The Big Day

I am now 10 days post-opt and have several things to write about. As I see it I have two options... 1. Write one long post summarizing the past 11 days or 2. Write several posts dedicating each to a different day or topic. Seeing as I have quite a bit of time on my hands, I'll go with option number 2.


SURGERY: Wednesday July 6th
9 months in the making, it was finally time for surgery. I was never overly nervous about the surgery even with how extreme it was going to be. I often told people that I was very confident in my surgeons and I knew without a doubt that they would be paying close attention during my surgery. My theory being that with such a rare surgery they would all be very interested/excited about the procedure, unlike some routine surgery that they have probably come to find boring.

The morning is a bit of a blur but there was something pre-surgery that I found amusing. When I was asked to change into a gown I was also given what I'll call a "surgical hair-net". I haven't had hair for months, it fell out completely with chemo. I know it's standard procedure, it just seems a bit ridiculous / unnecessary for me to wear it. And so I just carried it around with me until I was actually on the operating table.

There isn't a whole lot I can tell you about the surgery .... I was asleep. I do know it was 12 HOURS long. The first thing I recall when I woke up was asking the doctor what time it was because I wanted to figure out how long it had taken. I really felt for my family and friends who had to wait literally the whole day, anxious to find out how I was doing. Fortunately the surgery was a complete success!!! I am now without the right side of my pelvic bone and part of the sacrum (and with good margins).

There were two great moments for me after waking up in recovery. One, I was able to move the toes/foot on my right side which doctors weren't sure I would be able to do for at least a couple days or possible ever. Second, I was told  that there were 18 people upstairs all waiting to find out how I was doing. I can't put into words how great it felt to have that many people there not only to support me but to be there for my parents and each other on such a long day. As a bonus, because it was so late at night I was the only one in surgical recovery, they let everyone come down and see me for a quick moment. Such a great feeling!!!