Plan A and Donut Rides

Yesterday was the first of the much-anticipated myriad of appointments that have been marked on my calendar for quite some time.  First stop was Dr. M's office, my plastic surgeon. Imagine being quite used to stripping off the pretty hospital gown to be measured (like literally -- with a ruler) and "manipulated" by a strange man.  Well -- he's a lovely man -- but you know what I mean. A few weeks back, his receptionist had told me Dr. M. might want to do my surgery as early as mid-November (that's right now).  However, after learning that I have a Mexican vacation planned for December, she thought it unwise to take a chance on wound-healing complications in a country that does not share our standard of health care. 

I was, therefore, quite surprised when Dr. M. relayed to me the Cancer Agency's recommendation that women wait 6 months from their last radiation treatment before considering reconstruction surgery.  That puts it right about mid-February for me.  Happy Valentine's Day, sweetheart!!

Another surprise came when Dr. M offered me the possibility of carrying through with the TRAM reconstruction procedure if I had changed my mind about being comfortable with the thought of an implant.  This was a very sad statement indeed, since that meant I was no longer the woman that did NOT make a good TRAM candidate because of no belly fat.  My belly fat is back full force!  I told him I was mentally prepared to have an implant, and that I was not worried about its safety or "feel". The OR time for Plan A (removing the tissue expander, inserting the implant, and a lift to my left breast) is about 2 hours with no hospital stay, and then 2 weeks at home.  Plan B (TRAM reconstruction) is 6 hours in the OR, 4 days in hospital, and 4-6 weeks at home.  No thanks! I'll stick with Plan A.

Next, it was off to the hospital for my 4th abdominal CT.  The extremely-patient tech reassured me over and over once he understood that needles aren't my favourite thing.  He even found a vein for my IV on the first try -- yay! With arms stretched out over my head, I got one ride in and out of the donut before being injected with the contrast material. It is an incredibly strange sensation when they inject the dye and you're POSITIVE you just peed yourself!  Not a nice feeling! After I was warm and tingly inside (AKA ... the dye had traveled through my system), I got one more trip in and out of the donut.  I was finished before I had time to freak out, and I did it all Ativan-free :)

Now, it's a waiting game again.  On December 5th, when I go see my Kamloops oncologist, I should get the results of my mammogram and this CT.  I'm feeling very confident that all is well.