The big multi conference and surgery

Wednesday, June 12 we participated in the multi-disciplinary program where doctors of many different disciplines examined Chris' entire case to come up with recommendations. There were six other patients involved; they put each of us in an examination room and the doctors went from room to room. Then, they had a conference where they all sat down and went over everything. Then one "lead" came into each room to deliver the results.

Complicating the day was the requirement by anesthesiology that she see yet another doctor to get cardiac clearance for the surgery because there was something on her EKG that they didn't like. So they coordinated the entire day, getting an appointment with a cardiac specialist in the middle of the "multi" at a time that didn't interfere with the process. It was truly amazing how well it all worked out, everyone that needed to know about the other appointment knew about it, and the cardiac specialist knew about the multi. The people at UCLA really have their act together; I can't tell you how impressed we are with the entire operation (pun intended!).

We got out of bed at 4:00 a.m. and Chris told me that she had a talk with her breast and told it that it wasn't it's fault and that it had been a good breast for all of these years.

We got her to the hospital at 5:15 a.m. and Georgia, Chris's sister, was there waiting for us. About 7:00 Sonia, our dear friend from the mountains arrived, after driving 2 1/2 hours. She went into surgery right on time, laughing and joking until about 5 minutes before she went under. Then she got teary-eyed and I could tell she was pretty scared, but she told us all that she loved us and we did the same... Kleenex all around.

About 9:30 the surgeon who did the mastectomy came out and she said that everything was going well and that in a preliminary pathology report it looked like they got the entire tumor. When she left, the plastic surgeon was "harvesting" the tissue that would be used in the reconstruction.

I got a call about noon from the plastic surgeon's nurse who had just called the operating room. He was working "under the microscope" and should be finished in about an hour, then two hours in recovery. If nobody calls me by 3:00, just go up to her room.

While waiting for 3:00 to arrive, we sat in the waiting area and struck up a conversation with an actress who was waiting for her husbands' surgery to be completed. She was in several episodes of the X-Files, Alien, and the role I remember her for which was the lady that vomited all of the cherry pits in The Witches of Eastwick. I was too embarrassed to ask her name!

At 3:00 we went upstairs and there she was, right on time. I think it's the first time she's ever been on time for anything! They were busy checking for proper blood flow through the transplanted tissue, as that is the critical issue at this point in order to ensure that the tissue lives. They also must keep it warm so the newly connected blood vessels stay nice and expanded, so she was pretty uncomfortable because she gets hot pretty easily. We did, however, get to see the result of the reconstruction while they were doing what they do, and it looks absolutely amazing! She will be thrilled when she finally screws up enough courage to look at it!

Georgia and I were able to keep her face moist with wet washcloths and with a little sponge-on-a-stick and a cup of ice water. I got some battery-operated fans from the car and that also helped.

Unbelievably, I started feeling like I was coming down with a cold, which is the last thing she would need to catch at this point, so I started staying farther away. I thought maybe it just because I was so dead tired. They wouldn't let me sleep in her room, but there was a waiting room down the hall that I could sleep in, so I got a pillow and blanket from the car and tried to get comfortable on a couple of the chairs. About 12:30 a.m. I went in to see her, and she was awake and happy that I was there, but my throat wasn't much better so I decided that the best thing would be to go back to our friends' house and get some good sleep in a real bed. I stopped to get some Echinacea, Vitamin C, and Zinc lozenges and got to bed about 3:00 a.m.

Now it is 7:30 a.m. and I feel a little better, but will still be careful not to get too close when I get up there to see her.

This update was posted on Friday, June 14, 2002 at 7:41:04 AM (USA Central Time)
Last updated on Thursday, October 02, 2003 at 10:06:26 AM (USA Central Time)