OUT OUT DAMN CANCER

RC
Jan 12, 2023
3 min read

Wednesday, January 11, 2023

Lumpectomy 1:46 pm

The Night Before:

Tuesday, January 10, 2023

Not much sleep. I wasn't feeling overly anxious or worried. I am not sure why I wasn't tired, but I also didn't get stressed over it. David and I had enjoyed a lovely hot tub (my last one for a while) which seemed to energize me rather than turn me into a sleepy baby. I watched some old re-runs of Law & Order, flipped through mags and eventually fell asleep on the couch for about four hours.

David and I spent the day putting the finishing touches on my Healing Sanctuary. I now had two fluffy mattress pads on my bed, freshly laundered sheets and duvet and a mountain of pillows of varying softness and squishiness. A salt lamp was at the ready emitting a soft glow so that no bright lights were needed. A Buddha head for tranquility and lots of space on the bedside tables for reading material, pain meds, notepads and journals. All set for recovery.

The Morning Of:

Wednesday, January 11, 2023

I was awake by 6:45 am, had a lovely morning cuddle with David and started my day. No food and I even skipped having the little clear fluid I was allowed up to 4 hours pre-op. I did envy David's deliciously aromatic coffee so I just stuck my nose in his cup. Mmmm

I called my parents, showered and then got dressed. Big comfy clothes only. Soft bra - no underwire. Flat shoes. Health card. Pet rock. Red boa. Journal. Phone and charger. Check. Check. Check.

I was all dressed up in a red boa, gifted to me by my Camp Ooch girlfriends. The perfect accessory for surgery day! Hey, when I volunteered at a cancer camp for kids, boa-wearing was my norm, especially for breakfast. Channeling my campers' strength and courage and fellow volunteers' fun spirit via the boa seemed rather appropriate for my big day.

WOMEN'S COLLEGE HOSPITAL

9:10 am Registration

9:20 am Change into surgical scrubs and pink buff. Blue booties are all the rage!

9:30 am Intake with Nurse

9:50 am Consent form signing

9:55 am Surgeon's monogram (JE) on my chest

10:00 am Porter Cane and I rocked and rolled to my appointments.

I asked him what tunes he'd be playing if we could. Bob Marley!

Good choice. A colleague we met in the hallway picked some hip hop

and there we were by the elevators grooving while the music played in

our heads, laughing, joking and Cane was sliding that gurney through

the hallways! YES!

10:07 am Imagery: ultrasound by Nancy

10:15 am Imagery: wire insertion by Dr. Grant

10:45 am Imagery: mammogram by Nancy

10:58 am Cane and I roll to the next appointment

11:05 am Nuclear Medicine with Technician Robert (his music pick: funky jazz)

Dye insertion and imagery

11:45 am Rolling again with Cane

11:50 am Prep room 27

12:00 pm Nurse Aida and I hanging out: vitals checked and waiting for the surgical

team (her pick: classic 80s and she lives about 10 minutes from me)

12:20 pm Able to catch a wee nap while waiting

12:55 pm Anaesthesiologist check-in

1:00 pm Team starts to arrive

1:15 pm IV finally goes in (not easily!!! Damn deep non-cooperative veins!)

1:20 pm 3rd yr Med Student Fatima asks if she can sit-in for surgery (me: yes!)

1:25 pm Assisting Doc checks in

1:35 pm Surgical Nurse checks in and it's SHOWTIME!

1:38 pm Nurses walk super-fast! Wheeled to Operating Room 3

1:40 pm Move on to surgical table

1:42 pm Quick chat with Team. Requested GOOD POSITIVE VIBES. And I said:

"Let's have a great and successful day in "the office." Thank YOU!!"

1:44 pm Oxygen mask on. I didn't even get to count down.

LET'S DO THIS!

CANCER CELLS HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM MY LEFT BOOB!

✅ Step 1 is now complete!

My hero:

Dr. Jaime Escallon

Apparently, Dr. Escallon came by to check-in and say that surgery went very well. I spoke to him and I have NO RECOLLECTION OF THIS! LOL Post-op Nurse said I was polite and thanked him profusely! 😊

3:55 pm In the distance I hear..."Rosemary" Slowly becoming conscious.

Dr. Escallon walked by in his civies, fully dressed to head out after a

long day in the "office". Three surgeries back-to-back. He gave me a

thumbs-up 👍🏼 as he walked past. Sweetest man! So lovely and caring.

4:20 pm more oxycodone please!

5:15 pm David arrives - YEAH HOME TIME!

5:50 pm Swing by parents for an in-car visit

David walks to pharmacy to pick up the prescription meds

6:25 pm HOME SWEET HOME and drugged to the MAX!

Apparently I am quite verbose while high LOL