ANTHONY R. VIZZARI | ARCHTOGRAPHIST

Oh that? That's just a quarter inch hole in my right side where I had one of my drainage bags (drains excess fluid from the cavity around the wound). The hose going into it was about 14"-16" long, nasty. It's still leaking, but should stop by Sunday (hence my leak towels). If not, they will sitch it up. There is one on the other side that has healed well. My first day in the hotel... Morning view from the hotel window... I love it. -smoke stack. This is my first official blog entry post-surgery. I’m on meds, so excuse any typos in advance. It feels like a decade, or, maybe just a few days since I’ve taken the time to write? The last few weeks have been brutally intense. It seems that I may have lost track of the days and sequence of things, even prior to surgery. Now, as I start the recovery process, I am starting to come back to life, albeit, in a fog and fighting abdominal pain. I don’t walk fast and can’t move anything of consequence. I try to perform simple ro...

UPDATE: Now that I can type a bit, I wanted to note that I look fat in this photo because I have tons of gauze and towels tucked around my stomach to help with some of the fluids. And of course, I'm bloated from the meds, lack of sleep, and the stomach is swollen from the surgery. I'm just saying.... Don't want anyone to get the wrong idea here... -Ant. Original Post: Anthony was released from the hospital tonight! We are so happy. This is a photo if him right before we walked out of there. We will be in Omaha til next week Wednesday for a follow up appointment. If all goes well we should be home by a week from today. More tomorrow!!! Love, the A team

SO... I hate to dissapoint you, but I've used up all the nasty photos. I'm sure you will stop reading the blog now. I'm happy not to have any, but it dosen't mean we aren't still dealing with some gross stuff. The good news is that Anthony is doing much much better today. He got up at 6, took a shower (first time in a week), went for a walk, had breakfast and was online checking emails by 9. He then went for 5 more walks by noon and was totally with it mentally. It was great to see him like that. He's almost back to normal. Dr. Botha says he will likely be out of here on Friday if there are no set backs. Anthony gets tired easily, and is still having abdominal pain, but is nowhere near in as much pain as the last couple days. He still needs a lot of help moving around though. He's tied up to the IV bag, and a number of other draining bag things that make it really difficult to do regular things like, sit up, walk, and lay down. They took out one of the abdom...

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Anthony's social secretary reporting to duty... This was by far the HARDEST DAY Anthony (and I) have had so far. Maybe the hardest day ever for Anthony in terms of pain. They've eased up on the pain meds (which also slow digestion). This is difficult for Anthony because he is still in considerable pain but they don't want him using the narcotics as much. The awful pain in Anthony's abdomen the last 24-48 hours was not primarily from the huge incision and missing organs. Apparently, when you have major surgery, and take anesthesia- your organs all go to sleep. Essentially the organs are in shock. They slowly wake up, and eventually everything is working normally. Unfortunately, for most people, the intestines are the last of the organs to wake up and this creates a ton of pain. This ended up being the culprit the last day or so, and poor Anthony is just in agony. I've never seen him so uncomfortable. I'll spare you the gory details (for once) and let you know tha...

click to enlarge photo Because we don't have much to report today, we've included a revolting photo for your viewing pleasure. Note the 2 tumors inside and one small one on the outside. I know, I'm going to throw up now too. We actually have these REALLY raunchy photos of his abdomen during surgery, wide open from his belly button to ribcage. Maybe I'll put them in a Picasa album so you will not be bombarded with the images like the others. So, if you are into science, just curious, or in the mood to vomit, you are welcome to log on. If not, you can just read on, and keep your lunches. I have to say I’m typically the type of person who is squeamish as hell. I literally pass out when they have to draw blood from me, and definitely can’t see other people get poked with needles. I’ve never had surgery myself (wisdom teeth removal- but that doesn’t count). I was so scared that seeing all this medical business the last week would put me over the edge, but it’s amazing how d...

I know I'm biased, but how great does my adorable husband look today? You'd never guess that he had such a major surgery just 3 days ago. He also appears to have super-hair (no product and just woke up in this pic). I figured you all could use a palate cleanser from the last 2 days of the disgusto photos. We hardly slept last night , as Anthony was experiencing some outrageous pain. They couldn't control the pain with the oral narcotics so they brought him back to morphine land. Eventually we got some sleep, but neither Anthony nor I have had a real nights sleep since we arrived. FYI - I have been "sleeping" on a recliner next to him since Thursday, but " closing my eyes" is really more accurate. The day got better though after we woke up. Every morning at the hospital is a flurry of activity, with doctors, nurses, techs poking prodding and inspecting. Today the doctor on call said Ant couldn't possibly be doing better. Awesome to hear that. His goal...

Incision

Anthony had a great day ! Because he is otherwise very healthy, the recovery process is going quickly. We had lots of progress today, including: removal of tubes ( used to replace digestive functions), removal of morphine IV, walking up an down the halls, sitting up and breathing in this lung machine. They replaced the old regime with: actually eating a clear liquid diet ( jello, broth, Italian ice ), actually going to the bathroom, and being concious enough to walk around. It's like having a baby who is hitting all kinds of milestones within one day. Sleeping well, peeing, walking, eating solid foods are all grounds for true excitement ! The sooner he can prove that he is functioning normally, the sooner he is out of here. The plan right now is being in the hospital til' Thursday, but knowing Anthony's tendency towards perfection and over-achievement, I'll bet he will be released sooner. I have not been alone in my trip to Omaha with Anthony. His dad, Ralph, and stepmo...

