Pre-Surgery Fun

This morning I went to UCSF to meet with some of the people who will be taking care of me. They took my blood to check my liver, kidney and iron levels to create a baseline before surgery. I had to stop taking my iron pills last week in preparation for surgery so I should be pretty anemic. We went over what medications I am on, what surgery will be like and what recovery will be like. My nurse predicted that I would be in the hospital from four to six days. I asked questions like what kind of pain medication I will be on and what kind of tubes will be sticking out of me. My nurse marked my stomach for the ileostomy bag, where the upper intestine will be pulled out and rolled over like a cuff. The whole bag-deal/two-step process is to improve healing and prevent leakages from stitches that could create very serious infection. My stoma, which the ileostomy bag will cover, is further down than Ghislaine or most people have them (not saying that Ghislaine is fat because she definitely is not). Because I don't have much stomach fat, it doesn't have to sit on top of the fat and can be lower down on my abdomen. That way I could wear a bathing suit with the scar barely showing. I also agreed to participate in a study for UCSF about how surgery improves a patient's quality of life.

Today I can't eat anything except bad flavors of jello and popsicles. I feel pretty nauseous so I don't want to eat anything anyway. The good flavors, like pink and red, are forbidden because (I think) they could make the intestine look inflamed or bloody. Jello and popsicles really do not satisfy hunger anyway so it doesn't matter. This afternoon I am doing one of the most fun things on earth - someday, I hope you will have the joy of trying it. I get to drink two liters of laxatives so that there is absolutely nothing in me when I go into surgery. It isn't actually the most fun thing on earth, but for people who are really sick like me, it is nice not to eat because then I am in much less pain.

I have to report to UCSF at 6 am for surgery at 8 am. Since I'm my surgeon's first surgery of the day it probably won't be delayed. The surgery will last for five hours. My parents will be able to be with me until I go into the operating room. I am really terrified but the nurses at UCSF are extremely caring and professional so I'm in great hands. Plus, my surgeon, Dr. Varma, is the head of colorectal surgery at UCSF and she performs up to four surgeries per day. Per day! I am so excited to wake up in the morning and look forward to the day ahead of me without reservations. I am just trying not to think about the in-between. The tremendous support I have has helped me so much. Thanks, and I'll see you on the other side!

Where the ileostomy bag will go

Nurse Indorf practices to make sure it is in the right place. 

We go over it again and again