Catching a break!

Hiya, just a quick update for family & friends...

MY MARGINS WERE CLEAR!

Yep, thats a big yippee!

I will only be yippeeing for a little while, Im already looking at another surgery in March and then back on to the dreaded chemo.  We are still playing the eternal waiting game to see if the 'indeterminants' in my ovary and liver are cysts or tumours, should have a better idea after my next catscan.  Please let them be cysts, Ive had about as much as I can take.  Since Ive been home Ive managed to get pleurisy, tonsilitis and gastro...so Ive been taking it easy and keeping away from you germy lot while my immune system reboots.  Im feeling much better now and am looking forward to catching up with everyone soon,  After the next surgery I should be well set up with my own portable noughts a and crosses game set up on my tummy, ready to play at any time lol !!   #

Still recovering at home, waiting to see when the next round of drs visits will start and, more importantly, what news they will bring. Today i noticed that my hands arent yellow, and actually have a touch of pink! I was very happy about that! Still got quite a bit of pain but thats to be expected with such a big operation. Now i have Izzy at home sick too, so I hope she is feeling better by morning. Thank goodness a cool change is on its way, the kids have been going nuts stuck inside! Have been feeling sad over the last few days over the death of Kristian Anderson. Ive been following his blog and it very tragic. It feels selfish to wish for a different outcome for myself.

And then....

Ive got pleurisy to add to the fun times. Hopefully the antibiotics will kick in quickly, it hurts to breathe. Need to start getting better, dont want to go backwards.

Oops

Back in hospital waiting for an angiogram to see if i have a blood clot. Hopefully its just a dose of overcautiousness!

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!