Wednesday I had my pre-op appointment and I just have to say, I love my surgeon! She is so nice and does her best to let me know what's going on, and to answers all the little questions.
Getting to the appointment was a little nerve racking because it was pouring rain all day and driving in the rain is not my favorite thing to do, but my mom and I made it there safe and sound. When I got all checked in, my nerves had calmed and the nurse did all her routine things: temperature, weight, blood pressure, etc. Then I waited in the room for a few minutes until my surgeon came in. The first thing she did was ask me if I had any question, and I did. I had been making a list of questions I wanted to know coming out of the pre-op appointment so I could mentally prepare myself as best as possible. So we went through my list which went as follows: 1. How many lymph nodes will you be taking from my neck? Answer: 8-10 from the right side of my neck. 2. What are the chances I will get lymphedema in my chest or arm? Answer:The chances are small. My surgeon said she would be very surprised if I developed lymphedema in the donor sight, but I will see some swelling right after surgery so I shouldn't be alarmed. 3. About how long will recovery take? Answer: I will most likely be in the hospital 7 to 10 days and at the most 2 weeks, and even when I am able to go home I need to stay off my leg for a couple weeks. 4. Should I wrap or pump my leg after surgery? Answer: No, not until further notice if at all. 5. How many VLNT surgeries have you done? Answer: This will be my surgeon's first VLNT because it is a new operation for Kaiser Permanente. When she told me this I do have to admit it did make me a little nervous, but she assured me that she does surgeries very similar on a daily basis, and she will have another surgeon in there as well. Someone has to be the first, right?! 6. Where and how big will the scars be? Answer: I will have a 2 to 3 inch, horizontal scar on the outside of my right ankle and from right side of my neck to my collarbone. After I was done asking my questions the surgeon went on to tell me how surgery day was going to go: I have to be at the hospital by 5:45 Tuesday morning. They will then prep me for surgery and take me to the anesthesiologist. The surgery will take pretty much all day, and when I wake up I will be stitched up with drains in both my ankle and neck, and I will have to do without food for two days following the surgery in case they have to take me back into surgery. My surgeon said she would tell me more about what's going to happen after the surgery after the surgery so that was about all we discussed. I'm am excited to see what this next week brings. Although I know I'm going to be so bored in the hospital for a week or more. Luckily, my mom will be staying with me for the first few days! Comments are closed.
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AuthorHi, my name is Sydney, and I have Primary Lymphedema. I created this blog to share my journey, and I hope that by sharing my story I can help those who are on a similar path. Archives
April 2017
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