The Surgery Plan

[annathepiper]

Ladies and gentlemen, the surgery as expected will be TOMORROW.

I had my pre-op appointment with Dr. Towbin this morning; we confirmed that yes, even if I keep the left breast, it's okay for me to ditch the Tamoxifen since for the left one, it would be purely preventative rather than active treatment. And since the MRI told me that the left breast is clear, I'm reluctant to do anything to it. We are therefore doing a single mastectomy only. Later in the year as appropriate we'll look at reconstruction now that we know what the best options there are, courtesy of talking to Dr. McMillan.

So yeah. I report in at oh-god-no-o'clock (read: 6:45am) for a procedure at 8:30am at Evergreen. I am to stay overnight, and assuming that nothing scary happens, I go home the next morning. solarbird will be staying with me overnight. I'm told by the admitting nurses that they'll be putting me into a new section of the hospital where all the rooms have little sleeping nooks for family and visitors and such. That will be useful.

Then I come home and fall over and think very calming thoughts for the next three weeks, as this recovery will be part physical and part mental and I am in desperate need of a vacation. The plan will be:

• Pet Dara
  
• Pet cats*
  
• Watch a lot of stuff on DVD**
  
• Read a lot
  
• Play a metric fuckload of Nethack
  
• Assuming I can manage to boot my brain back up after a few days, edit something
  
• Listen to a bunch of recently purchased music***
  

Wish me luck, folks.

* We expect the cats to be massively confused as, at least for the first couple of days after I get home, we're going to open up the sofa bed so I can sleep on it downstairs. The tricky part will be keeping the cats from sleeping on me.

** Watching of things has already included the first season box set of The X-Files, for which I must issue much public gratitude to cafiorello and her family. THANK YOU CATHY! MmmmmmmmMulder.

*** By way of retail therapy, I just dropped fifty bucks onto iTunes to buy a lot of music that's been on my To Buy queue, including various folks who have opened for Great Big Sea shows (Liam Titcomb, Jeremy Fisher, Ashleigh Flynn), the Carbon Leaf EPs, and the latest from the Irish Descendants. I also bought a CD at Folklife by a group called the North Shore Celtic Ensemble, who were pretty cool.

Comments

[queenoftheskies.livejournal.com]

Sending you lots of good wishes and healing energy.

::HUGS::

Wish I was close enough to do more.

[logrusboy.livejournal.com]

Hope everything goes well!

[lyonesse.livejournal.com]

ok! you and your swift recovery will be in my thoughts.

*many many hugs*

[kintryth.livejournal.com]

*snugglies* We're keeping you in our thoughts, Anna. Good luck!

[starfallz.livejournal.com]

*hugs* Sending you all kinds of good energy. Love you.

[liadra.livejournal.com]

Best of luck with the surgery and wishes for a speedy recovery!

[ladymondegreen.livejournal.com]

*holds thumbs for you*

[darthhellokitty.livejournal.com]

Hope it all goes fine - I'm sure it will. *hugs*

[angharads-house.livejournal.com]

hugs as always -- just where they ought to be found; look for blue shimmer in the air, and the sound of dragonflies.

[redcolumbine.livejournal.com]

Be well! Maybe if you put a big soft pillow on top of you when you sleep, even if you get lepton by a muon you won't quark up...

[waysofseeing.livejournal.com]

Good luck. We'll be thinking healing thoughts for you.

[casirafics.livejournal.com]

*big hugs* Keep us posted.

[branwyn32.livejournal.com]

Massive good energy and prayers coming your way Anna, I hope it all goes as smoothly as possible and your recovery is quick and painless. Lots of lurve from the opposite corner of the country coming your way!

[gerimaple.livejournal.com]

If solarbird is staying with you, are other arrangements being made to have us LJ folks updated post-op?

many many good wishes, etc being sent south

[annathepiper]

There's free wi-fi at the hospital so I expect that Dara will be updating over on her journal. Hell, if I'm coherent enough tomorrow evening, I may update from mine.

And thanks. :)

free wifi??! cool

[gerimaple.livejournal.com]

I can't imagine any hospitals around here allowing that. they get pissy if people have cell phones.

[shadowhwk.livejournal.com]

Much love and white lighting from me to you.

[king-chiron.livejournal.com]

Luck. We'll be thinking good thoughts for you!

[lisa-marli.livejournal.com]

Got the pictures in the e-mail and they are in The Box. Lots of healing energy and love your way.
*hugs*

[kathrynt.livejournal.com]

I have some TERRIBLE fucking movies for you.

[mdlbear]

Big hugs, and the best of good luck!

[caligogreywings.livejournal.com]

You should totally get a red rose tattoo.

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

HUGS! That's all I gots to say. :)

[annathepiper]

YAY! I look forward to them!

[tiggymalvern.livejournal.com]

Oh, good luck hon ::hugs:: I hope the surgery goes as well as it ever can, and that you have a swift recovery.