Different Kind of Post -- Breast Surgery Pre-op
Pre-op, again, and I didn’t know what to expect. You do pre-op in the Children’s Hospital and then head up in this maze to go “somewhere else.” They ask lots of questions – and I really hope that I’m giving them Tony’s phone number and not a wrong number. You get so dependent on speed dial that no one knows numbers any more!
Appointment with Dr. Warren – we also schedule an MRI to see
if I can save some lymph nodes in my left armpit (I guess I need to research
lymph nodes because I’m still clueless), bloodwork (not sure what that was for)
and EKG (not sure what that was for either). Appointment with Dr. Beale – they
measure more, take pre pictures (yes, this is weird – on a green screen, no
robe – wish I had dieted before all of this because my belly is making me self-conscious
– and my thighs, and the rest of my body). They write up prescriptions to pick
up before surgery (I accidentally gave them the wrong one – there are multiple
on Jefferson, but this one in Cockrell Hill isn’t that far out of the way and
is nicer). Lots of scripts, but they are really careful with all of my
allergies to stuff (sulfa, penicillin, iodine, shellfish) – if it isn’t in your
profile already, ask for the easy-on, easy-off caps (I couldn’t open them…).
And then MRI – a boob MRI is much better than a regular MRI.
You get to spend the 20 minutes on your stomach with your boobs in holes (you
get used to having people “man handle” your boobs during all of this, shifting
them around. They asked what kind of music I like and I said light rock and so I
listened to classic rock (four and a half songs) and just relaxed, almost
napped. The noise isn’t bad and since you’re on your stomach, it’s better. In
case you wonder about why I know four and a half songs – I am not the only
person that does this. Seems like lots of people do. I guess if they put
Alice’s Restaurant (Arlo Guthrie and it’s really only 18 minutes if you want
the exact length -- https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video;_ylt=AwrE19wC1CZgckYAGr9XNyoA;_ylu=Y29sbwNiZjEEcG9zAzEEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3BpdnM-?p=alice%27s+restaurant+arlo+guthrie&fr2=piv-web&fr=yfp-t-s#id=10&vid=bf6f0edb6ac8b4d26ef4401fb7e6ae5b&action=view
) that there would only be one song, that iconic Thanksgiving song (pretty
annoying, but long), or Meatloaf’s Paradise by the Dashboard Light (10 minutes:
https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video;_ylt=AwrDQ2oH1CZg0moA.y_7w8QF;_ylu=c2VjA3NlYXJjaAR2dGlkA0MwMjU2;_ylc=X1MDOTY3ODEzMDcEX3IDMgRhY3RuA2NsawRjc3JjcHZpZANWMjJJcVRFd0xqRVhLVy5XWHdXclpBRGJNall3TUFBQUFBQjR5REFHBGZyA3lmcC10LXMEZnIyA3NhLWdwBGdwcmlkAzI0bTZOeWZaU2JhOTlubGlYdlA4aEEEbl9yc2x0AzYwBG5fc3VnZwMxMARvcmlnaW4DdmlkZW8uc2VhcmNoLnlhaG9vLmNvbQRwb3MDMQRwcXN0cgNtZWF0bG9hZiUyMHBhcmFkBHBxc3RybAMxNARxc3RybAM1MwRxdWVyeQNtZWF0JTIwbG9hZiUyMHBhcmFkaXNlJTIwYnklMjB0aGUlMjBkYXNoYm9hcmQlMjBsaWdodAR0X3N0bXADMTYxMzE1NzQ4Ng--?p=meat+loaf+paradise+by+the+dashboard+light&ei=UTF-8&fr2=p%3As%2Cv%3Av%2Cm%3Asa&fr=yfp-t-s#id=4&vid=5ffddd34c9af73072e1f6be3184bbd9e&action=view
).
And then pre Hospital check in: paperwork, pay more money
($1,000 deductible for new United Healthcare insurance – who knows what else),
and go upstairs for chest X-ray.
NOTE: MEDICAL CITY NEEDS WAY BETTER WAY FINDING. NOT ONLY ARE THE PICTURES IN THEIR BROCHURES AWFUL, THEIR WRITEUPS ARE AWFUL. THEY NEED EISENBERG TO HELP OUT.
Other pre-op: I’ve been online and researching. And Mom and
Allison and everyone is offering advice.
· Breast buddy pillow: this is a pillow that velcros around your seatbelt to protect your boobs while driving. Yes! On Amazon:
PJs with button up shirts: a must. Mine all go over my head and they say that won’t be possible for a while – at least 3 weeks, maybe more (these are OK and came in a lot of colors and aren’t as warm, so good alternative. No pockets. And, they say to “dry flat” – maybe not to stretch them. We’ll see how long they last, but don’t need them forever). – BTW, ordered a pair of purple ones that delivered on Saturday!·
Pillows: when I said I would spend the first
couple of weeks in a recliner I was told NO – blood clot issues. Mom sent My
Pillows (BIG controversy because while the guy built this from nothing, he’s
also been banned, like Trump, for his political stuff). AND MY PILLOWS CAME
WITH BEAR PILLOW COVERS – FOR THOSE OF YOU ON FB WITH ME, I POST A LOT OF BEAR
VIDEOS, SO COMPLETELY APPROPRIATE! Allison bought what I thought was a neck
pillow, but really a side something. I don't care, I'm posting because these pillows are great. And I love the pillowcases (this is NOT political): https://www.mypillow.com/
· Hoodies and zippered, button up close: don’t have a lot, but enough (including a Bay Harbor Michigan golf hoodie -- my favorite day on our annual Michigan golf trips. ( https://www.bayharborgolf.com) . And not like I’m going anywhere.
·
Hair color: I dyed my hair a week before the
procedure – didn’t really help, but better. Won’t be able to lift my arms. I think I'm done with this non-bleach hair color (Natural Instinct) and will go back to bleach when I can color again.
·
Meal prep: I made tons of Chicken Tortilla Soup
and froze (Karen Marino’s recipe here - Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe), lasagna (recipe here: Lasagna Recipe), green pepper
stuffing, spaghetti sauce, and some sweet potato crockpot something. Freezer
ready for Tony.
· Guest room fix: our guest bedroom has been a
work in progress since April. Mom and Allison are coming to visit – MUST BE
READY. Tony goes into full gear and paints ceiling, walls, windows, hangs new
curtains, turns on mini fridge, brings in TV with Prime Video and Hulu and
Antenna. New towels for bathroom. New pillows. All set. Thank you, Amazon (www.amazon.com)
·
Red room/office clean up: get the red
room/office ready for Allison to work/Zoom and for me to work/Zoom when I get
back to working. Probably not best to be walking up and down for a while to the
OCLL.
·
Set up bigger TV in living room with Prime
Video, Antenna, Hulu (great thing about paying the unlimited devices on Hulu is
that we can watch on all seven TVs in the house at the same time!)
·
Clean house: our house isn’t awful and super dirty –
but it is a 100 year old house. And Mom IS coming. So, of course I got obsessed
with cleaning woodwork, carpets, etc. Did the best we could (AND put the
holiday decorations up in the garage attic!)
·
Purge: I went through my drawers and tossed
about 20 bras – and other stuff that I probably should have tossed years ago.
Still more purging to come. I didn’t buy any other bras since I didn’t know
what – definitely what size. Not sure what to expect with no boobs for a while.
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