I know all the tissue they took tested negative for any signs of cancer tissue.
Never-the-less, they still plan to proceed with the original plan, and if I'm really interested I can even have a fifth round of chemo but that would depend on my really wanting it and continuing to do well with it in the first place.
This will start up again in Feb...
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
In Seattle for the week.
Drove to Portland to visit mother, then drove to Seattle today. It's been sunny on this side of the state which is a welcome change!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Just an update on how I'm healing
Sorry I haven't updated much. Really not a lot to tell. I continue to heal well. The sticky stuff from the tape they use has finally washed away and I'm able to let water run across the wound. I've been lucky and not felt much pain from the site except when getting up and down from a seated position, so I usually end up standing around all the time, LOL!
I get to meet with my doctors Jan 27th for a check up and I hope to be done with this sort of thing for a while. That will, of course, depend on the docs. I remain optimistic!
I get to meet with my doctors Jan 27th for a check up and I hope to be done with this sort of thing for a while. That will, of course, depend on the docs. I remain optimistic!
Friday, January 9, 2009
Back from surgery
Real quick, to get the word out: I'm back form surgery. Went well, they got what they wanted, and I got a big hole in me!!! With this new "pocket" I think I'll install a zipper and start working for a Colombian cartel...hmmm! Longer story and a picture to follow!
Thursday, January 8, 2009
The Day of Surgery
Well, I got there early. Had to wake my buddy up at 6AM, sorry dude! Then we took me to the hospital: cleansed with Hibocleanse, fasted for over 12 hours, and as ready as I'm going to get! Then I have to wait, and wait, and wait! ARRRGH! Frustrated I'm ready to chew someones ear when they tell me they are on the way down for me. Finally!
I get to the pre-op room and dress down and talk to my anesthesiologist. He says they can keep me awake for the surgery, but it would take longer and they'd have to do a spinal tap. Well, I'm not anxious for that so I just let them do a general. I'm laying there when one of my docs comes in(a resident) and lets me know what they intend on doing. Then, a huge flood of nurses, taking vitals, asking questions, putting these weird socks on my legs to increase circulation, more questions, drug allergies?, any implants?, loose teeth?, etc etc. They want to give me an I.V. and I'm telling them I've got a port, can't you use that? Apparently not, so they end up sticking me for some blood, and to administer drugs. Blood work comes back good, 50 Hematocrit and they start rolling me into the OR. The Anesthesiologist is saying how great the room is and I'm noticing the "slice" of me they have pictured on the Plasma screen from my MRI.
I'm still chatting away, glad that things are rolling when the Anesthesiologist says that he's giving me the drugs. Those must be some great drugs because the last thing I remember is him saying that, me saying something smart and some movement of my arms by the nurses and then I'm half awake back in the surgical recovery room telling them to keep me on oxygen because I like it! At some point during this time in recovery my doctor comes to see me and says it went well (I think that's what he said) He shook my hand anyway. Next I'm wheeled off to the room I'll have for the night. I just vege out for a while and let the drugs wear off. I'm feeling nothing, but tired and it's hard to stay awake. I had asked them to take a picture of the cut when I was opened up, they did that for me and here it is:
By way of explaining the picture, the cut runs from left to right, in the picture, on my upper right groin. You can see my hip to the left of the picture and the top of my right leg in the foreground.
I get to the pre-op room and dress down and talk to my anesthesiologist. He says they can keep me awake for the surgery, but it would take longer and they'd have to do a spinal tap. Well, I'm not anxious for that so I just let them do a general. I'm laying there when one of my docs comes in(a resident) and lets me know what they intend on doing. Then, a huge flood of nurses, taking vitals, asking questions, putting these weird socks on my legs to increase circulation, more questions, drug allergies?, any implants?, loose teeth?, etc etc. They want to give me an I.V. and I'm telling them I've got a port, can't you use that? Apparently not, so they end up sticking me for some blood, and to administer drugs. Blood work comes back good, 50 Hematocrit and they start rolling me into the OR. The Anesthesiologist is saying how great the room is and I'm noticing the "slice" of me they have pictured on the Plasma screen from my MRI.
I'm still chatting away, glad that things are rolling when the Anesthesiologist says that he's giving me the drugs. Those must be some great drugs because the last thing I remember is him saying that, me saying something smart and some movement of my arms by the nurses and then I'm half awake back in the surgical recovery room telling them to keep me on oxygen because I like it! At some point during this time in recovery my doctor comes to see me and says it went well (I think that's what he said) He shook my hand anyway. Next I'm wheeled off to the room I'll have for the night. I just vege out for a while and let the drugs wear off. I'm feeling nothing, but tired and it's hard to stay awake. I had asked them to take a picture of the cut when I was opened up, they did that for me and here it is:
 |
| From Surgery II |
By way of explaining the picture, the cut runs from left to right, in the picture, on my upper right groin. You can see my hip to the left of the picture and the top of my right leg in the foreground.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Longest drive to Seattle, EVER!
