So, as my friends have already posted, surgery went well yesterday; in fact, when I saw my doctor this morning (as he came in saying he wanted to make sure he hadn’t left a clamp inside!), he proclaimed it was boring, which is, of course, a very good thing.  We’re still waiting on a couple of pathology reports to come back, but he’s pretty confident we got it all.  It looked like some of the cancer cells had spread into the wall of the uterus, making it Stage IA, but that most likely I won’t need any further treatment (just check-ins).

Everyone at the hospital was very nice and helpful, from the nurse who greeted me to head back to pre-op with a chorus of “Me and Mrs., Mrs. Jones, Mrs. Jones, Mrs. Jones, Mrs. Jones” (thought of you, Kurt Hall – I think you were the only other person to do that since our time at SLU in the early 80s!) to my wheelchair driver who took me down to the driveway where Kathie was waiting with the car.

All in all, I’m feeling better than expected; walking isn’t exactly comfortable, but very doable, and I just made my first trip upstairs at home and discovered that as long as I take the stairs slowly, I feel that less than walking on a straight surface (different muscles involved is my guess, more legs than abs).  And I think the uncertainty of waiting and not knowing was taking a bigger toll on my psyche that I had realized.  Having it done and having a pretty good idea that it’s this good an outcome makes me feel that a huge weight is off my shoulders, and friends who saw me afterward commented on how chipper I seemed and that I had the twinkle in my eyes back.  I was also helped yesterday by the people who came; I went into pre-op with an entourage:  Kathie Turner, Aleshia Ortiz, Edie Bird, and Judi Naeter, who were able to come back and keep me company after getting changed, settled in, and the IV going, and I’m pretty sure we laughed more than most waiting-for-surgery folks.  Edie also said a prayer and blessing for me, and led us in a guided meditation, focusing on parts of the body, concentrating on the breath, finding some peace and centering.  Post-surgery, Kathie and Aleshia were waiting for me when I got to my room, then Kevin Hampton came by with some lovely flowers (pictured in the image with this post), and later Brook Clubbs stopped by and had a wonderful chat, especially when she realized that my friend Kathie was Kathleen Turner, past president of NCA (National Communication Association).  I had a decent night’s sleep (for a hospital), and the food was surprisingly good (meatloaf and mashed potatoes last night that actually had spice and salt!  Broccoli that wasn’t mush and was still fairly bright green!).  Overall, this was as positive an experience as a hospital stay could be.  I don’t want to go back anytime soon, but it could have been so much worse!  And yes, I do know that this was “Major Surgery,” and I will be working (psychologically) to take things slowly and carefully as I build strength back up.

Thanks again to all of you for your support, too.  This saga would have been much more difficult without you.  Hugs to you all!