Keep Your Clothes On
Originally published at bcvsbc.blogspot.com on 11/30/18
It really is a pretty special day when I get to keep my clothes on for a medical procedure and that is exactly what I got to do on my birthday! It really was a treat. I was able to choose if I wanted to be put to sleep for the procedure and I opted not to do that. With all the other surgeries I have needed over the last year it seemed unnecessary if I was not required. So Wednesday my mom and I headed off to the oral surgeon.
I think that might have been the highlight of my birthday. How often do we get to spend our entire birthday with our mom (of course not being able to drive is what forced her to stay with me but I think she enjoys hanging out with me too)?
The doctor was very cool and let me take a few pictures before and after the procedure. First I got the required lollipop of numbing.
Then I had to hold open my mouth for the nurse to touch all around and make sure that everything was numb enough to get all the shots. Last time I will get a picture of this thing in my mouth, HOORAY!
After that they brought in the tray of tools to get started....
The estimated length of the procedure was thirty minutes to one hour. They really had no idea how long it was going to take until they got in there and started digging around. At first the guess was that the "thing" was a blocked saliva gland. However, as the doctor started the procedure and began removing it he said he felt like it was a type of fibroid cyst. Still this was not something he was overly concerned about, I guess that is good but really I am winging it with this entire new development. Inside the jar is the "thing" they took out of me. He was funny when I asked if I could get a picture of it he said, "I don't care you grew it!" Makes me wish I was awake during my mastectomy surgeries so that I could have had a picture of the three biggest tumors inside me. Gross but I would have loved to have seen them.
In a little less than forty minutes I was stitched up and ready to go.
Today is Friday so I am two days out of this surgery and I can say that last night and into today have been more painful than the actual day of. It might just be because of the location of the stitches. Every time I move my mouth to talk, drink, or eat it irritates it. But like all things I compare it to the nipple juice and feel like this is nothing I can't handle! Hardest part of this entire situation is waiting till the pathology report to come back so they can tell me everything is fine and it is just some weird, freaky, oddball thing.
Quick update on my eye issue. It would seem that the most likely explanation for it was that I had an averse reaction to the scopolamine patch that was put on me for my exchange surgery (this helps prevent nausea due to all the medication during surgery). One of the side effects is that the eyes can dilate to different sizes. It is not super common and although my plastic surgeon said he hadn't seen it before he had heard of it and pulled up a bunch of information online for me to read about it. Even thought we might know what caused it they have decided to play it safe and I have to keep track of a list of things should they happen to me so we can make sure that I didn't have a stroke or something else that might require a CT scan of my brain like seeing spots, migraines, persistent headaches, losing consciousness, losing control of my hand, arm, or another part of my body...again, yippee.
I think that this part, the past week, has been a reality slap in the face for me. This is my new life. Even when I am done with treatment for my original cancer there will continue to be a cloud that lingers over my life. There will be days I am sure that this cloud will be hard to see and the sun will shine brighter than ever, but ultimately, the cloud will stay in place because anything "not normal" will need to be ruled out as "not cancerous". It is tiring, nerve wracking, and just something I really would like to not have to accept. But I have no choice and that, well it sucks.