Glad yesterday is over

Well, kids, yesterday is history and I couldn’t be happier. It was an easier day than I thought it would be, but even at it's best, it was crappy.

Bottom line is that the surgery went well. Dr. Nath removed more breast tissue than he thought he’d have to and wasn’t very happy with what he had to do to put me back together. He says he’s a perfectionist but thinks he’s left me with a scar. I couldn't care less. It’s my battle wound, I’ll wear it with pride.

Dr. Nath called this morning to talk me through everything again. Apparently he and I had a conversation yesterday in the recovery room after surgery—I remember absolutely nothing. He said he removed additional breast tissue (beyond just clearing margins) and took two lymph nodes, both of which were negative on a quick pathology report. That’s great news. Of course we’ll have to wait for complete pathology, which should come some time later this week.

The day itself was an adventure and filled with some familiar faces.

Dave and I started the day with a 10:30 check-in and my day surgery nurse, Judi, was the same one I had on June 14. She is one of those eternally cheery people and just perfect at her job. I was once again very comfortable in her care.

The sentinel node biopsy was a very easy procedure. It involved four injections of lidocaine (as an anesthetic) followed by four injections of a radioactive agent that Dr. Nath used to follow the blood flow path from the breast tissue into the lymph system. The diagnostic radiologist who administered the injections was the same gentleman who performed the stereotactic biopsy (I still don’t know his name, I’ll have to ask Dr. Nath).

(During the actual surgery, Dr. Nath dropped a blue dye into the surgical site and the dye took a similar path from the site into the lymph system. The dye and radioactive agent had the same role, to guide him to the sentinel node, the first one in the path out of the breast. He followed the dye and used a Geiger counter to find the right nodes and removed two.)

The radiology work was followed by a trip to the nuclear medicine department for a few images to be sure the radioactive agent was moving through my system.

Then we waited for an operating room to become available. My 1:20 procedure began at about 3 p.m. As he did on June 14, Dave sat with me in the surgery staging area and slipped out before the anesthesiologist pushed what she called my “happy cocktail” into my IV tube. A few minutes later we were in the operating room and everything that happened from that point on was done without my active involvement.

I woke in the recovery room in terrible pain. The nurse offered to push some morphine into my line and followed with a second dose. Once I hit the clouds she let Dave and PJ in to see me. Perhaps that was a mistake. I could tell from the look on PJ’s face that she was upset at the sight of me, and Dave looked a little freaked as well.

I moved back to day surgery and sat there for a while before Dave brought me home. We were here by 8:15.

Highlights of the Day:
• PJ’s and Dave’s smiling faces
• Kind, cheerful health care professionals at every step along the way (a few with great senses of humor)
• Saltine crackers and ginger ale following surgery—nothing in the world would have tasted better at that moment
• Dave’s $3 roast beef sandwich and complimentary soda in the hospital cafeteria
• Ice packs and the pillow the day surgery nurse let me take home
• Turquoise-colored urine, thanks to the blue dye
• Vicodin and morphine on the same day

It’s over, at least for the moment. We’ll await final pathology and hope not to have to go through this again. But if we do…

Next step: A follow up with Dr. Nath on August 22. At that time he’ll schedule me into radiology (says it will start about 6 weeks post-surgery, mid-September-ish).