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 routine tasks, and often manage, while other times I fail. We opted to stay at the Nebraska House, attached to the UNMC Leid Center. It’s really nice, big and just a walk away from immediate care if needed. My sleep pattern is off, partly due to the pain med regiment and battle to find a sleeping position. I’m taking a decent dose of Percocet every 4hrs, mixed with xanex and a few other pills here and there. Even so, the pain can creep through. It’s especially strange that I have really bad back pain… which does not aide in my sleeping. This, coupled by leaking holes, from where the drain lines were, I’m all mixed up. Nevertheless, I feel good. It’s great to be back on my own and have Andrea by my side here. I could NOT have done any of this without her. We’re taking it easy and not making any great plans. We mostly just stay in the hotel and rest. (Of course, I find time to get work in via email and phone ….yes, I know, twisted.)
With respect to pathology, the UNMC path confirmed carcinoid, but more stains still need to be completed. Dr. Baum’s team in Germany will also be getting tissue samples for tests, which will include detailed DNA analysis. The good news is that Dr. Botha noted to me that he was able to remove some tumors from the left lobe as well, which he said felt mushy. Typically, these tumors feel hard. So, this may have something to do with PRRT? He was not convinced that these tumors were hybrid, but he also could not discount the theory because the PET scans from Germany were highly unusual. In light of these things, there are still many unanswered questions about the pathology which will take some time to resolve, The good news is that they save all the organ tissue removed and can run as many tests as needed. Truthfully, I’m not too concerned about what it is. I feel confident I’m in a good spot. Once I heal and there’s a better pathology picture, we can look at the next steps for dealing with the remaining cancer. This will surely mean returning to Germany for scans, possibly PRRT if indicated, or, another therapy like ablation, theraspheres, etc. back here in Omaha… none of these procedures are fun, but they are cake walks compared to the liver resection. And now that the primary is out, that’s a huge relief! Assuming all the cancer was removed fom the pancreas, and that there is no future reccurence at the site, the soure has been eliminated.
There were times right after surgery, especially during extreme bouts of pain, where I questioned my decision to do all this. Obviously, there are no “take-backs”, but I never really imagined how involved this whole thing would be. In the end, I know my path thus far was the right choice. Still, the PRRT and this major operation was not a cure. I sill have cancer… I may always have cancer; I just have much less of it now. That in itself should buy me some time with respect to prognosis. The cancer battle continues and I’m up for the challenge.
Andrea promises to hijack the blog again. I think she was actually having some fun, despite the circumstances. It’s amazing how well she dealt with me through this surgery, as well as all the prior procedures. I can assure you that I am not a fun camper to be around at times. But I guess that’s the key to good a partnership… always keeping each other up no matter how bad it gets. And for that, we are inseparable.
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