The Saga Continues

It's hard to know where to even start.

The surgery went really well; I had minimal pain while in hospital, and this continued at home. It just so happened that this past weekend I had some wound care with the Home Care folks. The nurse felt that I was developing an infection in my incision and so she recommended I go to emergency and get some antibiotics. That night I had my husband take me to the ER. 

As luck would have it, the doctor on call happened to be the same one that blew me off back in April when I first went to the ER complaining of persistent, ongoing abdominal pain. He had poked and prodded and then asked why are you even here. I replied, "because you guys have all the great diagnostic equipment - let's use some of it!"

Nope. In the end he sent me home saying he would recommend me to a gastroenterologist for gas or some such, despite my insistence that it was not gas. Here I am over 3 months later not having ever heard anything about an appointment for this referral. Good thing I was persistent and kept going back until a doctor ordered some tests and lo and behold we found cancer. 

So in emergency on the weekend when this doctor came into my cubicle, before I even let him examine me I said to him that I needed him to take this very seriously. I reminded him of our previous encounter and told him that I had had surgery to remove cancer from my abdominal muscle only 10 days before this ER visit. To give the doctor his credit, he actually apologized. Because I had gone in not just due to the infection, but because of some difficulty breathing, he ran a barrage of tests. It also so happened that the doctor who took over after his shift ended, was the doctor who had seen me in May and ordered tests that led to the discovery of my tumor and subsequent surgery. I was quite pleased to have the chance to thank her after I reminded her of our previous encounter. She was happy to hear that I had been able to obtain services and surgery fairly quickly and wished me well.

On Monday, I had a follow-up appointment with one of my surgeons. You see, I actually got the two for one deal on my surgery. The oncologist removed a 5 inches of the abdominal muscle, and then a general surgeon placed a mesh to help support the spot where the muscle had been. This included placing a drain, and the drain stayed in and came home with me. At my follow-up the doctor removed the drain. What a relief that is because it was really annoying to have to haul it around everywhere because it was attached to me, and try to sleep comfortably, etc.

After having had the drain for so long, I find I'm still looking for it or feeling for it at times. There is a gaping hole about the size of your baby finger in my side still but it's closing, although it is still oozing a bit. I was going to include some wound photos but that might be a little graphic for some people so nope. 

In the meantime, my son went for his driving test and is now a licensed driver. Yay for him! This morning I added him to our insurance which fortunately, is only going up about a hundred bucks a month. That's not too bad for a new driver.

So I'm home, recovering, with virtually no pain. However, I am getting bored. I am allowed to drive, but still restricted from lifting and twisting like if I were vacuuming or something. They did give me a prescription for some narcotic pain relief, but I told them I wouldn't need them and I haven't. 

As of today it has been two weeks since my surgery, and I feel fantastic. I have a follow-up with the oncologist at the end of August. At that time they should have the results from testing the tumor and should have figured out a bit more about the cancer itself, and ongoing treatment options. The surgeon has already indicated that I will very likely have some kind of radiation. I'm not sure where that treatment will be, either London or Kitchener I imagine. Perhaps it's time to start lobbying the Owen Sound Hospital to increase their cancer services to include radiation and not just chemotherapy. I think I found my next calling.

Let the Healing Begin

In the pre-op yesterday it was pretty crazy to know I had no less than three anesthetic people try to convince me to have an epidural or the self-administer narcotic pain relief pump. I kept declining until with the last one I got angry and just said they would have to trust me to know what I need and that if I needed a boost I would let the nurse give me a shot. So they finally stopped bothering me and so far I'm fine with the Tylenol. Pain on waking was about a 6 and dropped to about a 2 by 8:00 pm.  

In the pre-op they had to put on the IV needle in my hand. The nurse missed the vein and the pain was so bad I jerked my hand away from her. I wouldn't let her try again so one of the doctors simply said they would do it in the OR.  A little later there was a visit from the anesthetist and he was actually able to put it in with a lot less trauma. 

Unfortunately, even though I was awake and alert fairly early at 2:00 pm, my room wasn't ready. When the occupant finally left around 5:00, I had to wait for it to be cleaned. I was so ready to be in my room I told the nurse to let them know I was willing to come help clean if it made it go any faster.  When they finally got me to my room at 7:00pm I was starving. There isn't any food allowed in the post-op so all they could offer me there was Popsicles. On getting to my room the nurse made some toast with peanut butter for me as a snack since I had missed dinner. My roommate was hungry too and also asked if she could have some, so we both nibbled toast with peanut butter.  My family brought some Wendy's for me and I devoured it.  

I was awakened a few times in the night as the nurse had to take my vitals - blood pressure, temperature, check my bandages, and pain level. I'm doing okay. My vitals have been good and the pain is very very okay. For the most part it has been almost nothing as compared to the increasingly terrible pain I lived with for the last few months! Any pain I do have now is healing pain and it will be diminishing every day.

Today the food comes regularly. Cheerios and a cranberry muffin for breakfast, with tea and OJ.  There was yogurt, but I don't care for that so they took it away.  Lunch was a little cheese omelette with some veggies and a few potato wedges. There was more tea and some cranberry juice, as well as jello pudding for dessert. And I mean actual real jello pudding, not the no-name knock-off stuff.  I ate every bite.  

I have been up for a couple of accompanied walks along the corridor and they want me up at least once more today.  Walking to and from the bathroom doesn't count.  I'm drinking lots of water and no longer feel so completely parched.  I also sat up on my chair a couple of times for a while and was even able to wash myself somewhat. No shower allowed as yet with a drain and of course dressings, so a kind of self sponge bath was accomplished with the psw on standby in case I felt faint or sick.  It felt good to get my own nightshirt on afterwards instead of a hospital gown.  

