October 27th.

The day started with anti-nausea medications and four needles of radioactive material injected into my nipple.

I didn’t have to wait for surgery. While I was in the pre-op room, the hospital chaplain came to visit me. Strange. There were many other people in the room getting ready for surgery, but he came to my bed like I called him. And left when we were done. (We said a prayer together.)

Last thing I remember is my anesthesiologist telling me I was a light weight…lol. After that, nothing until I heard the nurse yelling my name in recovery. I found out later she was yelling because my oxygen levels bottomed out. (More on that later.)

My left side is augmented and looks pretty much like my boobs always looked until cancer. I won’t even have to buy new bras!

There wasn’t enough skin on the right after the mastectomy, so they installed an expander. I will go get it expanded with saline a couple times before they swap it out with the implant (this is done outpatient). The expander hurts. The implant not so much.

A port (for chemo) was also placed and in the course of doing so, my left lung punctured; and the reason my oxygen levels were low. They did a chest x-ray. It showed air leaking from my lung into the chest cavity. The pocket on the outside didn’t allow my lung to expand.

So, they cut a three inch incision in my side, between two ribs, stuck their fingers in it to help “guide” the tube and shoved it up inside the rib cage toward the collar bone where the air pocket sat.

No matter the pain meds, that tube hurt! It was there for about 30 hours and I felt it every time I breathed. It was, by FAR, the most painful part of the process.

They took out the tube 4 hours before release. Did a chest x-ray and said my lung was fully inflated again. When I asked if it is likely it will collapse again, they said no. But, told me if I feel a “tightness” in my chest to go to the ER right away. Um, I have incisions on both my breasts, and I’m wearing a tight bra like thing….call me crazy, but my chest always feels tight at this point.

They wanted to do all this as an outpatient: mastectomy, reconstruction on both sides, and port placement. Then send me home. My husband argued, threatened and cajoled until they relented and said I could stay one night. Good thing. I would have come home with that deflated lung and well, who knows?

I didn’t eat at all Weds, only scrambled eggs on Thurs, and only pancakes on Friday…and somehow I gained 8 pounds!! I’m sure most of it is from the iv. At least I hope so! The implant on the left side doesn’t weigh that much! Shesh.

I found out that Morphine makes me barf. (Good to know.) That walking around with a tube hanging out the side of your chest sucks major ass. (Though I still have a “drain” from the mastectomy which must be emptied everyday as required. GROSS-NESS!) And peeing in front of two people, most of whom are males younger than 27 years old, one holding the iv, the other holding the chest tube reservoir, is not something I hope to ever endure again.

My surgeon took 4 Sentinel Lymph Nodes (SLN). I wouldn’t let him take anymore than that because of the increased risk of lymphedema. We find out Monday if this has spread into my lymph system.

Til then. We wait.