June 17, 2019
Here’s a long post for ya;
I wrote 1.5 week ago that I had to make an appointment with an oncologist because my HCG level had gone up and my regular doctors didn’t know what else to do. On Wednesday morning last week I found out that my level had gone down one number for the week, but that’s still not enough obviously so I had to meet with the oncologist in the afternoon. In the waiting room I felt like a cancer patient sitting next to these other older women who were there most likely for that reason.
I came in, they measured me, put me on the scale (I’m still heavier than I’ve ever been) and I had to pee in a cup. After awhile the doctor came in and she checked all my papers, asked me a bunch of questions on my case and she filled everything out on the computer. I had to get undressed and she did a full exam and everything looked ok. She didn’t want me to get any more chemo so she told me to get another chest x-ray, ultrasound and do some blood work the following morning and then in the afternoon she wanted to do another d&c (the same surgery I did in January to get the baby out). The reason for the second surgery was that even if it doesn’t show anything on ultrasound there is probably some small bad tissue left that makes my body not going back to normal.
So on Thursday, I was scheduled at 8:45 am at the hospital for my morning stuff. I went in for the x-ray which took barely a minute and then walked across the hall to get an ultrasound. The guy checked on top of the belly first and he pressed pretty hard to really get close to all the parts in there and I felt like I was going to pee all over the place, haha, cause I had to drink so much water to have a full bladder for this. He really took his time, but mostly he was talking and talking, real friendly old guy kinda funny too. He told me to get undressed for ultrasound vaginally. When he did this I had a woman sitting next to me, I’m assuming it was because he was a man which I guess can make me feel more safe, but I trusted that this was a professional doctor so it felt kinda stupid. He again took his time. He moved around that stick so much I think he got a picture of every millimeter of my uterus. He stepped out, called my doctor and then came in and said we are all good.
I got dressed and walked to the next room at the hospital to get my blood work. 6 big capsules. I felt a little dizzy after that. We went home and I was so tired that I just watched a tv-show and listened to podcast in bed until it was time to get ready again.
We arrived back at the hospital at 1:30 pm and they took me to my room, I think it was the same room I had the last time. Some really old lady came in and was gonna check blood pressure and all that and put the IV in. While she was doing a bunch of stuff, my main nurse for the day came in and started to ask a lot of questions and gave me info about my procedure.
The old lady told me I had irregular heartbeat, but I’m sure that’s normal when you have to go through stressful things like this. She then looked and looked at my left hand and tried to put the IV in there. I just knew from the very first second that it wouldn’t work. She pushed hard and my hand hurt so much. When she had got it all in there my hand got so swollen that it looked like I had another hand on top of my hand, so freaky. She immediately took it out and I told her that the last time I got it on top of my right arm and it worked. She decided to put it in the elbow crease. I have very good veins there so I don’t know why she didn’t start there.
Anyway. At 3 pm my doctor was done with her previous patient and they came to get me. I had to pee before which was again really difficult with a big gown and an IV to carry around haha. They put that super sexy bathing cap on my head and rolled me to that waiting area. There was another bed there already but we had a curtain between us which was good. I had such a massive headache at this point from not drinking coffee or eating anything since the night before and I was still exhausted (I was tired, hungry and had a headache all day), so I just closed my eyes and tried to relax. Soon my oncologist came over and said she had spoken to Jim and she told me the same thing. They had found nothing on my morning tests so she would try to remove any tissues in there that might be bad and after that we’ll see what happens. Apparently it doesn’t even show that I am pregnant (in the urine sample I gave the day before) so my level is very low and she doesn’t seem too worried.
Another nurse came to get me and my bed. She rolled me in this long corridor and in to a giant room (the last time I had the smallest room possible). Two other nurses were in there plus my doctor. I had to scoot over to the operation bed and then they put straps on my calves to not clog up or something and I had to put my arms out on these fold out handles. I was a starfish. The last time, I was completely out basically right after I had scoot over but I guess they waited a little to put the anesthesia in this time. Ed Sheeran was on the speakers and me and two nurses was singing along together. It seemed like a very good team and I had heard and read that this doctor was awesome, so I was in real good hands I felt like. They put the breathing thing over my mouth and tried to adjust it for awhile….
I felt like Martha Graham
…and then I woke up while they rolled me in the long corridor back to my room.
I was so cold they had to put a bunch of hot blankets on me in order for my teeth to stop shivering. I was kinda cold right before they put me to sleep, so when I woke up I felt like an icicle.
Back in the room, I was pretty awake, not at all like the last time when I was completely out for a long time from the anesthesia. Several nurses were in there and my doctor came to inform me and Jim that they had taken stuff out and that I need to get a blood test on Tuesday and we’ll go from there then.
J and I were left alone for a little bit and I could get warm. Eventually they came in with a tray of toast, ginger ale and coffee. They took some blankets off me (cause I was sweaty at this point) and left me with that heating tube (gotta get me one of those haha). Oh, the coffee tasted amazing, even if it was from a Starbucks machine.
After I had finished my food, the nurse helped me to the bathroom and I could change into my own underwear. This time I remembered to bring my own pads (last time I accidentally left them in the car). I got some info, she took the IV out, I got dressed and then I told the nurse that I did not want a wheelchair, I wanted to walk on my own with support from Jim. She eventually said ok since I was so stubborn. On our way to the elevator and down to lobby, several people asked me if I wanted a wheelchair cause they all knew I had surgery, but I kept saying no. I had promised the nurse to wait in the lobby for J to get the car on his own, so I kept that promise:)
We came home and I was just resting on the couch all night.
I called the doctor’s office this morning and asked about blood test tomorrow, but they haven’t called me back, but I’m assuming I have to go to the regular place and then I hope she will call me some day to tell me if they found anything bad or not. Honestly, I don’t know if they are testing the tissues or not, maybe we just have to wait for blood tests to show 0. Either way, I hope this surgery is enough now. My doctor doesn’t want me to get any more chemotherapy which I’m happy about. Fingers crossed this will be over soon!
Burrito Fanny 🙂
