Lumpectomy...done!

And the hardest part really was the caffeine-withdrawal headache. By 2pm I was REALLY getting agitated...virtually begging to get taken to the OR to be knocked out.

In fact, nearly as agitated as I am right now listening to Paul and Jakob yell, argue, cry...

I arrived at the hospital just before 9:00 am where I was assigned a nurse and taken to my room to change (disappointingly a semi-private room without the great view I had last time) into my hospital gown and slippers. Then a little tank of a woman was designated my escort to the 3rd floor for the mammogram and wire insertion. She was MISERABLE. Kind of wanted to call her Mom.

The wire wasn't as bad as I expected even though they do NOT freeze the breast while ramming it in. And it was done while having an ultrasound and not with the mammogram - which I really couldn't get my head around. How could anyone get a wire in while you're squished as flat as a pancake, surrounded by plastic plates? Impossible.

After the insertion the technician taped the remainder to my skin so it wouldn't get caught on anything which made me feel a bit squeamish - but that might have been the slow onset of my migraine. Then off for my mammogram. Couple of positions and done, back to my room where a lovely ex-convict called James waited with a wheelchair for me. Which I didn't use though Paul offered to take a ride up in it.

Back in my room I decided my best course of action would be to nap and hopefully sleep (avoidance of the headache that was screaming for coffee) until it was time to take me to the OR in FOUR HOURS. I fell asleep, Paul went out for a walk for a couple of hours, and then the prepping began for the return of my roommate who I think just had a mastectomy and wasn't doing very well. Plus from the look of her hair, I think she was recovering from chemo.

This was the hardest time to work through: my head throbbed, I was hungry and thirsty, my magazines had disappeared, the roommate was throwing up on her side of the curtain, I kept snagging the wire that was taped down...I was beyond agitated.

Finally after 2pm I was taken down for surgery and prepped where I had a lovely old and unattractive anesthesiologist flirt with me, thinking I was only 34 years old. He was darling! Into the cold OR room I was taken, hooked up to an IV and then...OUT.

When I awoke, NO HEADACHE!

As soon as I was back in my room I sent Paul down for two cups of tea and a biscuit. Then I ate the hospital dinner: mashed potato, carrots and Salisbury steak dinner and then I felt sick. So desperate to get out, I popped gravol, some strong pain killers and took a taxi home where I have been sleeping constantly for the past two days. I finally took a shower yesterday which was fabulous and removed most of the bandaging, the big stuff, leaving the steri-strips.

My oncologist/surgeon is definitely not a plastic surgeon as I eye my ragged 2 inch incision.

But at least the tumour has been removed and now I wait for my next appointment on the 23rd to find out the pathology and what my next step is: either I'm done or more surgery depending on the type of tumour. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'm done.