The “C” Word – 1 Year plus 82 days We have a Plan

Today we met with Dr. Bastidas again as he finally had the second opinion from Dr. Lowy in hand.  That aside, though, he really wants to know where George’s head is at.  He said that normally patients come in with their mind already made up about what they want to do.  Then they can give their thoughts for or against what the patients are thinking to make sure that the decision is the right one.

Dr. Bastidas is a “shoot from the hip” sort of person.  He tells it like he is – no sugar-coating.  When George told him about our conversation with Dr. Lowy and the fact that Dr. Lowy uses terms such as “30% cure rate”, he offered up his congenial smile and told us he doesn’t use the word “cure” for cancer…. Ever.  Perhaps because there is always the lingering chance that cancer can recur at any point along the way.  At any rate, he chooses not to use that word. 

George also told him about his question to Dr. Lowy about whether or not the tumors seen could be “left over” from the first surgery rather than recurrence and Dr. Lowy’s response being a thoughtful “hmm, I suppose it could be”.  Dr. Bastidas concurred.  Given that there were a LOT of tumors in the belly and a lot of organs that needed to be removed and/or scraped of visible cells – it is possible that a few of those little buggers escaped notice because they were tucked away. 

So then the question – do you just go in and remove those two tumors?  Or do you open up and do a full on surgery to remove the tumors, take a gander to ensure that there are no other tumors that somehow weren’t seen in a CT scan and do HIPEC again?  Obviously the better choice is the second one.

We asked how long the surgery might go this time.  George was discouraged to hear that it would be 5-6 hours (only about 1 ½ hours shorter than his first one, which was actually short considering all the organs that were removed).  Dr. Bastidas explained the process so we understand why it will take that long.  Basically, he will need to look at any “anchors” that they put in during the last surgery and determine if they have to undo anchors in order to allow the chemo to reach areas that need to be hit again… and some of those anchors may be in places that will require some colon re-sectioning again. That, for George, is the scariest part because he really does not want anything else shortened!  And the recovery time SHOULD be shorter (hospital stay) – but will depend on how much re-sections are done as that affects bodily functions and those need to be working in order for him to be discharged.  It could be as little as 4-5 days – or perhaps 8-9…. Still shorter than 12 (or 16 as was our first time around). 

So we looked at the calendar for 2016.  Dr. Bastidas is gone for a few days at the tail end of January into early February – and gone again from February 12^th for about a week to a conference.  Our tentative surgery date will be Friday, February 5^th at 7:30AM.  With a LOT of prayers we hope to be home before the doctor departs on February 12^th. 

My prayers right now would be for George’s anxiety level to be lowered sufficiently so he can ENJOY the upcoming holidays.  He is in a much better place today than he was a year ago.  He is walking 3 times a week for 2 miles or so each time building up his lung capacity so he can go into this surgery as healthy as he can be.  Not having to work has greatly reduced his stress level – which is good for him (dealing with the insurance companies has been taxing at times but that is starting to become a little bit easier for the time being). 

I pray for some wonderful family times with Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.  May we enjoy some good belly laughter and joyful banter with the children and grandchildren… and I know we will enjoy good food - - and even some of our daughters are doing some baking for us this year.  THAT is a huge treat!! 

We are thankful that we have insurance to help us pay for the medical procedures required for this cancer treatment.  We are thankful that George did not require any hospital stays in 2015!!  I don’t want to jinx the household by saying anything else right now about that!!

We are thankful for those friends who have invested their time in helping us along the way – for those that walk with us (literally and figuratively), for those who continue to keep us in prayers throughout the journey, for those who give encouraging words, for those that pop in for a visit now and again.  Cancer has changed our way of living, that is for sure! 

We have met via social media many people going through this cancer journey and are mostly encouraged by what we read on the various posts.  We have met another couple going through exactly what we have gone through – their journey is started almost exactly 1 year to the day of ours.  Our friendship is via email and phone calls – but we are happy that we can offer encouraging words to them and repay what has come our way over the past 15 months.  God is Good…. He’s got us covered!!