Category: Post-Op Bilateral Prophylactic Mastectomy

Nap time anyone?

I think today is a lay low kind of day.  Hanging at the house not planning to do too much. Even though I just got out of bed, I would love to turn right back around and climb back in.

 Between cleaning up the house to get ready for Megan’s birthday on Friday, her actual birthday on Saturday and back to school shopping Sunday, I am just wiped out.  With the next surgery around the corner, I grabbed the opportunity that a Sunday provides and had my husband help out with the clothes shopping. I have to admit 3 full days of activity was something I was not fully ready for. I definitely see a nap in my future.  We also all stayed up to watch the closing ceremonies of the olympics.

Wearing a sport bra for 2 of those days was another thing I was not prepared for.  I bought an extra large so it would not be too tight, no underwire of course but I could not wait to get it off once we got home on Sunday!  The “girls” are very sore as is my chest and right under my arms.  I can not wait until the boobs are finished..these square bitches are really annoying!

12 days until the next surgery

“Suddenly, through birthing a daughter, a woman finds herself face to face not only with an infant, a little girl, a woman-to-be, but also with her own unresolved conflicts from the past and her hopes and dreams for the future…. As though experiencing an earthquake, mothers of daughters may find their lives shifted, their deep feelings unearthed, the balance struck in all relationships once again off kilter.”  ~Elizabeth Debold

Sitting with my coffee this morning fishing around the internet as I often do I came across the quote above.  As I believe I have mentioned before, I am not an avid reader…I browse but when I hit this one I re-read it several times.  Interesting!

I am now the proud parent of an 8 year old little girl.  The birthday went well. Although the weather did not cooperate for a pool party, Meg had a good time playing with her cousins inside.  It is always nice to see family.

Now we are back to focusing on what needs to be finished before surgery.  Time is ticking, we are right around the corner!  I am ready and anxious to get the reconstruction completed!  Time to get the “pointy parts” back!

Time for my MRI…Really?

SO the normal sounds of the mail truck, and exciting part of a summer day here.  The girl’s head out to the mail box to collect the treasure inside.  Todays treasure though caught me a bit off guard. A letter from the hospital:

It is time to schedule your breast imaging appointment with Cooper Health Systems.  Blah blah check with your insurance blah blah call your doc for referral blah blah.

BUT wait….I just had those cancer threats removed.

So, billions of dollars have been spent to computerize patient records.  I know that last June when I had the biopsy, and the last MRI, the hospital was undergoing its transition.  Everything is computerized. So how could it be possible that I should receive a letter telling me to have a scan on a body part that no longer exists in its previous state?

What is the point of the billions of dollars if office A can not even communicate with office B and building 3?  It is not really that big a deal..I will just toss the letter in the trash but I guess I just do not understand what the billions paid for which frustrates me as I begin paying my medical bills.

Speaking of the medical bills, the next annoyance is the phone call I received the other day.  On Tuesday 7/31 I wrote a check to cover the first set of doctor bills.  It was cashed, I check the bank on-line. The  bill covered  several doctors and was just under $700.  SInce I have another surgery scheduled, I did not want to delay paying and have any issues.  So how annoyed was I to receive a call on Tuesday 8/7 telling me I had a balance of $20.64 and when did I expect to be paying that.  My not so polite voice came out very quickly and explained that I pay any and all bills that are actually mailed to my house such as the one for $692 and change the week before and was sure that I was not trying to scam them for the 20 bucks!  I realize that I again was talking to someone who probably had all of an hour training and was just supposed to call those with a balance but REALLY?

Maybe my lack of sleeping is making me a little edgy.  Maybe it is the upcoming surgery or the soreness left from the last.  I hate the lack of common sense that seems to run wild these days!