Want some cheese with that "whine"?

This might be one of the posts I don't actually publish because I am going to wine whine... and yes, I will have some cheese with my wine whine!  I don't consider myself a complainer but I have my permission to do so today.

I'm tired.  I'm in pain.  I'm at work and I'm bored....  I want to go home and take a nap!

Day 4 of antibiotics.  I'm not sure how long it should take for them to start working.  I didn't ask. The pain has been different every day.  Yesterday it was a pulling, tearing pain when I reached for something or stood up or sat down, etc.  Today it is a constant throbbing pain in my ribs liver.  I might as well call it what it really is and that is LIVER pain (ok, I know the liver has no nerves but the swelling causes pressure on other vessels that do). I am thinking that this is what it will feel like when my liver tumors get big enough to hurt.  Not a fun thought.  I am being morbid.  Someday, unless I die of something else first (old age), my liver tumors will cause me pain. I will most likely die from liver failure.  I hear it's not a bad way to go and I did watch my mom die from it.  (I warned you I was going to be morbid, right?)

I'm am giving the antibiotics until Monday.  If I'm not much, much better, I will call the doctor.  I hope and pray this works because I do not want to have any needles stuck in my liver to suck out the abscesses.  Ick.

Abscess and treatment

My oncologist talked to my surgeon (I love it when great minds get together) and they agreed it is most likely an abscess (well, two).  My treatment for now is just oral antibiotics for 10 days. I sure hope this works since the alternative is drain the abscesses and iv antibiotics, which would require a hospital stay.

I took my 2nd pill today.  I didn't sleep at all last night and one of the possible side affects is sleeplessness!  Oh no!  I need my sleep...  I hope it isn't and I sleep tonight.  My pain is about the same today.  I'm sure this will take a couple of days to get in my system and see if its going to work.

Now I've just got to remember to take my temperature!

2nd Scan Results... time to call the Surgeon?

Finally!  I see the written report online.  This took my doctor's office calling them twice!  Not sure what the delay was.

Sounds like this radiologist thinks I have a infection or abscess on two of the areas of resection.  The other two areas look fine.  I'm going to have to do some Googling on some terminology to find out what it all means.  Possible Biloma?  Normal Seroma?  Hu???  Guess that's why DOCTORS go to MEDICAL school!

Depending on what my Oncologist thinks, I may call my surgeon's office and see if he'll look at the scan.

Well, I'm off to do some Googling.  Is Googling a word?

Complications?

I thought I was "in the clear" and recovering well and then BAM!  I woke up Monday morning with pain in my right rib cage that ran around from front to back and down my side.  I also had/have pain when I inhale.  It was like going back to step one.  It hurts to walk.  It doesn't hurt when I am still.

I had my Sando shot appointment on Tuesday so I mentioned it to the nurse.  She went and got one of the PA's to come and see me.  I think I should have just called my surgeon but I didn't want to.  I don't know why I fear looking like a hypochondriac!  I really was in a lot of pain!  Anyway, the NP wanted me to go get a CT Scan of my lungs because it could be a pulmonary embolism (blood clot).  They scheduled it for the next morning.  I went in and had it, after which the tech let me look at it (I asked her if she saw anything and she said nothing that looked like blood clot or fluid on my lungs).  We could see my liver so we looked at that and you can see surgical clips or something where he excised one of the tumors.  Pretty cool.

She had me go wait in the waiting room until the radiologist looked at it (PE's can be life-threataning).  She poked her head out and gave me the "all clear".  I had just made it to my car when my cell phone rang.  It was her, the tech.  The radiologist wanted me to come back in because he saw something in my liver that concerned him.  So I went back and hoped up on the scanner and got my abdomen scanned!  Kind of funny, really.

He saw fluid and air around the areas of tumor excision, which could be tumor necrosis caused or it could indicate infection.  He said he would call my doc and that they would call me for follow-up.  The NP called me a couple hours later and said they wanted me to go back in for another CT of abdomen and pelvis--this time with contrast.  I had only IV Contrast for the chest CT.  I wasn't too thrilled about having to drink that crappy contrast!

I haven't heard back on the 2nd scan yet.  I do have a follow-up appointment with the NP on Monday.  I think the pain is a little less severe today.  Either that or the pain from my sando shot is so bad it is masking the other pain.  My butt and leg are still killing me, which is unusual for me for it to last this long.  Usually two days and I'm pretty much over it.  It's been three.

I think I should have called my surgeon.  He probably would have had me come in but he may have also known what this is without all the scans.  Maybe it is normal?  I keep checking my online health system to see if the report is there yet.  The first one was there within two hours!  They were really busy yesterday though so maybe the radiologist hasn't had time to transcribe it yet.  I'm curious to see if it is any different than the first one.  I may call my surgeon if it sounds like they want anymore follow-up tests.  I hate to waste money. Even if it's insurance money!

A few other interesting findings from my first scan.  They noted a "tiny 2 mm nodule within the inferior
anterior aspect of the right upper lobe.  No specific followup for this small finding is recommended
according to Fleischner Society guidelines".  Also, there is small retro-esophageal and
para-aortic lymph node identified within the mid chest.  Now, why do they even mention those?  Is it because they should not be noticeable?  Are they of concern?  Are they normal findings?  I just wonder...

Hopefully, this is something that will resolve on its own but just needs watching.  At least I got my follow-up scan to see what my liver looks like!  It just happened a little sooner than I though it would.  I'll keep you posted!

Healing...with pain

I am almost 5 weeks post surgery.  I've been back to the clinic twice for "wound checks" on my section of incision that opened up.  It is getting smaller.  I can't get any gauze to go beyond the part I can see (so it is closing in).  It does bleed a bit when I pull the gauze out now.  The Doc said this is a good thing.  I'm supposed to loosely pack it now so that it will fill in (heal).  The rest of my incision looks great.  A bit like a zipper.

