This is it!  The morning of my surgery.  I took my last shower with my boobs.  I had to clean my body with Hibiclens.  This was my last time seeing and feeling my breast tissue.  The breasts will be gone, everything!  No more lumpy, bumpy boobs and worrying if I have cancer or not.  I cried in the shower for about 5 minutes.  I couldn’t believe this was all happening.  It was just shy of a month when I learned I had cancer in BOTH breasts.  Everything was happening way too quickly.

Ray and I arrived to Providence Newberg Medical Center.  Ray met a funny, kind gentleman (Charles) who would be checking on Ray.  Charles would be near the phone and once each surgeon was done performing my surgery, they would called Charles who would then check on Ray and let him know a surgeon will be coming out to the waiting room to talk to Ray.  Also, if Ray had any concerns or questions, he was to talk to Charles.  The surgery is to take anywhere from 7-9 hours.

Ray and I then went to my pre-op room where I met my nurse who would be performing all the pre-op measures such as inserting the largest thickest IV needle there was into my left arm, performing all the vitals, giving me my hospital gown, placing long thigh length TED hose, etc.  I was nervous, tired, anxious and out of it.  I was actually looking forward for this long nap.  I also met the OR nurse and the anesthesiologist.  The OR nurse was very nice.  He stated he just ate and I asked him what did he eat.  He looked at me puzzled and I stated I was just checking because I didn’t want him to have heartburn while being in surgery with me for 8 hours.  The nurse laughed.  The anesthesiologist stated he was going to grab something to eat.  I asked him what he planned on eating?  He laughed and stated he would make sure it would not cause him heartburn.  I said, “Good and I hope neither one of you have bad gas during my surgery.”  haha.  They both laughed.  I then looked at my anesthesiologist’s shoes.  He saw me looking at them which caused him to look at his feet.  He asked me if there was anything wrong.  I said, “I work for a podiatrist and so I am checking to see if you have good rigid shoes on because I don’t want your feet to hurt while I am having an 8 hour surgery.”  He laughed and laughed and said this is going to be a great surgery.  lol.  My breast surgeon came into the room and marked my chest and drew what I call pictures with a black marker.

Then off I went, in my surgical bed, into another room where I met the radiologist who inserted a needle with radioactive dye right near the nipple area of each breast.  I squeezed Ray’s hands so hard that I thought I was turning his hands blue.  This was for the sentinel nodes to see if any hotspots show up with cancer.  It actually was not bad at all.  He did a great job and I hardly felt anything.  It is just the thought of where the needle was going to poke me was more bothersome.

Next stop, down a long hallway while in the hospital bed, to the OR room.  Ray kissed me and said he loved me.  Ray stood there watching me as I was wheeled off with anesthesiologist along side my bed and put something in the IV which made me start to doze off.  Last words, “You are going to be fine and I ate something that will not cause problems.”