Pre Op in Hi

I had my pre op appointment today. This will be the biggest surgery of my life. After all the gory details today, I got pretty nauseous. Now, it’s after midnight and I ‘m hoping what I took for sleep will kick in.

I really, really like the surgeon. He is kind, compassionate and totally frank. When I explained how hard it is for me to get an IV and showed him my arms, he said “Your tiny veins are shit!”

He explained to me and to my husband that I would not be able to load the dishwasher or the washing machine or the dryer for 6 - 8 weeks. I can’t do ANYTHING for that long. He said I should be walking like someone with a cup of hot coffee. That’s how careful I have to be with myself.

I will have a morphine pump but just for one day. Then it will be IV pain reliever and medicine.

All this is if I don’t have cancer - if I do they will put a port in my neck.

When we got ready to leave, he shook my husband’s hand and I put my hand out to him. He took my shoulder instead and gave me a hug. He said, “I am going to take good care of you”. I believe that he will.

I asked how long the surgery would be. He said that it was up to my body. We won’t know what is what, until he makes the horizontal incision all the way from above my belly button right down to where my body splits.

And that’s the way it is.