Still waiting for a bed

Hi everyone, Shane is doing better and better.  He's alert and smiling a lot, especially since he's got his magic pain button that he can press every 10 minutes to get a dose of pain killer.  Unfortunately, he is still in the recovery unit.  His surgeon wants him to go to the oncology unit and the beds there are full.  A bed was reserved for him this afternoon, but the patient who was supposed to be discharged has not left yet.  I'll post his room information as soon as he is transferred!  Alex

Fever be gone!

Shane's fever is gone but he is still in the recovery unit.  He had a bit of tachycardia last night and this morning, i.e. his heart was beating a bit faster than normal.  This can be a sign of a pulmonary embolism (a blood clot in the lungs) so the surgeon ordered a chest x-ray and CAT scan.  All of the tests came back normal and Shane should be transferred to a room sometime this afternoon.

Hospital Update

Hi people, It's Alex again.  In case you were planning to call or visit the hospital today, I suggest you wait a day or two.  The hospital called this morning to let me know that Shane developed a fever last night and they are keeping him in the post-surgical recovery unit so the nurses can monitor him more closely.  That means he isn't in the room they assigned to him last night and he can't have visitors, except for brief visits from family.  The surgeon said Shane would be in a lot of pain the first 36 hours, and he is mostly sleeping because of the pain medications.

Surgery report

Hi everyone, This is Alex reporting on Shane's surgery.  The surgeon was very pleased with the outcome of today's surgery: he said it was the best case scenario.   Shane received a temporary ileostomy rather than a permanent colostomy.  The surgery was done laparoscopically (with a small incision and cameras), which is less invasive and has a shorter recovery time than traditional open-abdomen surgery.  We saw Shane in the recovery room this evening and he was awake enough to talk and smile.

Hospital stay

I am scheduled to have my surgery next week on Tuesday January 12.   I will be recovering in the hospital for at least 5 days.  During that time if you'd like to visit or contact me please check my blog for information.  Alex will post my hospital room and the room phone number once I am able to receive calls and visitors.

Luckiest man on earth

The weekend of my birthday, my greatest pals Amber, Marty, Jon, and Juliet held a wine and cheese “funraiser” for me and invited my friends in CA.  They raised over $3000.  My best friend and former co-worker Matt passed the hat at my previous job.  My old colleagues in San Francisco contributed over $800.  On the east coast, Alex and I had a birthday fundraiser that same night as the west coast party. Our friends in New York donated over $1300.  Not to mention, my family who has been providing substantial monetary support and goodwill since my diagnosis.  I count myself lucky to have such an incredibly generous and supportive network of friends and family.  I am truly blessed.  Thank you. 

Surgery

On Friday Alex and I met again with my surgeon.  The surgery will be a lower anterior resection to remove the tumor and some lymph nodes.  It will take about 5 hours.  It’s scheduled for January 12 just over 8 weeks after my last radiation treatment.  Why the wait?  The reason is because the radiation is still conducting a nuclear war on my tumor.  They will put in a temporary ileostomy (bag from the small intestine that will divert intestinal contents so that the surgical area can heal).  If possible the surgery will be done laporoscopically via my back door (i.e. with a camera and small incisions), which has a faster recovery rate.  Otherwise I will have a traditional open-abdomen surgery.  The risk of a permanent colostomy is low. 

I will be in the hospital for approximately 5 days after the surgery.  Alex calculated that I’ve lost about 8 lbs since my treatments started.  So she’s making sure my skinny butt eats more fat.  The post-operative chemo will begin again a few weeks after surgery.  This is what my surgeon calls a chemo sandwich.  I originally understood that the ileostomy would be for 6-8 weeks, but now the doctors recommend that I keep it until the chemo is over in six months.  This is so the post-operative chemo will affect any remaining cancer cells as soon as possible.  In colorectal cancer patients there is a high chance of reoccurrence or spreading to other organs like the liver