Getting the Skinny on the Surgery
For my lumpectomy pre-op appointments today, the first part was done in the hospital wing while the second was done in the Breast Care Center, which is a more contemporary wing with hip-happening art and better lighting.
Before lunch, they took my blood and, um, other things, quizzed me about my health in preparation for anesthesia, and had me get a chest X-Ray. My blood pressure was very high, which is not surprising given how hospitals make my eyes dash about madly in an attempt to find the exit. Apparently, I appear calm and self-possessed, but my vital signs tell the truth about how I'm feeling.
While getting the chest X-ray, the technician (a young man) was marveling at my hair. Go figure! He was asking how I get it so shiny and silky. He didn't ask how I get it so purple, because I suppose that's obvious. I told him that I don't blow dry it and that helps a lot, but that I have a friend in South Dakota who says she can't avoid blow drying, or her hair will freeze in the winter. He thought that was the funniest thing he had heard in ages. I would say he was just flattering a half-naked woman, but I don't think I'm hot, so maybe he's just an easy laugh.
After finishing with the hospital part of things, I decided to leave UCSF and get lunch somewhere else, just to clear my mind. I went to Japan Center to get a sandwich and visit the Japanese bookstore. The smell of the incense wafting from the stores and the muffled conversations (in several languages) were very soothing. As a bonus, I scored some amazing movie magazines with Johnny Depp bonus photos inside. These are the kinds of things you will never see in U.S. magazines. I bought extra to mail to my friends who are fellow fans and that cheered me up a lot.
Back at UCSF, I met with the surgeon's nurse. I had left her a message last week letting her know that I was frustrated with a lack of information. I asked for copies of my pathology reports and to be shown my mammograms, which I had never seen. I have to say, this nurse is fabulous. She was ready with the reports, the films, and handouts. She went over everything in great detail. She has a tranquil presence which is welcome at times like these.
In the end, they really don't know much about the cancer until the pathology lab looks at the tumor sample. But at least now I know what they will be looking for and when I'll get results (May 3rd-also known as one million years from now). She explained that after the post-op appointment with the surgeon, they'll refer me to a medical oncologist for treatment.
She explained the sentinel node biopsy that they will be doing during the surgery. This is really cool, unless, like me, you look at photos of it online. Or you don't want to be radioactive. (I'm fine reading descriptions, but don't show me photos of surgery! Again, I'm wishing for a TMI (too much information) filter for my browser.)
Anyway, it used to be that during breast cancer surgery, surgeons would remove many lymph nodes (as in, dozens!) to examine for signs of cancer spread. These are the filtration devices that service breast tissue. They are located under the arm and when you have them removed, it's possible to get conditions like lymphedema that are no fun at all. Now they have a procedure that allows them to remove select lymph nodes only.
How it works is that shortly before surgery, they inject the tumor with a blue dye and a low-level radioactive tracer. This travels to the lymph node, called the sentinel node, which "services" that area. This is the lymph node most likely to contain cancer cells if the cancer is spreading. By removing that node (and maybe a couple of others nearby) and examining them under the microscope, the surgeon can make an informed decision about whether or not to remove more nodes. If the cancer is not in the sentinel nodes, they don't have to remove any more.
Supposedly, the radioactive tracer breaks down quickly. The blue dye sometimes stains the breast tissue and can be there for months, but only sometimes. Given all the troubles that my mother had after she had her lymph nodes removed as part of her radical mastectomy, I'm okay with being blue and glowing for a while if that gets me off the hook.
The nurse told me that the recovery is three to six weeks. Hmmm, I had planned two to three days. I can only assume the extra time is they have to take more lymph nodes. As it is, I'm willing to stretch it to 1-2 weeks. Maybe.
I asked why the form they mailed to me said that I should plan for an overnight stay. Thank goodness, she said that's just a precaution. If everything goes well and I feel up to it, I will get to go home that night. Honestly, I am willing to lie like a rug to get out a hospital, so I'm pretty sure I won't be staying overnight. I can just see myself slipping a $20 to the nurse so that she'll look the other way while I gather my clothes into a ball, chew off my wrist band, and bolt for the stairwell.
Did I mention that I don't like hospitals?
Meeting with the nurse made me feel more informed and, as it always works out, much calmer as a result. I didn't even scream when I had to pay $24 for parking. Now I'm in search of a top that "zips or buttons up the front" as well as a "bra without underwire." Fellow busty girls, are you laughing as hard as I am over that? We learn early on to avoid buttons and bras without underwire...well...I don't need to comment on that.
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