So yesterday I had surgery #2 to remove the protein growth (medical term – laryngeal amyloidosis) that is growing around my vocal cord.

I won’t need another surgery for about 10-20 years but the growth will grow back. We still are not aware of what’s causing it, so hopefully testing it will give us some answers.

My day started out at 5:15am.

Since I wasn’t allowed to eat or drink anything I decided to do some quick coupon updates before my parents picked me up at 6am. I had to be at the hospital for 7:45am.

While on the drive to Toronto I received a few email, messages on twitter and this text message from my brother. It’s a nice feeling to know that everyone was thinking about me.

Once we made it to St. Michael’s Hospital I checked in and was brought back to change into those not so lovely hospital gowns. My mom stayed with me while my dad waited out in the waiting room. He was more comfortable there, plus he’s not to big on hospitals. My surgery was scheduled for 9:45am so the nurse asked me a bunch of questions and I double checked some paperwork.

I requested to have a freezing patch for my hand to numb the area where the IV was to go and the nurse assured me that they could place the IV when I was in the operating room. I was very pleased with this, especially once I heard the poor girl across the hall being poked by the nurse who said “veins are sometimes difficult to find”.

Around 9:30am one of the doctors came to see me to let me know that my surgery would be a little late since the surgery before mine was running behind. Something was mentioned about me being afraid of the IV because I had a bad experience last time and he assured me that all would be okay.

My mom and I waited around a little bit and then a very nice nurse or doctor (I can’t remember) came to see me and she was holding a box of Emla; which is a numbing patch. I had a patch placed on each hand and then we waited.

A short time later the very nice lady came back with all the things needed to stick an IV into me. Just thinking about it again makes me tense up, which is exactly what I did. As she was inserting the needle into my right hand I tensed and thus made things more uncomfortable then they needed to be. I also ended up bleeding.

Then I was basically taken away for surgery. I was able to walk into the room and everyone was very nice and friendly. Some monitors were stuck to me and then an oxygen mask was placed on to my face. I was out pretty quickly.

When I woke up in recover I remember freaking out. I was having trouble breathing so a mask was given to me. It wasn’t doing much to assist me with breathing and I started crying. Thankfully I was given something to knock me out and then I was taken to my own private room where my parents were waiting for me.

I was given a Popsicle to eat since the ice chips tasted nasty, my IV was removed and I was able to leave some time later, after a nurse spoke to my parents. I was given a prescription for T3 and Prednisone (which gives me the shakes and I do not like).

So as it stands right now the entire protein deposit was not removed from my vocal folds. What could be removed from my upper fold was, but nothing was removed from the lower fold or there would be risk of me losing my voice completely. I will have surgery again in 10-20 years, since it is a slow growing deposit.

I do feel okay, despite the jittery feeling from the medication that seems to present its self randomly. I didn’t manage to sleep a whole lot last night and I am on a no talking order till Sunday. Then I can talk in small doses depending on how I feel.