I'm home!

The surgery staff at QCH were awesome! Sort of like MMI where the front end staff have pickles up their bums and the back room staff who actually do the tests were great.

I arrived on time and was sent to the waiting room just like during the pre-op. The wait wasn't long and I was sent down to Day Surgery. I was greeted there by the lovely Mary. Debs, you should know that I think we should do more to bring the Irish over here. The lovely Mary was all "Top o'the mornin' to ya love" and "tanks to ye" and on and on. I could have sat with her the whole day.

The lovely Mary escorted me into the waiting area and guess what? There were no chairs and no paper clothes! I got flannel pj bottoms and top and then a "housecoat" which was just another top backwards. And I got a bed! I changed and hopped right up there. I conned the nursing assistant, Dan, to let me keep my socks on and the second assistant brought me THREE warm blankets over the course of the morning! Heaven!

I sat and read my book in bed perfectly contented. Dr Mirsky came by for a brief visit and then Lisa took me off to give me the radioactive injection used to follow the lymph node path. Lisa has no friends - she admitted it! That woman caused more pain in 30 seconds than the moronic resident did who biopsied me without freezing! In fairness, Lisa did warn me that it was very painful and that it wouldn't last more than a minute or two - and she explained why that would be. It was sort of like all the advice you get when you're first pregnant and everyone tells you that labour will be painful. You never fully understand until you're in the middle of it. On the bright side, nothing has yet compared to the pain that Lisa caused, although that didn't last more than 30 seconds.

Lisa wheeled me back to the waiting room where I received the news that everything was delayed because the mammogram machine was broken. I found out later that two panels had fried and parts had come from Toronto and Chicago that had arrived late. I was in no hurry. I was lying in bed, reading and warm. Nirvana.

Soon a nurse came over to put in the IV (to help keep me hydrated), provide a Tylenol suppository (thankfully I had the choice to do that myself or have her administer it - guess which I chose) and let me know that I would soon be going for the dreaded wire insertion. If you recall, this is the part of the trip that had the potential to lead to a bloody nose! I sat up a little straighter and got my dukes up.

The mammogram tech came to wheel me over for the wire. I was left in a hallway briefly and then the ultrasound tech joined us. Everyone was lovely and they wheeled me into a bay and pulled the curtain. The US tech started explaining what would happen and then doctor Chow "Call me Abe" joined us. The first words out of his mouth other than "Call me Abe" were, "I'm going to give you a local freezing". Cue angels from heaven. I love Abe. I relaxed and did as I was told. Because it is my right side that's causing all this grief, they had to turn the gurney around which meant that I got to watch the whole thing on the ultra sound screen. That was actually kind of neat. I am eternally gratefull that I got the local - first because Abe's hands shook something fierce and secondly because I watched the needle go in then move around some and I didn't think that would feel good if I could feel. Sadly, the freezing was over way too soon and the wire was rather uncomfortable.

From the wire to the mammogram to ensure that it was properly place and then back to the waiting area. I must say that it was great fun to be wheeled aroun din bed all day:) All that was left was to wait my turn. I took a nap and read a little and it was all frankly uneventful. Shortly before noon I was wheeled over to the OR. I lay waiting in the hallway and eventually Dr M came and spoke to me. We went over the procedure again and did a short Q&A and then he was gone. Presently the anesthesiologist came by to ask a bunch of questions and explain things. He was a dead ringer for Andrew Y! Seriously - an identical twin. Good thing I wasn't too stoned at this point. Mirsky joined us and told the other doc that I was going to be the last patient of the day as the mammo was again on the fritz and they weren't goint o take any chances. If I had been cancelled it would have been rather devastating for me - so I'm very glad that we were able to go through with the operation and I'm very sad for the two women who didn't.

Lastly, a nurse came out to go over my chart and ask me questions and we were all set to - then the fire alarm sounded! She wheeled me into the OR in any event and two nurses and I sat around waiting to see what was going to happen. No one tried to evacuate or check things out - it was really more of an inconvenience than anything. Finally, the alarm ended and there was an announcement that everything was all clear. The anasthe....doc came in and the last thing I remember is proposing to him. Well, in determinig the rightthe drug dose, he asked if I weighed about 120 pounds and I felt marriage was the appropriate response.

Post op saw me back in the same waiting area. I remember speaking with Dr M but sadly don't remember much of what he said except that it was not good. They had to remove the nodes as there was indeed cancer in them and I do have a drain. However, a lovely volunteer, who had been through a mastectomy and had a draiin had designed and made lovely bags to cover and carry the drain. Much more efficient and better looking than my cupboard paper idea, I am very thankful to this unnamed woman. So, Dr M will tell me all about the pathology when I see him in two weeks and I won't be stoned for that visit so I'll be able to remember the details.

A lovely nurse - Tracey I think - helped me to get ready for leaving. In assisting me to get dressed, she started helping me into my pants when I told her we should probably take off the hospital pants first! She responded, "Oh! I'll get the scissors." Now, the pants weren't a fashion statement and would have made Sydny roll her eyes, but I didn't think cutting them off was warranted. When Tracey returned and lifted my gown she exclaimed, "Oh, those pants!" She had thought I was wearing an adult diaper! Seriously, there will likely come a time in my life for that - but either I was stoneder than I realize or I looked really bad post-op for her to have expected that. We had a good laugh over it however.

For now, I've had my second shot of morphine and I'm off to strange dream land. A huge thanks to all of you for cards and gifts and good vibes. Also a big thanks to the staff at QCH who were unfailingly supportive, caring and humourous during my brief visit with them yesterday.

Love to all.