Minor surgery tomorrow (2/23)

I have minor surgery tomorrow to a) remove the infusion port that was put into my chest to make chemo drug delivery easier, and b) repair the hernia on my abdomen - a complication from my liver surgery. Removing the chemo port is quite easy but the hernia repair will be a little more involved. They will be using a mesh to reinforce that area, and get this, the mesh is porcine dermis....aka pig skin! Yes there are all sorts of jokes that can be made here. Apparently it is better than an artificial mesh. The surgery will take around two hours and I may spend the night at the hospital depending upon how the pain is.

The hernia came on about 3 months ago but it was best to wait until I was finished with treatment and feeling stronger before having another surgery. Remember the movie "Alien"? Well it is kind of like that - the bump keeps getting a little bigger and I have to think that guys in the locker room where I shower after exercise have been wondering "what the HELL is that?" and "is it contagious?"

NED! NED! NED!

I had my first post-treatment CT scan and blood test yesterday, and I am officially disease free or "No Evidence of Disease" (NED) as they say in cancer speak.This is the culmination of the tough 9+ treatment plan that started last March. I’ll be getting scans every 3 months or so the first year, while living fully and intentionally, and hoping and praying that there is no recurrence. I'm feeling stronger each week though cardio fitness will take months as my body recovers from the 6 months of chemo.

Luisa and I are thrilled, elated, and so thankful to reach this point, and for the love, support, and encouragement we have received.

Recovering & Pathology Report

Hello everyone,

Recovery

It has been just more than one week since my surgery, and I'm feeling pretty good. I am still fatigued and need a nap or two every day, but the pain has definitely subsided and is manageable.

Path Report

We got the surgical pathology report back, and the findings are overall positive. The tumor was greatly reduced in size by the chemo and there are good margins around the tumor site. The report is consistent with our understanding of the disease and that surgical removal was a necessary and important part of becoming disease free. During the surgery 17 lymph nodes were removed. The pathological review indicates that one of the nodes remained cancerous (and only this one). It isn’t clear how viable these cells are, or if this is something that should be treated, and there isn’t a lot of data to guide us as my level of response remains fairly unusual. Given that we previously had a clear PET scan, we are working to understand the detail in the pathology report. In fact, my sister is meeting with the pathologist at OHSU on Tuesday.

Ideally it would have been nice to have had no viable cancer left at the time of the surgery, but Margie and my oncologist both view the overall report as positive. 

What's Next

I'm definitely ready for a 2012 that is very different from 2011. As part of this I need to be comfortable in living with uncertainty, accepting of the the need for periodic scans & testing, and all the while living to the utmost. Luisa gave me a small necklace pendant with words I had written down when I was thinking about my intentions for this time:

• Appreciation
• Blessings
• Savor

Going Home!

Greetings all!

This is Luisa stepping in for Jim with a quick update on his surgery.

Jim's surgery on Wednesday went off without a hitch.  In fact, his surgeon described the procedure as straight forward, that everything went perfectly and that everything looked "beautiful."  It was music to my ears.  Additionally, the procedure was completed laparoscopically (minimally invasive) and took 2 1/2 hours.  We are fortunate they were able to do it this way as it helps with his recovery tremendously. 



He's been progressing well overall and today we received incredible news that he gets to come home today!  This is a gift on many levels, but especially the fact that today is Kate's birthday. 


Merry Christmas to everyone!


Best regards,


Luisa

I'm Ready for Surgery

One Month

It has been just over a month since I was disconnected from the pump as part of my last treatment. Since then I have regained strength, both physically and psychically. I gotta tell 'ya - it feel SO good to feel decent. I don't have much endurance and I've lost a lot of muscle mass and power, but it is nice to have resumed exercise. I've even been doing some bike rides, though my diminished cardio capacity from chemo really limits my speed and endurance - but still, it's great to be on the bike again. Overall, I feel that I am as ready for this surgery as I can be.

LuLu
On a separate note - I want to recognize the burden that Luisa (my wife) has carried through this year, and how much of a ROCK she has been to me and the family. It is not easy being a caregiver, working full time, and caring for the kids, all while I'm either smacked by side effects or recovering. Gavin and Kate have been doing very well throughout this year...all due to Luisa and her effort to ensure a stable, secure, and loving environment for the kids. I love you Luisa, and I'm forever indebted. Here is a great photo of she and kids on a hike in the Gorge on a weekend when I was sleeping.

Surgery set for December 21st

OK - now to phase 4 of this very interesting and challenging year. My treatment concludes with colon surgery on Wednesday December 21st to remove what is left of the primary tumor - a procedure formally known as a partial colectomy - think cutting a segment of a hose out, then reconnect the two pieces. Mine is the first surgery of the day, so I report to the OHSU hospital on the hill at o'dark thirty. The surgery itself will take from 2 to 3 hours. I asked the surgeon just how much is removed and he responded "just enough" (thanks for that). I expect to be in the hospital for 4-7 days, so I just might be going home on Christmas day. They said to anticipate a 4-6 week recovery time and to take 4 weeks off from work, though I may be able to return sooner.

Having the surgery on the 21st gives me more time to recover from chemo, and the family more time to enjoy and celebrate Christmas.

Getting Better!

I'm now two weeks out from the last chemo and finally feeling better. This last chemo was *rough*. Ugh. All of the side effects were stronger and lasted for a longer period of time. As today is a Wednesday, I am so happy NOT to be receiving chemo. I'm not sure I would have had another one in me.

My taste and appetite are slowly returning and I hope to be able to enjoy some wonderful food on Thanksgiving day. On December 1st I'll meet with the surgeon, look at lab numbers, and assess my overall recovery for chemo. If things are looking good we'll proceed with surgery on December 14th, otherwise we'll push it one week later to December 21st.