My Cancer Free Boo-Bee Day, the Rest of the Story....

This is the rest of the story of my surgery day, so if you haven’t read, this blog you might be confused, so go back and read it before reading this story. 

Nurse Barbie Doll stayed in my room the whole time I was in recovery.  Every time I opened my eyes, I would ask her a question.  After she told me she couldn’t tell me the result of my lymph node study because someone from my “family” would need to tell me, I said (fine), “can I see my family then?”  Of course, her response was “no.”  What?  Why can’t I see my family?  Am I being punished because I didn’t take off my toenail polish?”  So I close my eyes again still thinking about how I’m going to look without hair and wondering if I had Lisa’s (my beloved hairdresser's) phone number so she could start shopping for a fabulous wig.

After about 10 minutes I opened my eyes again hoping Barbie (who I now want to call Nurse Bi**chy) is gone and is replaced by some grandmotherly nurse who wants to baby me.  But no such luck, Blondie is still there (no offense to blonds – my mother was a blond and I adored her.  In fact, I am thinking I might want to be blond someday.  Hmm… maybe I should have Lisa look for blond wigs) Whoops, sorry for the detour, back to the story…. 

In the meantime my Romeo and Daddy are anxiously awaiting to see me.  It’s been 1 ½ hours since Dr. BK told them I was in recovery and they still had not been called to see me.  Apparently, my Romeo demanded to see me or wanted to know why there was a delay.  The reception lady called back and talked to Barbie and she said only one person can come back.  No way!!!  The patient across the hall has the entire Dugger family in his room and it sounds like they are playing Pictionary! 

A few minutes later, my Romeo came back alone and before he could lean over to kiss me, I ask about the results of the lymph node test.  Before he can say a word, I can see in his eyes the answer to my question.   Hooray, he confirms my lymph nodes were clear.  Can I get a halleluiah?  So why in the world would that wench of a nurse not tell me this news?  I am so happy and furious all at the same time.   But to get her back (I am not typically a vengeful person) Romeo returns to the waiting room and requests my Daddy to follow him back to see me.  So take THAT Barbie Doll, my TWO family members are staying with me no matter what you say!

Having the love of my life and my sweet Daddy there to share this moment was awesome; I cannot even describe the joy I felt knowing I was cancer free, the surgery was over and I can start living my normal life again!  No more worrying, no more dreading, no more crying, no more of not knowing, no more thinking about chemo, no more CANCER!  THIS was the greatest moment of my life since my first child was born.  All I could do or think of was thanking God for allowing me this most precious gift.

The next couple days in the hospital were rough as I began adjusting to the soreness and uncomfortable feeling of my reconstruction and tight tummy.  I am so thankful my friend Trace prepared me for what was ahead.  She was right that my bad hair would be the least of my worries (well, at first).    Every time I stood up or walked, I thought my tummy was going to pop a stitch, but I kept thinking about Trace assuring me it would all be worth it.

During my five day stay at MD Anderson Cancer Hospital I met some very interesting people. You know, I really hadn’t thought much about MD Anderson being a “teaching” hospital until I experienced firsthand some of these medical students practicing on me.    There are some good stories, or at least in my fuzzy memory (which may or may not have been drug induced) are quite comical in hindsight.  Of course, Romeo is hilarious so I’ve got a few stories on him too!

Thanks again for coming along on my journey.  I’m really happy you’ve stuck around to hear my happy ending and know I have officially “Busted Free.”  But don’t worry, I’m really enjoying this whole blogging thing and have a lot more material to share.  So, don’t stop reading now…