The surgery went well. It lasted about eight hours. The surgeon got "clean margins" (meaning all the tumor) so he was pleased. He ended up taking a bit of her abdominal wall, too, because there was a hard spot there. It doesn't sound like a large area, though.
They successfully re-routed (or created?) ureters to drain urine from her kidneys plus a stoma to form an outlet for the urine.
She has a tube from her nose down her throat into her stomach but is breathing on her own and talking a bit. The tube makes her throat her so they are giving her Chloraseptic spray for her throat. She can't have anything by mouth until the tube comes out; I'm not sure how they know when to take the tube out.
My brother and sister are both spending time with her at her hospital in Boston, for which I am grateful. My sister leaves tomorrow to join her family in Maine for vacation (they only came up for the summer a few days ago; my brother in law will have to return to work in Florida in another week but my sister and my nieces will spend the summer in MA).
Tomorrow I go in for my own surgery, which will not be a big deal, I think. Certainly nothing compared to bladder removal and hysterectomy! But it feels a little strange to go in for this procedure, having never met the surgeon nor having a chance to ask any questions. All of my information is from other folks who have had the procedure.
Mainly, I'm nervous about having a bunch of stitches and a big bandage on my face. Especially since I start my summer camp job this weekend -- making a bunch of introductions with a mess of bandage on my face is not appealing.
In brighter news, I had my first banjo lesson tonight! Fellow SMC Casey met me via Skype -- what better way for two SMC's to meet??? -- for a really fun half hour. I'm so excited to be making this lifelong dream come true! And I'm already looking forward to next week's lesson.
And now I return to another rousing rendition of Polly Wolly Doodle All Day.
Glad to hear your mom is doing well post surgery. Good luck with yours, and let us know how it goes. Now I have polly wolly doodle all day stuck in my head!
ReplyDeleteGlad it sounds like the got it all. Good luck with your surgery! I hope you both heal quickly!
ReplyDeleteSo pleased that your mum's surgery went well, that must be huge thing to have behind you now. I hope your's goes well too. At least having a bandage on your face will give you a starting point for conversation, and a learning opportunity for the kids about the importance of wearing sunscreen!
ReplyDeleteCongrats ion the banjo lesson - that's great. well done for following through on that commitment to yourself!
So glad your mom is ok!
ReplyDeleteGlad your mom is doing well. Hope that your procedure is quick, easy and minimally scarring. :)
ReplyDeleteGlad your mom's surgery went well and hope she recovers quickly!
ReplyDeleteHope your surgery goes well too!