Details. Part 1.

 One week out, I'm getting a lot more mobility but I am still pretty limited and a bit bruised so will keep these brief.

I'll start with my memories (mammaries?) of the day of surgery, or further stories of why my surgeon probably thinks I'm the weirdest patient she's ever had.

I had to be there at 7:30. Stephen couldn't come past the lobby (and we live literally 5 min away), and since it would be hours before there would be news, I just had him drop me off with instructions to come back when I called and bring me dinner.

It was an emotional goodbye. Walking in was hard. 

I checked in and went to the pre-op area, but they weren't ready for me. They sent me to the hallway to wait. There was not another soul around, and this was possibly the loneliest I have ever felt in my entire life. They gave me a box of tissues.

The nurse who prepped me was wonderful. Pre-op seemed like forever and no time at all. I made my terror of puke known and after asking my brother (an anesthesiologist) for advice, I got extra meds for nausea. I had also talked to my surgeon about getting a nerve block rather than a long course of opioids for pain. I am just not a fan of those for so many reasons. They took me out of pre-op and over to the PACU (recovery room) to do that. They also gave me a nice sedative to relax me. That was IV, so that hit hard and fast. I recall saying hello to it.

Nerve blocks: these things are f'ing magical. I laid on my stomach (for the last time for a while) and the anesthesiologist ultrasounded my back (NOT my spine) to find a nerve, and injected a numbing agent similar to lidocaine, like what you get at the dentist. It works for 12-24 hours.

Then they took me into the OR. My recollection here is that it took two people to get me out of the PACU because of the corners and the bed. Also there were people in scrubs just hanging out in the middle of the hallway, and the nurse had to repeatedly ask them to move so we could get through. And I just thought what a weird design; you think we'd be better at this?

A different anesthesia team was on hand to put me under. I remember the overhead lights, and that there were so many more people in the room than I expected. As he put the oxygen mask on me, I waved him away for just a minute and called my surgeon over. She looked concerned, but I just said, "Tits away. Let's do this."

And then I remember nothing.