Who new that at 9 weeks post op my liver would be fully regenerated? I had my scans done on Monday and saw my surgeon on Wednesday. I was able to take a look at my CT scan and I could see a healthy full sized liver!! Hopefully it knows to stop growing... I was also able to see the shadow on my pancreas where my tumor is. It's not very obvious, but because my surgeon saw the actual tumor, he could identify it on the scan. It appears to be about 2 cm in diameter and doesn't appear to have grown or changed since it was identified on August 28th. All of this is really good news, especially because I haven't had any treatment for the past 3 months.
I am now gearing up for surgery in 2 and a half weeks (Nov 20th). I will probably be in the hospital for 6 to 10 days following surgery. The surgery will be a Whipple procedure where they will take out the head of my pancreas (where the tumor is), part of my small intestines and part of the common bile duct. Normally the gall bladder is also removed during this procedure, but mine was already taken out in my first surgery. It's a pretty complex operation, and is expected to take around 6 hours. I won't be able to eat for several days following surgery and then it will be a slow process weening me back onto food because of the involvement of my digestive tract. Recovery after this surgery will be longer and a little tougher than after my liver surgery. I should be able to get up and walk a little the day following surgery even with all of my lines and drains.
I guess I'm ready to go ahead and get this over with, though I can't really say that I'm excited about it...
Love,
Erica
Friday, November 2, 2007
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Team Run for Erica (minus Omar)
Omar getting ready to run
Mary, Chandra and Liz finish their 6 miles
Star and Christian run for the crowd
Tony and Jaime waving to the crowd
Team Run for Erica after the marathon (minus Jenny and Jaime)
Erica's Tree @ Upton Hill
Look how Erica's tree is growing and blooming!
Upton Hill Memorial to Erica
Erica's crepe myrtle tree by the batting cages at Upton Hill Regional Park, Arlington, VA
Plaque dedicating tree in Erica's memory
Plaque dedicating the tree in Erica's memory
A week before admission to Hospice
What a beautiful smile!
March 26: Liz, Star, Chandra, Erica and Kelly
March 26: Star, Chandra and Erica
March 12-13: Erica and Christian...check out those smiles!
With Uncle David
Dad, Mom, Erica, Megan, Heather, Chase and Uncle Bill
3 comments:
hey ms. erica,
wow, what awesome news! yay!!
continued good thoughts to you, you're amazing!
love, nei and RC
Hi Erica,
Thanks for the update! And for the details about your surgery. I'm sure that the post-surgery recovery is nothing to be excited about, but I pray that you will be cancer free after this! You're so strong, we're all here for you!
love,
Karen
Your liver rocks! We're all thinking of you as you gear up for the next surgery.
Love,
Mary
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