For the last few months I have been a resource to some friends who are facing the decision of whether to get the DIEP or not following their cancer diagnoses. But now I am the patient again. With Stage II looming on the horizon I am starting to focus on what I need to do and what I can expect from this procedure. What I know is that Dr. Tobias will go in and smooth out the 'dog flaps/ears' on the abdominal incision. He will also do some lipo and add the fat to spots where breast tissue was taken. This doesn't seem too awfully invasive; however I am quite concerned about me and anesthesia. If you recall, I had a very tough time with that during Stage I, which was 14.5 hours long. When I came out I had a phlegm ball and couldn't breathe for a couple of days. Not breathing meant not sleeping and not sleeping meant "crazy" times. Then, on top of that, I have a sensitivity to morphine! I've been reassured that with this surgery which will be about 3 hours this should not happen again and they won't give me a morphine pump, but I do have my fears.
With all that in mind, I am still moving forward. Today I scheduled my pre-op appointments. I have timed these appointments so that I can dovetail my trip to Boston with a visit to a friend who is having Stage I that week. This will be my first visit to Boston by myself. I am excited about the adventure of the trip, but also that I don't have ask to anyone to watch the girls since DH can do that.
It feels like years since I have had to deal with referrals and authorizations, but I am back at it. Luckily I have a wonderful PCP whose staff 'gets it' and makes it easy for me. One thing I have learned along the way is that my insurance provider is very much a member of my 'team'. They may be the silent partner, but without them none of this would be possible. Before each appointment making sure that they are on the same page is essential.
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