Fourth of July at the baseball game. We got a free hat!
Surgery was moved (as previously mentioned) to Monday, July 24.
However, this week is not procedure free. Tuesday (7/11) I am having a stent placed: it’s like a straw to keep the tube between my bladder and left kidney open. If all goes well, it will be quick and easy. If the cancer is hugging the ureter too tightly, I’ll have to go to a different department and they’ll go in from a different angle (through my kidney, as I understand it). That could happen the same day or a different day.
Afterward, I may feel nothing, or I may be uncomfortable… like having a UTI…
So let’s pray for the first approach to be successful and for minimal discomfort afterward!
I may see my medical oncologist this week, too. I’ll call Monday morning to see what they think. I’ve struggled with increased pain, nausea, and fatigue for the past several days. That’s frustrating because it interferes with my plans. And it’s concerning because it might mean the cancer is growing. But then I remembered something that happened Wednesday that could be responsible instead of cancer growth.
(If you get queasy, I’m about to give you TMI involving my visit to the colo-rectal surgeon, and you can skip to the next paragraph.) While delaying my surgery was upsetting, it does give me time to get a colo-rectal surgeon in the OR on surgery day to repair the hernia at my colostomy site. I’m meeting with two surgeons, just to be sure I have a better chance of the schedule working out. (Here’s the gross part.) My hernia has allowed some of the bowel into the space between my abdominal muscle and my skin. It’s not uncomfortable, but let’s get that fixed as long as I’m in the OR, right?! Because that’s gross. Well, on Wednesday I met with one of the surgeons, and he massaged the bowel back to where it should be. Weird! But I think that would have made the area around my cancer a little more crowded, so maybe that’s why there’s pain, rather than more cancer.
OK. Gross stuff is done.
My friend/former oncologist suggested updated imaging based on my symptoms so there aren’t any surprises during surgery. She’s probably right, but I just want to get to surgery, get in there and take out as much as possible. Plus - so many scans!
Meanwhile, I’ve self-doctored by adjusting my pain med, which helped a lot. This isn’t quite as rogue as it sounds since my doctor and I discussed this option awhile ago in a different setting.
All that to say, there are lots of balls in the air in preparation for this surgery and I don’t want to be in charge, but I think I need to stay on top of everything to make sure it all comes together. Good thing I have all that project management experience on my resume…
That’s it, I’m afraid. No inspirational thoughts because I’m tired. Tonight I had six lovely thirteen year old girls over for book club, and there was a moment when I said something like, “OK, I can be done now if you’re done paying attention.” Followed by a few uncomfortable seconds of silence before moving on. Always effective, but I hate pulling that one out. It’s pretty rare. But, needless to say, those munchkins I love made me work hard tonight!
Have a good week! May YOU be the inspiration to someone!
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