Here we go!

Surgery day is finally here!
 
They told me to arrive at 11am, but I’m sure they’ll already be behind schedule by then, so I don’t know what time surgery will actually happen. I had to stop eating at midnight, so here’s hoping I won’t have TOO long to get hangry. My bag is all packed and I’m definitely ready to get this show on the road.
 
I’m also definitely anxious. Though it obviously doesn’t compare to a freaking double lung transplant, this is still the most invasive procedure I’ve had since then. Aside from the risk of general surgical complications, I have some issues specific to this surgery that I’m stressing over. One is the question of whether or not they’ll be able to find and remove the leftover suture that we assume is hiding in there and harboring these infections. If I wake up from surgery to hear that no suture was removed, I will be VERY upset, because we’re all fairly certain that this cycle of infection will continue as long as it’s in there. My other big worry is whether or not the infection is in my bone. If it is, they’ll have to remove a piece of my rib, and my surgeon let me know that due to the location afterwards my shoulder blade could briefly get stuck in the gap sometimes. It doesn’t sound like it would be a huge problem, but it does sound uncomfortable, and I’d really rather not deal with it.
 
My last big worry is wondering how painful the recovery is going to be. It’s going to be a decent sized incision, and they have to pull my ribs apart and get all the way into my chest cavity. I had a lot of pain after the biopsy, and during that they just stuck a big needle in it, so I imagine this will be worse. I’ll also have large chest tubes immediately afterwards, and while I don’t really remember what it was like having them after transplant, I do know I was very relieved to get them out. The whole thing just sounds incredibly unpleasant, and I’m honestly kind of dreading it.
 
I am VERY glad that I had a week off the antibiotics before diving into this. I don’t know that I got much more sleep because my sleep schedule is pretty much a raging dumpster fire, but not being tethered to an IV pole 9+ hours a day definitely reduced my stress level. I feel a little more mentally prepared to cope with recovering from surgery and doing several more weeks of IV antibiotics now.
 
I have no clue what recovery is going to look like, so if I’m still not up for typing anything by Friday, Katherine will post an update. I will gratefully accept all prayers and positive vibes, with a specific focus on them finding and removing the suture and not needing to remove bone. My full Hebrew name is Keren Eliana bas Sarah. Thank you!