No Biopsy Today

If you've been REALLY remembering details (bless you!), then you might be wondering about the biopsy that was supposed to be today.

They canceled it. Dr. Shen feels it is unnecessary, due to the certainty of the other reports, AND he said that biopsies often miss the tumor and bring up plain tissue, and it isn't worth it in Bill's case, to do something that will bring no more certainty, since there is already complete certainty that he has liver cancer and exactly where the tumors are.

Now here's where I get weird:

I found a little movie online that SHOWS DR. SHEN DOING A LIVER RESECTION! The same procedure he will do for Bill. I am usually squeamish but since it involved the liver I love so much (my beloved Billy's liver), I was able to actually watch it!

You can see Dr. Shen talking, and watch him do the surgery, AND listen to him give instructions to an assistant who is learning how to do the procedure. It does get a trifle humorous when Dr. Shen gets impatient with his assistant because his assistant is scared to shoot in the staples. Dr. Shen is like, "Shoot it twice. Twice. SHOOT IT TWICE!" ooops hahahah Heck, if you saw THAT bit of business close up, you could understand why a newbie might be a little hesitant to go firing staples into someone's liver arteries!

I couldn't watch the whole thing because Bill could hear it, and he said it wasn't his ideal background soundtrack for the novel he was reading. hahaha

Here's where you can see the liver resection: http://www.orlive.com/wfubmc/videos/liver-resection-a-potential-curative-option1

In other news: I've been very sick this week with something like halfway between the flu and a terrible cold. Can't even get out of bed! I think I caught it from Bill, who had a very mild version, so he should be okay. If you are a pray-er, please pray that Bill doesn't catch it.

Best news of all: Our kids have coordinated their schedules (heaven only knows what they had to give up to do this; I'm so thankful to them, I could cry right now thinking of it), and will be with us THE ENTIRE TIME! I am so exhilarated by this that I can't express it. I was SO WORRIED about all the details of either commuting alone in the dark, when I'm stressed, and our cars are so old, and taking care of the 4 (gol-danged) dogs alone, or working out a sitter on the busiest week of the year for dog sitters (Thanksgiving), so this was a gift from heaven! (Even though Sandy, Watauga County's And World's Greatest Dog Sitter would have helped me out, I know! Bless you, Sandy!)

So the next update will be on Sunday, just to keep the pattern the same.

Dates: Friday November 19, we go to Winston for a pre-op and get all the info. Then Sunday, November 21, we go to a hotel in Winston so BillyBob can get to the hospital super early Monday Nov 22 for the big day.

Thank you for reading all this! Mountains of love, and I mean it.

The Cowpokes

PS Currently accepting liver-related humor such as the following, from friends this week:

1. "Cry Me A Liver"

2. Liver Joke #1, courtesy of MG:

Three men are in a bar having a drink. When a gorgeous woman comes up to them and says,

WOMAN: Whoever can use the words ‘liver’ and ‘cheese’ in a creative sentence can date me for tonight.

1ST MAN: I love liver and cheese!

WOMAN: That’s not good enough!

2ND MAN: I hate liver and cheese!

WOMAN: That’s not creative!

3RD MAN: Liver alone, cheese mine!