No visible cancer

Hi.  As of this moment, there is no visible cancer in my system.  That is not to say there is no cancer, nor that I’m cured, nor that it won’t return but the surgeon got all he could see, and is quite optimistic about the results.  He and the oncologist now need to decide whether or not I will need more chemo treatments, in order to deal with any microscopic cancer and/or reduce the odds of recurrence.

The surgery itself, this time, was night and day from the last.  The last one was excruciatingly painful when I woke up, and the pain didn’t subside for several days.  This time I kept wondering when the pain would show up, and it never really has, at least nothing like last time.  One big difference may have been the doctor-recommended epidural for pain management.  Given what the pain was like even after the epidural was removed, that can’t have been the only difference.

There have been no signs of infection or of liver failure.  The only minor glitch is that due to not eating for several days, my electrolytes are out of balance, and I’m now sitting in the hospital, eating bananas, and waiting for the potassium to rise.  They’re now testing me approximately every four hours, and a soon as the level is high enough I’ll be leaving.

Brad.