Recovery Time

I am sitting at home, watching some football. The surgery went well. My mobility is still low. I need a scooter.
When i got to the Huntsman Cancer Hospital, I was ready to get this surgery done. I didn't think too hard about what was going to happen. I didnt cry or show any emotion. I cant say the same about my wife while I was in surgery. I opted for the epideral rather than general pain medication through an IV. The epideral was pretty nice to have. I couldnt feel much when they started it.
The last thing that I remember prior to the surgery was saying goodbye to my wife, and then a bumpy ride to the OR. I moved myself across from the transportation bed to the operating bed. They have the huge lights to illuminate the working area, aka my insides. They were similar to the lights at a dentist office but on steroids.
After the surgery, I was still pretty groggy. I wasnt moving much as the incision was about 8-9 inches long. I had a pain button that would give me additional medication every 10 minutes. I dont know if those 8 days in the hospital would have been the same without it.
My surgery lasted 5 hours. Dr. Stephenson took a little extra time to make sure that the nerves were not cut. I was brought to my room for the week long stay at 8 pm. My wife, her mom, and my mom were waiting there for me. I was glad to see no tears. In my state I dont think I could have handled it.
At 11 pm, the nurse came in and said that we needed to go for a walk. I was still pretty drugged so I complied and got up. Wow was I in for a surprise. When I got up, the strap holding my bladder catheder so it doesnt get ripped out wasnt very tight. That is a tugging feeling that no guy wants to feel. I walked one lap around the 5th floor and was done. I didnt think this surgery was going to affect me this much. I normally like to sleep on my side. That wasnt going to happen no matter how much meds I had. I got lots of pillows to keep me on my back.
The next few days went good. I was walking almost a mile everyday. 12 laps on the 5th floor is one mile. I went many days getting 10 laps done.
Day 7 of the hospital stay, I started to get really bad back pains. I wasnt sure what was causing them. It got so bad that I couldnt move. I had to have Jacqui help me get out of the bed. After talking with some people about it, our best guess was the epideral was causing the pain. As soon as I found that out, I wanted to get it out. I spent most of the rest of the time in the recliner, even sleeping in it. It wasnt too bad to sleep on.
Thursday, the Acute Pain Team, came to remove my epideral. It wasnt as bad as I thought it would be. I dont know if it was because I wasnt eating or drinking, the nurses were having a very difficult time getting new IVs in my arms. They tried so many times that I have bruises on my arm. They tried in 5 different spots before finally getting it in. I was so sick of getting poked with needles. I was woken up every morning by the techs drawing my blood. The best vein was the same one every single time. Im not sure that the pain that I am feeling in my arms are real or phantom pains.
I was visited a few times by Dr. Stephenson. He is really caring with his patients. They are people, not a car that he works on. I really like that in the doctors that I have worked with. One of the visits from Dr. Stephenson he brought the pathology report. I was ready for the news, and seeking justification for the surgery. I didnt want to go into this surgery for nothing. I was torn between two different realities. I wanted Dr. Stephenson to find cancer to make this surgery worth all the pain. I also wanted the pathology report to come back blank, because I want to be done with cancer. I came very close to getting both of my wishes. Of the 33 lymph nodes that he removed, only one came back positive for Embryonal Carcinoma germ cell tumor. This is good news. These tumors can be detected in blood tests, and treated by using chemotherapy medications. As of now, I am certain that I am cancer free. I dont think the oncologist will recommend chemotherapy. That is good. If I did start chemo in the next few weeks, I would be doing cancer treatment when our little lady is born. That would be alot of stress that my body could not handle.
I am extremely grateful to the management at US Synthetic for allowing employees to donate vacation time to me. This helps me have less stress at home, and allows my wife to be at home with me rather than trying to work for very little. She was placed on bed rest, and cannot work. I am glad that she can stay at home and make a healthy baby.
My next appointment is on the 5th of Jan. I am looking forward to some good news on that day. I have lots of doctor appointments this coming month. I am certain that they will not let up, and my medical bills will grow with the number of appointments. It sure helps that I have a loving wife that helps me. I dont show much appreciation, and I need to show more. I am excited for out little one to come. We got lots of baby presents yesterday.
Thanks to everyone that came to visit me while I was laid up in the hospital. Seeing all the faces of people around me helps make this cancer not so tough to bear.