of a roll-on or the frozen blast of a spray? Or is there something in the sticks that isn't permitted by the government here? This is one of those 'weird' things expats are left to wonder about. Oh well, the deodorant I use now all came from the states, so I guess I'll just have to purchase a different kind on the next trip!
Goose bumps - or lack there of
Given that the process of removing a lymph node also entailed cutting some nerves, I have just discovered that there is a part of my right arm that lacks goose bumps. I was cold and about to jump into the shower and as I rubbed my arms in a feeble attempt at warmth, there it was - a goose bump free area. Weird, eh?
Free pre-stuffed bras
One of my benefits of surgery was a free bra. This thing is like putting on some old-fashioned corset - there are 7, yes 7, hooks up the front of the bra. I would love to know who exactly determined that 7 would be the magic number. I can tell you that getting all 7 hooked is a bit of a challenge... hook the first few and by the time you get to the rest, a few previously hooked have slipped free. It's a test of will!
One half of the bra is currently stuffed with cotton so that I don't look all lopsided when I venture out in public. This means that after I finally do manage to get all those hooks hooked, I then get to "reshape" my cotton side - it tends to get a little lumpy at times. Eventually I will get something better to fill the bra, but I have to wait until my incisions are healed before I can go for my first official boob fitting.
I have learned more about filler boobs then I ever thought possible, but we'll save that for a later time! Okay, okay, I'll give you one preview - did you know they make one just for swimming? You can wear the normal one to swim but if you swim regularly (like several times per week), they recommend that you get the special swimmer's boob. Apparently it all has to do with the manner in which water flows through your suit as you're swimming. Who thinks of these things?
Secret
As in a Secret of the deodorant variety. At the present time, due to the physical inability to get in there, I am unable to apply deodorant to my right side. So, just as a cautionary warning to you.. if you're standing near me, you may wish to stand on my left.
And about that - apparently I should wear aluminum-free deodorant in the future. Given the lack of deodorant selection in this country, finding such a thing could be quite a challenge. What is it exactly with the lack of solid sticks in this market? Do Danish women actually prefer the cold goop of a roll-on or the frozen blast of a spray? Or is there something in the sticks that isn't permitted by the government here? This is one of those 'weird' things expats are left to wonder about. Oh well, the deodorant I use now all came from the states, so I guess I'll just have to purchase a different kind on the next trip!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Home Sweet Home
I really need to update this thing a bit more often before I fall further behind than I can possibly catch up with!
I believe I left off somewhere in a recovery stupor enjoying my first food on Tuesday evening. I really have to say that I had the 3 most enjoyable danish women with which to share a hospital room. These ladies were a riot - and while I could understand most of their danish, they were very sweet to switch to english whenever they were addressing me directly. We exchanged names and talked about our dogs and just really had some fun in the room. Perhaps I will see Tøve, Marianne or Bertha again at some point in this journey - great ladies!
So Wednesday morning we woke up and Drew Carey returned to take each of our breakfast orders and deliver our breakfast. Nothing special - the typical danish breakfast of bread and cheese, etc., but everything was fresh and nothing felt like pre-packaged hospital cafeteria food, so that was definitely a plus! One of the other nurses then put a thermometer on each of our tables and I really didn't think much of it until she closed the curtains around two of my roommates, at which point Marianne then hollered out "we don't take our temperature the same way you do in the states!". Ugh. Enough said about that.
The doctor then came to speak with each of us and when that was said and done, we were escorted over to the patient hotel. And I would like to reassure my dad at this time that yes, we did in fact take the monorail from the hospital over to the patient hotel!
We were all checked into the hotel and were given meal tickets. We had to give our breakfast, lunch or dinner ticket each time we went to the hotel restaurant for our meals. The staff would then check for all the tickets before closing up the restaurant and if a patient missed a meal, the nurses would then go to the patient's room to check on them and make sure all was okay.
Each evening, a nurse came to my room around 9:30 pm or so to check the surgical drain and make sure things were okay with that. It was optional but an option I wanted! And each morning, Ole joined me at the hotel so that we could go over to the hospital to see the nurse for a quick check-up.
The hotel itself was like any other basic hotel. The only difference was that the bathroom had all kinds of safety railings and equipment that you would expect in a hospital setting. However, I really need to talk to these people about their paper products - the sandpaper labeled as paper towels and toilet paper just wasn't very nice!
My room had a fully adjustable bed, a nice chair, a TV, and a desk with internet connection. I had the most fabulous view out over the lake while laying in bed...
