I really don’t expect to have much more news until after the surgery: a CAT scan and a PET scan have shown that the tumor is basically gone (or perhaps completely gone — they can’t say for certain until they’ve seen it in person), and that there’s no longer any sign of it in the nearest lymph node, either. That, coupled with my ability now to eat basically anything (so long as I don’t eat fast), some solid weight gain, and general good health mean I’ll be in good shape for the surgery when it comes.
The procedure itself is a fairly big deal: 7½ hours of robotic laparoscopic/thoracoscopic surgery; I’ll end up with twelve or thirteen incisions and — if all goes well — spend seven to ten days recovering in the hospital, with all kinds of drains, tubes, catheters, IVs, and epidurals poking out of me (or into me). I don’t think any of them will be removed until day №5.…
A number of you have expressed enthusiasm for my “invention” of a feeding backpack. And it’s certainly true that — given the idea of carrying my feed and pump around inside a backpack and running the feeding tube out one side — I did indeed figure out a very dependable, workable way to accomplish what was needed.…
I’m sorry that it’s been so long since I’ve posted. No news is more-or-less good news, though, as I’m sure you’ve guessed.
So, on Monday the 9th, on the way to Montréal for the conference, I finished my radiation therapy. After bidding a fond farewell to the technicians, I got to ring the lovely brass I’ve-finished-my-therapy bell that had been donated to the center by an early patient. What fun! …
My tallest backpack, with food pouch at highest possible height and pump at the lowest, with cloth for catching dribbles
So just over two weeks ago I was reminded of a cartography conference that I had wanted to attend. It’s held in a different location each year and, though I’d heard good things about it, I’d never managed to attend before. I’m not a cartographer, of course, but I’d heard it was particularly welcoming to those working in neighboring fields and those who are simply interested in mapmaking. Since I am working on maps, I’d hoped at some point to attend and learn everything I could.
My tallest backpack, with food pouch at highest possible height and pump at the lowest, with cloth for catching dribbles
This year was to be a particularly simple year for me to attend, as the conference is right next door (3½ hours away) in Montréal.
Several people have asked me whether I’ve been sugar-coating my posts here — or at least choosing to write about only the good, rather than the bad or the ugly.
I will admit that, especially in the early days, things weren’t that great: I suffered from nausea and fatigue (mostly from the chemotherapy, I think) and pain (from my j‑tube surgery and the enflamed esophagus). These weren’t terrible, however, and I’d been led to expect that the effects of both the chemotherapy and the radiation therapy were cumulative over time — that is, that they would generally get worse over each week of my therapies.…
