Surgery and Room Service

Summer quarter ended, and once again I surprised myself with my grades. Perhaps high school lied to me? Was I actually good at school, but high school a bad environment? Whatcom Community College is a GREAT environment! One of the best things about it is that as a student, I felt, almost tangibly, that everyone at the school was invested in helping me succeed. From the faculty to the office and advising staff, the grounds keepers and custodians... I was surrounded by optimism and encouragement and never felt that asking for help was inconvenient for those I asked.

On Thursday, August 27th, Beck's fourth birthday, we dropped her off at the home of some of my best friends, and her dog friends to spend the night and following day. Friday morning, I woke up at 3 to shower with the disinfectant surgery scrub, put on my Batman pajama bottoms and a cozy shirt, my friend arrived to ride with me and my mom, and we were out the door at 5. My oncologist works out of Seattle, a good 1.5 to 2 hour drive. With all the prep appointments leading up, we spent a lot of time in the car on I-5...

(Heading out!)

At check-in at the UW Medical Center Surgery Pavilion, we met up with my dad and step-mom. and went about waiting. We were supposed to check in by 7, which we did, but because other surgeries in the OR ran long, etc. they didn't call me back for pre-op until after 9. I finally got into the OR around 11. My doctor greeted me, I opened my mouth to answer, and next thing I knew I was slowly waking up in the recovery ward. Success! I did NOT end up having to get a hysterectomy, something that was a big possibility. The doctor was able to remove the tumor and a good margin of tissue around it. Yay! 

The next few days were kind of amazing. While there was surgery pain, it was so much less intense than what I had been dealing with for months, I barely noticed. Plus, IV pain meds are really helpful. I had a private room on a very peaceful floor. Compared to my previous hospital experiences, it was nearly heaven. It was less like a hospital than like a posh hotel that occasionally sent in nurses and medicine. I even had 24 hour room service! Any time I was hungry, I called the kitchen and ordered off the menu. 

I was discharged on Sunday afternoon. My mom and my auntie came to get me. On our way to the car, my mom almost lost control of the wheelchair. It was more terrifying than the surgery if I'm honest. My whole life flashed before my eyes, there was a slow motion quality, and everything was strangely  muted. Scary stuff... When I got home, this is what happened:

Beck got as physically close to me as she could, and refused to leave me. She was NOT okay with me being gone... For the next few weeks, I did a lot of resting, but never alone...

I got some funny get well gifts.

As well as an exciting new book.

And I got visits from friends and family. 

Three weeks after my surgery, it was time for Fall quarter to start. I wasn't technically supposed to lift anything over 10 pounds for another month, but I needed my backpack full of books. 😕 It was a little rough. Recovering from abdominal surgery is no joke. Stamina/energy was still an issue, as was the pain. I felt so good compared to the last few months though, that I faced it all with good cheer.

To be continued...