My Breast Perspective

My surgery was scheduled for 8:15 AM, so I was asked to arrive at 5:30 AM. Ryan and I got up at four so we could shower and get the bed ready with all of my pillows (they could have their own post! :)) for when I came home later that day. We drove through the quiet city in the dark, and everything felt really calm.

I often say I live a charmed life, and today was no exception. We encountered so many kind people as we checked in to the outpatient surgery center. As we sat in the waiting room with a few other patients, a woman walked in and introduced herself as Kathy, the nurse liaison. She proceeded to welcome all of us to the surgery center and introduced herself to each of us individually. She would be in touch with our loved ones to give them updates throughout the day. My nerves were calmed by her kindness and general presence. It was a good start.

Soon I was called back by a nurse to start getting ready for my procedure. It took about two hours to get through meeting each of the doctors and nurses that would be taking care of me. Dr. G showed up to give me a hug and confirm the procedure. Dr. Lo walked me through the plan again and proceeded to draw all over my chest (think sharpies in various colors) to prepare for surgery.

Side note: It’s been an interesting and humbling experience for me to know that I am changing my body on purpose. A sort of letting go of a part of who I’ve been and embracing a new part of what I will be. I felt nervous yet calm – resolved, and still grateful for the opportunity and for the team of people who would be taking care of me. I am constantly in awe of people in medicine. They are smart and brave and have the ability to change our lives. They often help us in our most vulnerable moments and care for us in the most intimate of ways. We trust them with our lives and I’m grateful for their hard work and dedication.

Sappy side note: My husband is with me through everything, truly my partner through it all. It’s a bonus that he is a physician himself and understands all the medical processes better than I do. He has held my hand on this journey and repeatedly explained everything anytime I have questions – and I have a ton of questions all-the-time. His patience truly is remarkable. But with that in mind – he is still just a big kid… He enjoyed joking that Dr. Lo’s sharpie drawing looked like a corset… always finding a way to lighten the situation!

Around 830 I was wheeled into the operating room, said hello to all of the people who would be caring for me and quickly fell asleep.

I awoke in the recovery room around 1 PM. I felt a heaviness on my chest and immediately thought how happy I was to not have to worry about Breast cancer. I guess I didn’t realize how much that had weighed on me. My second thought was, I hope my new boobs look ok.

Luckily, I was given a nerve block so other than a sensation of heaviness I did not have much pain. I was released to Ryan who drove me back to our families’ house. I struggle to come out of anesthesia easily so that day included a lot of throwing up. Yuk.

Huge shout out to my sister-in-law, Meagan and my husband. They both helped me stay comfortable during my recovery. Between feeding me, dressing me, emptying my drains, keeping up with my meds and helping me stay comfortable they worked their asses off while I slept and relaxed/recovered those first few days.

I had to sign a waiver that I had someone to take care of me upon my return home. Although this procedure is outpatient, I’ll need help for the next six weeks to do daily tasks. This is stuck in my mind as I’m recovering, it puts my experience in perspective. I’m incredibly grateful that I have a village who cares for me and that I was able to choose to do this electively while I am healthy.