Surgery (3 of 4)

Once upon a time I had an emergency transverse loop colostomy to relieve extreme blockage in my gastrointestinal system due to a great big old cancerous tumor (#1).  About a month later, I had another emergency surgery to remove the great big tumor that had perforated and metastasized and was kind of exploding my ovary with infection, and a bowel resection and a total hysterectomy and an appendectomy, and a reversal of the first colostomy which was replaced with an end colostomy  (#2); that was The Big Surgery.  Then I decided to take a break from surgery, shake things up with some chemo and radiation, and everything was very successful.  I did some exercise and raised some money and went for a really long walk and contemplated the wonder of it all.

Maybe I could have stayed away; maybe I could have resisted the lure of the OR and anesthesia's siren song.  In the end, a chance at having more or less normal anatomy was too enticing, and I decided, on purpose, to go for surgery #3: The Re-Connection. 

I wasn't expecting this one to be a blockbuster like #2.  The previews totally gave away the story, and the couple of plot twists they managed to sneak in were pretty vanilla.  I mean, probably lots of people go all vasovagal on the anesthesia team when they put in the first IV, and lose literally every drop of super-Gatorade that was supposed to enhance recovery after surgery before the surgeon even shows up for work.  And do that in front of their 5-year-old son, who had to come with because you had to be there at 5:30am, and oh yeah it's his birthday too!  It's okay honey, mommy's fine, really...

There was some comic relief after getting the epidural - which went totally fine - when the senior anesthetist validated its placement by poking me with a tiny yellow plastic toy sword.  Good one.  It was even funnier a few hours after surgery when they wanted me to stand up and didn't think I should be in so much pain and then did the big bag of ice test and realized the epidural was only working on my left side.  Super jokesters, those pain team dudes!  Seriously, I only wanted the left side numb.

The tense stuff was in the middle though, when my surgeon wasn't sure if she could get to the stub of rectum I have left, because it had adhered to other body parts, and she had to do the surgery through some of those other body parts, and then separate them, but at least there was length in my colon, and lo and behold the two again did meet!  I'm all intact again.  I do have an ileostomy so everything can heal, and even that she managed to pull up through the existing open spot in my abdominal wall - one less hole!  This was the potentially big ironic moment.  I knew that if I woke up and the ostomy bag was still on my left side, that would mean surgery was not successful.  My husband knew this too and wanted to get to me as soon as I woke up so I wouldn't be upset if I felt the bag placement before he could talk to me and let me know what happened.

And now, in 8-12 weeks, assuming everything else goes well, I can opt for surgery #4: The Final Takedown.

With all due respect - my surgeon is amazing.  And everyone on my surgical team and all the nurses and the phlebotomists and the anesthesiologists and the woman who answers the food ordering line... you are all amazing.  I am so grateful to have access to incredible medical care and especially a surgeon who respects my wishes and goes the extra mile. 

It also proved true that not being wicked sick going into major surgery really helps a lot.  I was up and walking around the morning after, able to sit in my chair for all my meals, and would have walked out of the hospital no problem if the wheelchair transport hadn't been so well-timed with my discharge.  Oxycodone is doing its part for sure but I'm quite certain recovery will be a relative breeze this time around.

Onward and upward.