The date of the surgery to remove my thyroid cancer and the whole thyroid gland was scheduled within a week. I had to mentally prepare myself, get organized, have my parents fly in from India to help and wind up my affairs at office to go on extended leave.
At the pre surgery tests, I was a bundle of nerves, nervous, anxious and still unaccepting. It was my calm, level headed, immensely knowledgeable father, who calmed me down to face the reality. His wisdom and calm reassurances were the turning point in this journey.
8th February 2017 dawned with messy freezing rain which left dangerously slippery sidewalks and roads all over the city. The night before was extremely emotional. I cried for the days before my diagnosis, I cried for fear of the unknown, I cried wondering if life as I knew it would ever be the same again. I cried not knowing what the doctors would find and the repercussions it ment for my family. I cried like I never had before, I prayed like never before. With every fibre of my being, all i wished for was to get better and be there for my daughter.
The hospital admissions went smoothly, I was the first surgery for the day. I changed into the sterile hospital gown, covered my hair with the hospital cap, and gave my father and husband an emotional hug goodbye before being wheeled into the OR. The nurse pushing me in told me to pray to whatever force I believed in to be able to overcome this. Eyes closed, sweaty palmed and with a ball of fear knotted in my stomach, I prayed with all my might.
I said hello to my doctor, the discussion all around me was of the messy, icy rain and treacherous driving conditions. I was told to walk into the OR,the anaesthesiologists introduced themselves. The monitors were plugged into to the stickers on my chest. The last thing I remember was extending my right arm for the intravenous line before I went into a deep sleep.
A few hours later, I woke up to intense jaw splitting bone crushing pain. Nausea threatened every move, and I could not speak more than a whisper. It was done, my thyroid was gone. The pain was intense, unbearable. A nurse came and gave me anti nausea medication as I lay there, bruised and blue, but relieved that step one was done. The next few hours were a blur. I could not swallow, I wanted water but I would choke. I wanted to speak, but it was agony. After an intense afternoon of pain and many attempts at trying to take pain medication orally, I finally managed to take one.
The sheer helplessness that you feel after a major surgery is truly humbling. The human body suffers a blow when things go out of balance, but it has a remarkable tendency to realign and adjust itself to this blow. Once the pain medication and the nausea medicines kicked in, I was able to sit up. late that evening, in the bathroom, I finally looked into the mirror at the new me, blotched, swollen face and neck and a white bandage at the base of my neck, where my normal carefree life one was...
At the pre surgery tests, I was a bundle of nerves, nervous, anxious and still unaccepting. It was my calm, level headed, immensely knowledgeable father, who calmed me down to face the reality. His wisdom and calm reassurances were the turning point in this journey.
8th February 2017 dawned with messy freezing rain which left dangerously slippery sidewalks and roads all over the city. The night before was extremely emotional. I cried for the days before my diagnosis, I cried for fear of the unknown, I cried wondering if life as I knew it would ever be the same again. I cried not knowing what the doctors would find and the repercussions it ment for my family. I cried like I never had before, I prayed like never before. With every fibre of my being, all i wished for was to get better and be there for my daughter.
The hospital admissions went smoothly, I was the first surgery for the day. I changed into the sterile hospital gown, covered my hair with the hospital cap, and gave my father and husband an emotional hug goodbye before being wheeled into the OR. The nurse pushing me in told me to pray to whatever force I believed in to be able to overcome this. Eyes closed, sweaty palmed and with a ball of fear knotted in my stomach, I prayed with all my might.
I said hello to my doctor, the discussion all around me was of the messy, icy rain and treacherous driving conditions. I was told to walk into the OR,the anaesthesiologists introduced themselves. The monitors were plugged into to the stickers on my chest. The last thing I remember was extending my right arm for the intravenous line before I went into a deep sleep.
A few hours later, I woke up to intense jaw splitting bone crushing pain. Nausea threatened every move, and I could not speak more than a whisper. It was done, my thyroid was gone. The pain was intense, unbearable. A nurse came and gave me anti nausea medication as I lay there, bruised and blue, but relieved that step one was done. The next few hours were a blur. I could not swallow, I wanted water but I would choke. I wanted to speak, but it was agony. After an intense afternoon of pain and many attempts at trying to take pain medication orally, I finally managed to take one.
The sheer helplessness that you feel after a major surgery is truly humbling. The human body suffers a blow when things go out of balance, but it has a remarkable tendency to realign and adjust itself to this blow. Once the pain medication and the nausea medicines kicked in, I was able to sit up. late that evening, in the bathroom, I finally looked into the mirror at the new me, blotched, swollen face and neck and a white bandage at the base of my neck, where my normal carefree life one was...
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