And We Wait....and wait....and wait

Ahhhhh the waiting game is most difficult. I have been off chemotherapy now for nearly 6 weeks and await my surgeons to get there acts together to set a date for surgery. One must be off chemo only 4 weeks to be ready for surgery yet they drag their medical feet....ugh.  It would appear that one of the surgeon's vacation takes priority, now we are looking at June 29th,as yet unconfirmed, to get going. This all makes me feel vunerable, being without chemo protection for so long. Is the cancer growing during this period, is it looking for a new blood supply? I hope and pray not. It will be a tad more than nine weeks of no chemo by the time we do this and my conversation to the surgeons will be this...if you get in there and find the cancer has spread because you needed to go lay on a beach somewhere, don't bother waking me up as I will no doubt hurt you to the extent I will be getting to know our infamous sheriff up close and personal! So we wait..... I hate waiting....another test of only seeking Positive Pursuits.... I am trying. 

Upcoming Sugery

Okay, there is no doubt I was thrilled to hear I could be a surgical candidate for resection of the liver and colon tumor removal... the only way to obtain a cure. We met with the liver surgeon already...he was optimistic. Met with the colon surgeon today and while optimistic, he is more of a realist and really spelled out what will happen.  This is not a laproscopic surgery but full blown...the liver surgeon will asses his ability to remove ALL remaining tumors, however small. If he can get them all out and save sufficient liver for me to live, he will do so and then the colon surgeon will remove the tumor and the preceeding section of the transverse colon and any lymph nodes in the area, reconnect the colon and then we have more chemo (6 months) then reassess to see if I am clean of cancer activity. But, if the liver surgeon cannot get all the tumors, then I return to chemotherapy for pallative care (keeps me alive as long as possible) and the colon will not undergo surgery. Though not said, basically, why do surgery on the colon if I am going to die anyway....(unsuccessful liver resection).  OK and with surgery there are risks of course of not healing, leakage, infection and on and on and on....and the odds of cure via surgery are at 50%.   Good grief, even the good news is shakey.  In the end after all is said, information is sorted and risks assessed, I have two choices: pallative care without surgery which will end in death albeit they may keep me alive for some years.... or take the risk of cure at 50% with all the risks that go with surgery...   It is a no brainer for me...I will take the risk and will enter this process or eventually leave this world with nothing less than Positive Pursuits. I still believe that all those prayers out there about my condition are helping me get through this. Please, keep me in your prayers a little longer.  Thanks.

Good News Keeps Coming

Yesterday was chemo day....and I got the news... no more chemo as surgery is coming!  While no one is usually thrilled about surgery, I am. It is rare for a stage IV cancer patient to be eligible for surgery in only three months or so, but here I am. Tumors on the liver which were many to begin with are no longer visible on the PET scan. That does not mean they are gone as chemo does not cure, it only shrinks tumors to the point they may be surgically removed. It is surgery that cures............. so we apparantly have tumors so small they are no longer visible which means surgery can happen. One can remove up to 50 to 55% of the liver and function normally with the liver then able to regenerate over time. So, it looks good. I cannot have chemo during the next three to four weeks in order for my body to get strong enough to sail through surgery, so yippee.... no chemo for awhile. Now, I eat healthy and try to incorporate some cardio exercise into the plan so I can be poison free, have healthy cells and can breathe better. I can only  marvel at this miracle...it is funny, I have always believed in  miracles and yet now that I have received one, not quite sure how to act....I wondered if this was really true? Well, all medical providers confirm it is so here we go.  Wish me luck!  I will need 12 more sessions of chemo after surgery, then.......... maybe, just maybe we can lick this thing.    In the meantime, check your water bottles to be sure they are a #1 recycled material, eat Mediteranean (more vegets, protein etc and whole grains and organic if possible) eliminate refined sugars please and limit or get rid of your stress to eliminate internal inflamation which sets the stage for cancer to do its dirty work! Stay healthy, be happy and seek only Positive Pursuits.