#15 THYMOMA SURGERY

Welcome back!  Reality was here.  God had not miraculously prevented me from having Thymoma Cancer surgery like I had prayed for months.  It was finally that dreaded time.

IU had connections to get us a discounted rate on a hotel.  I had reserved a hotel for my husband and I to stay the night before surgery.  On December 17^th, my husband and I headed to Indianapolis in the early afternoon.  We navigated so I could show him where the Simon Cancer Center was.  The next day he would have to drive there and know how to navigate home without me.  We checked into the hotel about 3 pm.  It was a very nice studio with a kitchen, living room, bedroom and bath. 

I wanted to make that evening special to help ease my apprehensive feelings.  I was disappointed to find out the hotel did not have a restaurant; therefore, we could not have supper delivered to our room.  So we tried to find a nice restaurant.  They were so expensive.  I also was apprehensive because of social distancing to eat in a restaurant.  Eventually we found a pizza place.  My husband picked up the pizza and we took it back to our hotel room.  That evening we watched TV and played cards. 

In preparation for surgery, I had to take a shower and wash myself the evening before.  I then needed to use this special bottle of stuff to wash again with it.  It was red in color and stained the hotel wash clothes.  We went to sleep early because it was going to be a short night.

The next morning, I had to get up before 4:30 a.m. to drink more Gatorade.  I also had to shower again with the red liquid.  I was not allowed to eat anything.  I had to be at Simon Cancer Center by 5:45 a.m.  My husband parked in the parking garage on the third floor so we could take the walkway across the street to Simon Cancer Center.  We had to pass the Covid temperature check and questioning.  Then took the elevator to the first floor where we asked for directions to the basement level where surgery was.  I checked in.  My husband and I waited in the waiting area.

Eventually my name was called.  We went to the prep room.  I got changed into the hospital gown.  They gave me an IV.  The anesthesiologist came to talk to me.  I told him I don’t do well with anesthetic but whatever Kettering used worked great.  He asked if I wanted a thoracic epidural.  I did not know I had that option.  The sound of epidural scared me.  They explained that I would be in a lot less pain after surgery if I had one.  Something in me told me to go for it.  So, I agreed to get a thoracic epidural.  The surgeon popped in all dressed up about the time I was to be wheeled to surgery.  Guess it’s just another day for her where she would quickly scrub up and get ready for surgery.  Eventually they wheeled me away to the surgery room.  My husband went to a specific waiting room.

Once I got to the surgery room, they had me get off my bed and climb a couple steps to sit on the surgery table.  At that point, they had me bend my back over.  They inserted numbing needle that definitely hurt.  Then they injected the epidural.  I then laid down on the surgery table.  I do not remember anything after that.

I had been told I would probably be in the hospital for 4-5 days after surgery.  They said the pain level would be 10 of 10, worse that open heart surgery.  I was told depending on what the surgeon found, she might have to remove some of my lung.  The radiologist thought the cancer was connected to the lung.  The surgeon did not agree with that but could not confirm until surgery.  If everything went perfect, she planned to do microscopic surgery with three small incisions instead of a large incision.  We expected surgery to last for a couple hours.

I had been wheeled away at 7:45 to go to the surgery room.  Somewhere between 9 and 9:30, the doctor came to talk with my husband.  He was shocked to see her so soon.  The surgery was very successful and without complications.  She did not have to remove any lung.  Instead of a large incision, I had three smaller incisions approximately one inch each.  The surgeon went in through my left rib cage.  Two of the incisions were glued shut.  The third was where they had the drainage tube. 

My husband had to wait for me to get through recovery.  Because of Covid, he was allowed to visit me once I got to my room.  He was only allowed to stay there for a short period of time.  He brought my suitcase to the room.  After he visited with me for a little bit, he was required to leave the hospital and not allowed back until he picked me up at dismissal.  I was overwhelmed to have to be at the hospital with no-one I knew but God helped me through it.

I remember waking up in my room.  I was in pain.  I felt nauseous.  I had told my husband to make sure I got my chemo headcover on me.  I did not want the surgery cap to be taken off and people to see my head.  I was so embarrassed how my head looked with my hair barely grown in.  So as soon as I saw him, I asked for my hat.  He helped put it on me.  I was half in and out of it.  I ended up throwing up a couple times.  Eventually they said my husband had to leave.  We made sure my cell phone was charging and that I had access to it if I needed to call him.

After my husband left, I remember feeling like I could not stay awake.  I dosed in and out of restless sleep.  They had oxygen going in my nose.  There was a weird flat plastic thing under my nose.  It kind of bothered me.  I remember accidently moving it several times which made the machine start beeping a warning sound.  In the beginning the nurse came in to check on me often.  I was in pain but not unbearable.

