It's fantastic they caught it early. Being a red head, I get skin cancer all the time and I go to dermatologist every 6 months. Just had the scare of my life. My PSA level was sky-high. Just had a biopsy and the tumor they found on the MRI is benign. The older I get, the more medical issues are found. Early detection is where survivor is best achieved. Vet
Update on my March 25 post here - My niece Amy had her colon cancer removed on Tuesday. It was a bit more advanced then they expected, but they think that they got it all. She has been "gutting it out", but I guess today she threw in the towel and will take something stronger then Ibuprofen. There is a possibility that she will be able to go home tomorrow - April 19.
Amy is home now, her pain is caused by gas bubbles. Apparently the surgery was robotically done, they pump the abdomen full of air to make room to work. The gas bubbles will slowly dissipate over the next few days.
David is doing well. He is on his last round of Chemotherapy this month. Next month they will do imaging and tests to ensure the cancer is gone. Hopefully on May 30th they will remove the bag and reconnect the full colon and get back to a normal life. Recovery from that surgery should be about 2 months. I want to thank everyone for your support. You guys are Great!!!!
The news about Amy is not as great as it has been. She's back in the hospital with a fluid buildup. She is on an IV and real food is no longer allowed for a bit. They are considering installing a drain for the fluid if her body doesn't start absorbing the fluids. She's not happy, because hospitals are full of sick people, and her concern is that she might catch something ugly.
At least they aren't going to install a drain in Amy (as of now, anyway). Somehow they got three pints of fluid out of her, But no food for the immediate future. She is being fed with an IV, but she is allowed to get up and walk around the hospital. She has an app on her cell phone that records walking distance - she was at the 10-mile mark this AM. She will have to stay in the hospital until she is able to eat real food. Right now, she is not able to process any fats at all; apparently fats are what started the fluid buildup.
The new story that I got from Amy's mom is that it was three liters - not pints, of fluid that they drained from her. She is going to be fed IV until they feel that her colon has totally healed. She will be allowed to go home at some point, but probably at the end of next week at best. She may still be on the IV, but as both she and her husband are both MDs, the doctors at the hospital (I want to say Brigham and Women's, but I'm not positive) feel that they can handle the IV at home. The long-term prognosis is good, but it's kind of a s--t show for the short term.
Hopefully good news. The biopsy came back and they got all of the big C. There was a bit more of it then they expected, but they are confident enough that they are not recommending Chemo. She will definitely be on the IV feeding tube for a bit longer, but perhaps not as much longer then they originally thought. The best news of all is that if the ultrasound that was planned for this morning is OK, she will be allowed to go home today.
