The Long and Winding Road....

I told both Scott and Jenni that I was going to end this cancer blog after my final chemo.  They said I needed to wait through my surgery. Now I'm not even sure if that is an ending.  Cancer never ends! It might hide for a few years - hopefully for many, many years - but it always "there" somewhere.

That's Right!! Stupid Dumb Breast Cancer!!

Yesterday, Friday the 13th, I had another surgery.  I wasn't too worried just a tad anxious - who wouldn't be, right?  Right away there was the problem with my insurance.  My doctor sent a Pre-Auth for this surgery back around the end of July.  Mid August it was all approved but one little procedure, which was listed as experimental.  Funny thing... that ONE little procedure turned out to be a BIG procedure.  My insurance denied the mesh sling that my doctor needed to use. That is a big deal!  So my doctor wrote a letter explaining and asking for their approval.  TWO days before the surgery the insurance denied it again!!  Let's just review.... I am not adding implants to a pair of existing breasts.  NO I have implants but my breasts are non existing!  I have NO tissue and very little muscle so the sling is used to hold them in place.  So what was my doctor suppose to use?? TWO days before the surgery my doctor's office faxed research documentation, the FDA approval information to my insurance as well as a rep from the (mesh) company called them.  Thursday morning a person at the insurance tells my doctor that they will need to present this information to the board - next week - and my surgery should be canceled.  Yeh.. the DAY BEFORE.

Wow... I had already (of course) scheduled the time off work and arranged coverage for emergencies.  Not to mention the mental process one goes through to prepare for surgery.  Interesting tidbit on this entire thing.  The insurance did approve an older type of mesh which COSTS MORE than the one my doctor wanted to use.  We went ahead with the surgery with the plan of using the older version of the mesh sling.  I was a little leery but my doctor said it would be alright.  Enter: two heroes.  The company rep (of the newer mesh) told my doctor to use his mesh and between him and my doctor they would make it right so I didn't have to pay if the insurance came back next week with another denial.  Seriously?!!  The world is really full of very good, kind people!!!

So surgery was back on.  Scott and I headed to the hospital at 10:30.  I have to throw out a lot of kudos to American Fork hospital.  The nurses and doctors are so kind and really seem concerned.  I have NEVER had a bad experience there.  I was pretty much a wimp when it was time for the IV.  The Anesthesiologist put in the IV.  He was planning on my foot (yikes) as I've had lymphnodes out of both arms BUT my surgeon who removed the lymphnodes in question happened to come into the Pre-Surgery room right at that moment.  She said I could have the IV in my right arm as only 2 or 3 nodes were removed from that side.  OH HAPPY DAY!!

The surgery was about 90 minutes and I stayed in recovery about that same time.  I did get an anti-nausea patch along with all the anti-nausea drugs so I haven't been sick this time.  I got home about 5:30 and my wonderful neighbor, Marnee, brought us dinner.

It has been a very long day.  Even at that - and all the pain meds I'm on - I have insomnia tonight.  THAT was the one reason I was looking forward to the surgery. I thought with all the pain meds - I would sleep and sleep and sleep!!  Silly me~

Before Surgery - we were laugh/kissing - HA!

On Our Way to the Hospital