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Health & Fitness

The Tumor Must Come Out

In tribute to Relay For Life Healdsburg, June 11-12, Healdsburg Patch features excerpts from Juliane Cortino's forthcoming book, "Nothing Can Scare Me Now," to be released in late June.

     What the human being can adjust to is amazing. Two weeks after being devastated by a diagnosis of breast cancer, I was ready for surgery. The tumor had to come out before the healing could begin. That didn’t mean I wasn’t angry at having to go through it. Because I was. It didn’t mean I wasn’t scared stiff. Because I was that, too.

     I’d never had much ego invested in my bust. But the thought of jagged scars or deformities being visited upon me sent shockwaves through my body. It didn’t help to know I had an excellent surgeon who would cause none of these. It didn’t help to know I should have been more concerned about getting rid of the cancer (I was). I woke up in terror every night. I have a mortal fear of being cut open with knives.

     The days became such a jumble. There were forms to fill out and co-pays to pay. There was an electrocardiogram and two blood pressure checks. Results from more tests were in. Everything looked perfect. I was the picture of health. Couldn’t the breast cancer be a misdiagnosis? No, it was all too real. The surgery would take place.

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Managing Surgery

     There are a number of things that can be done to make sure surgery goes smoothly. I took advantage of the pre-operative appointment day to ask all my questions. There were tests to ascertain my ability to withstand surgery. There was a meeting with an anesthesiologist. I voiced my concerns about general anesthesia here. I made sure to repeat to every person I met with the medications to which I am allergic. I also made sure everyone knew the medical history of my family, what I was worried about, and any abnormalities that could affect surgery.

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     Ten days beforehand, certain medications and foods could not be consumed because they thin the blood. The ones that surprised me were garlic, ginger, and green tea. Alka-Seltzer and Advil were also on the verboten list to which I strictly adhered.

     My HMO had an online animation of the procedure. I watched it twice so I would know what to expect. When the date for the operation rolled around, I was ready to have it behind me. I’d prepared my family and sent them the Internet animation. I’d told everyone where to be and at what time. I’d packed a small bag in the event I would have to stay overnight. My husband accompanied me the morning of my appointment. We both had our cell phones with us to keep everyone informed.

     In the end, surgery was as my sister had said, “Just sleep.” It was the recovery that was hard to manage. Not only because of the electric shocks running through the OFB (offending body part) as the nerves knit back together. But because I had to quickly make decisions about a course of treatment when I felt unqualified to do so. Fortunately, I had a medical team that was amazingly qualified.

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