Another opportunity for accepting what is.....

Today's meeting with the neurosurgeon confirmed what I knew to be true. I need to have much more extensive surgery to remove all the cancerous tissue in the region of the C6 vertebra. Even though this news was expected, it is much more disheartening because I am feeling like my old self again....no more pain, very little residual neuropathy and lots of energy.  Ready to get back to golf, pickleball and life as I knew it. Now I face all the risks of surgery, the extensive pain of recovery and the possible lasting side effects.

What I know is that the surgery will be extensive. The surgeon will go in from the front and remove most of that part of C6 and dissect the tissue around the artery to the brain and  the nerve to my left arm. He will replace the missing tissue with mesh, cadaver bone, and a plate. Then he will turn me and go in from the back removing most of the left side of the vertebra and any remaining cancerous tissue. He will then fix everything in place with two screws.

If all goes well, I will be in a rigid cervical collar for three months with restrictions on lifting and activities. It will be six to 9 months of recovery before I should have about 90% of my range of motion. I will need to take a year off from golf, but if everything heals well and the tumor is gone, I should be back to golf and all other activities next Spring.

The surgery is scheduled for March 4th, but they are working on moving it up at least a week, maybe two. This means that I will be able to go to Arizona for two weeks to relax, soak up the sun and play a little golf. That should be really good for my psyche as I need a really need a boost at the moment.

Good News/Bad News...again

Really, Really...sometime I wonder how much more I can take! The news from last Friday’s CT/PET and MRI scans is both good and bad. The good news is that there are no new tumors detected. 

The bad news is that the neurosurgery did not remove all of the tumor in the C6 vertebrate in my neck and there is an area of new tumor activity in the part of the cervical bone that is left. This probably means that I will need much more extensive neurosurgery to try and remove all the tumor. My oncologist is conferring with my team of oncology surgeon, neurosurgeon, radiation oncologist, and immune therapy specialist to brainstorm what therapies we should pursue. 

I must admit that I was really disappointed with this news. I had my hopes up this time that I would be free of tumors for a while, but the news could have been much, much worse and for that I am grateful.

Six weeks post surgery

It has been a busy holiday season with socials and parties in both Corvallis and Portland. I have probably been doing too much. (such as making 80+ blintzes for our wonderful family Hanukkah celebration) As a result, I am tiring quite easily and sleeping a lot. Although the discomfort and pain in the muscles in my back is better, it often flares up if I do too much and I have numbness in my left hand and neuropathy in the fingers.

I saw the neurologist today and he said that given the type of surgery that I underwent, he is very pleased with the progress I am making. He put me back on neurontin for the neuropathy and nerve pain and recommended light massage and soaking in a hot tub. (He says pamper yourself a bit!) He still wants me to limit my activity to walking and only putting and chipping for golf. (Also, very careful interaction with the grandchildren!) It is evident that he expects the recovery to take 3 months or more and that I may always have some residual nerve damage. I will have scans at 3 months and he and the oncologist will reassess whether I will need further treatment or surgery.

Wishing you and your family days filled with good food and fellowship and moments of wonder and reflection.

Continued Progress

Just realized that it has been three weeks since I last updated the blog. I am improving but more slowly than I would like. The muscles in my neck are really protesting to having to support my head without a good portion of the C6 vertebra. As a result I have a lot of pain and discomfort from muscle strain and spasms. I still need to be horizontal for periods of the day to give those muscles a break.

That being said. My incision has healed nicely and I have a rather large indent at the base of my neck where they removed part of the vertebra. I am trying to get out and walk or ride the stationary bike every day to get some of my stamina back.

I had a wonderful time at the beach with family over Thanksgiving. We had 10 for dinner and the weather treated us to everything from warm sunshine (walked 3 miles on the beach) to heavy rain and high winds. Typical Oregon coast in the winter.

I am working very hard to appreciate each moment that I am given. A friend sent me this link which is a lovely reminder of how we should live each day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?feature=player_embedded&v=nj2ofrX7jAk

Took a leap forward

I am happy to report that at 10 days out I am feeling much better. Am on a homeopathic medicine for muscle spasms that seems to be working during the day so that I can be up much more without pain. I seem to have more energy each day. 

My apartment at Willamette View certainly is a good place to recover from surgery. All my meals are prepared for me and I can eat in my apartment or the dining room depending upon how I am feeling. I have a lovely retired nurse who looks in on me every day and checks out how my incision is healing. There are lots of activities going on...I have listened to a jazz trio concert, seen an excellent African film at the foreign film night and even played some bridge. The weather this week has been lovely so I have been getting out for walks. Discovered a bike path nearby that leads in a mile to a little shopping area with a wonderful little coffee shop. So I have walked there twice for a coffee and rest before heading back.

I see the doctor on Tuesday to have the staples taken out and to make certain everything is healing. Then I will return to Corvallis and go almost directly to the coast for Thanksgiving with my sister and Becca and family. 

Knew it couldn't last...

Well, here we are on day 7. I have been coming along pretty well and knew that recovery usually isn't linear. Today I took a few steps backward with lots of pain and discomfort. Spent a good deal of the day on the bed lying flat. Pretty boring as there is not much you can do from that position. Most of you know that I am not very good at staying quiet. I am catching up on Podcasts. I brought a few books to read but it is difficult to hold them over my head. If I had known, I would have gotten some books on tape and put them on my IPhone. Having Becca's in laws for dinner tonight so that should cheer me up

Post Surgery- Day 5

I am steadily getting a little better and a little stronger with each day. The pain comes and goes but I am able to control it with Tylemol. I can stand a little pain just to get off the narcotics which really make me crazy. Had a bit of a scare with the muscle relaxant that I need to take for the bad muscle spasms. The prescription said take one to two pills every 9 hours. I tried one and was nauseous and couldn't stand after about 15 minutes. Had to sleep the effects off. So I now take only 1/2 and at bedtime so I can sleep.

I have moved over to my apartment here at Willamette View so that Becca and family can go to the coast.. Everyone here is so helpful. I have a frig full of food and lots of offers to help. I can be upright for a couple of hours but then need to lie flat to get the pressure off my neck.

I will spend the next two weeks here recuperating. I will have the staples taken out right before Thanksgiving and then the whole family..Sue included plans to go to the coast for the Holiday.

We couldn't have hoped for a better out come from the surgery. Hopefully the scans in Feb. will show the tumor gone and my neck will remain stable so that I don't have to have a fusion at a later date.