Post Surgery Update

Hi everyone!  Its been nine days since my surgery  and Im now home.  By all accounts everything went well.  Dr Liver removed 6 tumours, not four - there were two hiding behind the bigger ones.  Good news is that he managed to take them all out!  Now the waiting continues for the pathology results to find out if the margins were clear, and if the 'indeterminants' were cysts or tumours.  Also waiting to see what the next stage of treatment will be - more chemo and another surgery to remove then ovary most likely.

Missing out on Christmas was a bit of a bugger, but didnt really bother me that much.  I had some very special visitors who really made my day!

Heres the bit where I have a whinge. Be nice to your liver this new years eve, because liver surgery is the most painful thing Ive ever experienced.  I gave birth without painkillers so I like to think I have a reasonable pain threshold.  It really was agony.  I had an epidural before the surgery for pain relief but that wore off by about 3pm the next day.  The morphine was slowing down my breathing to the point where the nurse was watching me sleep.  I was only taking in five shallow breaths per minute, so she would rouse me every couple of minutes to get me going again.  Then they would tell me I wasnt pressing the morphine button enough - it was all very confusing.  Im still on morphine at home, and not very mobile at the moment.  But Im getting a little bit better every day and thats the main thing! 

Thanks once again for all the good wishes, it really does mean a lot to our whole family.  There are a lot of people who I know will be happy to say goodbye to 2011, so bring on 2012 and a happy new year to everyone!

By the way, if you are silly enough to be following my blog then Im silly enough to show you my scar!  Its a beauty!  I think Dr Liver did a great job.

Game on!

Its been no, but yes, but no, but YES!!!  The surgery is on!  It is scheduld for 20 December, so it will be hospital food for Christmas Im afraid.   The kids were concerned that Christmas would be cancellled, but they are happy now that they know Santa is still coming lol!  Happy Christmas everyone, look forward to catching up in the new year with my new liver - enjoy a champers for me! 
:-)

Good news!!

I went to see Dr Liver on Wednesday.  I wasnt nervous about it, in fact I barely gave it a second thought as I was confident he wouldnt be able to operate.  Dr Liver studied my films and called me over to show me the tumours.  'This one could be a cyst' he said... followed by 'I dont see any reason why I can't resect it'.  I had to pick my jaw up off the floor!  I was seriously shocked but in a good way this time!  He said he wont know until he opens me up whether he can resect it all.  He might have to leave one tumour behind but they can do radio frequency ablation while they are fiddling about in there. And the suspicious ovary can come out as well.  Might just book some liposuction while Im there, may as well get the works!  After the surgery I will need more chemo to mop up any stray cells. 

I have to have an MRI next week, then a follow up appointment with Dr Liver the week after - so am keeping everything crossed that nothing changes between now and then.  I hate to be pessimistic, but I still dont believe it is going to happen.  I wonder if it will be before Christmas?  Better get my chrissie shopping done.  It will be a big surgery, but it will drastically improve my chances  so bring it on!  :-)

And in a final whinge about Super SAs income protection insurance, after paying me once in nine months they have finally managed to start regular payments - quite possibly the worst service ever!

waiting, waiting, more waiting....

Howdy!  Heres my results update.  The tumours have continued to shrink, but had nowhere near the results I achieved in the first three months as was expected.  The biggest tumour in my liver has gone from 4.3 to 2.6 and now 2.1cm.  The smallest one is now 1.1cm and the other two are just over 2cm.  So thats around a  50% reduction after six months of chemo.  So close, but still off target -  I need that smallest one to melt away completely to leave a third of my liver cancer free so they can chuck the other two thirds away.  

Dr Lady Bits is actually Dr Nice Guy (if we could only transplant his personality into Dr Handsome with his lovely accent - the world needs that master race of Drs hehe).   Dr Nice isnt sure Ive even got a tumour in my ovary because the 'mass' has shrunk so much - that was a shock!  They cant biopsy it to find out because if it is a cancer as it would have the effect of spreading cancer seeds throughout my abdomen.  He doesnt want to take it out just now because of the risk of complications from my earlier surgery.  He is going to talk to Dr Head Onc to decide on a course of action.  My response was that Im still aiming for a liver resection no matter how unlikely they consider the possibility, so they can just take the whole lot out in one go.  So now Im waiting here - feeling great thanks to no chemo, but on no treatment and with no plan.  I hate having no plan! 

In the meantime Ive have had a fabulous week, feeling great and caught up with heaps of friends during the week.  Really enjoyed seeing everyone.  Im still keeping up with my diet despite a few recent lapses and have become addicted to my yoga classes.  My legs are still aching from last Fridays session.  Warrior 2 - I hate you!   Anyhoo, must sign off - Izzy is desperate to show me her stamp collection and Tom wants to tell me 'something', which is code for 'I need attention'!!

