Greg's Surgical Update

Huntsman Cancer Institute is situated atop of mountain overlooking the Salt Lake Valley.  There are large windows here in the family waiting room.  It is beautiful...no, it was beautiful this morning.  Right now it is a little hazy, but I cannot wait to see the sunset!  Each floor is open to the lobby where someone is playing a grand piano - we have had a very comfortable day here.

Hospitals - I am doing fine as long as I stay busy.  I have had schoolwork and a phone call with Mark to keep my mind occupied.  I think that David and I have single-handedly cleaned out the snack basket... eating helps also.  Once I found myself thinking of Greg and surgery and I went light headed and remembered to think of other things.  ...I think that Greg shared some blog-type thoughts recently... need to check the email...

Here is what I found from Greg:

As I walked into the hospital the other day I remembered how I when I was little, going to the hospital meant Mom was having a baby. Whenever we would go to the hospital I only saw Moms with babies, and old people. So I figured you were in the hospital to be born or to be old and sick and die. Kids don't go to the hospital, they go to the doctor to get shots. Plus why would the hospital have to be so big if there are only two groups of people in there (old people and moms) 

We would also go to the doctor when the kids are sick. We would go out to the doctor we liked in Tigard when the other doctor was closed, midnight emergencies. 

I am now surprised to the opposite effect. There are people who don't know how to navigate a hospital or doctors office. They don't know how to get blood drawn, or what tests show what results. Or the basic parts of the body like lymph nodes. 

Its actually an exciting thing to have surgery. It's like a cure all. Go to sleep for a while and then wake up with all the bad parts gone and a week or two of recovery and voila! You're better. 

Well, let's hope that he will be better with those bad parts gone.  Who would have thought that my children would be such experts around the hospital...  I used to love hospitals.  That is why I went into nursing.  I used to love just driving by...  I cannot say that I love them so much anymore, but I love all of these people who take such good care of my family.

 His surgeon came and told us that all had gone well.  We were expecting four hours and it took about 2.5.  She said that they were able to take out the tumor, the lymph nodes and plenty of other tissue to get nice wide margins.  It continues to amaze me that this was all done with laproscopic technology.  Of course they needed an incision to remove the tumor, but it sounds like it was only 2 inches or so.

Laparoscopy was one of the good things that we have learned.  Another was that Greg has an extra section of intestine there in his sigmoid colon (this is where the tumor had grown) and so they could take all that they needed and still have plenty to stitch (or staple actually) back together.  This makes a big difference in recovery.

Well - we are now up in Greg's room.  He is having severe lower back pain.  Probably some of the worst pain I have seen him experience - it is frustrating to not be able to do more.  They just set him up with a heat pad and he has been able to relax enough to fall asleep.  Well - at least close his eyes and relax a bit.  His incision is causing no trouble at all.  He is, of course, polite and kind in his discomfort... knowing it will pass and wishing it would hurry.

I am getting texts asking for updates.  I will publish this blog and update again later...