“ONE” lymph node!!!!!

Thanks Jennifer for theses - love them

            It’s been 6 days since my surgery and I feel very very uncomfortable and sore. It definitely wasn’t what I was expecting. Kinda long (sorry) but here is my daily blow by blow of my long hospital stay:

 right before surgery

Friday August 22^nd arrived at 5am for surgery. I was of course nervous but the check in and pre-op experience went very smoothly, I think I asked for my happy juice half a dozen times before I was allowed to have it. I told the nurses and doctors many times that I am very sensitive to anesthesia and I ALWAYS vomit afterwards…they gave me extra anti-nausea meds bc of this. I woke up after surgery and immediately started vomiting. Next I remember waking up in my room and wondering why Jon and my parents weren’t there the next time I opened my eyes they were there. The first thing I remember hearing was they only took “ONE” lymph node!!!!! Oh my God, I was immediately overwhelmed and start crying tears of joy but it hurt really bad to cry, Dallas told me that I cried grabbed my chest and said “they cut my boobs off” but I don’t remember saying that, I just remember being so happy and overwhelmed with only ONE node and that one node was clear. Seriously that’s best news ever after going through that surgery. We of course have to wait for the lab to give the official “all clear” of the node. Friday afternoon I was really messed up between the pain meds and nausea, I also started itching really bad that evening. Jon stayed the night with me.

Daddy and I napping Saturday

Saturday August 23^rd woke up and was of course in some pain and very uncomfortable but I wasn’t nauseous so I was thankful for this. Itchy still. Saturday went good, my goal was to get up and walk 3 times. First time they had me walk with a walker, the next two walks I walked by just holding onto dad, easy peasy. I was also up using the bathroom on my own and eating full meals. They switched me to pill form pain meds. The itching got worse and I was breaking out in a rash. Next was Benadryl and changing my pain meds again (we were not sure what was causing the itching and rash). My blood pressure was low and everyone thought this was due to the pain meds. I sent Jon home that afternoon, the nurses and techs there are wonderful and I felt completely comfortable staying there alone.  No one liked this idea but I insisted. My parents stayed in a hotel near the hospital Friday and Saturday night. Saturday night was when it got interesting. Around midnight I called the nurse for some pain meds and said I needed to use restroom she came in took my leg squeezing boots off for me to get up, I told her I felt fine and could go myself (I had been getting up and going by myself all day so it wasn’t strange for me to walk myself to restroom). I remember peeing and getting up I started feeling lightheaded and started to sit on the floor. I woke up laying on the bathroom floor and was able to grab the emergency pull cord, I was thinking why isn’t it making any noise so I pulled it again, blacked out woke up with tech and nurse next to me…. then out again woke up with about 15 people in my room. I am not new to getting light headed and passing out. I’ve done this my whole life (thanks Dad) but I always know when it’s going to happen and I can always sit or lay down before it happens. This was a HARD black out, everyone had fun trying to get me back into my bed. I had a very small corner room and I was laying half in the bathroom. They finally got me into bed and started taking blood, vitals and EKG. My blood pressure was very low like 79/45 or something maybe lower. EKG was perfect, they started pumping me full of fluids. I got some new fun bracelets to add to my collection “Fall Risk”, I went to sleep. Woke up a couple hours later needing desperately to pee due to the crazy amount of fluids they were pumping into me. I called the nurse and the nurse AND tech had to walk to me bathroom now. I had to be belted due my new fall risk status which is fun. So they walked to bathroom I peed while they stood next to me.. I stood up and said I want to go back to my bed, the nurse said stand here for a minute and I was not happy with that, she was like are you ok and I said no I’m going to black out again. She sat me back on the potty and they braced to hold me the tech had my head and I said I’m blacking out right… now…. the tech said as soon I said now I was out. I woke up still on the potty with them holding me and the 15 people were back in my room lol. Next came blood work and EKG and vitals. EKG normal, blood pressure still very low and they had my blood work back from first black out showing I was low on a few things like potassium but nothing to alarming. 

Sunday going on a belted walk with my Cuban tech and my Cuban hubby

Sunday August 24^th Needless to say they pumped me full of EVERYTHING.. I had bags and bags and more bags of fluids all day Sunday. My rash was horrible and so very itchy, all over my back, butt, thighs and stomach… they switched my antibiotics next and after my 2^nd blackout I was taken completely off narcotics and start alternating Motrin and Tylenol for pain. I was also getting Benadryl via IV to help with the itching. I was told I wouldn’t be going home Sunday and that if I blacked out one more time I would be sent to the heart floor for monitoring for a couple days. I didn’t black out or get light headed again. My sweet Cuban tech had to walk me belted on Sunday but I had no issues being up or walking. Sunday night was uneventful just going crazy itching all night. This rash was getting worse and I was very swollen and uncomfortable.

Monday August 25^th doctor said I was being released, I was to continue Motrin and Tylenol for pain and to take Benadryl every 4-6 hours until the rash is gone. I was home at 3pm Monday.

Tuesday 8/26 heading to 1st follow-up

So my expected one night stay turned into three. I’m still itching but the rash looks much better now (still there but not as angry) we still have no idea what caused the allergic reaction. I plan to go see an allergist prior to my next surgery to see if I can get some answers. I weighed 15 lbs more on Monday when I got home than I did when I went into surgery Friday. It’s all water weight and swelling I’m assuming due to all of the crazy fluids that I had pumped into me. This morning 6 days later I’m still 10 lbs. heavier and still swollen. Surprisingly not in pain, haven’t had much pain at all, the Tylenol and Motrin is all I need. I’m very sore and very very uncomfortable but not in pain. My chest is numb and so is my right armpit from the lymph node removal. I’m hoping to regain some feeling in my arm pit but I know I’ll never have feeling in my chest again. I went for a follow-up on Tuesday August 26^th just to have incision checked and all was fine. I go back next Tuesday September 2^nd to the plastic surgeon to get my drains out and I can’t wait… these drains are so annoying and uncomfortable.  And then Monday September 8^th I go see Dr. Hoover to get my final path results and I’m assuming get referred to an Oncologist at Moffit to find out if I will need chemo or not. I forgot to mention that my tumor was closer to my chest muscle than we expected so Dr. Hoover did have to shave down some chest muscle to get clear margins, Good thing I had big muscles already lol. I have never had low blood pressure before even when pregnant I’ve always been 115/75 kinda girl but the entire hospital stay I was very low. At my follow-up on Tuesday I was back to normal BP range. I’m assuming my low BP was due to anesthesia and pain meds.



Lovely flowers from friends <3

Another quick Thank you to everyone for their support, I finally read all of my messages on Facebook this morning and appreciate each and every one. Loved the hospital visits (thanks for holding my puke bag Ayleen) and flowers and presents. And loved the pillows and well wishes and prayers. Thank you so much to my parents, hubby, sisters and mother in law. For taking such good care of me and my babies. It is very aggravating not being able to take care of yourself and your children, I am so blessed to have such wonderful loving people in my life.

All for now. XOXO, Lynn