Kris vs. Cancer

  Last time we left off with me headed off to sleep in the operating room I start to come around in the post op area. Coming out of  Anesthesia  (on purpose see lumpectomy post for context) is always such a weird experience. It isn't exactly 'waking up' as much as it 'coming to'.  I have had the pleasure of passing out many times in my life (because I have hypoglycemia. Side note: one of the perks of being fluffy was I didn't pass out because I am apparently only hypoglycemic when I am thinner. I have been woozy a myriad of times over the last year and a half).  And coming to from  Anesthesia  feels an awful lot like that. The first sense to come back is hearing. I start to become aware of the noises around me. In the area to my right I hear a man moaning.  The awareness of where I am and why I am here starts to come to me. Next I realize that my throat hurts. "Did they intubate me? They must have intubated me. Well that is serious." Given my line...

 It has been a hot minute since I last posted. I went and got a boyfriend and a certificate in Persuasive Leadership. In that order. But I am ready to take us through the last of the attempted death by body part story. Last time we left off with me at the hospital getting ready for the mastectomy and reconstruction. The nurse loaded me into a wheel chair for a final trip down to the basement to have that oh so helpful radiologist inject dye into the boob to light the way (RIP Lefty). At this point we were running an hour behind the expected schedule because something had come up for the surgeons. Which was fine by me. I wasn't wearing a watch or looking at my phone intentionally. Time should not matter in that type of situation. It was out of my control and I was giving it over to the people who knew what they were doing. We were met in the basement from a very petite Hispanic woman who took over control of the wheel chair. In the ride from door to machine she told me that she was ...

 In the last episode we left off with the night before my mastectomy. The next morning, Monday November 22, 2021 my mom showed up at my place to drive me to the hospital. I weirdly made the decision to leave my phone with her. Somehow I thought not having open access to what I was going to go through would somehow be helpful. I took my iPad in case I wanted to watch something but left my phone at home. My mom had a note saved and access to my phone so she could text 'the list' an update afterwards. My go to process when it came to updating the circle of trust, was to type a note and then copy and paste to all who were along for the ride at that point (journey to the center of the shit show...) I would edit based on the person but try to capture the basic facts at one time. Having that organization was comforting to me. I remember packing and repacking my bag three times. How did I know what I was going to need, I didn't technically know how long I was going to be in the hos...

Last time we left off with me leaving the plastic surgeons office with the expectation that I would receive a phone call to schedule surgery.  I didn’t have much time to dwell on the appointment, as I was headed out early the next morning for a midyear sales meeting.  Of all that my team accomplishes during the year, the midyear is the second biggest event we execute.  And with a change in management and a bit of a rudderless ship I didn’t know how things were going to go, and that gave me plenty to worry about outside of the obvious.  Got to the airport Tuesday morning meet my team and act like everything is fine.  Got on the plane by myself, seated in the same row as our vice president of sales, who is a  kind funny, successful man whose company I enjoyed then and as I’ve got to know him in my current role enjoy it even more. Acted like everything was fine. I put my phone on airplane mode turn on my playlist and promptly start snoozing.  When we land...

 Last time we left off with me leaving the surgeon's office with A diagnosis Pending Surgery an anticipated call to schedule said surgery and a promise that the plastic surgeon's office would be reaching out soon. As luck would have it, they called as I arrived home. Could I come in on Monday at 7:00 a.m. to meet him? Sure, apparently the rest of this 'journey' was going to involve early mornings so why not? And did I really think I was going to be sleeping at all between then and the surgery? Ummm.... NO So that all set up, I knew I had a fair few people to update.  The quarters My boss The few other folks I had told and.... Josh (the Mud Puddle) again, at this point he knew there had been follow up but not the why. And I had come close to telling him a couple of times before this. I had lunch with him one weekend in September and almost blurted it out then but didn't because we were having such a nice day. No reason to piss on our parade with chatter about cancer....

  Last time we left off with the amazing friends and their reaction to the news. After that it was back to overthinking the next step in the process: The Lumpectomy On Monday September 27th I was scheduled for the procedure. It was a day surgery with light sedation.  This would be the first time the surgeon got her hands on Lefty (RIP Lefty). I arrived at the hospital, my mom drove me and thanks to ongoing COVID guidance she could not stay with me.  Which was a blessing and a curse. If I was going to have a meltdown better she not be there but I also might need the support. As it turns out, I had a chance to meet that Radiologist again (her with the impeccable bedside manner and empathetic view of her patients... Sarcasm for those of you that just joined us). The first step in the procedure was to place two guide wires into the boob. A literal X Marks the Spot for the surgeon to be able to find what she is looking for. This was as weird as it sounds. Luckily the wires wer...