January 30, 2009

Three for One!

I've never done three posts this close together. Sorry about overloading you.

Doctor visit today about my benign dermoid cyst. Surgery is the recommendation. It's elective surgery cause these are slow growing and not cancerous, but it's 8 x 7 x 5.5 cm, so it's big. Better out than in. Last year I sacrificed my life to make the big show happen, this year? No way. Based on our discussion, lapariscopy isn't the right solution. Because of the size of the mass, they'd have to try to put a bag inside me and then burst the cyst in order to remove it out a 1 cm opening. It makes more sense for them to do a "mini-lap" and just do one 5.5 cm incision. Downside? One month of recovery time! (Basically, I'll be getting half a C-section--since those are 11-12 cm openings) Jrex came with me and liked the doctor, felt comfortable with the surgery options given. (OTRmama, we should talk soon!)

After the lesson learned from the layoff ("you may love the institution but the institution doesn't love you back"), I'm not putting my life on hold for a job. I told my OB to wait until after February 13th so I can do my lead climbing class, but otherwise, go ahead and schedule as soon as possible.

I came back to work and told EP and CD about it. They both got a little pale, but said, "Do what you have to do." We're all assuming that I can start to work from home the third and fourth week, but we'll see.

Drama, drama!

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm ready. Can Blue come, too?

Snickollet said...

I'm sure it will be a load off your mind to get this taken care of. I had some fibroids removed before I had the twins, and it seems like a similar kind of surgery/recovery. E-mail me if you want details. Upshot: it was not as difficult as I thought it would be (surgery or recovery).

I like your priorities. Good for you for putting your health and peace of mind first. The Corporation will figure it out. And I love that your only scheduling requirement was to accommodate your climbing class! I've always liked the way you think :).

Rachel said...

Glad you are taking care of this. Snick is right, your health should come first. Let your coworkers suffer a little.

Aimee said...

Yay OTRgirl! I'm happy you're putting yourself and your health first. Companies (or rather, the workers) can often act like the world will stop if we leave, but they need to realize that in the long run, you'll be more productive if you're taken care of and well.

But thinking long-term sounds like a difficulty with all the things coming up.

Working from home should be a possibility, if you're ok with it.

I'm sure you're talking half a "modern" c-section, right? Not half a "classic" c-section. There's a difference.

Anonymous said...

wow... so much has been going on w/ you... i'm glad you'll be able to get this out of the way at least... and as for the corporate world, this is what sick leave is for.

Anonymous said...

Wow--what an ordeal! Hope everything works out smoothly for you.

Mama Nabi said...

Yes. You first. Job... later.

And somewhere inbetween, closer to the top, climbing.

I'm glad you are taking care YOU.

Anonymous said...

Praise God that He's taking care of you -- that the cyst is benign.

You may recall that about five years ago, I had a similar operation. My prostate gland, which was supposed to be the size of a walnut, had grown as large as a softball. Thanks be to God, it was not cancerous. On me, my urologist, did an old-style c-section.

I was in the hospital eleven days. At home, it was probably three months before I was back to normal and running up the stairs.

The rest will be good for you. You've made the right decision.

On your attitude about your firm: You're still too nice a person. You've been assuming that the firm is benign. For me, the Army was great training. From the beginning I realized that either I shafted them, or they'd shaft me. Cancer.

I'd have been better off if I'd retained that attitude at Law School, but I did carry it with me to General Electric.

But then, when you get your own firm, you're very likely again to assume it's benign. You perceived as a girl, that my firm was especially cancerous, but I tended to be blind to that fact. I saw it as necessity. Oh well.

Anonymous said...

Maybe it could be negotiated with that you get a new computer for home so that if you are able to do any work it will be more efficient!

Any way, let me know when the surgery is, I will be praying for you.

Sometimes it is nice to have an excuse to just lay around (as long as you have good pain pills!

julie