Oct. 5th: Surgery Day

After making the decision to get a chest reduction, I had met with a general practitioner to get a referral for a consult with a plastic surgeon, I got the consult with the plastic surgeon that week, and about two months after my consult I was meeting again with my surgeon, Dr. Pamela Antoniuk, for the surgery itself. To reiterate, I got the consult at the beginning of August, insurance came back and gave me the green light for surgery at the end of August, and I scheduled my surgery for October 5th, 2020.

Pre-Op To-Do:

There were a few things I needed to do after setting up the appointment in order to get the surgery. I needed to see a general practitioner (mine ended up being a different one than I saw for the referral) for a pre-op to okay me health-wise for the surgery. I did this a few weeks before the surgery was scheduled. I also had to take a Covid test to confirm that I did not have the Coronavirus. I took my test 5 days before surgery to ensure the results came back in time for the surgery date itself. Pre-op results gave me a clean bill of health and okay-ed me for surgery. The Covid test came back negative. Everything was set to go!

My surgery time was at 7 A.M., so I needed to ... 

Be there by 5 A.M.

The surgery was so early that I needed to enter through the emergency entrance because all other entrances to the building were closed. I'm sure this is standard protocol for surgeries, but it was new to me! 

I was lucky enough to have my fiance, James, take the day off of work to accompany me. Before long, we were called to the surgery waiting room. I answered a bunch of standard questions that ranged from my drug usage and eating in the last 24 hours to what surgery I was getting. The day of a surgery, I learned, is much more formalities about getting a surgery than it is about the specific surgery you are receiving. Its all the same to most of the staff who care for you with, of course, the exception of the plastic surgeons themselves. 

I brought Hammy, a stuffed hamster with a blanket inside, for comfort and because who doesn't want to bring their own pillow and blanket on surgery day?

It was nearly time!

And I could not be more excited. This is a surgery I was considering since adolescence, AND IT WAS FINALLY HAPPENING! I could hardly believe it. 

Dr. Pamela Antoniuk came in (after I had taken off all my clothing and replaced it with a medical gown, disposable undies, and grippy socks) to draw on my chest in purple marker to determine where to make incisions and plan for the surgery. She told me not to look down as she drew all over my chest. Dr. Antoniuk once again explained what the plan for surgery was and told me what the markings she made on my chest meant, the most interesting of which was the fact that my nipple was going to go up by about four inches. I knew I was getting a breast reduction, but it was doubly exciting to recall I was also, effectively, getting a breast lift! 

I talked to a lot of people in preparation for the surgery. Multiple nurses, one of which was very obviously in training. James informed me weeks later that the first of a month is when hospitals get trainees who aspire to do medical work. This meant that the young man who was shadowing the nurse had only been there for 5 days by the time he was assisting with my surgery. 

As the time drew near, I began to meet with more specialized people, like the anesthesiologists. Before long, I was being rolled on my bed to the room of surgery. Everyone in the surgery room was so kind and welcoming. I felt very comfortable. They gave me some drugs through the IV and it made my eyelids very heavy but it was not the anesthesia, so I was able to continue talking. It just was difficult. Then they gave me the anesthesia and waking up, for me, was a blur. 

I have vague memories of people talking about giving me more pain medication and I think Dr. Antoniuk said something about wanting to check my breasts before taking off my surgical bra and looking at them. I did not feel anything as she did this and, in fact, the memory is so vague, it feels like a dream. I do remember wondering where James was, though. 

As some semblance of cognizance returned to my brain... 

I remember pain. 

There was a lot of stinging in my chest; it felt like a bunch of little bees stinging where the incisions were made. Even coming out of anesthesia, it hurt. I also remember my left elbow hurting a lot and being very confused about that. After communicating with the nurse about the pain, which I gauged (in my drugged-up stupor) to be an 8 out of 10, I very quickly experienced relief through the IV I was still linked to. Soon after this, James arrived. 

James recorded me ...

expressing deep confusion about the nurse asking me to eat food, as well as me, on two separate occasions in the 6-minute video, realizing that my boobs were smaller than they were before. It was difficult for me to eat the toast they had given me. After having a tube in my throat for 6 hours, my throat was raw and my mouth was dry. So they gave me pudding and a juice and I was able to down another pain pill for the stinging, elbow pain, and back pain. It was at this point that James informed me that the reason I was experiencing the elbow and back pain was because I was laying on my back in a T-pose for 6 hours without moving at all. My elbow as locked in place for 6 hours! No wonder it hurt so much!

I had absolutely no desire to leave. I was exhausted and my eyes still felt heavy from all the drugs. Yet the nurses encouraged me to get up and moving. They asked me to use the bathroom before I left, since the catheter that they had used during my surgery may affect my ability to pee. 

Going to the bathroom was a chore because of the drugs and the pain of surgery, but I made it back to my bed and felt very nauseous. This was mended with more medications and a cool cloth to the head. It took longer than planned for me to get out of the hospital due to the nausea I was experiencing. 

Eventually, though, I was able to get out of the hospital, with the help of a wheelchair to keep me from losing balance walking. I really can't express enough how much drugs were affecting my ability to function normally at this point.

The drive home was really rough. Every tiny bump on the road caused stinging pain in my chest. But we made it, and I was still so, so proud of myself for going through with a surgery I had wanted for SO LONG.

And thus began the road to recovery.