The doctor is pleased with my progress and I just might get out of here on Saturday.  Yay!

One really funny thing you might want to know...I now know exactly how my groceries feel.  The hospital wristband has both a QR code and a bar code on it.  When they do blood work they scan the bar code. When they bring meds or take vitals, they scan the QR. In the case of meds, their cart is an electronic work of art. The scanned QR code allows a small compartment to open and there are my assigned meds. The nurse puts them in the wee little cup like you get your ketchup in at Harvey's, and hands it to me.  

The nurses and PSWs have been great. I'm at Victoria Hospital in London, Ontario and have been receiving fantastic care. One of my doctors has been in twice and my main surgeon once so far today. Both are pleased with my progress and so am I.  

Keep sending those positive thoughts.  In five weeks or so, when I'm pretty much healed, then I will start radiation, and that will be a whole new adventure.  In the meantime, stay tuned.  I believe all the positive energy has helped so far.  Love to all. 

The Countdown is On

It took a fair amount of persistence on my part to get here.  Thankfully I kept on returning to the emergency room until I got some tests done and at least reached a diagnosis.  

I'm so glad that my surgery is tomorrow.  Each day the pain seems to be worse, and this thing inside me is definitely growing.  It interrupts my sleep so that I probably get about 4 to 5 hours per night in total.  When I do sleep, I dream horrible things like that the tumour is the size of a canteloupe instead of the golf-ball to lime size it is.  

The current surgical plan is to remove a section of the abdominal muscle.  Not this past weekend, but the weekend before, I had a CT scan.  I know I already had one before, but that one was more to just determine that Yes, there is something there.  Based on that scan and the following biopsy, a new, more complete CT scan was ordered.  Several things happened while I waited for that appointment.  

Since I had already had cancer back in 2021, that surgeon regularly monitors me.  She had gone off on maternity leave and at my last appointment I saw her practice partner instead.  That was in January or so.  She indicated at that time she would see me in six months and we'd schedule a scan to make sure all was well.  That appointment was coming up soon and while I was still dancing with the doctors at the ER trying to get someone to take me seriously and do something, I actually called that surgeon's office to see if we could move my appointment up a bit.  I just knew they'd do something for me.  They couldn't move it but I did decide to keep the appointment.  Just before that appointment was due, and as a result of the biopsy, I ended up scheduled for the complete CT scan. This scan ended up being scheduled for 2 days after my upcoming appointment with my original surgeon.  I finally ended up with a surgeon in London, Ontario who said I should keep the appointment for the CT scan here in my local hospital because to wait for them to have time to put me in would only delay the surgery.  

In the meantime, my first surgeon returned from maternity leave a few days a week before coming back full time this month.  She was reviewing files and happened to notice correspondence from the surgeon in London.  I had listed her as one of my doctors on their forms because she was the only doctor with knowledge of my cancer history and I figured she'd want to know anyway.  So she called me up and asked, "What the hell's been going on?"  I told her the whole story, lamenting the fact that my former family doctor had closed her practice about 2 months after my last cancer surgery and that me and all her other patients ended up orphaned.  An hour later, as I was driving home from work, my phone rang and it was her again.  She told me that she had reached out to a colleague at the local medical clinic to ask if they knew any doctors taking patients and she explained my situation.  I had to pull over to write some information down because she then told me the doctor said, "I'll take her."  Hallelujah!  I got a family doctor!  Not only that, but when I went for an initial meeting and discussed how my previous doctor had orphaned my family, the doctor said they'd take my husband and son too.  And just like that, after 18 months or so, we all got on with a new family doctor.  

The day after I met my new doctor, I had my CT scan and they said they'd forward the result to my doctor in a few days.  Thrilling words "my doctor".  

The CT scan was not as pleasant? smooth? easy? as the last one.  The technician was not good with the IV and it hurt throughout the experience.  Still, it was one more thing to check off on the list.  I called my doctor's office a few days later to ask that they make sure the results are also forwarded to my surgeon.  A while later they called to confirm they had sent the results to London and then told me that the scan was clear.  Except for the cancer we already know is there, they didn't find any other cancer.  I'm still afraid to believe it, but it's very very hopeful news.  

As it happens, though, I do have some really positive feelings about the upcoming surgery.  Any pain will be healing pain and will diminish with time.  As I have said before, the post-surgical pain can't be any worse than what I'm living with right now.  I will do whatever it takes to get well again.  It so happens that I also had a visit from my late bff in one of my dreams recently.  She didn't speak.  She just walked up to me and we had a long hug.  I thought about it after I woke up and I believe she was offering comfort and reassurance.  I think if things were going to go bad, she would have said something.  It was good to see her.  She doesn't visit me too often and I really needed this.  

Today my coworkers threw a little party for me to wish me well.  We had veggies, charcuterie, chips & dip, and even a cake.  There was a lovely card with a Tim Horton's gift card inside, and even a couple of gifts - a dreamcatcher that says "children matter", and a hair scrunchie, both of which were made here on the reserve.  One of our board members, who I absolutely love (she was on my committee when I was a project manager), also dropped by and had a gift of a kind of small tote bag that she had made.  I'm really going to miss everyone while I'm off.  It's so fantastic to have a job you love and coworkers who truly truly care.  

I probably won't be able to add any more to my blog for a while, but I do promise to provide an update as soon as I can.  Catch you all on the flipside.