There's more to say about how the surgery itself went, but for now, here are some bits from the last couple of days. 

The hardest part about yesterday, pun intended, was the constipation. I had had one bowel movement the first night home, but I’m used to 2-3/day so was getting increasingly uncomfortable as the day progressed. I tried a lot of different things – over-the-counter colace and colace with senna; stewed prunes; drinking lots, including prune juice; half a dose of miralax, then when that didn’t do it, another half-dose by early afternoon. Eventually I felt desperate enough to send Don out to the drug store for glycerin suppositories, which was the kind my sister-in-law Dr. Margot recommended. I expected one of these to work nearly instantaneously, and when it didn’t I added a second one. When this still didn’t work (and I’d gotten to the point where I couldn’t eat and didn’t feel comfortable sitting up) I finally thought to look up the acupressure points for constipation. I stimulated a number of them myself; then my sister Rachel, just arrived from California, spent some time on a couple of points she knew. Then we decided it was time for an evening walk, the heat having abated enough; I thought I’d try sitting on the pot one more time before leaving, and – voila! Success! The walk was much more pleasant as a result.[...]

Well I got a good night's sleep, only up a couple of times to use the bathroom and take a pill. I had high hopes of being up for writing a deep and/orscintillating post this morning, and then I took two oxycodone and I feel quite woozy. E.g. I asked Don to bring me my laptop, and it took me a minute or two after opening it to remember why I wanted it and how to log in to this website. There is a bit of an argument going on inside me between the "I'm a mindfulness practitioner and know how to be mindful through pain" side and the "current theories of pain management suggest keeping the pain well under control actually assists with healing" side. Taking the two oxycodone was definitely yielding to the stay-on-top-of-the-pain side. Then there is staying on top of the side-effects -- primarily constipation. I've got some yummy prune-based options and some pills for it too.[...]

Becca had a good night. She and Margot were interrupted several times by MDs and RN and NAs, but otherwise she (and Margot slept ok. Her pain was well controlled most of the night and all day today even though the block has worn off. Her wonderful surgeon and the residents came by early this morning before I got there. She gave us her cell phone number in case we have questions. [...]

Hi everyone. This is Becca dictating to Don, giving Don free rein to add his thoughts in parenthesis. I'm happy to report that I have been hungry and able to eat, and have gotten up to pee once so far. My pain is under control. I've had no nausea. I'm contemplating the menu for dinner at this moment. Don and Margot have been wonderful - it is great to have a doctor in the family, and it is great to have Margot here for many other reasons as will. The hospital staff have also been lovely. I hear the surgeon will come to visit soon. Thank you all for all your messages and well wishes. It is very weird to dictate rather than to write. We brought some items from the August Letting Go ritual to decorate my room. (She was pretty bossy while she was dictating; I guess that makes her a dictator.)

Becca got to her room (F6/F462 in UW Hospital) a little before 1 PM. She's pretty subdued, though not in much pain. They told us the paravertebral block will numb her chest until tomorrow early morning, though she asked for a little pain meds via IV to stay ahead of it. She's drinking cranberry juice, and feels slightly hungry, though not yet well enough to sit up enough to eat.

The surgeon (Dr. Lee Wilke) just came by to talk to us. Becca is out of surgery and in the recovery room where she will stay for about an hour, and then be moved up to a room. The surgeon said that the surgery went very well, that she showed no sign of discomfort during the surgery. The lymph nodes checked in the sentinel lymph node biopsy were all negative (two on each side). We're looking forward to seeing her when she gets up to her room![...]

Don here. We arrived here at 6. It is now just after 7:30 AM. There was a little confusion when we saw the anesthesiologist - who described what they were planning as general anesthesia in addition to the paravertrebral block, while our surgeon had told us Becca wouldn't need a general. When our surgeon got back (she was in a meeting with the hospital CEO) it turned out to be a difference in terminology. Becca will not need a paralytic agent, and although they will have her hooked to a ventilator in case it's needed, she will be under very deep sedation which allows her to breathe on her own, and, in addition to the local anesthetic effects of the block, should be enough to make her comfortable during the surgery. [...]

Like I said in an earlier post, I was "teacher's pet," which included almost always doing my homework. Before a test or other big event, most of my anxiety usually manifests well in advance, before I'm prepared -- before I've done the work I know I need to do to be ready to succeed. (The few times I took a test I didn't feel prepared for were quite miserable!)  Last night when Don told me (in the midst of his own anxiety, which manifests fairly differently than mine) that he suspected I was avoiding feeling my feelings by being so busy with all of these last minute tasks, I realized that I am in a way treating this like a test. Well, I do feel prepared, mostly, except for all the things we can't predict or control. [...]

Okay, so in another interesting coincidence, my special tree (and the other ones on our property) are being trimmed today, as I am making various final preparations for my surgery, which is planned for this coming Thursday![...]

Thank you all for your incredibly supportive words. In writing what I did earlier this week, and in reading your replies (including a wonderful letter from a newer friend who has had two mastectomies, two years apart, about what she does miss about her breasts and how she doesn't regret her mastectomies without reconstruction) I have begun to feel more at peace and more ready for the surgery. [...]