Survivorship is definitely not a linear process. There are many peaks and valleys and sometimes sharp cliffs. There are days you don't feel well, and days you are frustrated by the amount of medication you take, days that things get biopsied and sometimes there are days where you end up in the Emergency Room with blood streaming down your face.
Ok, well not everyone ends up in the ER with blood streaming down their face. Some folks don't continue to have unfortunate things happen to them during survivorship, but many of us continue to struggle with side effects of a) chemo b) radiation c) surgery d) long-term hormonal therapy. Sometimes when trying to figure out the etiology of things it feels like a multiple choice exam.
So, here's what happened. I was selling some things out of the house and made a time to sell a box of foam floor mats in the parking lot of local Dunkin's. I drank a bunch of water, ate breakast and then left with plenty of time and slowly walked my way to meet the buyer carrying the awkward, but not heavy box. I walked the 400 ft, put the box down, stood up and then....felt that familiar chest tightness and the next thing I knew, I was in the gutter and could see my glasses lens on the ground. I realized I was soaked in puddle and that I had blood running down my face. I also realized a piece of my glasses was in my eyebrow...less than ideal. But, being who I am I steady myself on my two feet, tell they buyer he'll have to lift the box himself, take his cash, assure him that I am fine, I say "Don't worry, this happens all the time". And by all the time I mean that one time 5.5 years ago. I reassure that I am all set, make sure I've picked up all the pieces of my glasses, walk the 400 ft home and change my puddle soaked clothes. Bonus, I was wearing a white fleece, so you can see that my shoulder took a fair amount of the puddle dirt.
I then proceed to get in a Lyft and go to the ER. Oh, right, other fun detail my boyfriend was out of town and our roommate and my parents were not in the state. Picked a good time to pass out.
Anyways, get to the ER and one the nurse's I work with happens to be in the ER that day and she ushers me in. I let her know that I am on the poop emoji of blood thinners (xarelto) because of d) long term hormonal therapy and that means that I have to have my head scanned.
This lovely RN looks at my eyebrow and tells me that I should ask to have plastic surgery come stitch it back up. She reminds me that it is on my face. After the ER physician irrigates the wound he happily calls the on-call plastic surgeon to come in.
In the meantime, the usual. Get an IV, get some blood work, remind everyone I'm left arm only; get hooked up to the heart rate monitor, have and EKG done and then take a quick trip for a head CT. Good news then starts rolling on in...EKG normal, head CT normal (yay! not going to lie had a little fear of a brain met like any cancer survivor). Then the lovely on call plastic surgeon comes in to stitch me up.
The plastic surgeon asks if I've ever had surgery before. I tell her yes, a lumpectomy. She then asks if breast cancer ran in my family. I reply "no". She has no further questions for me and proceeds to numb my eyebrown and drape my face to do her thing. She tells me not to move, and I'm thinking "Um, yeah, you are working on my face". She stitches me up, with 2 different stitches, on for the skin and the other for where there is eyebrow hair. When she is done I am happy to report I won't look surprised on one side of my face forever.
My ECHO is normal and they decide I can go home. My friends, as demonstrated through out the blog, are the best people ever. One had already come to meet me at the hospital in case I wanted/needed someone with me and another stayed with me at my home overnight so I didn't have to stay in the hospital. How kind are they?
The cause of my syncopal episode....unknown. Well, that is reassuring. Seeing as the last one I had they blamed on the breast cancer vaccine trial (which turns out I was only on placebo), the cause of that one also turns out to be....unknown.
The working theory is that every so often I have an irregular heart rhythm. But, it happens very rarely and so in order to prove that theory I am now hooked up to heart rate monitor at all times during the day except when I am shower. 3 leads attached via the itchiest circles ever created hooked up to something reminiscent of a pager that has a large blinking button on it that says "symptom". Every time I have a "symptom" I have to press the button and then log it in the cell phone that has to be within a couple of feet of the pager at all times. Nearly a week in and I have not had to hit the symptom button. I'll be wearing this for 30 days.
What is the cause of this potential irregular rhythm it could be from a) chemo b) chest radiation c) long term hormonal therapy d) bad luck. Or maybe there isn't an irregular rhythm. I guess we are on the hunt to find out.
As a bonus, I am now able that I have had work done on my face by a plastic surgeon.
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