lunhs cancer

I made it home Saturday afternoon and am now slowly rebuilding my strength surrounded by my beloved family. The surgery went well and without complications. We won�t know for sure until we get the pathology report but the surgeon said the feel of the tumor led him to believe there is still live cancer in the section he removed, rather than all necrosis. So that�s a bummer, and may mean more targeted radiation to the area left behind. But we will cross that bridge when we come to it. This was one of the scarier hills I have tackled over my 5+ years with metastatic cancer. There is an awful calculus that patients go through, deciding what we would be willing to give up for more time on earth. What deficits will we accept for more days? What makes life worth living? What risks will we accept for the hope of another year? The amazing Jason stayed by my side at the hospital, sleeping (or attempting to sleep) in a non-reclining chair, which frankly doesn�t seem possible at all. But I dearly ...

I saw my surgeon on Monday and all systems are go for brain surgery on Thursday, October 4. I�m oscillating between being incredibly nervous and remarkably calm. Acute recovery will be anywhere from 2-5 days in the hospital, and he estimates 4-8 weeks of slowly rebuilding my strength. His calm demeanor is buoying my optimism; he kept saying this is straight forward and he doesn�t anticipate any problems. In the mean time, we have been trying to get everything ready at home, for the family, the kiddos, the business. I�ve been feeling a very literal need to get my house in order to prepare for this event. As a fairly behind-the-scenes person, I feel like most of what I do is make sure things keep moving smoothly - like a player in curling, rushing about sweeping a clear path for that granite stone to get where it needs to be. As the surgery nears and my to-do list gets shorter, the primary thing I need to do is hand over the reins to all the trusted members of my team. A strange and libe...