Millie, Unleashed

This morning, for the 8th time in a year, Millie was put under general anesthesia. (I always think I am going to be better about it, but still find myself dry-heaving in a hospital bathroom stall as the arrangements are being made to take her back to surgery.)

Millie was more of a general than a trooper this time. She tugged on my sleeve to pull me down, and whispered urgently and firmly her desire that the doctor use a particular kind of anesthesia ("the clear kind, not the white kind"). The white kind, propofol, tastes like garlic to her. I told her I'd let the doctor know that she does not like the garlic kind.

She sat on the bed next to the elevators to surgery, with me distracting her as the anesthesiologst slowly pushed the anesthetic into her broviac tube. Her face reddened, and she coughed a bit- giving me a look of shock and anger as she realized she'd been duped. They used propofol after all. Luckily the moment was fleeting, as she passed out immediately and was off to surgery.

The nurse told me it would be quick, less than a half hour. She wasn't kidding! As always ( I can't believe I have such a routine for when my child awakens from general anesthesia), I went first to the cafeteria to find fruit salad and cheez-its. Then to the lobby to pick up my parents, who had once again volunteered to drive Millie and me so we could snuggle in the back seat, and back to the waiting area. Within a minute of returning to the waiting area, Millie was already in recovery. They must have taken her broviac out in 10 minutes!

She woke up well, rather quickly, and enjoyed the fruit salad chattily as we prepared to leave. We were on the road home by 9:30 after an 8am surgery!

I am looking forward to packing up our medical supplies (see http://bellways.blogspot.com/2010/02/care-and-feeding-of-cancer-patient.html ) and booking a teeth cleaning for Millie. She wasn't able to go to the dentist on treatment and with the broviac for infection concerns.

Millie's next scans will be in February. I am very curious, but not as scared as I was, to see if those areas of her bone marrow are growing or shrinking.

We'll post some pictures of Christmas this week- we are all so very grateful to have 2010 behind us, and to celebrate with true joy this Christmas.