Looks like my flight is taken care of!

Thanks to some very generous people it looks like Amy and I are both going to be able to fly to Seattle for the consult with Dr. Larramore. I really appreciate the replies I have received from everyone, and we may still need help getting to Seattle for the actual treatment.

This is all happening so fast that it is a little overwhelming.

Seattle bound

I spoke with Dr. Larramore/UW today and it looks like I will be flying to Seattle as early as next week for a consult. And I could start my Neutron Beam therapy 1-2 weeks later.

I am looking for help with frequent flyer miles to Seattle for the consult. I plan on driving for the treatment since I would be there for 4-5 weeks. The only major thing I need to arrange is how to handle sleeping accommodations during that month. I have reached out to some charities and I am hopeful that something can be arranged.

If anyone has any ideas please feel free to shoot me an e-mail: amolenda@gmail.com

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.

Sick kiddos

So far two out of my three kids are sick with some kind of stomach bug. Liam was the first to get it and now Alena is sick. I'm just hoping that the rest of us (Amy, Evan, and I) can avoid getting sick.

Nike WearYellow website

They did a make over for the wear yellow website. It's got the latest tv spots from Nike on it. Including the one with his press conference from October of 1996. It's an extremely powerful thing for me to watch.

http://nike.com/wearyellow/main.html

The debate is still on.....

Haven't heard from the UW doctor or anyone else at this point. I'll call tomorrow if I don't hear by that afternoon. I am starting to lean towards staying home and going with the conventional radiation. I'm still waiting until I can get some more opinions to make a final decision.

I saw my local surgeon/urologist today and I finally got rid of the staples and catheter! I'm still really sore, but it feels good not to have either of them. He said everything looked good.

I am consistently impressed with how Amy is handling everything. I can't lift any of the little ones or do much to take care of anyone other than myself. She is doing twice the work and still helping me with taking care of everything.

--Andrew