A post opp update

Posted Tuesday, December 2, 2008 at 3:58 PM

Well, Tuesday I had my surgery and now I’m well on the road to recovery. There were no major surprises—“everything seemed to go well,” according to the surgeon. I was rolled into the OR at 3:00 PM; by 7:00 PM my surgeon was updating my parents, and by 10:00 I was in my room.

The staff seemed surprised at how well I did. They kept waking me to ask about pain, and I kept telling them I wasn’t in any. All I really wanted to do was sleep.

Around 2:00 AM I woke up and asked for something to drink. I’d been told the most important thing was to get up and walk as soon as possible, so by 3:00 AM (12 hours after surgery started) I was walking the oncology corridors, listening to other patients’ screams. I don’t know whether to feel lucky I’m not that bad off—or worried that I could get that bad.

Wednesday morning I had pancakes while I waited to see my surgeon. I was told to expect a two-night stay, but when the surgeon saw how well I was doing, she released me.

When I first came to, a towel covered the incision, so I couldn’t see it. When she removed the dressing I got my first glimpse of what will be my new scar: about 10 inches long, shaped a bit like the back of an airplane, with the roof and tail rising at an angle.

I was signed out around 2:30–3:00, which meant a long drive home—the Wednesday before Thanksgiving is wall-to-wall traffic.

Once home I lay down and discovered a problem: I couldn’t hold my head up or sit up. I had to call for help; my parents supported my head while I lifted my body. We then raised the head of the bed so I could sit up when needed.

Before leaving the hospital I was given two goals for the drainage tube in my neck: first, reduce output from ~250 mL/24 hr to 50 mL; second, change consistency from thin strawberry milkshake (“Yoo-hoo”) to apple juice. Once both were met, the tube could come out—hopefully Saturday or Sunday.

Thursday was Thanksgiving, so my mom made turkey and all the fixings. My cousin Justin just moved to Tacoma, so we invited him and had a wonderful dinner.

As for me, I was wiped out and felt like a juggler balancing a bowling ball on a stick.

The weekend stayed quiet—I rested and tracked the drain. Saturday morning I hit 50 mL, but the consistency wasn’t right, so we left the tube in. Same on Sunday and Monday.

Monday I called the doctor; they still wanted the tube in. My parents planned to fly home Tuesday but changed their flight to Wednesday so they could stay until the tube was out. The office set a Tuesday 1:00 PM appointment.

I felt better Monday, so I went to Costco with my parents to restock the house.

Tuesday I saw the doctor and she removed the tube. I’ll be back Friday to have the stitches removed—then I can shower again.

One surprise: on Wednesday after surgery, my morning meds included a short-acting thyroid replacement with a much shorter half-life (about three days instead of six weeks). I’ll be on it for about two weeks before stopping all thyroid meds in preparation for radioactive iodine—hopefully around Christmas.

All in all, I’d say I’m doing very well. No sign of infection, my energy is inching up, and aside from some stabbing pains as the nerves reconnect—and that sunburn-like sensation—I’m not in pain. From my right shoulder to my jaw is numb and may stay that way for a year.

I hope to be back to work soon.

Thanks for your support—and forgive the light proofreading.

Next: Here we go again. AGAIN!!!

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