This Week...

     This was a busy week for me. After Monday's blood work and not fun support group meeting, I had to go to Kaiser Tuesday for my anesthesiology consult and to have my chest x-ray.
     The nurse practitioner in anesthesiology was wearing cool eyeglasses, and she complimented me on my cool eyeglasses, but that was the highlight of our meeting. She ended up being most unpleasant.
     She asked me if I had had anesthesia before, and I told her I had. She asked if I had tolerated it well, and I said that I had. Then she asked which breast had the cancer, and I told her. Then she looked at me and said,"Cancer. Hmm. I wonder why." I told her my mother had had breast cancer, so I was pretty sure my cancer was related to hers. She said,"You may need to make some changes. Do you exercise?" I said that I run and walk, and am actually quite active. I love how people assume because you aren't skinny that you must sit on your booty all day eating pork rinds. I mean, I love pork rinds, but you get my point. She said, "You run?" I said yep, that I've done four marathons and many half marathons and I will run again after my surgery and reconstruction. She then asked when the LA Marathon was, and if I was running it. I said it's Feb 14, and that I'm not running it, that I was retired from full marathons, but my husband was running it. I thought -- why am I trying to prove to this woman that I'm a runner?
     Then she suggested that I should stop eating sugar. I said that that was a great suggestion, and I would look into it. She continued on that cancer feeds on refined sugars. She said that I could eat fruit, as that was natural sugar. I said I eat plenty of fruit, thanks.
     After looking down her nose at me, she did say that all my blood work was excellent and I was in good shape for surgery. Really? Thanks! Funny how you can be a big girl and still be healthy! (Not counting the f'in breast cancer.)
     I don't know why I just sat there letting her be so judgmental. First of all, my cancer is hormone-receptive, so sugar is not the issue. You could argue that fat is more likely to feed my cancer, but there are plenty of fat people who don't have breast cancer, and even if my breast cancer was entirely the fault of my being fat and eating too many pork rinds, is this really the nurse practitioner's problem? She isn't my oncologist. I already have cancer. If I gave up refined sugar tonight, it wouldn't change that.
     Perhaps I'm being too sensitive. And she had a strong accent -- German perhaps? So maybe her attitude is cultural. But even so, she should probably not make a habit of suggesting that fat Americans deserve the cancer they get. She made me so mad.
     After that experience, I went to the next cubicle over and signed my consent for surgery and paid my $15 copay. The Kaiser lady said that I was only scheduled for outpatient surgery, which sounded wrong, but I said ok.
     Then I had my chest x-ray that Dr. Leung ordered. The x-ray technicians were very nice and I was done quickly, so that was nice.
     This morning my friend Carolyn and I left school around 10:30 to meet my plastic surgeon -- the correct one, this time. Dr. Klausmeyer is young, and she looks kinda punk rock, so I immediately liked her. She was wearing cool dress and I want the boots she was wearing. She apologized for the scheduling snafu with the last plastic surgeon.
     As I had already met with Dr. Hadid, Dr. Klausmeyer asked if I had any questions. I didn't really. She showed me the incisions she would make, and told me how the tissue expanders would work. I asked her if the surgery was truly going to be outpatient and she laughed and said no, that I would be staying in the hospital overnight. So that was good to know.
     After that, I signed my consent for Dr. Klausmeyer to do her part the surgery, and Carolyn and I went back to work.
      I think my dad and Jane are coming the week of surgery -- have to call Dad and see if they have an itinerary yet. Aunt Diane is coming Feb 20 and staying for a week. Then my sister is coming Mar 9. It will be so nice to have company! I'm excited to see everyone, even though they'll be seeing me at my worst!
    So now I wait. I need to wash my old lady nightgowns. I've starting packing my overnight bag for the hospital. My surgery is scheduled for 12:30pm, so Todd and I can take the kids to school that morning, and then get to the hospital. I have to start at nuclear medicine to get the radioactive dye injection that will be necessary for the sentinel node biopsy.
     I'll report back on how it goes Monday, when I tell my students. That's going to be rough.