Outside the hotel there were several benches and I found some new pets while I was there:
Rather than bore you with the details of each day at the hotel (they all kind of blended together after awhile!), I will just tell you that I came home on Sunday and I am very happy to be back home!! And, I'll share a few more pictures from the patient hotel...
I believe I left off somewhere in a recovery stupor enjoying my first food on Tuesday evening. I really have to say that I had the 3 most enjoyable danish women with which to share a hospital room. These ladies were a riot - and while I could understand most of their danish, they were very sweet to switch to english whenever they were addressing me directly. We exchanged names and talked about our dogs and just really had some fun in the room. Perhaps I will see Tøve, Marianne or Bertha again at some point in this journey - great ladies!
So Wednesday morning we woke up and Drew Carey returned to take each of our breakfast orders and deliver our breakfast. Nothing special - the typical danish breakfast of bread and cheese, etc., but everything was fresh and nothing felt like pre-packaged hospital cafeteria food, so that was definitely a plus! One of the other nurses then put a thermometer on each of our tables and I really didn't think much of it until she closed the curtains around two of my roommates, at which point Marianne then hollered out "we don't take our temperature the same way you do in the states!". Ugh. Enough said about that.
The doctor then came to speak with each of us and when that was said and done, we were escorted over to the patient hotel. And I would like to reassure my dad at this time that yes, we did in fact take the monorail from the hospital over to the patient hotel!
We were all checked into the hotel and were given meal tickets. We had to give our breakfast, lunch or dinner ticket each time we went to the hotel restaurant for our meals. The staff would then check for all the tickets before closing up the restaurant and if a patient missed a meal, the nurses would then go to the patient's room to check on them and make sure all was okay.
Each evening, a nurse came to my room around 9:30 pm or so to check the surgical drain and make sure things were okay with that. It was optional but an option I wanted! And each morning, Ole joined me at the hotel so that we could go over to the hospital to see the nurse for a quick check-up.
The hotel itself was like any other basic hotel. The only difference was that the bathroom had all kinds of safety railings and equipment that you would expect in a hospital setting. However, I really need to talk to these people about their paper products - the sandpaper labeled as paper towels and toilet paper just wasn't very nice!
My room had a fully adjustable bed, a nice chair, a TV, and a desk with internet connection. I had the most fabulous view out over the lake while laying in bed...
Outside the hotel there were several benches and I found some new pets while I was there:
Rather than bore you with the details of each day at the hotel (they all kind of blended together after awhile!), I will just tell you that I came home on Sunday and I am very happy to be back home!! And, I'll share a few more pictures from the patient hotel...
Saturday, May 2, 2009
I'm baaaack!
Ladies and Gentlemen, your first live post from the Patient Hotel!
The wonderful Kelli has been keeping you all up to date and I cannot thank her enough for being my guest blogger, and for being a fantastic friend during all of this.
I arrived at the hospital Tuesday morning at 9 AM only to be told that they weren't quite ready for me yet, so we sat in the waiting room until about 10:00 AM or so. They then gave me an extremely stylish set of hospital clothes - no open back gowns here! The fabric felt a bit like terry cloth. The top was a button down shirt that fell just below the butt, pretty much like wearing a man's shirt, and the briefs were true granny briefs - they came up way, way too far! The also gave me some socks, the kind lacking any elastic whatsoever, so you put them on and they just immediately fall down. So, I took them back off.
Once properly dressed in Viborg's finest, I had to just lay in the bed and wait. They came and shot me in the gut with a blood thinner, apparently to avoid clotting while I stayed in bed for 24 hours. They also hooked me up to an IV line at this point. Before they wheeled me away, Kelli had arrived so Ole and I got some time to chat with her and that helped pass the time. I had a nurse attending to me, and she had a student nurse following her - the student nurse was a dead ringer for Drew Carey, so that's what I called him! Then Mario Andretti showed up to drive my bed from my room to the surgical area.
In the surgical area, I was forced to put the socks back on, and then I had to confirm which breast they were removing - a good safety check in my opinion. The nurses there then gave me some fancy plastic bootie shoes and a wonderfully fashionable hairnet - woohoo. I got out of bed and walked into the operating room. Now I had a team of nurses frolicking around me attaching things to me, asking questions, etc. At some point during all of this, they all exited and the surgeon came in to draw lines all over me. He left again, the gaggle of nurses returned, and with them, my favorite person in all of this - the doctor who would knock me out. First I was given what they were calling a 'block' - which I later figured out must have been an epidural of some kind. They gave me a shot in the spine and it felt like I imagine a house must feel when you blow insulation into its walls. Kinda cool really. Finally, they had me lay down and that's when the nice knock-out doctor gave me the good stuff - can't really tell you much after that point!