I quit taking the narcotic pain pills two or so weeks ago and have quit taking the other med except at night (to help me sleep--it is an anti-inflammatory, not a sleep aid).  I only have a few left so I'm going to just take one at night instead of two until they are gone.  I do have pain.  Pulling-sore-ripped muscle kind of pain.  It feels like I just need to stretch and stretch and stretch!  I do stretch a little.  It feels good.  I'm also getting a wrap-around pain if I am on my feet too long (or for longer than 15 minutes).  The pulling pain wraps around to my back and goes down into my hip.  I'm pretty sure this is nothing to worry about.  I'll probably have a lot of weird aches and pains for months (possibly forever if I'm to believe my oncologist). None of this pain is unbearable.  Just uncomfortable.

From my last surgery, I know it will be 12 weeks before I really feel more like myself.  I am getting better every day though.  I'm even working from home now and will be going in for part of the day on Thursday and Friday this week.  Next week as well and I'll build up to full-time.  I cannot afford to stay on short-term disability. 40% pay (mine is 60% less taxes) doesn't cut it when you live paycheck to paycheck!

I just ordered me a I Am A Liver Pillow. I've wanted one since I first saw one but didn't know where to order one from.  I found the website: http://iheartguts.com/shop/  they have all kinds of organs!  T-shirts too!

More surgery details

I'm not sure how much "detail" anyone really cares about but if you're looking at having liver resection surgery, then I can tell you about my experience.

After my surgery I was in ICU.  Like I said earlier, no NG tube, no drains.  I was thrilled I didn't have a drain.  ICU was pretty uneventful..  Of course I had a super cute young guy nurse and aide.  Both guys.  FUN.  The nurse made a comment to me that perhaps I took the wrong way but he said" I don't even know why you are here".  I took that as --we need the bed for someone sicker.  Maybe he meant if as I was doing so good, I didn't need to be there.  I don't know but it was my only negative experience while in the hospital.

They moved me out of ICU the next day and info a regular room.  My sisters came up and saw me for a while.  I started to feel "queasy" and even though they had put me on a clear diet, I was able to drink the broth or anything.  I thought it might be the morphine making me sick.  I had a few moments with my right-hemicolectomy where a got sick but this was much worse.

I ended up vomiting a lot of bright green bile on Saturday.  I really felt terrible.  I had the best nurses and aids ever.  They were all wonderful.  My night nurse on Saturday had only worked with cancer patients her entire 23 year career.  She thought that this motion sickness patch might help me.  They were giving me other stuff too.  My problem was my stomach wasn't emptying and the bile was building up in my tummy.  I even considered having an NG tube put in.  That is how bad I felt. They didn't do it and by Sunday morning it was like someone flipped a switch.  I felt so much better and even got to eat some mashed potatoes!  Of course, they were getting me up to pee and go walk during all of this too.  Not a lot of walking but sitting in the chair, etc.  I had a few visitors. The weather was terrible on Saturday--lots of snow and wind.  My sisters spent most the day hanging out with me. 

I had regular visits from the surgeon and his team of fellows.  Nice guys all but I couldn't pronounce any of their last names! 

I lost a staple during my first shower.  I heard it ping off the floor.  The docs weren't too concerned.

I was doing so well they said I could go home on Tuesday and they started to wean me off the morphine.  I started taking ocy and something else.  I didn't have a lot of pain.  More like I had pulled all my muscles under my right breast.  It hurt to breath and I couldn't take a very deep breath without it hurting.

I came home that Tuesday so only 6 days in the hospital.  5 nights.  Not very long for liver surgery! 

My niece counted my staples.  I have 30.  Unfortunately, my incision came open where I lost that staple.  I think my dog stepped on me (I didn't have my pillow protection on my stomach). I think it might have pulled it open.  I thought it was infected.  Went in on Monday and saw one of the "Fellows", which was a woman this time--another last name I couldn't pronounce.  She saw no signs of infection and only the skin was open, the facia was not so no possible hernia brewing.  I was glad.  It looks really, really gross though.  I have to pack it 2 x a day with gauze wet with sterile saline. This helps it heal from the outside in.  I have since had some low-grade fevers and I should have called them but I really didn't want to go back in.  If it were an infection, they would come and go, right?  Guess I'll find out because I go in today to get the remaining staples out.  The rest of my incision looks really good so I'm sad I had this blow out.  It'll leave a bigger scar.  It also hurts pretty bad so I hope it's still not infected. 

Quick Update on Surgery

I can't believe I've been home for almost a week!  It'll be a week tomorrow.  My surgery was not quite as we planned.  Instead of taking my entire right lobe, he cut out the biggest tumors. He did take a few sections from the left lobe that had the biggest tumors and then did RFA on a few.  I was actually pleased with this news.  It has made my recovery much easier and should give me those extra years we were hoping for.

I did on have any drains when I woke up. No NG tube.  I really didn't feel too bad.  They did take me to ICU for one night to keep a close eye on me.  A few days later I asked Dr. Kim if he had any trouble with my blood pressure or "stats" during surgery and he said I was "steady eddie".

When I arrived in pre-op it went a little crazy as I was the last patient they took back (not my fault--I was on time along with 30 other people) and they were ready for me!  I had two anesthesiologists, 3 of Dr. Kim's Fellows, two or three nurses, all doing stuff to me.  IV's, blood, EKG.  I did ask the anesthesiologist if he used "octreotide" during surgery and he said, yes, we will.  I felt much better about things after being assured of that.  I had 3 IV's one in each wrist, one in my elbow and then they put a jugular line in during surgery.

I'll post more details tomorrow.  Just wanted to give a quick update.