August 4, 2007

Hello to my friends.

The surgery was successful in that they removed all of the tumor. I was in the hospital 5 days and came home last Friday. What a feat that was to get into the house. I had this heavy cast on the foot. Paul and Michael helped me up the back steps on my rump. Then we had to get from the floor to the wheelchair. Never again. Paul & Mike have been wheeling me from chair to the bathroom and bedroom for the past week. I did the walker a few times, but not far.

After pathological examination, the tumor was 99% dead, which in layman's terms, was considered excellent. I responded exceptionally well to the chemo and radiation used to destroy the tumor. Most of the time the doctor said they see only 80-90% of the tumor destroyed by chemo. I've been an exception all along!

As I sit here in a wheelchair at the computer, the foot is healing well. The nurses who come into my home to change the dressings 3 times a week, say the area where the surgery was is "looking good". (To me with all the staples and the area in general looks awful.)There is good color around the area. They did take a skin graft from my thigh (the doctor said I had really good skin) which is giving me more pain that the surgical area. As I do exercises the physical therapist instructed me to do, the tightness on the donor site is lessening. I still can't put weight on the foot, but after my follow-up visit to the surgeon on Thursday, that may be changing. They did give me a walking boot at the hospital for the future. Part of the foot is numb like being asleep, which is normal after the nerve is bumped around getting the tumor out. That too seems to be lessening, but not as fast as I would like.

I will still have to have some preventative chemo after the cruise. The chemo doctor did pay me a visit in the hospital to inform me of this, once every three weeks perhaps, until December. At least I should be able to get back to work.

I told Paul that this New Year's Eve we're really going to celebrate to get rid of 2007 and bring on a healthy 2008. I'm looking forward to that.

So bid me Bon Voyage and thanks for all the cards and phone calls to bring sunshine into my life.

Betsy