On the Mend

Hello and Happy Friday.
It's a beautiful day here and I'm getting ready to go for my walk around the lake by my house (it's just under three miles with a lot of hills).
Though I'm not able to go too fast, it's gotten easier and it takes me just over an hour to finish and I feel very accomplished.
I am feeling really good and my discomfort is minimal at this point. This week has been much easier, because I've been able to get out and do more things. I have started driving again...so it's nice not to feel like I'm stuck at home. I still have to rely on Christian to do many things for me since I'm still not supposed to do any lifting.
My Aunt and Uncle from Atlanta came up to visit for the past couple of days and we've had a really nice time. My cousin and her daughter also flew into town last night, so it will be great to spend more time visiting with family over the next couple of days. It's been great to have things to do and people to spend time with.
Have a great weekend!!!
Love,
Erica

Continued Healing

So far, this week has been much better than last week. Everything seems to be getting a little easier. I'm not allowed to lift anything and I have to be careful not to strain my abdominals. My right abdominal region is still sore and swollen, but the incision is healing really well. It's a strange combination of numbness and hypersensitivity around the surgical area.

I am enjoying the cooler weather. Since I am home all day long, it's nice to be able to go outside in the middle of the day without fear of being overcome by heat stroke.

I will return to see my surgeon on September 26th and then to see my oncologist on October 2nd. Hopefully we will be able to plan the next course of action then. Though my surgery was a success and they were able to do the right liver lobectomy, and remove my gall bladder, the surgeon also found a tumor on my pancreas. The surgeon did a biopsy which confirmed melanoma metastasis. Unfortunately pancreatic surgery is very complicated, so the surgeon was not able to operate on both my liver and pancreas at the same time. The hope is that I will be able to have a second surgery in a couple of months to remove the tumor from my pancreas. The surgery would be similar to a Whipple procedure that is done for pancreatic cancer. I don't know whether or not I will have any type of treatment in the meantime.
My focus now is on healing and recovering from the liver surgery so that I can be ready for whatever comes next.
Thanks for continuing to follow my progress and for all of your positive thoughts and prayers.
Love,
Erica

Back Online and Feeling Better

Hello Everyone!!!
It has been two weeks since I have posted a message and I'm finally feeling good enough to sit at the computer and write. My sister has been so great to keep you updated while I was in the hospital and recovering at home. I posted a picture to the left that my dad took while I was recovering in the ICU, the day after surgery. I was still hooked up to several lines, but must have been feeling pretty good at the time of the picture. I had already gone on my first walk earlier that morning...

I will say that recovering from abdominal surgery is no picnic, especially because I had some problems last weekend, but I am feeling much better now. As of this weekend, I am pretty much back to my normal diet, though I am trying to avoid things that are difficult to digest. Last week, it was very hard to find any position that was comfortable, but now I am much more comfortable sitting. My sleeping is improving to a couple of hours at a time. Walking feels great!! My legs feel strong and my abdominal discomfort is minimal, though I do fatigue fairly quickly when I walk (especially in this heat). This weekend I was able to venture out of the house a little more. I will say that coughing, sneezing, laughing and bumpy car rides are no fun. Squeezing a pillow seems to help keep the pain in check. I was happy to go off the heavy duty pain meds last Thursday and to transition to OTC meds (advil and tylenol).

My incision is pretty impressive. It seems to be healing really well. Instead of stitches or staples, the surgeon used glue to close it up, which I think will significantly reduce the scarring. I think that's pretty cool...

I can tell that I'm feeling better, because I am starting to get bored at home. I'm still limited as to what I can do, so it's sometimes hard to stay entertained. I had a lot of help last week from Christian, Janna, my mom, Christian's sister Sandra and stepmom Silvia. They were so wonderful to come and take care of me. As I am feeling better this week, I am definitely up for visitors...Just let me know...

Love,
Erica

Continued Recovery at Home

Erica has been slowly recovering at home this week. She is feeling better from last weekend, but still has some discomfort in her abdomin, yet each and every day the discomfort lessons a little. She has been able to take short walks around her neighborhood and hopes to be able to increase to longer ones soon. Knowing her, it will be sooner rather than later!

As always, she thanks you for the continued prayers.

Janna

Home Again

Erica was discharged from Hopkins this afternoon and is now back home resting. She hopes to be able to post something herself later this week. She sends her thanks again for all your thoughts and prayers as she continues to recover from the surgery.

Janna

Back in Baltimore

Erica arrived home to Fairfax shortly after midnight Friday and had a very comfortable night back in her own bed. Saturday she was able to eat some food and take a nice walk outside in the early evening. Unfortunately she was having some complications later that night and early Sunday morning went to Fairfax Hospital ER. It was decided that she would go back to Johns Hopkins where she was admitted to the 4th floor. At Hopkins they will do some procedures to alleviate the problem and she should be home in a few days. We will keep you posted.

Janna