Surgery Rescheduled

I had a video call Monday with an anesthesiology nurse. I made it clear to her that I don't want pain, and I don't want nausea. When I asked her about getting a nerve block, she said they don't do it at the South Bay location where I was scheduled to have surgery. It's a smaller cancer center in San Jose.

A few hours later I had an office visit with my surgeon and asked about getting a nerve block. She thinks it's not necessary. This may be true for some patients, but I know it's offered as an option at other hospitals for the same procedures I'm getting. Regardless, it's not offered at the South Bay center.

My surgeon wanted me to have a wire-guided localization to mark the breast area to be excised. But her nurse mentioned a newer technology called Savi Scout. From what I've read, it may or may not be more accurate, and it may or may not improve the odds of getting clear margins. It does have the advantage of not getting accidentally dislodged. It also eliminates having an uncomfortable wire sticking out of the breast for possibly hours before surgery begins. I asked my surgeon if I could switch to Savi Scout, and she agreed.

Then I asked about Lumicell. It's an imaging system that highlights tumor margins. Like Savi Scout, it improves the chance of getting clear margins. If I don't get clear margins, I will need a second surgery, and I absolutely do not want to undergo surgery again. 

It's not clear to me if I'm a candidate for Lumicell. But the surgeon said I can't have it because it's done only at the Palo Alto location. At this point she stated that because I wanted the surgery on April 6, it limits me to the South Bay location. I told her that wasn't true, that I didn't request April 6. She abruptly left, presumable to find the coordinator and reschedule my surgery. I later found out from her nurse that she prefers the Palo Alto location because it's a bigger facility with more resources.

My new surgery is date is April 14. This works out better for me because I have my second covid shot scheduled for April 11 and my next infusion for April 12. On April 13 I'll have two pre-op procedures, the Savi Scout and radioactive tracer. I will also need another very unpleasant covid test.

Another plus is that the new date gives me more time to visit with my sister and nephew who are in town to visit my dad. They won't be out of quarantine till Friday and will fly back on April 10. With my original surgery date, I would have had only three days to see them.