Clogging and Blogging!

Hiya, here's another quick update on whats happening with me and my cancer battle... I should really say OUR cancer battle as it effects the whole family. 

Yaay, Ive survived 6 months of chemotherapy! Insert flagrant happy dancing.  I dont mean that sarcastically, cos the chinese lady next to me at chemo had liver complications from the drugs and died.  So I really mean yaay and woohoo, so glad to be finished.  Dont think my body could have handled much more so it was a good time to finish.  Not tied to the hospital for a while and feeling great (calling all social invitations!) and no more picc line for summer.  I can have a bath without looking like Im trying to flag down a lifesaver!  Thanks Mum for looking after us all.  We miss you, but I bet you dont miss the housework. 

I have another scan next week, then see 'Dr Womens Bits' and he will book me in to have my ovary removed - or a full hysterectomy, wont know until he goes in.  The surgery should be in 2-3 weeks.   Im not fussed as I dont need those bits any more.  And after the last surgery, this one should be a walk in the park (touch wood, I dont want to jinx myself!).

I am going to change Dr Head Oncs name to Dr Doom - he is not very positive.  Great hair, but that doesnt make up for the stuff that comes out his mouth! He has given me a use by date which I choose to ignore and not to share - I dont want y'all doing a count down and ringing me up to see if Im still clogging around that time!!  He said he's in two minds about whether to take me off all medication and just see how I go (duh, the tumours will grow again) which sent me for a six.  It will depend on my catscan and pathology results - if they can operate on my liver he will keep me on meds but considers this to be unlikely.  When I told my naturopath, she said his words were unnecessary and cruel - and I agree.  I will try and use them to inspire me to prove him wrong.   If I cant be cured then I can be treated as having a long term chronic disease and I would be happy with that. 

If he decides to take me off them I will find another Dr, as I dont consider that an option  In the meantime Ive contacted St Vincents Hospital in Melbourne to see if Im eligible for the same trial that Jim Stynes is on.  Its a drug that boosts the immune system which is a new way of treating cancer.  Instead of the chemo approach where they aim to knock out the cancer cells, this treatment boosts the Tcells and lymphocytes to ramp up the bodies own immune system so they can take out the little buggers.  Its the approach Im taking with the naturopath, trying to support my immune system.  Will be interesting to see what they say. 

So thats it for now.  In the meantime life goes on - lots of birthday parties this month, Andrew is growing a mo for Movember, the weather is warming up and the kids are growing like weeds.  Enjoy the nice weather! Jen

Another milestone

Hiya, well today is my last IV chemo so on Friday the picc line in my arm can come out. Yaay! I can have a bath without having to wave one arm in the air like Im waiting for a lifesaver to come rescue me from the tub! After this I go on xeloda which is still chemo but in a tablet form. I still have to have avastin fortnightly through the drip but it only takes half an hour, which is much better than the current six. Cant wait to be finished. Getting rescanned in the next couple of weeks,its completely nervewracking. Apart from the chemo I feel great! No pain or other symptoms. still cant believe I have this insidious disease but working hard to beat it. Get the hell outta my body! Its mine and you cant have it!

Dr Liver Guy said my chemo results have been amazing, but not enough for a resection. I go back for a review in December. He reckons the chemo works best in the first three months so I dont expect he will change his mind, but if he does it will be the best surprise. I still have sirspheres to fall back on, when the tumours start to grow instead of shrink thats when they will hit them. Bowel cancer is a bummer lol!

Liver resection - maybe!

Ahoy-hoy!  I went back and saw my original surgeon, aka Dr Handsome.  He is still dashingly handsome and that accent... well I cant say its to die for (lol, black humour!) but Im a sucker for the Irish and Scottish lilt.  So once I got over the visual aspect, he said its worth referring me back to Dr Liver Guy. He is the one who said he couldnt operate unless I had an AMAZING result from the chemo.  And I must have that operation to have any chance of a cure and/or longer term outlook.  And now Im being referred back to him!   (insert double back flips).  Dr Head Onc said not to get too excited as he seems to think he wont be able to operate, but its a step in the right direction.  Looks like the hysterectomy will be in early December.

I had a few slips in my diet this week, it started with one slice of birthday cake on my birthday...quite justified I thought.. but I seem to have extended the celebrations to include a vanilla slice and sugar coated nuts as well.  Ooops.  Will read my anti cancer diet books before bed tonight to get more motivated so I can maintain the strict diet from here on.  Plus my naturopath always knows.  I dont know how, but she has sugar radar. Its spooky.

And I must also thank Tania, Helen, Rachel and all the girls for the 'shop til ya drop' night.  We had a blast and the cool clothes were just an added bonus. Tania and Helen have been running a cancer fund raiser for the last ten years or so.  You guys rock!

Til next time, stay healthy and happy!