[2023-06-30] Setting up home nursing care
Today, I received a call to set up home nursing care, to begin on July 8, the day after my prophylactic bilateral mastectomy with immediate reconstruction, scheduled for July 7. A nurse will come to my home the day after surgery to help me manage pain and possible nausea, to check my dressing and drains (if these tubes are inserted in my breasts during the surgery to collect fluids that can build up), and to review general activities and exercises. The nurse will also discuss the process for the removal of the drains, which will occur in my home about five days later. If I need additional care between these book-end visits, I may need to go to a home care clinic. I'm familiar with the process since I had to go to such a clinic in December 2021 after my surgical wound for perianal skin cancer opened up.
Tonight, I pulled out the information booklet I had been given almost two years ago when I made the decision to have a bilateral mastectomy as a means of reducing my risk of breast cancer. My surgery will take place at The Ottawa Hospital's Riverside Campus. It will be day surgery. I imagine that I will go to the hospital early on July 7 for all the pre-op activities. The operation is expected to take 3-4 hours. I will be released 4-6 hours after surgery. It will be a long day for me, but an equally long day for my husband. At least I'll be asleep for a good chunk of it.
The information booklet indicates that my post-op dressing may be left in place until day five. My dressing and drains may be removed by the nurse on day five or as ordered by my surgeon. I already have a follow-up appointment on July 13 with Dr. Zhang, the plastic surgeon who will handle the reconstruction. It gives me comfort to know that I will be followed closely in the days, weeks and months after surgery.
The next steps are a telephone call from a pre-admission nurse on July 4 and a quick visit to The Ottawa Hospital on July 6 so that Dr. Zhang can mark up my breasts in advance of the plastic surgery she will perform the following day.
I haven't spent a lot of time thinking about my impending operation nor—as you may have noticed—writing about it here. But the call today about home nursing care made the surgery feel more real and imminent than it had previously.
That led me to dig out the information booklet for breast surgery. Rereading it was surprisingly calming. The booklet describes what to expect, identifies unpleasant things that might happen and what to do if they do, and provides clear instructions and drawings for exercises I can do to recover fully from the surgery.
One week to go. I feel ready.
