Surgery Summary
I thought I would share this with everyone, when you see all that was done it is quite impressive.
-I was "open" in the OR for 8.5 hours
-The tumor was removed.
-My bladder was removed along with all surrounding tissue, a piece of my pubic bone was shaved off in the process.
-I now have a permanent colostomy, my rectum along with a section of my large bowel were removed due to their close proximity to the tumor.
-40 lymph nodes were removed from the pelvic floor to the split of the aorta near my kidneys.
-A section of my small bowel was removed and converted into a "Continent Urinary Reservoir" aka an Indiana Pouch.
-For some reason my appendix was removed in the process as well.
My pain is low, and I am able to do a lot at this point. I just get tired easy and I am a little anemic. I still can't lift anything over 10 lbs, which isn't much help since Lanie and Evan are well over 10 lbs.
This was by far the most dramatic surgery I have experienced. The hope was that by clearing everything out we could minimize the chance of a recurrence. All margins were clean except for the soft tissue near where the bladder used to be located. The good news was that all my nodes were clean, indicating that it is still a local disease. I am still waiting for more information on the whole Neutron vs Conventional radiation debate.
LIVESTRONG
PS - It was nice to see Lance back in Yellow today.
-I was "open" in the OR for 8.5 hours
-The tumor was removed.
-My bladder was removed along with all surrounding tissue, a piece of my pubic bone was shaved off in the process.
-I now have a permanent colostomy, my rectum along with a section of my large bowel were removed due to their close proximity to the tumor.
-40 lymph nodes were removed from the pelvic floor to the split of the aorta near my kidneys.
-A section of my small bowel was removed and converted into a "Continent Urinary Reservoir" aka an Indiana Pouch.
-For some reason my appendix was removed in the process as well.
My pain is low, and I am able to do a lot at this point. I just get tired easy and I am a little anemic. I still can't lift anything over 10 lbs, which isn't much help since Lanie and Evan are well over 10 lbs.
This was by far the most dramatic surgery I have experienced. The hope was that by clearing everything out we could minimize the chance of a recurrence. All margins were clean except for the soft tissue near where the bladder used to be located. The good news was that all my nodes were clean, indicating that it is still a local disease. I am still waiting for more information on the whole Neutron vs Conventional radiation debate.
LIVESTRONG
PS - It was nice to see Lance back in Yellow today.
posted by Andrew Molenda at 12:54 PM
1 Comments:
Hi,
A friend of yours has posted about you and your family on the Power-Surge website, so I've come over to have a look-see. I am so impressed with your courage and ability to share what you are going thru. This was a big surgery you went through, and your attitude is EXCELLENT. You are inspirational. I am praying for you, and for your son Liam.
I live in Maine with my husband, and am blessed in that my family has been in very good health (we are in our early 50's). You are a young man to have had to meet these challenges. Wishing you complete recovery, and a long life of joy with your family.
Jacquie Fuller
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