Day 124: Pre-op…

WOW – That was fast.  Sitting with the office nurse prior to meeting with the doc I find myself thinking about how I am about to have a foreign object inserted into my body.  This is an odd concept for someone who has had very few medical procedures.  We reviewed pre-op and post-op instructions – the usual stuff, stop taking all meds and supplements (although they had a great list of WHY you should stop taking herbal supplements that I found very intriguing), don’t shave 3 days prior to surgery (ooops… shaved that morning… surgery is in 3 days… maybe because it was morning I made the cut-off??), reminder about the overnight stay and how the spa may be booked on such short notice (no there is no spa…).

Doc came in and reviewed some of the same along with some new.  We again reviewed the expanders.  They are interesting to hold, flat little bubbles of silicone with a port that is magnetic so they can locate the port to fill these little balloons with saline.  We talk about pain – remember, this doctor has been through it – she knows from personal experience how your body gets to learn a new level of endurance.  She talks about a local that lasts 3 days, the pre-surgical cocktail which targets different pain pathways, the pain pump once I wake up, then the post operative muscle relaxers and pain meds.

Guys… I am really getting the feeling that this is gonna hurt like hell!

We review again the placement of the expanders, under the pectoral muscles. we discuss AlloDerm which I hope we don’t need because I am squeamish about cadaver tissue.  I know I know… but I am… what can I say?

Then I get more good news – at least I think so.  My mastectomies have healed so well and my general surgeon did such a beautiful job that she will be adding fluid to the expander on the day of surgery.  She asks me my pain tolerance.  Hmm… hard to gauge this one guys.  So I say to her, fill to level you are comfortable.  I mean, during surgery and immediately after I will be pretty well medicated so… go for it.

This means that I will wake up with little lady lumps again.  Not quite sure what they will look like but there will be physical evidence of progress and that is very exciting!