Brings back memories

   A close friend is having a bilateral mastectomy today, with my breast surgeon, at the same hospital, on the same day of the week, at the same time, as mine almost a year ago.
   She has breast cancer, too, similar to mine, though hers is more concentrated and she's having her surgery first to be followed by chemo.
   It brings back memories of my own surgery. I wasn't really scared. I had an idea of what I'd look like after, but the docs never tell you all the details until they have to. I knew I'd have drains, but I had no idea what that would be like. I had no concept of how truly difficult it would be to move after the surgery. Climbing the stairs to our second-floor bedroom was tough. Getting up from a prone position (I did a lot of laying on the couch) was virtually impossible alone.
   I remember the hospital stay. I remember waking up and my husband telling me that everything went well. I heard for the first time that they'd taken out lymph nodes. After that it was a blur till the next day.
  I remember being annoyed that all night long the intercoms were blasting with requests for nurses. Whatever happened to pagers? Calls for every nurse were broadcast into every room. How could anyone sleep, even under the influence of morphine?
  I remember that the call button fell off the bed. Of course, I had to go to the restroom in the middle of the night and couldn't reach the call button. I remember trying to get a nurse's attention. I tried yelling, best I could. Over and over. It was no use. Finally a nurse came in and helped me. It was the worst feeling, not being able to get up on your own.
   The hospital food was inedible. Some friends brought ice cream the next night. I was overjoyed! But the spike in my blood sugar had the nurse wanting to give me an insulin shot. I told her it was just the ice cream and she backed off.
   I couldn't wait to get out of there and get back home....to sleep in peace, to relax...to worry about emptying the drains. What fun!
   I've forwarned my friend and her husband and offered our help. I wish I'd had someone to do that for me! But I feel good now being able to help someone else. But oh boy, does it bring back a lot of memories....