Anthony insisted that I include a photo of his liver... well here it is! I know this is not for the squeamish. My apologies. The upper right portion you see (the rough looking part) is the big tumor. There are more photos to share later, but Anthony is attempting to direct me (with morphine) on how to upload multiple images in HIS correct blog format, and it's pretty incomprehensible. He was released from the ICU about 1 hour ago and is now in a recovery room on the transplant floor. Anthony actually got up and walked down the hall with supervision today, which is remarkable considering the extent of the surgery yesterday. More later!

The surgery is over and was a success!!! We are SO relieved. Dr. Botha was awesome and explained to us how it went. They took out all the huge scary tumors, including the pancreatic primary. They removed his gallbladder and also some lymph nodes. They didn't see any other cancer on the colon or in the gut, so at this point the majority of remaining tumors are only in the remnant liver and are small ( but plentiful ). They will explore other options once he heals for treating these tumors. The big bad ones are gone, thank god. The photos of the surgery are totally disgusting, but Anthony wants me to post them anyway (always the documentarian). I will do that as soon as I get to a computer. The worst is over, but the hard and risky part is the next 24 hours during recovery. Keep the prayers coming ! Anthony will need them. I'm running only on adrenaline and caffiene, but I won't be able to rest until I see my Anthony this afternoon.

It's Andrea hijacking Anthony's blog. They started surgery at 8:45 cst. They will be removing 70-80 percent of his liver, 30 percent of his pancreas, the entire gallbladder and 6 lymphnodes. They will be taking photos of what they remove from the liver, so get ready for some gross photos later. Other than the tumor burden , he is in exceptional health, so the surgery is likely to go very well. Anthony was in good spirits and ready to go this morning. I feel so good about being at this hospital- the people are so kind, relaxed and professional. Anthony is in very good hands which really helps ease our worries. Please please keep sending your prayers, good vibes or whatever works for you. Thanks for all the well wishes and love. We love you too. Andrea

Well, it's game day here in Omaha. I will be on the table shortly and the cutting will begin. Of course I am scared, tired, and a bit pissed that I'm not drinking my morning coffee.... But I'm ready. Andrea will update the blog for me if I can't type. I expect to be in a fog for a bit. A big thanks to all the support from so many good people. I've asked Dr. Botha to take a photo of my liver when it is out. -I'm hoping I can post it to the blog. See you when I see you...

We dropped off the 4 booths for Europe on Monday and hit the road for Omaha... The booths look so small and scared for their ocean journey. I'm going to miss them! Oh well, we just got in two new 17's, a 14 and an 11 last week. So, 4 leave and 4 new ones come in. We got into Omaha early Monday evening. It was an easy drive and we're all settled in. Tomorrow is pre-op stuff, then the big game on Thursday.

I'm almost done with a large booth order for Europe... I can barely get a minute to breathe this week. The order ships Monday morning, then we head to Omaha for the surgery. Dr. Botha confirmed that my liver is now big enough to move forward. I feel like the guillotine blade is right over my head... The pressure is on the get so much done by Monday. After surgery things will be much much slower. FYI: The photo is of a photobooth bulb I took just for reference. I like it though... My fingers are dirty. I'm going to miss working in the shop for a few months. I'm going to miss the smell of grease and stale chemistry.

...a tree in our backyard, Highland, Wisconsin We came back from the Highland house Sunday night. Whenever we go up there, the first day I’m always overwhelmed by the list of things to do. Towards the end of the day, I start to loosen up and realize it’s just a house, and being so, if it rots into the ground… well, that’s ok. It doesn’t have to be perfect. The floors can bow and beetles can eat the windows and joists and I don’t care whatever it is they eat. If I have to, I’ll just watch the place disintegrate. When we can no longer open the doors, we’ll raze it into a bazillion pieces and build a new one. Until then, we’ll just patch it bit by bit… such is the nature of a house. Somehow, when I accept the impermanence of structure, the supremacy of physics, nothing else seems to matter. And from there, I can just enjoy staring at the ceiling even if there is no hot water. In the back yard, before we left, I spent some time admiring a tree. There are plenty of trees everywhere, and th...

Andrea and Sylvie in the living room... note the couches from our Oak Park living room... not the best photo of the space, but you get the idea... we're getting there. We came up to our house in Wisconsin for the weekend to do some spring work before my surgery. There's still PLENTY to do... but at least for now, it's habitable. Slowly, it's getting better. The bathroom is pretty much done (minus paint) and looks great, but alas, one of the coils on the water heater went bad. So, we can't enjoy that new spa tub! Everything is closed for Easter, which means no hot water until next time. The furnace here annoys me a sucks down oil, so we're going to switch to gas at the end of the summer. And finally, we bought some used appliances, a stove and refrigerator , refurbished from a local old school appliance place, for $350. Score! We also picked up a coffee pot, panini grill for a fully functional kitchen. There is still a good deal of painting, floor work and gen...