Surgery Over!!

This morning I arrived at PA Hospital at 8:45 AM as requested. First, I went to get Women’s Imaging to have a needle put into the breast to point at the titanium marker to make it clear where the tumor was.  Next stop Nuclear Medicine where 4 needles with radioactive material were given to me through my nipple with no anesthesia which  interferes with the flow! This material was given time to drip through my body and find the sentinel lymph node.  Note: Dr Brian Czerniecki at the Hospital of University of Pennsylvania was one of the doctors who did research on this process so that now only one to three nodes are removed instead of many which is a much more invasive and painful (though unnecessary) surgery. Final stop was the Surgical Unit where the anesthesiology nurse told me she has been working with Dr Sataloff for over 14 years. The all female team of five women in the OR was fabulous!!! Of course, I don’t remember much. I was conscious for a very short time. The next thing I know the told me it was all over!

After several delays because patients ahead of me had complications, I was taken into the operating room at 1 PM. Dr Dahlia Sataloff told Norman surgery went well and the lumpectomy and lymph node removal went as expected- no surprises!! Long time in recovery room with wonderful staff. In fact, every department had a fabulous staff: Women’s Imaging, Nuclear Medicine, Surgical Unit, and Transport. the people who I dealt with were great!!

Now I am home on pain meds ready for bed.
Thanks everyone for your good wishes and concern. They helped get me through the pain (needles in scary places, surgery, etc) and fear of today.