I was not allowed out of the bed without assistance.  My body was hooked up to all kinds of machines.  All I was given was water to drink. I remember later in the day asking if I should have food.  The nurse said she would ask.  I remember hours went by before they answered.  They felt I needed to wait longer to make sure I would not throw up anymore.  It was later that evening before I was given something small to eat.  Because I was so out of it, I honestly do not even remember what it was.

During the night I remember my arm hurting.  They had injected two different IVS.  One was like a back-up.  The other area had a tube injected in my arm/hand that they said had something to do with my heart.  I never really understood what that was for.  Finally in the middle of the night one of the nurses tried to make the IVs more comfortable by retaping them.  I remember her being within a foot of my face.  That concerned me because of Covid but I felt it was necessary because of the pain from the IV.  It did help relieve some of the pain.  She said she could not remove the IV until I was dismissed.

The nurses were very nice.  However, they were overworked.  I was relieved that when I used the call button someone would answer on the other end.  Back in September when I was in hospital for my heart no-one verbally answered the call button at the other hospital.  I had to wait a long time for someone to come to my room.  However, many times when I needed to go to the bathroom I would call and tell them.  Most of the time I had to wait a long time, even an hour for someone to come help me.  I really wanted to try to go without assistance but when I realized how many machines I was attached to, it really was impossible for me to do it myself.

I had a catheter.  I do not think I had ever had one before.  So that was a new experience.  However, sometime while I was there I remember moving the sheet and a pillow.  I had pillows propped all around my bed to help make me more comfortable.  Anyhow one time when I went to reposition stuff I accidently pulled on the catheter.  It scared me.  I was not sure if I had hurt something or messed something up.  After the nurse checked, I was relieved to know everything was OK.  Later I did it again but that time I was not as concerned.

IU Medical Center was a teaching hospital.  So often they had students working.  The next morning one of those students came to see how I was doing.  He checked to see how much was in the pouch catching the remains from the drain tube.  He was impressed that there was not much.  He commented he thought I might be able to go home that day.  Those words totally shocked me.  I had been prepared to stay the 4-5 days they originally told me.  After a while, he came back with a doctor.  They examined me.  I was told I could go home once the Epidural tube in my back was removed.  He then removed the drainage tube.  He pulled on the thread from the stitch that was already there.  It closed up the hole.  That stitch looked really weird.  I was concerned it would never lay flat after it healed but it eventually did.  I was elated, amazed and thanked God that I was recovering much quicker than expected.

However, then the bad news came.  Because they had given me a blood thinning shot in my stomach about 6:30 that morning, they could not remove the epidural tube until 12 hours after the shot.  That was very disappointing.  The nurse had to make special arrangements to see if a specific doctor who takes the epidurals out would be available to remove it that evening.  Eventually she told me she got it arranged. 

Another problem arose.  I was to be dismissed with a prescription.  Because dismissal from the hospital would be later in the evening, we knew we would not be back home in time to get the prescription filled.  My husband did not feel comfortable driving in Indianapolis after dark to find a pharmacy.  So I asked the nurse if we could get it filled in the hospital pharmacy.  The problem was I only had a few dollars cash on me and no credit card.  Eventually the nurse ended up getting the prescription and I paid her for it.  I was relieved with that hurdle got solved.

About 6:30 pm that evening the special doctor came and took the epidural out.  I waited and waited for the nurse to dismiss me.  In the meantime, I gathered all my stuff and had it arranged, ready to leave.

I had called my husband earlier with the dismissal plan.  Timing was difficult because I lived an hour and a half away.  He got to the IU Medial Center building and waited in the drive out front.  He waited and waited while I waited and waited for the nurse to dismiss me.  Finally, about 8:30 that evening I got dismissed.  The nurse along with all my stuff (which was a lot because I thought I was going to be there for five days), headed to the entrance.  When we got there, I saw my husband waiting in the car.  They loaded my stuff and I very carefully got in the car and buckled up.

I remember the drive home very painfully.  Every little bump I felt.  My husband tried to drive carefully so it would not hurt but the highways were not smooth.  I was grateful when we got home.  It was late, about 10 pm

I praise God for the successful surgery and amazing recovery. They said pain level would be 10 out of 10.  The highest was a 4 in the hospital.  They said I would be in the hospital 4-5 days.  I got out the next day!  Absolutely amazing! 

In John 15:7 (NLT) “But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!”  Well, this time God went far beyond my prayer request regarding a successful surgery.  We can definitely have the confidence that when we pray God hears us. 

Please join me next time as I share about recuperating after surgery.