The on-going, first-hand tale of a journey through medical oncology... and what happens after.

Friday, May 6, 2011

Today at OHSU

We are now off chemotherapy for the time-being and in the official "get ready for surgery" phase of the adventure. Karen and I met with Dr. Billingsley this morning, and he decided that I am as ready (chemotherapy-wise) as I can be, and that we should get going. That means a CT scan (scheduled for May 25th) so that he can get a detailed look at the position and size of the tumors. Then I will be anesthetized and resected on Tuesday, May 31st at OHSU. I expect to be at OHSU for 5-7 days, and then will be recovering at home for several weeks. Apparently liver surgery is not for wimps. Just for grins (and to chase down any more cancer cells that cannot yet be detected), we will have another six chemotherapy treatments after I have sufficiently recovered from the surgery. But maybe without the Erbitux/cetuximab (if there is ANY justice in the world)...

I am still awfully tired, and do not have enough energy for witticisms or semi-profound connections to the larger world. Sorry about that.

But this is good news, and I am happy to be more in-the-know about my near-future. Now, if the rash, fatigue, and constipation would just ease up a bit. :)

And July 4th is definitely ON!

4 comments:

Mikey said...

I'd love to come out there and help while you are in OSHU, Ed.

Fred said...

Ed, Ed
The Friend of Fred
Leave the wit
To me instead
And when you've taken
All your meds
And when your head
Is not so red
And the nasty cells
Have fried and fled
And you get
The go-ahead
Then wit which you had
Before shed
You'll wield again
With valiant tread
And all will grin
At what Ed said

Paul said...

Great news, Ed! Onward!
Paul

Anonymous said...

Left, right, left, right....you are getting there. Cancer is not for wimps.