- In Corvallis for "the big day" with Rory
- Mammography went OK
- We're now in short stay for pre-op
- The surgeon agreed to remove her port as part of today's procedure. This will mean one less office procedure with local anesthetic. It will also mean her future blood draws will have to be via needle, but those will only be every three months.
- He also agreed to prescribe a pain patch for the med she found to be helpful during her last hospitalization
- Opened the blinds a few minutes ago to let in the blazing sunshine. Now the ground is completely covered by hail.
- They took her down to "nuclear medicine" ... some sort of injection to make the tumor location "light up" during surgery
- Her favorite nurse is here today, which is a huge deal for Rory. Everyone is always helpful and friendly and willing to listen, but having "her" nurse is a huge blessing for her. Rory reports being WAY more calm than any other surgery time, for sure WAY more relaxed than she should be going into things today.
- She's coming back to the room now ... I can hear her laughing down the hallway. Her spirits are WAY up for some reason. She's being very friendly and chatty with everyone. Good times, all things considered.
- Anyone ever used the "Bair Paws" personal heating system? We've never fired one up before today. Didn't blow any warmer than room temperature air ... just our luck to get the broken one the first time we actually tried it. Cool idea though: a hose that connects to the hospital gown, then the patient can (theoretically) self-regulate the temperature of the air going into the gown.
- The nurse who seems to be "in charge" of us in Short Stay apparently used to live in Monmouth and knows the Shinkles. :+)
- Joke #1 from N.M. Tech: "Why didn't Beethoven keep chickens in his yard? Because they always said 'Bach, Bach, Bach'" (Although deaf, Beethoven could "read beaks.")
- Joke #2: "What's invisible and smells like carrots? Bunny farts." (Surprised me that Rory repeated this one back, but apparently it struck her as very funny / Easter-themed.)
- When asked what kind of music Rory wanted to listen to, she asked for "Classical." So they turned on ELEVATOR MUSIC. Pop songs done in that signature style that everyone (of sufficient age, apparently) would recognize not as "Classical" but as "Elevator."
- Nuclear med had to do their injection with a needle. Yay that the lidocaine from mammography was still effective, so she didn't feel a thing!
- She's really stylin ... got her purple gown on, and it matches quite well with the head scarf she decided to wear. The ensemble is finished off with wires poking out of her chest, Bandaids, skin stickers, and now her hand is wrapped in preparation for the IV.
- IV try #1 ... no good
- IV try #2 ... success!
- It's nearing 3:00 and our 2:00 surgery hasn't started. Still trying to be optimistic that Rory won't have to stay overnight ...
- They just wheeled her away ... time for some lunch! :+)
That's our status as of 4pm. I'll do another series of posts as the afternoon progresses.
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