What a day...

We are in Chandy's room now and she's finally resting pretty comfortably. That's one tough chick.

It's been a long day but I know that there are a lot of you who need to know where things stand. So here we go.

Last night was a little tough for Chandy. It's a crazy mixture of relief that the day has finally come to start taking care of the problem and yet it's also kind of scarey. We didn't get to bed until about 1am because (if you know Chandy this won't surprise you) the house had to be in order, the laundry had to be done, the kitchen sink had to be empty and the boys' lives for the next two weeks had to be typed out in excruciating detail for those who were helping us take care of them.

Even when our heads hit the pillows it took some time to go to sleep because there were some tears and some time spent talking and praying.

We were up by 6am to make sure the boys were up and getting ready for school. Grandma came over to help and we were out the door by 7. Before we left, I took some hot pics of Chandy in her bikini showing off her buff bod so she could hang them up in our room (in a discreet place) as a goal for where she wants to be after this is dealt with. She is ripped and I felt myself involuntarily sucking in my gut in embarassment.

After getting checked in, she went to radiology to get an injection which would track the flow of fluid from the affected breast to the lymph node. She had to wait about an hour and a half for it to take effect before the surgery began. Her surgery was scheduled for 10:30am but she didn't get in until a little after 11. They told us the surgery would take about 4 hours.

Bill and Jackie came and spent the day in the waiting room with me. I got to know that waiting room very well and there wasn't a comfortable chair to be found. While we were waiting there the anesthesiologist (sp?) came to talk to us because it just so happens that he's known Chandy since they were kids...Benji Rideout...small world.

After what seemed like a week, Dr. Rasmussen called us to the consultation room and said that the surgery went well. As you probably read in the previous post, he gave us the good news that her lymph nodes were clean. They removed the lymph nodes which drain the breast tissue affected and tested them and because the test was negative they didn't need to remove any additional nodes. There is still some testing to be done on them to be sure but what a wonderful piece of information! I was worried that I might start sobbing like a little girl with relief but I managed to bury that somewhere deep inside. He also mentioned that he got the results of her BRCA gene (breast cancer gene) test and they were negative. Another wonderful piece of information and another urge to sob buried deep.

We waited about an hour and a half while the reconstructive surgeon did his magic and then we were back in the consultation room with him as he explained how well the first steps of the reconstruction process went.

Typically the patients need about an hour to recover and come out of the anesthesia. Apparently Chandy had an anxiety attack during the process and had to receive some additional medication that lengthened the time it took for her to move to her room in the hospital.

We ended up waiting for about 2 1/2 hours. Towards the end I began to be a little worried and frustrated. I was a little irritated that they wouldn't let me see her while she was battling this anxiety situation because I thought I might be able to help.

After awhile...and after I pestered the nurse again...she told me that "Mrs. Bronson" was doing better and was probably well enough to be moved to a room but that they didn't have one at the moment. The nurse then vacated the info booth in the waiting room and told everyone in the room that if the phone rang at her desk that one of us needed to answer it because it would be for someone in the room...my healthcare dollars at work.

After about another ten minutes without any additional information I told a passing nurse that I needed her to check on "Mrs. Bronson" and that we'd been waiting for an eternity. She said she would. As I was fighting the urge to put a foot thru the door separating my wife and I, the phone at the absent nurse's desk rang and I answered it and I'll be darned but my wife was ready and so was her room!

She was still quite groggy and a little anxious but she's feeling a lot better now. Her pain is a little more than we'd hoped but she's doing well. I did have the opportunity to tell her the good news about her lymph nodes and her gene test and she even cracked a sleepy little smile. The best part was that she was so groggy that she kept forgetting that the question had already been asked and answered so I got to give her the good news about five times and everytime I got the same sleepy little grin. That was awesome.

She wanted the boys to come and see her. It meant that they'll hit the sack a little late tonight but they were certainly glad to see that their mother was doing ok and it also did wonders to pick up her spirits.

I believe we are beginning to see the fruits of the prayers, faith and fasting.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

G