Dr. Cagir called early this afternoon with an ultrasound update. He informed me that a big portion of the tumor has melted away and he was very happy about that. He also said that he is hoping for more shrinkage because the tumor is still very close to the pelvic bone and he believes that more shrinkage is likely. Should the tumor be attached to the pelvic bone on the day of surgery, he will go ahead with the the tumor and organ removal and then prescribe another round of radiation to be certain that any remaining cancerous tissue is destroyed. And should that be the case, while he still has me on the table, he will also attach titanium clips to my pelvic bone to serve as markers for the radiation team.
This is not the kind of news I was hoping for, yet Dr. Cagir says he still feels very good about the outcome of the procedure and doesn't see any reason to be alarmed. I can't say I'm on the same page as him, but Daniela and I will speak with him in person on July 10th. The three of us agree that an in-person visit will make the specifics of of conversation easier to understand.
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What a week. Sorry for more stops on the rollercoaster.
ReplyDelete- Jennifer
Happy Independence Day Weekend.
ReplyDeleteAny chance that you could ask the Doctor if i assist on the surgery? I will stay at a Holiday Inn Express the night before it.
So dude, I know this sound like a stupid question, but after the surgery are you going to have a little pocket where your old anus was?
reply to madcup:
ReplyDeleteThat's not a stupid question at all. Some people with colostomies & ileostomies do have a non-functional "pocket" as you call it. Occasionally they have to clean it out b/c the remaining intestine still produces mucous.
I on the other hand will have everything removed including the anus, so my skin will be sewn up and there will be no such cavity.
It seemed kind of weird when I first thought about it.
Of course I had to harass my doctor and I asked him if I get a choice of how the stitched skin would look. He said, "Sure. How about a smiley face?" I told him a smiley face would definitely do.
Bert,
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry about the ups and downs of all this - but I love that your sense of humor is fully functional... a smiley face! I love it!
I hope you have a good weekend... I'm off to L.A. My first trip since surgery.
Hang in there!
Maria Brown