Unlike most cases, the source of my HPV cancer was in my throat at the back of my tongue and NOT in my cervix. I had 2 lymph nodes on the left side of my neck also test positive for HPV. Fortunately everything was operable!
My surgery was a two part procedure. They were taking out the tiny tumor in the back of my tongue as well as doing a neck dissection where they remove a bunch of lymph nodes near where the original ones were found to test and see if it spread. My doctor said to expect a very soar throat, numbness on the left side of my neck due to tying off the nerves and also I would have a drain inserted in the back of my neck for the fluids. Eeeek! A hole in my neck?!?
May 4, 2018 – Surgery Day!!!
I had to be at the hospital at 5am on the day of surgery so I had my friend take my girls to school, my sister pick them up, as well as make dinner for them. Since I wasn’t telling my mom, I told her I had a full day photo shoot and may not speak with her that day. She bought it! 🙂 My husband drove me down and planned to be there all day. It was going to be a 5 or 6 hour procedure.
**Tip – If someone is going with you have them bring something to keep them occupied all those hours. My husband brought his computer to do work.
When your surgery is first thing in the morning there’s no waiting – they start prepping right away.
It’s all the usual things like paperwork, changing into the hospital outfit, urine test, meeting and speaking with the surgical team, and getting the anesthesia started.
**Tip – Bring up any concerns you have NOW with the anesthesiologist and your surgeon. I warned the anesthesiologist that I didn’t react well when I had the 2 surgical biopsies – I was nauseous and threw up so they put some kind of patch on my back shoulder to help with the nausea.
Once I changed into the surgery outfit and got the preliminary paperwork done I was moved into another room to meet with my doctor and anesthesiologist. My husband was already tired and we barely even got started!!
My doctor discussed giving me a feeding tube while he was in there doing surgery, anticipating I’d have trouble swallowing afterwards. I told him I really didn’t want it but we compromised to have it in for just one day.
Two friends that had a similar procedure warned me that after surgery my neck would be really stiff and I wouldn’t be able to open my mouth – my head would feel like it was in a vice. This was because I was having robotic throat cancer surgery and there would be a. clamp to keep my mouth wide open and my tongue pressed down while the robot and surgeon did their thing.. Yes this all sounds so crazy but thank goodness for advanced technology right?!? That didn’t freak me out – nothing really did. I have to say I was really calm. This was the 3rd time I was at the hospital within a month and a half so at this point everything seemed routine.
Once I got all of my hair stuffed into the little cap (a feat in itself) we were ready to head off to surgery!
One thing that struck me as odd and amusing was the way I was brought to the operating room. It wasn’t like how you see in the movies where you’re lying in a bed and they wheel you into the room. I WALKED down the hallway with some of the surgical team. Weird, right?!? The operating room was extremely bright with a long white table in the middle just waiting for the patient to lay down on. There’s so much going on all at once – strapping in my legs, adjusting the clothes , connecting me here and there, needles in both arms, computer screens and bright lights all around. But once they gave me more anesthesia… I was out!
Recovery
Hours later (which felt like minutes to me) I woke up in the recovery room. The nurse looked at me and said I was done and out of surgery. I noticed I didn’t have a feeding tube. I also didn’t have a stiff neck – I was able to move it from side to side. I opened and closed my mouth without a problem. And…I wasn’t nauseous! Did I really just have surgery?!? I couldn’t believe it! My first words were “That’s it?!?”
**Tip – This goes to show that everyone’s surgery is different and everyone will have different reactions. No need to freak out by what someone else experienced.
Before moving me to my room, my husband and doctor came to see me to tell me everything went well – he got everything out that needed to come out and he decided not to give me the feeding tube after all. Honestly I was pretty drugged up at the time (and feeling really good and giddy) I didn’t really remember much of what my doctor said which is why it’s good to have someone else there to take notes and listen. The results came back right away with regard to my tongue (all clear) but I’d have to wait until my follow up visit in a week and a half to find out the results of the lymph nodes that were removed from my neck.
I was then brought to my room in ICU Stepdown (not as critical as ICU). I was sharing it with another woman. There was zero privacy other than a curtain between us so we could each hear everything. She turned out to be really cool and we quickly became Facebook and Instagram friends. You just never know where you’ll meet people to connect with!
