Summary in case you can't access last night's blog:
Bill definitely has metastatic liver cancer, 3 tumors. Tumors in impossible locations for hot needle ablation. So Nov. 22, he goes in Wake Forest Baptist Hospital for a 4-5 hour surgery at 9 am; two doctors lift up his liver, cut out the tumors, put liver back, hospital 5 to 7 days, length of stay determined by getting his pain under control and him being able to walk. He'll definitely be in there through Thanksgiving and beyond. Kids are coming, drive is only 90 minutes from here, so we'll commute to the hospital every day, won't need a dog sitter for my 4 little dogs.
The kidney object of interest isn't of much interest to the liver surgeon, so they don't think it is cancer, pretty sure it's not, but they have to follow it; they're not sure what it is--it's bleeding, whatever it is, and that topic is on hold as they address the liver thing first.
End of re-statement from last night (WOW were we tired when we got home!).
Top 10 additional pieces of possible interest to you:
1. Dr. Shen repeated twice that "medical literature does not support this kind of surgery" but he is doing it because Dr. Torti insists, because without this surgery, the tumors are of a type (size and growth power) that cannot be knocked out by chemo, and without this surgery, Bill has less of a chance.
2. A team of experts still has to meet to okay this surgery, since it's unusual. They could still decide to forbid it, but Dr. Shen doesn't expect that.
3. It is rare, said Dr. Shen, that these kinds of tumors grow on the liver. These are bladder cancer tumors, growing on the liver, not liver tumors.
4. Possibly for that reason, they asked Bill to donate one of the tumors to a study being done at Wake. Well, we'd already picked out a spot for that tumor on the fireplace mantel, but I GUESS we can part with it.
5. The timing is fantastic: not only will Bill only miss a very few final classes for the semester, but our children will be here to help out, AND I ain't gotta cook no Thanksgiving dinner this year. I'm seeing styrofoam boxes from the cafeteria, all of us around Bill's bed, Bill doped out of his mind on morphine, mumbling incoherently at the Detroit Lions. Hey, didn't Norman Rockwell do a painting of that scene once?
6. After Bill recovers from the surgery, he will get chemo in Boone (6 miles from home), WAY more potent chemo than last time. As in, chemically identical to rocket fuel. Just kidding about the rocket fuel.
7 through 10. I couldn't think of anything else.
We're in really great moods, thankful to get this chance, which, apparently, not everyone gets.
Bill, ever the hero, is beside himself with remorse that he is going to MISS CLASSES at his job. He actually asked the Dr. if he could postpone the surgery till the semester was over! Can you believe that?
But the tumors had changed size in just 8 days, between the CT scan and the MRI--very fast growth, although one had shrunk (!!) (Anna, those would be YOUR prayers that accomplished THAT stunt)--so the Dr. said there was no way Bill could delay surgery.
November 10th: Meet with anesthesiologist.
I'll write more next time something happens. Bill feels NOTHING--no pain, no pinches, no aches, absolutely nothing--is hungry, energetic, has perfect color. Hard to believe he is that sick!
THANK YOU FOR CARING, PRAYING, SENDING LOVE, SENDING LIGHT, THINKING, whatever you are doing or have done. We think about all of you constantly, and feel so loved by your love. Not just saying that. It's a BIG HUGE deal that you love us.
Diamond Lil and Wild Willy "50 Ways to Leave Your Liver" or "Liver Come Back to Me" or "Liver, No Onion" Drennan
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