Enby BC - 07 - Outpatient

Looking back on my DMX procedure, it was an overall positive experience.

DMX

Double Mastectomy. This is what I went in for October 17th 2023. As I had and aesthetic flat closure it’s a relatively simple procedure and after surgery they monitor you for about an hour and then you are clear to go home.

9am - Check-in

We (Me and Bryce) checked in with hospital admissions. They took a picture of me. The very nice desk lady had a pin that said I <3 Mike which I thought was pretty funny. They directed us to the Day Surgery ward.

We then checked in with Day Surgery. I was directed to a curtained area with a rolly-bed and instructed to remove all my clothes and place them in a bag labelled with my name. Bryce sat in a chair by the bed. This room is clearly a holding area for others going into day surgery.

A nurse rolled a computer on wheels over and sat in her own chair at the foot of the bed. She was a middle-aged women who spoke with a an irritated edge. She asked me questions about my health, when I ate, if I knew what surgery I was here for. She noticed I had piercings in and asked me to take them out. I was able to remove a few silver rings, but some required pliers, which I requested. In my surgery prep info I was never told that piercings needed to be removed, otherwise I would have. She replied that they did not have pliers and she proceeded to tape my remaining rings down.

A practicum student then came over to insert my I.V. line. My nurse referred to me as ‘she’ and ‘her’ when talking to this student. My gender marker is legally X on my health ID, so I knew she had seen it. Being misgendered isn’t new to me in medical spaces so I carried on. I did notice that she did refer to me incorrectly to others a few times, but I was never going to see her again so I didn’t care to insert myself into her conversations.

10am - Staging

After the insertion it was about an hour of waiting before another nurse came in to roll me away. Bryce and I said our goodbyes and I was carted away to the staging area for surgery. This area was dimly lit with a couple of beds parked alongside each other. Others waiting for surgery. The beds faced a gray wall that held landscape photos with an overlay of french doors opening to it. Mine was of Lake Louise. Beside me was a middle-aged man with his eyes closed. He opened them and looked at me, we had a brief conversation about what procedures we were getting. He was on his second hip replacement. An anesthesiologist then chatted with him and rolled him away as we wished eachother health.

I probably laid there for 15 minutes, not used to stillness for that long unless sleeping to be honest. Missing my phone for sure. My anesthesiologist then introduced herself. She was young and upbeat with a ton of stickers on her name tag. She asked my for my pronouns which I did not expect, she asked me a bunch of questions similar to the first nurse, explained what her job was, and asked if I was ready for surgery. I was. So she rolled me to a hallway containing operation rooms, and parked me across from my room.

The hallway was well-lit and warm. Surgeons, nurses, and doctors bustled about with purpose, and some stopped to wash their hands at the large stainless steel sink a couple feet away from me. I observed this for a couple minutes until my surgery team came from the operating room to greet me. I was familiar with my surgeon John, however the others were new to me. The team was comprised of my surgeon, two anesthesiologists, and one nurse (maybe two…cant recall honestly). They were all friendly and kind, and again I was asked what surgery I was here for, when I’d last eaten, drank. I was also asked if I had any questions for them. I didn’t, so I was asked to walk into the operation room.

11am - SUrgery

The operation room had a look to it similar to the movies. So cliche but its true. Of note was a large TV mounted near the top of the wall adjacent to me with my name and medical info - kinda cool. I’m sure one day I will draw it.

I laid down on the table. I was then asked what my pronouns were by a different team member as they had noticed on my file I was non-binary. They swung out supports for my arms and they proceeded to strap my arms down to them as well as my hips and ankles. I jokingly said they were crucifying me to which everyone laughed. They then covered me with a warm blanket from the stomach down, which was super comfy.

The sticker-clad anesthesiologist placed an oxygen mask on and instructed me to keep my eyes open as long as I could, and the second anesthesiologist said he was administering the anesthetic. The sticker anesthesiologist held my hand and rubbed her thumb on my palm gently as my head got fuzzier. The last thing I said was “Night night” as I faded into dark.

WHAT’S NEXT

• Receive Pathology report so we can move ahead with my treatment plan (chemo, radiation, hormone therapy)

  • Nurse Navigator advised me it will be in after November 14th

• Stretches and scar massage