Meeting the plastic surgeon, and EVERY other doctor there!!

Had a good night's sleep thanks to my many prayer partners!!!

Leisurely wake up, Graland got the the girls off to school, and my poor Abbie's Easter basket is still on the kitchen table. :( So we take it to school on our way out of town.

I am SOOOO glad I had to go by the school...God is so good to have arranged it! One of my student's lets me in the back door and another signs "Mrs. D! Mrs. D!!" I take the basket to Abbie and Sherry P. just makes my day with how much she missed me and missed having me at school yesterday. I tell her about reading online last night about the kind of surgery I will be having and how good I am feeling about it! :) I describe the skin-sparing mastectomy to her and I think she is as happy about it as I am!! Also told her I sent a link to this blog for everyone. Didn't realize I left out the link though!! lol WOW...so much for being computer savvy!!! As with most sites you try to look at from school, this one was blocked too (personal site)! lol Wrote to James and he opened it up for us. ((hugs)) He is such a good friend!

My sisters send me off with well wishes and I'm totally pumped up, ready to go, and now...out the door! BTW, Tuesday was a pink shirt day at school...they are so awesome and I couldn't have dreamed of being in a better place. God is so good.

10:00 First appointment is with the Radiation Oncologist..Dr. Woodward. The Fellow talks with us first and does an exam. We watch a short movie on the computer about radiation and how happy all the women are who are getting radiation!! lol The fellow explains what will happen, pros & cons, etc. She is very good, a little hard to understand (dialect), but thankfully I've researched enough to know the words she's saying or I'da been lost! Dr. Woodward comes in and explains the same things. Our concern is that radiation is routine and for everyone. She assures us that is not the case and if the lymph nodes don't show more than 2 or 3 positive nodes, then we do NOT do radiation. Otherwise, if there are quite a few that are positive we will go ahead with it.


12:45 We've eaten (lasgna!!) and now at the Plastic Surgery Center. We meet first with the Fellow...again very knowledgeable. Another exam. He explains skin-sparing mastectomy (which will be in it's post), options of reconstruction, and how radiation fits into all of this. We talk at length. Then Dr. Kronowitz, who will do the plastic surgery comes in and goes over the same things. He is down to earth and very likeable. I am very comfortable with him. (As I have been with all my docs/fellows so far.) He marks the breast outline with a permanent Markie in preparation for surgery and gives Graland the pen to mark me if it starts getting too light from showering. (We just want to make sure they do the correct side!! ha ha Also not much there... had to made sure they knew WHERE the breast was...) he takes a bunch of pictures of pre-surgery. This appointment lasts a LONG time and we are now into the time that we're supposed to be at the anesthesiologist (WAS at 2:00- Graland went down and told them we are way behind, but will be there...)

3:30 Anesthesiology Consultation. FINALLY!!! Someone who didn't want to see me with my shirt off!!! Talked about what medications I was on...none. I take a Flinstone and that's about it. I'm off of anything else in preparation for my surgery. The only thing I am concerned about is taking a Rolaids to get me there. He doesn't want that either. I just look at him and say Then what can I have? How is it that women can just come in here and have this kind of surgery without taking something? How is that possible? So he goes for a while and when he returns he lets us know that he just jumped through hoops to get this prescription!! Actually, it will be more beneficial than he had originally thought. It is a patch that people use for seasickness. It gives a sedative effect, but also controls nausea. The good thing about that is that many women feel the nausea after surgery, I think from the anesthesia. And then they have to give narcotics to control that...so I won't have to be given a lot of the things that I would have gotten otherwise, which will be better for me! :) My God is always one step ahead preparing the way!

We're on our own now until 5:15, when we meet Dr. Ross, my surgeon. So we decide to walk over to the main MD building to get pre-admitted. There is a sky-walkway that connects all the buildings and we go at our leisure. It is hard to find your way around, but we do stop and get some very confusing directions. Now, take in mind I am NOT an auditory learner...can only do two directions at a time and one of them was get ON the elevator and the other was get OFF the elevator...so yes, we had to ask several times for directions!! lol Truth be told, we were coming from the back of the hospital, so it really was confusing!! Finally, we get to the front and ask for admissions, which is tucked away where you can't find it! We sit and wait our turn (one person ahead of us). As we wait, I ask Graland to go to the Info desk and ask which Entrance we'll come into for Monday. (Entrance 2) While he's there, they give him a print out of our schedule for today. I look at it, and OH MY!!! There are THREE new appointments on there!! One is blood work at 4:15, prep for MRI @ 4:30 and MRI @ 5. It is NOW 4:40!! So we jump from Pre-Admit and are frantic that they haven't told us about these new appointments!!! We hasten BACK to the back of the hospital again and finally find the skywalk. Make the trek back to the Mays Clinic, find the floor of information and ask where Elevator A is. They look at us and say: That's in the Main Building. I look at Graland and just say "Oh my gosh!! I'm gonna cry!" I look at the volunteers and say, We just came from there...I can't do this again. Then we look more carefully and the MRI is for Friday (and today is Thursday)!!! So, hurray, we don't have to go back to the Main Building today, but we ARE half an hour late for the Blood Work...which is not biggie.

We get through and make it in time for the 5:15 appointment with Dr. Ross. By now, I'm frazzled and go to the bathroom after checking in. I lose it in there and have a good cry. Just didn't need the extra excitement!

About 6 we get in talk with Dr. Ross. I get the gown AGAIN. He comes in very jovial and notices that I've been marked by the PS. He asks to see the marks and I just look at him and say "I don't want to show you...I'm in crash and burn mode at the moment." :( He quickly says that that is quite alright...he doesn't have to check it. We talk for while. He is very reassuring and kind and I have renewed confidence in him.

He says that I have a dark spot on my femur...could be early mastesis to the bone OR could be an old injury or arthritis. IF it is cancer, we will cancel Monday's surgery and start chemo immediately. Otherwise, if it is not, surgery will go as planned AND if the lymph nodes don't show more than a couple of positive nodes and we do NOT need radiation, then we can do reconstruction/slight lift ( a real B-cup) and tummy tuck on April 25 (Graland's birthday). The tummy tuck is because they take tissue from the abdomen to fill the new breast. They said I have enough there for ONE breast but not both. BUT, if the nodes show several places, then we put off reconstruction for 6 months so we can get 6 weeks of radiation (every day/not including weekends) and healing. So much depends on today's MRI of the femur/pelvis and what is going on with the lymph nodes. I'm praying God will just close the door on both of those things so I don't have to face them.

We'll be leaving early today to get in a drain class, pre-admit, and meet with a social worker for my Family Leave Plan for school -extended leave. The MRI is at 5, with the pre-whatever at 4:30. Will update later!