And that's saying something because I've had some long drives to Seattle in my day...
I started early in the Tri-Cities thinking I could hop a bus and then have my sister pick me up after the surgery. I went to the bus station and found out, after I was already there, that the morning bus was canceled. So, I called my ride(Thank you Matt) back and we headed up to the Airport. Saw that the lines were huge and didn't want to wait around, so I decided to just go home so I could check on flights. As we were leaving my sister called and said her fiance had to go up today because all the passes were closed and his son has a dental appointment also. I was bound and determined to get up there so I gladly accepted. Didn't know what I was getting into!
After a while it shakes out that I should meet them in Yakima, where I can leave my car at his place, then we'll head down to I-84 and then come up the I-5 from Portland. At this point I'm just itching to go, I need to make sure I'm there and I can get this all done! We get headed out and it is totally dry, even breezy, and warm on the east side of the state. No inclement weather to speak of. We are driving through the gorge and noticing how full all the waterfalls are along the way. These little trickles have become raging cascades...Odd I thought for this time of year. Still just trucking along.
We cross into Washington again and get back on the I-5. People are calling me telling me that this and this is closed, they are going to close I-5 etc etc. And, the rain really starts to fall. Just a huge amount of rain. We drive for several miles, 60 or so, when we begin to start looking for an exit for a break. Still raining, and peculiarly, some of the exits are closed and that water looks high, is that a parking lot or a lake... We pull into one of the exits, but everything looks closed so we get back on I-5 for about 10 more miles when we find a decent rest stop. I'm in the restroom as I overhear the radio indicating that they are closing I-5 in 15 minutes from Exit 58 to 68. Crap! I'm not sure which exit we had taken, but I'm moving quickly to get back on the road. I informed Jeff, my sister's fiance, and we grab his son and are off shortly!
Well that was the closest it really got for us, but it was weird to see all those little towns totally blacked out and at one point the water looked nearly a foot below the road level!! Exciting stuff! The rest of the drive was rain, rain, and more rain. It slowed all traffic down, but we finally made it. Jeff and his son dropped me off at my buddy Allan's and then they went to where they were going to stay. I was due at 6:45 and so I went to bed almost directly...
I started early in the Tri-Cities thinking I could hop a bus and then have my sister pick me up after the surgery. I went to the bus station and found out, after I was already there, that the morning bus was canceled. So, I called my ride(Thank you Matt) back and we headed up to the Airport. Saw that the lines were huge and didn't want to wait around, so I decided to just go home so I could check on flights. As we were leaving my sister called and said her fiance had to go up today because all the passes were closed and his son has a dental appointment also. I was bound and determined to get up there so I gladly accepted. Didn't know what I was getting into!
After a while it shakes out that I should meet them in Yakima, where I can leave my car at his place, then we'll head down to I-84 and then come up the I-5 from Portland. At this point I'm just itching to go, I need to make sure I'm there and I can get this all done! We get headed out and it is totally dry, even breezy, and warm on the east side of the state. No inclement weather to speak of. We are driving through the gorge and noticing how full all the waterfalls are along the way. These little trickles have become raging cascades...Odd I thought for this time of year. Still just trucking along.
We cross into Washington again and get back on the I-5. People are calling me telling me that this and this is closed, they are going to close I-5 etc etc. And, the rain really starts to fall. Just a huge amount of rain. We drive for several miles, 60 or so, when we begin to start looking for an exit for a break. Still raining, and peculiarly, some of the exits are closed and that water looks high, is that a parking lot or a lake... We pull into one of the exits, but everything looks closed so we get back on I-5 for about 10 more miles when we find a decent rest stop. I'm in the restroom as I overhear the radio indicating that they are closing I-5 in 15 minutes from Exit 58 to 68. Crap! I'm not sure which exit we had taken, but I'm moving quickly to get back on the road. I informed Jeff, my sister's fiance, and we grab his son and are off shortly!
Well that was the closest it really got for us, but it was weird to see all those little towns totally blacked out and at one point the water looked nearly a foot below the road level!! Exciting stuff! The rest of the drive was rain, rain, and more rain. It slowed all traffic down, but we finally made it. Jeff and his son dropped me off at my buddy Allan's and then they went to where they were going to stay. I was due at 6:45 and so I went to bed almost directly...
Friday, January 2, 2009
Surgery Scheduled
OK, it's been confirmed, finally! I'll be getting cut up on Thursday, Jan 8th 2009! Nurses will call with pre-surgery instructions Jan 7th!
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