Save the Date!

That title is my sick sense of humor at work - no, it's not a wedding... it's my surgery date! I finally have a date for my surgery. It's September 10, 2008. It was not easy getting here. In fact, just last week, I had another test of my patience...

Recall that I thought I was going to get my date back on August 4th (over 2 weeks ago). Then, when that didn't pan out, I was supposed to find out by the end of last week. So, I decided to wait and be patient. I thought about it a lot, but I tried not to give in to the temptation to call or e-mail to find out what was going on.

Then, on Friday, I remembered that I had to schedule an appointment at the breast cancer paraphernalia store. The store, called the "Women's Image Center" is a store that sells everything that a breast cancer patient and survivor would need. They have wigs and headscarves, they have fake boobs, they have bathing suits with fake boobs, and they have "post-surgical" garments, which is what I need. I'm getting a surgical camisole, which is something I'm supposed to wear after surgery. Honestly, I don't know why I can't just wear a tank top, but I'm sure I'll figure that out soon enough. I will probably also have to get a compression sleeve, which is something that fits tight around my arm to prevent buildup of lymph fluid.

Anyway, last Friday I called the breast cancer paraphernalia store to schedule an appointment, and they asked me when my surgery date was. Every time someone asks me that, I want to scream. Not at them, just at the situation. Anyway, without screaming, I told them that I thought the date was September 10th, but that I still had to confirm. So, we scheduled an appointment for sometime next week and I decided that I now have a reason to bug my surgeon's office.

So, late Friday afternoon I e-mailed the Energizer Bunny to explain the situation and asked if there was an update on my surgery date.

Her reply?

Well, it was something to the effect of "Oh, don't worry about the exact date, just get the camisole whenever it's convenient for you."

Um, what? Don't worry? Listen lady, I'm beyond worried, here. I'm borderline angry. But what do you do? Do I call her and yell at her? No. I just got all mad and cried. I was very upset.

Then, I went to dinner with two friends and forgot all about it over a few beers and some good conversation. I was upset, but there was nothing I could really do about it. I did promise myself, however, that I would NOT let Monday go by without calling and finding out what the situation was.

Then, Monday, my surgeon's secretary called me and informed me that the plastic surgeon (Tabbouleh McSteamy) and his secretary were both out last week, so she couldn't check his schedule. BUT, she promised me that she would get back to me yesterday or today. And here we are.

So, the surgery is in just about three weeks. I still have to figure out how to say goodbye to my boobs.