Reconstruction
Whew. Okay. The counter says 12 more hours, but I have to be at the hospital in 10. I’ve not been very nervous about the whole thing. Afterall, it’s in God’s hands. For me that’s a huge comfort and something that I believed wholeheartedly and got me through a hard year last year. But I have to admit that the closer it gets the more anxious I’m getting.
As those of you who have been with me since my diagnosis know, the night before my mastectomy I had a couple glasses of wine to help me relax. Only after did I read in my information packet that I was to have NO ALCOHOL 24 hours prior to surgery. So I downed 40 ounces of water in about 20 minutes and spent the whole night peeing – not relaxing in the least! Won’t be making that mistake again tonight.
And I have to wonder what ridiculous thing I’m going to say to the medical personal tomorrow. Will I be singing I Wanna Be Sedated as they wheel me off to surgery? Or will I tell the recovery nurse that I think I might like to be called Roxanne? I don’t suppose it could be as bad as when I had my appendix removed and I told the operating room staff my mother would be mortified if she knew I had on holey underwear. The last thing I remember is fading laughter while the room darkened.
I still have to pack so I’d best be about that business. I’m going to have Todd or maybe Terri respond to this post after the surgery when the opportunity presents itself. Thank you all for your well wishes and prayers. It’s more of a comfort than I could possibly express.
All: Jen’s surgery started at 8:01am and I am waiting to get an update……I will let you know when I hear something.Todd
Best wishes, Jenster & Todd & family. Hope all is well.
I hope everything goes well and I’ll be checking in!
You guys are in my prayers for a quick and easy recovery.
Thoughts and prayers with you all, let us know how it all turned out.Hugs, Tara
We are anxiously awaiting an update. I’ve been thinking about you all week.
You’ve been in my prayers. I’m hoping for an update soon.
I’m thinking about you Jen. All the best to you and can’t wait til you get better.
I am sorry it has taken me so long to ge this posted…..I am inserting the email update text that I have been sending out. Once again, I am sorry this took so long…..I kept remembering to update Jen’s Blog after I turned off my laptop…..Start at the bottom and work your way up….[Update – Day 4]Happy New Year to All: Yesterday was another good day for Jen. She sat in the reclining chair all day until about 8pm last night. She also got in three walks during the day which was great for her. The nurses and doctors are very pleased, and kind of surprised I think, by her progress. Last night was a good night. Jen slept well most of the night once they turned her blood oxygen level monitor down so that it would stop alarming…….I guess when Jen sleeps she breathes very shallow and her blood oxygen level drops some which is not a big deal. She got a good night sleep. This morning she got up out of bed and washed up. She got her IV removed and all she has left is the pain pump for her abdomen which will come out tomorrow. The doctor told her she could go home tomorrow if she would like. The normal stay for surgery like this is 4 to 5 days but since she is doing so well, the doctor said tomorrow would probably be the day. The plan is to get her up and walking a bunch today…..except during the good football games where I will make her run during half-times 🙂 So….things are looking good, she is looking good. I know she wants to get home to get a shower and crawl in MY green chair. I asked her if she had any words for her adoring fans and she said “I can’t wait to get a shower”……there you have it…..a woman of few words….at least at the moment 😉 Thanks and Love to All: Todd & Jen[Update – Day 3]Good Morning Once Again, Jen had a good night last night….spiked a low grade fever, but it went down quickly. We have gotten her up again and cleaned up…..she is feeling much better now. They even have this thing you put in the microwave to heat up and then put on your head to “freshen up” your hair…we are getting ready to do that now….wooo hoooo!!! She looks better now that she is up and in the chair. She WILL be walking today for a bit and trying to spend most of the day in the chair. Her pain has been very manageable which id s great. The doctors came by to give her an examination and they said that all looked great. The girl is amazing and tough. God has blessed her with these qualities and they serve her well…. I still cannot thank you all enough for the prayers and well wishes!! More later….. Todd[Update – Day 2]Good Morning Everyone, Jen is doing reasonably well and is sitting in a chair next to her bed……getting her there was a bit of a challenge, but as all of you know, she is pretty tough. Little snippets of rest last night between the nurses coming in every 30 – 45 minutes to check on Jen’s vital signs and to make sure that blood flow to the “girls” was still working properly. Jen did not seem to mind, just kept pressing the “I Need More Morphine Button” and all was well. The doctor came by already this morning and said that the surgery went well and that it will take awhile for everything to “look” right…..meaning that the bruising and swelling will take sometime to diminish. I have asked Jen for a comment for you all and I got “I wish I was sleeping right now”. So off I go to get the nurse to help get Jen back in bed so she can sleep. More later…… Todd[Update – Day 1 (continued)]Hello Yet Again: Jen is now in a “step-down” room and resting. The surgery went well and she is exhausted. They have her hooked up to the morphine pump so she can dose herself when she wants. I am not sure when she will move to a regular room. The doctor told me that all went well and that he was able to do the procedure that Jen wanted on one side and her second choice on the other…..I will leave it for her to explain later. Thank you all for your prayers!! Keep them coming that Jen will recover quickly and that the results are what she wants them to be. As for me, all I wanted was for her to make it through this…… Also thank you all for being such good friends to her and myself. I will send another update tomorrow. With Love,Todd[Update – Day 1]Hello Again….. I have been getting updates on Jen about every hour or two. She is doing well, her vital signs are strong and the operation is going well. They are still about two hours away from being completed. Thank you all for your prayers….keep them coming…. Todd
Thank you so much for the update, Todd. I’m glad to hear that Jen is doing well. I’ll continue to keep Jen in my prayers. Before we know it, she’ll be back at home reclining in the chair and singing “Natural Woman” again 🙂
Thanks very much for the updates, Todd. You are very kind to take the time and keep up up to speed. Happy New Year & Godspeed~
Hang in there guys! You will all be home before you know it. I am so grateful the procedures went as planned and that all looks good. Many blessings and Happy New Year to you :)I will keep up with the prayers of continued good progress and *praise*!!
Thank you for the update, Todd, we appreciate it. I am glad that she is doing great and will continue to keep her in my prayers.
What a relief, I was starting to worry.Glad everything is going well and will continue to pray for a quick recovery.Hugs, prayers and love, Tara
Todd: Thank you from me for the update. Be sure to tell her next time you see her that we’re all thinking of her and glad everything is going so well. And like other have said, I’ll keep her in my prayers.