The Green Light, the Grace to Breathe, and Permission to Rest

Today, I got a message from the medical team that I have the green light to proceed with surgery in ten days. We did not know if I would get the clearance, so this was a big update. While I was in Slovenia and Croatia, my asthma kept worsening despite medication. I started my first course of prednisone (steroids) on Friday the 11th, but I was not improving. On Monday the 14th, I flew directly from Zagreb to Houston via Frankfurt, and that took a lot out of me. By the time I got to Houston, my asthma was still not under control. I was seen by a doctor last Tuesday, who determined that I needed different medications as well as a nebulizer machine at home, even after receiving nebulizer and oxygen treatments in the office.


What made my recovery so difficult while abroad was starting prednisone, which increased my cortisol level and caused insomnia. Since the 11th, I have been averaging around 3-5 hours of sleep a night. I also experienced a loss of appetite in Europe, which sucked because food is such a big part of traveling. I was eating only breakfast every morning and maybe a snack later in the day. They hoped that starting prednisone would wake up my appetite since it raises blood sugar. That did not work. I was not eating enough. By the time I started new medications last Tuesday, I slowly began getting my appetite back. I got home on Thursday and finally had it back by Friday. Since I was neither eating nor sleeping well, it complicated everything. Last Friday afternoon, I had the pre-operation evaluation after completing bloodwork and urine tests earlier that morning. They did not like some numbers in my bloodwork: my white blood cells were elevated, my platelet count had skyrocketed, and my thyroid-stimulating hormone was a bit low. They conducted more tests with my blood and said they would discuss everything with the medical team to make sure all was okay before getting back to me by tomorrow morning.  The additional testing determined that my thyroid function was fine, but those numbers were the result of my body going into overload while trying to get better. 


I got a message from them today saying that the priority is to get the cancer out of me, and they will take the necessary precautions in the operating room to make sure I come out of it okay. They emphasized that I have to rest as much as possible until the day of surgery to give myself the best chance at a smoother recovery. This morning was my last dose of prednisone, and it should be out of my system in the next two or three days. Hopefully, I can start sleeping 7-8 hours again after that. I need to continue with my nebulizer at home every six hours until I feel my asthma is under control. It is getting there. From this point on, I need to focus on listening to my body and being honest about what I can manage each day.


During the pre-operation evaluation, they wanted a guarantee that I was not allergic to penicillin or amoxicillin. When I was 19 years old, I had surgery and was prescribed two antibiotics: cephalexin and amoxicillin. I had a bad allergic reaction to one of them and had to be hospitalized for three days to get it out of my system and recover from the reaction. At that time, they told me I could not ever take either medication. Back in 2018, I had an allergist test me in the office with amoxicillin. I did not have any reaction, so that was removed from my chart. At this point, there is no way to test for cephalexin so I had to continue not taking that. I showed them records of the testing, but they still were not satisfied. They put me through the testing in the office, which made the evaluation even longer. It was the longest pre-operation evaluation I have ever experienced. I was there for two hours. Even though it was exhausting, I really appreciate how meticulous they are being and how seriously they are taking every detail to make sure I am in good hands for surgery.


For now, my job is simple, even if it is not easy: rest, breathe, and give my body the best chance to be ready.

Comments

  1. ChrysSeptember 21, 2026 at 8:39 PM

    ‘For now, my job is simple, even if it is not easy…’ Well said!! It will be difficult for you to rest, but I’m so glad that you’ve been cleared and the team is so diligent.

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