I was awakened by the telephone, it was Dr. Weber! Where are you, she asked. I said I was sleeping. I was told to be there at NOON. She said NO, we are waiting for you. This was about 7:00 a.m. I did not have time TO THINK. I told her I could be there by 9. After all, I wanted to get a shower before heading into the hospital. Norma, Oneida & I headed into the city. Mom, Alice & Sue drove down from PA & met us at the hospital. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see them before I was taken in for surgery. The morning flew as they were literally waiting for me to get there.
During surgery the tumor was removed. It was 11 cm in length & wrapped around the anterior 50% of the femur. In addition, 40% of the vastus medialis & all of the vastus intermedius were removed. The femur was scraped in an effort to leave no cells behind. I remember waking up in recovery & not being able to feel a thing. By the time I got to my room, I was sitting up in bed visiting with family & friends. They were so excited cause the tumor was out & Dr. Weber was able to get “clean margins”. I remember this vividly as I was Happy but also a little down because I could not control my leg in any way.
I would be walking on it the next day with the aid of crutches, which literally made me cry. I had never had an incision & mine was 12 inches long & held together by 20 stitches internally & 30 stitches externally. INCISION PAIN was brutal. The next day I was doing the stairs. There were Dr’s & Nurses standing in the hall watching & clapping, cheering me on. I cried that day too. By Thursday, they were ready to send me home. But I waited until Friday because I had made arrangements for a friend to meet me at my steps to be sure I could get up all 18 of them! It was rough.