One thing I noticed was that I was in a different gown than I was in when I was brought into surgery! I guess it makes sense that you get all messy and bloody in there but what was the procedure for getting me changed I wondered? I tried to imagine it and thought it could be a funny scene in a movie – the whole experience was so surreal! I quickly put on the underwear and pajama bottoms I brought from home. It felt better to at least be in some of my own clothes.
It was like Grand Central Station in that room around the clock – constant monitoring, taking blood – (MORE NEEDLES) and medication.
**Tip – Each time the nurse came around with medication I questioned what it was. If it was just something extra like stool softener or an antacid that I didn’t feel I needed – I refused it. Be sure to ask about the meds and write it all down – it’s hard to remember everything. Know WHY you are taking it.
I supposedly have “bad veins” (whatever that means!) so the nurses had a hard time getting the needles in to take blood. One nurse tried 3 separate times without success. In a very nice way I told him he was done. I got the head nurse to do it instead who was able to get it in first shot. You need to speak up for yourself! I had so many bruises on my arms I looked like a junkie!
The hospital food was disgusting and there was no way I was going to eat it. Surprisingly the food they wanted to give me had sugar in it. CANCER LOVES SUGAR!!! What were they thinking? There was a Wholefoods nearby so I had my husband pick up sugar free organic apple sauce, green tea and coconut water.
**Tip – You have to be your own advocate for everything – even food! Bring your own healthy options!
When my husband left I tried to sleep but I was too wired. Instead I read, listened to inspirational audios and did a lot of writing. I came up with a bunch of ideas for blog posts and projects. The ideas were literally flying out of me! I was so in the flow! I wrote in my journal, on a napkin and whatever else I could find. I saved everything and recently went back to read it – it was pretty illegible!
The next day my husband came back with my girls, sister and nephews. Party time!
None of the kids knew the real reason why I was having surgery. The “C” word was never brought up. I just told them I had something on the back of my tongue and neck that had to come out. When they got there I knew they would need to be occupied so I sent them with my sister to Wholefoods to pick up lunch.
I called my mom at our usual 11am daily call time. Fortunately no one came in to prick me with needles or give me more meds so I was able to get through the convo relatively quickly and easily without giving away where I was. I was afraid she would notice my newly formed lisp which was happening because my tongue was swollen from the surgery – but she didn’t.
It’s funny to observe kids. They can make any situation into an adventure.
I was so chill about what was going on that they just fed right off of that energy and were pretty much oblivious to the fact that they were in a hospital room. At one point I had to remind them that this wasn’t a restaurant after getting requests like “could we get paper plates for our sandwiches?” and “can you ask them for vanilla ice cream instead of that strawberry one they gave you?” Uh, NO!!!
After they left my BFF Pam came to visit. She was one of the only friends I told about what was going on. She’s the best – even brought me my favorite dill pickle potato chips for when I was feeling better. She was the one I was able to tell everything to.
During the time Pam was with me, we did “laps” (at a snail’s pace) around the hallways as I was instructed by the staff to get up and move around. While we were “exercising”, they moved me into a different room. I graduated out of the ICU Stepdown to a regular room – with a new roommate who had the TV playing loud reality shows the whole time!
The benefit of this new room was that I was quickly getting better and didn’t need to be monitored as closely as the previous day – which also meant…LESS NEEDLES!!! Woo Hoo!!
Mother’s Intuition
Wanna hear something freaky?!? I get a call that evening FROM MY MOM!!! She NEVER calls me at night! Was I going to be busted? She called and said she had a strange feeling come over her that something bad was going on!!! She asked where I was and I told her I was in bed. I just left out the part about being in s a HOSPITAL bed!! Somehow I managed to convince her that she was crazy and worried too much. Whoa – that was close!
The next morning I was in the clear to go home. All they needed to do before discharging me was to remove the drain from my neck which sounds gross but didn’t hurt at all.
My husband picked me up, we made a quick stop at the drugstore for the meds and I was home before noon.
When I walked in the door I was greeted with “mom, what can you make us for lunch?” and “why didn’t you stay in the city longer? You love the city” As I mentioned – I did a REALLY good job at downplaying everything.
Maybe too good! 🙂
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