Surgery Rescheduled....

Thursday, November 15th @ 8am

Cooper University Hospital

That's the big day, like it or not, that I'm (re)scheduled for surgery. It was the earliest possible day he could fit me in and with the hospital operating in 'Emergency Mode' on Monday & Tuesday, you can only imagine the number of surgeries that needed to be rescheduled. With 14 OR's and dozens upon dozens of patients who need to be rescheduled from being cancelled Monday and Tuesday, surgeons are scrambling big time to coordinate staff and Operating Rooms in order to reschedule their most pressing cases first. I guess I had what amounted to an adult temper tantrum. No throwing of objects or dropping to the floor and kicking my feet (I'd never be able to get back up! LOL) But it was a temper tantrum, no less.



I was in utter disbelief, shocked really. Not that I'm happy about having another surgery, but I was looking forward to it in a way, so that it would be over and done with by now and so I'd be home from the hospital enjoying Thanksgiving dinner (and my 40th birthday) sitting around the table with my family. Instead, I'll be spending all of the above either in the hospital (Cooper University Hospital) or at the rehab facility (Magee Rehab Hospital). The secretary actually told me how "lucky" I was with having gotten a surgery date so soon given that the hospital had to cancel dozens of surgeries on Monday and Tuesday due to Hurricane Sandy Now, I'm feeling A LOT of things these past few weeks and days, but lucky definitely isn't one of them. And to be perfectly honest, if this is how 'lucky' feels then I'd prefer to feel 'unlucky.' Here's how 'lucky' I am:

• I donated 3 pints of my own blood over the course of 3 consecutive weeks in preparation for this surgery. With rescheduling my surgery, 2 out of 3 will expire (one already has); I need a whole lot MORE than 1 meager little pint of blood. I decided to donate one more pint next Thursday and that's it. I just can't DO anymore than that. My arms are so black and blue and so sore from all the needle pricks and IV lines...one and done...that's all I can do. Of course there is always blood bank blood. I'll have to ask my surgeon if having a family or friend donate on my behalf would be ok (I'm A+) - several have offered and I might just have to take them up on it!
• My husband was supposed to be out of town during the week I was originally schedule to have surgery; well, his company rescheduled it for him and they cut the training down from 2 weeks to 1 since I was having surgery. Now, my husband WILL definitely be out of town during and after my surgery. So, we'll have to say our goodbyes on Monday and he won't be home until Friday or Saturday. The timing of all this just stinks. But boy oh boy, do I feel lucky!!!
• I'll almost certainly be spending my 40th birthday (which happens to be on Thanksgiving this year) in the hospital. Not at all what I had planned. But hey, blow up some latex-free (of course!) gloves and  tie them to a string and we have 'balloons' and 'guess that animal' games!  LOL! Afterall, I'm lucky!
• With my surgery being so close to the weekend (on a Thursday), I'll get the wonderful, oh-so- happy-to-be-at-work 'weekend staff' which usually isn't as good as the regular weekday staff. My surgeon has always told me from the start, "I will make sure you're scheduled for a Tuesday; that way i'll be there the rest of the week in case something comes up." Well, with 75+ patients cancelled for surgery Monday & Tuesday, he had to take what he could get so that I could have this done and so that he could reorganize his "team," which by the way he hand picked. He said at one point, "I could do your surgery at midnight, but I don't want just anybody in that OR with me. I want to pick them." That's also what is delaying things." It's certainly not ideal to have to wait another 2 weeks but to know that I will have the best of the best nurses, doctors, anesthesiologists, etc working with and monitoring me make me feel a lot better. AND it's better than waiting a month for surgery since he's booked into mid-December.

So, I'll do another blood donation and PRAY that I get someone very good this time. I've gotten one or two that were decent but overall, it's a process and necessity of surgery that I dread. I will keep all of you updated and post any changes, but for now - that's the story: surgery 11/15 at 8am.