Timing is everything....

I had surgery on Monday and really this surgery was minor compared to what I've already been through. I was at the hospital by 6:30am and was ready and prepped by 7:30am. The Anesthesiologist was a little scary. He was an older man who was really into Mickey Mouse. He even had mickey ears on the head scarf he wore. He didn't seem thrilled with the healing affirmations I asked him to read and started talking about a catheter and how he might have to put one in. This made me nervous. It was like he had his own agenda that was totally different from mine. When Eileen, my OR nurse, wanted to wheel me into surgery I would not go until I had seen Dr. K. He breezed in at about 8:05am.

I think part of it for me was a need to see a reassuring face. We went through my concerns, he held my hand and said that the Anesthesiologist was not one of his guys but was instead someone that my insurance company had sent. We joked about the fact that the interns who were assisting him didn't even have wrinkles around his eyes.

I was wheeled into the OR fully awake and quite frankly I believe this is cruel and unusual punishment. I had already had 30 minutes to think about what was coming and at several points got emotional and started crying. Once I moved onto the operating table I was out fairly quickly. It looks like they inserted some additional IVs once I was under because my hand is all black and blue and there are multiple stick marks.

I awoke in recovery and felt pretty good, not nearly as beat up as I did when I had surgery in September. I drank some apple juice and once this happened was on my way to being discharged. Greg brought me home and I slept most of the day away.

Monday afternoon I awoke and found a letter from an organization called Casting for Recovery. I have been awarded a full paid spot at a 3 day retreat in May. This group works with breast cancer survivors and teaches attendees fly fishing. I was excited about this because it fits into my plan of looking for opportunities to be outside of my comfort zone.

Monday evening was uneventful until the phone rang at 12:30am. Greg said he had a problem, his car had been stolen. His beat up 1997 Honda Accord was not pretty nor in great shape but the reality is that it was ours and it was paid for and it got Greg where he needed/wanted to go. Quite a bit of personal information was in the car including keys to my house. It's amazing what the ripple affect on this has been. I have a locksmith here right now rekeying the locks to my home so I can sleep knowing that someone can't walk in with the key. Reality is that if someone wants to get in they will but at least I don't have to worry about them scoping it all out.
The car had been parked in front of the Wild Wild West and was there for 30 minutes or less. According to the police the 1997 Honda's are the #1 stolen vehicle in Las Vegas. They are so easy to steal the thieves only need a screw driver to drive them away.

I'm trying very hard to ride the wave of this chaos on the aftermath of my surgery. And while I am grateful for the fact that I am moving forward I'm frustrated today. This is a time of transformation but it feels like it will be an expensive transformation at that.

Today the bandages came off and I was able to shower. My new breasts look quite good. The implants are much more comfortable than the tissue expanders and I love the fact that my skins does not feel so taut. I'm a little sore and my biggest challenge other than remembering to breathe is to not overdo it. Guess it's time for a nap as soon as the locksmith leaves.

It's still a great day to be alive. Peace.