Wednesday 27 November 2019 - admitted into hospital for nipple sparing mastectomy.
Sick Leave - Med Cert (Y) Chris O'Brien Lifehouse Breast Clinic - Surgery with Sanjay Warrier.
Wake up early. I take with me a foldable backpack - with pjs, toiletries, thongs and glasses.
Catch the 8:49am train to Newtown with JT.
9.30am Level 3 of COBLH. Admittance desk, check paperwork - they have the wrong phone number for Lily's contact details. Paid the $200 OPE with Visa.
10:30am still waiting in waiting room with JT.
10:45am Taken to pre surgery ward by nurse, Keira. My measurements are taken again. Height 149cm and weight 60.9kg.
Another form needs to be completed. Name, DOB, any allergies, teeth, medication.
Then I need to strip down to nothing, given a gown to wear and I can wear netting undies. Not sure which way to wear the gown, get it wrong, need to wear it with the opening in the back.
They then inject me with medication in my abdomen (needs to be fatty area), which regulates my blood flow.
11:15am they finally wheel me in to the anesthetic room by nurse Eric (Filipino). He preps me for the cables to hook up to the machines that monitor heart and pulse. Four spots stuck on my back. Then my pulse and blood pressure is taken.
11:30am Dr Ryan, the anesthetist comes in to check and preps me for an IV administration of anesthetic.
11:45am Dr Sanjay comes in. Looks at tape and markings. Removes the tapes. Takes photo of both breasts. Marks my breast with lines and dots and leaves.
Nurse Eric is back - puts on music from spotify.
Fellow, Dr Fred Hazim comes in - checks charts, but does nothing. Says Dr should be by to do markings.
Dr Gary comes in next, checks forms. Dr Sanjay and Dr Ryan comes back in. Dr Ryan administers 2 shots through the iv. Wheeled into the operating theatre.
12noon operating theatre. See that there is another bed in the room - wonder how they are going to get me on it. And like that I'm out like a light and unaware of the surgery.
2:15pm wake up in the recovery room. Nurse asks me if I am ok. Underarm is feeling painful but otherwise all ok. Not sure if she gives me anything through the IV. Asks for my name and DOB and next of kin. Says she will call JT. Nurse Ivan helps move me to my room Level 9 south 32.
3:00pm Janet comes back to see me after the surgery.
Nurse Keira pops in. Checks pulse and blood pressure. Asks me if I'm hungry and then helps order me food. Choice of ham and cheese or egg mayo. Then orders dinner for tonight and breakfast tomorrow.
Turns on tablet and screen. I select tv, but after a while the table switches off. Need to call nurse to show me how it works.
4:30pm JT goes home.
5:00pm Dr Sanjay and Dr Ananya comes in to check. The inform me that they couldn't proceed with the insertion of the tissue expander. SPY machine indicated skin tissues weren't in a position for them to go ahead. No wonder it seemed like a quick surgery. They only removed the lumps. My right breast is deflated. I am wearing a elastic bandeau bandage, which covers the bandages over my breast and the pico pressure pad, which is battery operated and applies pressure. I will need to come back on Tuesday for further surgery, approx 1hr.
6:00pm nurse gives me 2 panadol tablets and another tablet to have with food.
6:30pm dinner arrives: Ham cheese tomato sandwich and roast beef with pumpkin and zucchini, chicken broth, sweet potato mash, apple juice. I am so hungry, I wolf it down and get hiccups. Quick drink water. Hiccups give me pain.
7:15pm Lily, Justin, Soph (brings a huge boxed native floral arrangement) and Kaylene come visit during dinner time. They bring my colouring book and packet chips, and my power bank.
7:30pm Nurse takes blood pressure, pulse, temp. Asks if I've peed yet.
7:45pm Family leaves, so I ask the nurse, what I need to do to go pee. Need to unhook my drain bag, and take it with me. Not difficult.
Watch the Arias.
8:40pm Daz and Jen drop by with hot chips and toum from El Jannah, but I am so full from dinner, I only have a bit of chips and toum.
9:10pm they leave.
10:30pm sleep.
