Dear Diary #9 - One Less Body Part

Good morning all,

I'm now a couple of days post surgery, and just getting myself all settled in. I thought I'd take some time to share the details. 

Remember back from an earlier post I said one of the reasons for this blog was to share the details (good and bad) that go along with this journey. Maybe because I am immersed in this cancer pool it seems so much more prevalent to me, but it seems that more and more people are getting diagnosed, and if this can help one or two people know more about the intimate details of what to expect then my heart is happy. 

For those of you not interested in surgical details, this would be a good post to skip, lol.

So Thursday was surgery day.  Started bright and early, and in the dark. I had a pretty good sleep, considering.  If I had not looked at the time at about 340am I would have slept longer. Up around 530 to feed the animals, finish packing, and hit the road. 

Entry into the hospital at 715am was strangly apocalyptic. The hospital is very very busy but there are very few people around. Almost creepy in these covid times. Elevators are empty, hallways and entryways have few people outside of staff. It was pretty eerie. 

I ventured off to diagnotic imaging for the nuclear mapping I discussed in an earlier post. I realize that I gave some misinformation in that post.  They don't actually use the imaging from this test to look at any tumor cells. This is simply a 'road map' leading towards lymph nodes. The first part was very fast (took longer to get undressed and redressed). Simply two small needle injections into my boob right on the edges of my nipple. Very strange feeling as dye is injected. One I can't even really describe, but it only lasted for maybe 3 seconds. Not so much painful as surprising. 

This dye needs to work it's way through for 2 hours, so I moved my way up to the day surgery ward for admitting. Got myself settled up there, into a gown, relaxed and napped for a short while, then was sent back down for a scan 2 hours later. This was just done in/near a machine with a camera like scanner. Kind of a cross between a ct scanner and an xray.  Nothing claustrophobic, but some might not like it. Super fast, under 4 minutes. She just took a few photos and marked an x in my armpit with a sharpie. 'X' marks the spot, so they say. This simply tells the surgeon where my 'sentinel node' is. This is simply (if I understand this all right) the first lymph node in the chain of lymph nodes behind. I had what is known as a sentinel node biopsy. They surgeon removes that first one during surgery, and it is sent away for testing.  This is a super important test because if any of the cancer cells have travelled outside of my breast they would move first to that lymph node, and from there could spread to other parts of my body through the lymphatic system. If this node tests clear then the assumption is made that the current spot of cancer has not yet spread. I really hope I explained that right, haha. Clear as mud?

Based on what is known before surgery, cancer types, biopsy results etc, they can choose to remove more lymph nodes (auxiliary nodes) at the time of surgery. I think this is more often done with her2+ types (which I am not, thankfully), or triple negative, or triple positive cancers (also of which I am not, thankfully). I was pleasantly surprised to wake up without an extra incision in my armpit so the nurses tell me the surgeon would have removed my sentinel node by tunneling in from my main incision. One less healing spot, yay!

After my scan I just went back up to day surgery to await my surgery time, scheduled for 1145am. It was an uneventful wait. Once moved over to the surgical waiting area I got to have a visit with my OR nurse, my surgeon, and my anesthesiologist. I had a great chat about all my past issues and my anesthesiologist assured me she had lots of drug options and she would work her magic so I was not vomitting afterwards. She almost succeeded! 

In a past life, I'm sure I must have been a doctor or a nurse, I am fascinated by things like operating rooms. While everyone was frantically getting me all connected, wired, strapped, etc I loved checking out all the chaos that goes on inside an operating room. But damn it they always want me to sleep through it! I had both of my kids by c-section and loved being awake in the OR for those!! 

Surgery was to be about 1.5hrs, and that seems like what happened, not entirely sure what time I woke up in recovery but somewhere around 130 I think. I woke up feeling pretty good, all things considered. All the surgical staff were really pushing for me to head home as soon as I could. Peter Lougheed hospital is in NE Calgary,  with by far the highest concentration community of covid numbers, I believe there are currently two wards on covid outbreak, and Thursday saw more record breaking covid numbers in the province. Everyone said 'you're safer at home'. But alas, I still did end up vomitting, even if only for a short few minutes.  They found some anti-naseau meds for me, and they helped. But they also made me feel too drugged to be comfortable going home. 

I received totally mixed messages regarding visitors being allowed, but Darrin did end up coming up Thursday night. Even though it probably worried him more to see me than not, I was glad for a short visit for sure. 

As of this time, my chest (right side) is covered in gauze and tape. I have yet to see any of my incision etc. The dressing is to be left on for another 24 hours yet (I can't wait to shower!!!). I also get to carry around a drain and pouch. The surgical site is left with a drain inserted (I've seen pictures of more than a foot of tubing being pulled from inside people on removal,  yikes). But it is sutured into the incision and a tube is left out with a collection pouch that needs to be emptied (contents poured into a container to be measured and recorded) a few times a day. I'll carry this around with me until I am draining less than 20ml in a 24 hr period.  This is likely somewhere between 5 to 14 days. It's more annoying than anything, but it is pretty easy to deal with. Before surgery I bought a mastectomy camisole.  It is a great piece! It is a front zip up top, with adjustable straps. There are bra type supports that each have pockets that can also hold boob inserts later if needed. There is a strip of soft velcro around the shirt, and two removable velcro pouches that can hold drains. So the drains can be moved around and removed easily. It's pretty sweet actually. Great investment.  I am not supposed to lift my right arm up over my head while I have drain in, so button up and zip up shirts are a necessity! 

I am pleasantly surprised by how little pain I am in. My body does not handle any type of pain meds very well. I have an unfilled prescription for something, and it will probably stay unfilled.  I have only taken a couple of doses of advil so far. And I am comfortable.  I am NOT a back sleeper, but am going to learn to be for the next while. It is painful to lay on either side, and askward with drain as well. But I slept great for most of the night last night, and even in hospital in between all their vital checks. 

Today is a beautiful day outside and I hope to get out for a walk, even if just a short one. 

I am disappointed to say that I have been unable to discover how much my boob weighed. Lol. My home scale says I weigh more than the hospital scale, and I totally forgot to weigh myself before going in. Oops. So all of you that were wondering....well you'll have to just keep wondering. 🤣

I have promised everyone that I will not over do it, I will rest lots, I will drink lots, and I will look after me! On day 2 post surgery I feel really good. I feel all the love and support from my tribe. And today will be a fantastic day!

Keep cheering friends. My follow up appointment is on Dec 16, and I hope to know more at that time. Love each and every one of you!!

Peace and love 

Barb