11.4.13...

11.4.13 as I know it is SURGERY DAY, the day we have been looking forward to since my diagnosis on 9.25.13. Seems kind of weird looking forward to surgery. Originally we were thinking surgery was going to be 11.21.13 so we had everything planned out from that week into the next week which is Thanksgiving. Then, when it was changed to Monday, there was no time to plan for anything. So, we just went with it because we were so happy that we were getting this done earlier than expected. Now I'm not going to lie, I was NERVOUS!!! Surprisingly I slept well on Sunday night but when I got up Monday, I didn't feel like I was getting ready to have a 7 hour surgery. We had to be at the surgery center at 8:00 am to register. We got there right at 8:00. I registered then waited for my buzzer to go off to be called back. I knew surgery wasn't scheduled to begin until 10:00 am so I thought I would be in that waiting room for awhile. Well, that wasn't the case, I only waited about 15 min. I went back and they took my vitals, which as I expected  were a little high, and they went over some medical history. After that was complete they let my family back in the teeny tiny pre-op room. I'm still not sure how everyone fit back there. Anyway, while my family waited in that tiny room I went to Radiology for a dye injection. This injection of dye was for my lymph nodes to make it easier for them to see in surgery if there was any cancer that had spread to them. After the injection I went back to the tiny room and it was time to change into that fabulous hospital gown so that I could go get my nerve block. They sent my family back out into the waiting room and  I went to get the block. I told them that since they were giving me a little anesthesia, please don't ask me any questions because I had no idea what would come out of my mouth and I told them I just wasn't ready to embarrass myself because I would probably do that after surgery when I was waking up. After the block was placed, they wheeled me back to that tiny room where I would see Dr. Nate and we would just go over really quick what was going to happen. Ryan and my grandparents came back, one last time and then off I went. Once in the surgery suite, I moved myself over to the bed I would be on for the surgery and that is the last thing I remember. Ryan told me that Dr. Nate's part of the surgery, which was the first part went over by 45 min. This was because when they gave me the second injection for my lymph nodes, they could see that some cancer had spread. So, he said that he took out 5-35 lymph nodes. I know that 5 to 35 is a large span but they just cut out a big chunk and were able to see some cancer microscopically. Microscopically is good because that means that the cancer probably hasn't been there long. However, they still sent off the lymph nodes for biopsy and we should have the results by Friday. This does guarantee that I will have chemo though and there is now a chance I will have to have radiation. That's fine though because I will do whatever it takes. Once Dr. Nate was done, Dr. Stalnecker began the reconstruction and was actually able to fill up the expanders more than he expected to be able to. I did end up with 5 drains instead of 4 because of the lymph nodes. After surgery, I was in recovery for about 45 min and then taken to my room where I had quite a few visitors. It was really nice to see everyone that came in but I can't promise I remember everything that was said because I was still a little loopy. The night went pretty well, I was up walking around at midnight then around 8:30 am Dr. Nate and Sharlee came in to see me. I asked Dr. Nate if I should be worried about my lymph nodes and he said NO so I feel much better about that but we still have to wait for the results to be sure. After they left I was discharged and was home by 9:00 am Tuesday morning. We couldn't believe it. We thought that 23 hr observation began once I got to my room but it actually began when they took me back before surgery. So, since being home, things have gone pretty smoothly. I've slept quite a bit and Ryan has done a great job by setting an alarm for every 4 hrs so I can take my pain medicine since we took my block out this morning because it was empty. He has also been emptying my drains and has made sure I am comfortable. Today though, I took a shower and have walked around a lot and even begun my exercises. Surprisingly, I feel more sore and stiff than I feel pain. The only thing that is really painful is my drain that is near my where my lymph nodes were because it's right by a nerve but otherwise, I feel pretty good!! I see Dr. Stalnecker on Monday and I should get 2 drains out...YAY!!! The next part of recovery which is chemo will begin in about 4 weeks so until then I go see Dr. Stalnecker weekly so he will remove drains and continue to pump up the expanders. Once healed we will decide whether these expanders will be permanent or whether we will do a second surgery to replace them with gel. So, more waiting but I am so glad the process has begun!! Ready to kick some a**!!