but necessary experience.Friday I got to the hospital, along with my oldest niece and my mom, at about 10:30. This was me being careful, as I wasn't scheduled to be admitted until 11:00 for a 1:00 surgery time. My cough was still very evident, so I had to wear a mask.
At about 1:00 (!) we were finally hustled back to another waiting area. The nurse, a very nice woman -- everyone was very nice, made it clear that if it was up to her my surgery would be rescheduled because that cough was just too much. I began to freak out because I don't think I could stand having the surgery rescheduled. An anesthesiologist came by and pronounced me good to go. Meanwhile, we just sat around and waited and waited. My mom and oldest niece drank coffee.
Finally, at 3:30, we got definitive word: my surgery wouldn't be until 5:00. The patient my doctors were currently working on ran very long, and then they needed a while to relax and refresh and make sure the room was ready for me.
I was in surgery until about 8:00. That's when my doctor told my mom that everything is benign and shared a photo of my cyst. I now have the lovely image. Forget a stapler -- it was about 11"x8"x5". It was shaped like a FOOTBALL! No wonder I have been suffering from bloat and fatigue, etc. I had a football filled (mostly) with fluid inside of me!
Saturday I woke up in my hospital room with a bitching case of dry mouth, feeling very, very sore. But when my oldest friend called to check on me, and to tell me that I am cancer free, my spirits soared! I am so grateful not only for the test results but for all the prayers and concentrated good thoughts that came my way.
Friends and family called and texted all afternoon. It was such a balm for my spirit! And it's very humbling to know what esteem I am held in. I hope this experience leaves me a better person than the one I was when I came in.
Just getting out of bed and moving to the sofa was an event. I was so weak, and every time I coughed -- which was often -- it hurt a lot.
Sunday I lost my catheter and my pain pump but kept the oxygen. I also saw the incision for the first time. OUCH! My navel is still bruised and filled with crusted blood. Bright, shiny staples hold my wound together, ranging from my belly button all the way down to my pubic bone. The nurses and residents doing rounds have all deemed it "very good." You'll have to pardon me if my own assessment isn't quite as enthusiastic.
I walked a few laps around the surgical floor, ate broth and rice krispies and 2% milk, drank LOTS of water and the occasional Coke to ward off a caffeine headache, and watched a Friends marathon on Nick @ Nite. (I have been so supportive of Jennifer Aniston's often lackluster movie career that it was only fitting she come through for me.) It made me just happy enough to get my mind off my own trouble.
Monday there was much joy in Hospital Land because I farted. No, really. That painful little toot empowered the nurses to order a real breakfast for me. After I proved I could keep my sausages down, I was cleared to come home.
And here I am, blogging in the living room as my mom slumbers in the den. I prefer to keep my real and cyber lives separate, so I may not update this again for a few days.
But that doesn't take away from my "thankful heart." The hospital chaplain and I prayed together last Saturday and felt very good and very right to celebrate my gifts in a more formal way.
Again, thank you each very much!