Cut to much later - I remember someone telling me that it was over, but that was all I heard. I recall waking a few times and asking for something to drink, and then immediately falling back to sleep. Eventually, at 7:10 pm, I woke up again and asked someone what time it was and then I asked when I could go back to my room, and they said "right now". And so, I got wheeled back and my 3 danish roommates cheered my arrival. They were so welcoming - apparently I'd been gone quite some time, and they were all happy to see me come back awake and smiling. Ole and Kelli then joined our little room party, Drew Carey brought me some food, and my day's ordeal was over.
The worst part of day one was not for me personally, but for Ole and Kelli. As it turns out, no one was telling them anything about whether or not I was out of surgery and that had them quite worried. Ole kept trying to get information but none was forthcoming and he was understandably frustrated. When I finally returned to the room, he was very relieved!
So that was day one. There is more to tell regarding the rest of the days until this point, but I figured day one was enough information for my first post surgery blog!
I was able to read all of your comments and I want to thank each and every one of you - you have definitely made this easier for me and I appreciate it so, so much!
The wonderful Kelli has been keeping you all up to date and I cannot thank her enough for being my guest blogger, and for being a fantastic friend during all of this.
I arrived at the hospital Tuesday morning at 9 AM only to be told that they weren't quite ready for me yet, so we sat in the waiting room until about 10:00 AM or so. They then gave me an extremely stylish set of hospital clothes - no open back gowns here! The fabric felt a bit like terry cloth. The top was a button down shirt that fell just below the butt, pretty much like wearing a man's shirt, and the briefs were true granny briefs - they came up way, way too far! The also gave me some socks, the kind lacking any elastic whatsoever, so you put them on and they just immediately fall down. So, I took them back off.
Once properly dressed in Viborg's finest, I had to just lay in the bed and wait. They came and shot me in the gut with a blood thinner, apparently to avoid clotting while I stayed in bed for 24 hours. They also hooked me up to an IV line at this point. Before they wheeled me away, Kelli had arrived so Ole and I got some time to chat with her and that helped pass the time. I had a nurse attending to me, and she had a student nurse following her - the student nurse was a dead ringer for Drew Carey, so that's what I called him! Then Mario Andretti showed up to drive my bed from my room to the surgical area.
In the surgical area, I was forced to put the socks back on, and then I had to confirm which breast they were removing - a good safety check in my opinion. The nurses there then gave me some fancy plastic bootie shoes and a wonderfully fashionable hairnet - woohoo. I got out of bed and walked into the operating room. Now I had a team of nurses frolicking around me attaching things to me, asking questions, etc. At some point during all of this, they all exited and the surgeon came in to draw lines all over me. He left again, the gaggle of nurses returned, and with them, my favorite person in all of this - the doctor who would knock me out. First I was given what they were calling a 'block' - which I later figured out must have been an epidural of some kind. They gave me a shot in the spine and it felt like I imagine a house must feel when you blow insulation into its walls. Kinda cool really. Finally, they had me lay down and that's when the nice knock-out doctor gave me the good stuff - can't really tell you much after that point!
Cut to much later - I remember someone telling me that it was over, but that was all I heard. I recall waking a few times and asking for something to drink, and then immediately falling back to sleep. Eventually, at 7:10 pm, I woke up again and asked someone what time it was and then I asked when I could go back to my room, and they said "right now". And so, I got wheeled back and my 3 danish roommates cheered my arrival. They were so welcoming - apparently I'd been gone quite some time, and they were all happy to see me come back awake and smiling. Ole and Kelli then joined our little room party, Drew Carey brought me some food, and my day's ordeal was over.
The worst part of day one was not for me personally, but for Ole and Kelli. As it turns out, no one was telling them anything about whether or not I was out of surgery and that had them quite worried. Ole kept trying to get information but none was forthcoming and he was understandably frustrated. When I finally returned to the room, he was very relieved!
So that was day one. There is more to tell regarding the rest of the days until this point, but I figured day one was enough information for my first post surgery blog!
I was able to read all of your comments and I want to thank each and every one of you - you have definitely made this easier for me and I appreciate it so, so much!
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