On the Road to Recovery

Now that we are out of the weeds, I’m doing my best to fill in for Brian and share what I can when I have a moment of “sanity.” First things first, Brian is on the road to recovery and that is our focus, but I do want to give our dear friends and loved ones an update. For any of you who may feel left out of the loop, I extend my apologies. This has been overwhelming for us and we (mostly me) are still learning how to communicate our challenges with those who love and care about us. It’s hard, the more you talk about it, the more it becomes real, and the more it becomes real, the more it becomes something that seems too big to manage, so since we arrived at University Hospital on April 1^st, I’ve just been focusing on getting through the obstacles that each day presents. Please know that we love you all, and there is truly no way to thank you for the tremendous love and support you have shown us throughout this ordeal. Through your prayers, positive energy and good wishes you are all playing a critical role in Brian’s recovery.

April 1^st Day One: The Mother of All Surgeries: This ain’t no April Fools Joke.

Brian’s surgery began at 12:00 noon. The plan was to remove all tumors, and then give Brian a heated chemotherapy treatment in his abdomen, a procedure called HIPEC . We anticipated that the surgery could take as long as 8 to 10 hours, possibly even longer but at quarter till 3:00, the nurses from the operating room came out to tell us that they were starting the chemotherapy treatment, the final stage of the procedure. Somewhere between 5:00 and 5:30, the surgeon came out to speak with our families about the outcome. He told us that Brian’s Appendix, Gall Bladder, Spleen, a small portion of the pancreas, a portion of his stomach, some of his diaphragm, the omentum (abdominal fat pad),and a portion of his colon had to be removed in order to get all of the tumors out of Brian’s abdomen. The surgeon had prepared us for this, but it was still very frightening to learn that so many organs had to be taken out. He informed us, and you all may know, that the appendix, gall bladder, omentum and spleen are not essential, and even though portions of the stomach and colon were removed, the surgeon expressed confidence that Brian would be able to return to a “normal” quality of life once he fully recovered. In the interim, Brian will not be able to eat or drink for 7 days and he will be on a temporary feeding tube until the internal stitches heal.

We all had many questions about Brian’s short and long-term recovery. Will he be able to eat normally (yes, but not big meals)? Will he need more chemotherapy? (possibly, but they won’t know until further testing is done once Brian is recovered), When do you estimate this started (probably around 2007)? On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the worst, how does Brian’s case compare to others you have seen? (4 or 5) How long will he be in the hospital (at least a week)? Of course we also had questions about the cancer returning down the road, but the surgeon felt it was premature to discuss long-term concerns. He emphasized the importance of focusing on Brian’s recovery from the surgery, as it is one of the most difficult surgeries a body can go through. After his recovery we will begin talking about expectations for the future. He encouraged us to call anytime with our questions or concerns.

Brian spent about two hours in the recovery room, and around 7:00 I was able to see him. He was still very groggy from the anesthesia, but not too groggy to ask me to tell the nurses to “stop with the Robert shit,” (for those of you who don’t know, Brian’s first name is Robert, Brian is his middle name). I was encouraged, he clearly had not lost his feisty spirit. At 8:30 they took him to ICU. He was stable and doing very well, but the nurses and surgeons wanted him in an area where he could be closely watched. He wrestled with intense pain (and thirst) through the night. The pain they were able to help manage, the only relief for his thirst though were moistened swabs. I stayed all night and as the morning approached Brian was resting more peacefully.

April 2^nd Day Two

When I returned the next day around 3:15 p.m., Brian looked great and was in good spirits. His color had returned, and most of the post-surgery swelling had gone down. His incision looked clean and healthy. He was nodding off a lot, but in between nodding off and waking up he was talking and making jokes. It was a dramatic improvement for the first day after major surgery. Later that night the nurse had him up and sitting in the chair for about an hour. Overall, a good day and great first step toward recovery.

April 3^rd Day Three

When I arrived at the hospital, the dressings for Brian’s incision had been removed so that it could begin to heal. He was still in relatively good spirits, but was in a bit more pain than the day before. He had a rough night because the nose tube for his oxygen came loose in the night, and he struggled a bit to get deep breaths. The next morning when they took his chest X-ray (they do this every day to monitor his respiratory health), fluid had built up around his left lung. The doctors and nurses assured us that this is a very common occurrence post surgery because the cells in the body are working overtime to heal the body which sometimes results in excess fluid. Brian was taken to radiology for a thoracentesis (draining the fluid from around the lung). Once the fluid is drained, the lung begins to expand, which is unfortunately a very painful process.

After such a dramatic improvement the previous day, it was hard for Brian (and us) not to experience the same dramatic improvement on the second day. But, the doctors, nurses, and his surgeon, reminded all of us that his body has been through a lot and that some days may be better than others. It doesn’t mean that he is not progressing well in his recovery. In fact, they assured us that he was doing very well. Moving forward, the nurses advised Brian that he needed to make sure he was using his “pain button” every six minutes to help keep him as comfortable as possible. When I returned to the hospital later that night, Brian seemed much more rested and in better spirits.

April 4^th Day Four

Brian is doing GREAT today. His breathing has improved dramatically and so far the fluid is not building back up around his lungs. For the past several days his heart rate had been running a little high and he was receiving medication to help lower it. Today his heart rate has slowed back to a more normal level even without the medication. He looks a lot stronger and a lot more relaxed. He told me he slept for 12 hours last night. They have taken off the lower leg cuffs that help with circulation (at least during the day) and they are starting to wean him off of his oxygen. They are even talking about getting him up to walk to day. Everything considered, today has been filled with significant signs of progress. I'll be going back tonight and will report more if anything changes. Keep sending us your positive thoughts and energy, it’s definitely working.