The PET Scan Results Show

  The results of the PET scan were inconclusive. The only anomaly detected was a solitary lymph node in my chest near the heart. From what my oncologist says, it doesn't look like the return of colon cancer. Colon cancer would have affected more than one lymph node and those nodes would be located in the abdomen not the chest cavity. A biopsy has been scheduled for Jan. 19th. The biopsy results should provide the answer as to what's inflaming the node.

  One other oddity was revealed by the scan. It seems that my right testicle is larger and firmer than my left testicle. I was aware of this particular issue for quite some time but didn't address it because, other than the size difference, nothing unusual was occurring there. An ultrasound has been scheduled  on Jan. 26th in order to determine what's going on down there. I'm not entirely sure what to expect when I get the results.

The Upcoming Surgery

 This is my last blog entry prior to my surgery. My right colectomy, which was originally scheduled for 1:15 pm has been moved up to 11:45 am so I'll be at the hospital at 9:45 am. I'm planning on bringing my iPad with me so I can, hopefully, post a post-op report on how things went. I REALLY want this surgery to go well and be as routine and uncomplicated as possible. For an unknown time after my surgery my bowels will be shut down so I won't be able to eat or drink anything. As soon as I am able, I'll be taking my happy ass over to Red Lobster so I can enjoy a nice Ultimate Feast platter and Cheddar Bay biscuits. After all that I'll be going through I think I deserve some good seafood. I can't say that I'm not worried despite reassurances otherwise. All the pre-op preparations are done. The necessary paperwork has been filled out and turned in. My bowels have been cleaned out and the prescribed pharmaceuticals taken. I'm going to be in the hospital for about a week and at home recovering for about three more weeks after that. How I'll spend all this free time is unknown to me.

  Update: Due to some emergency surgery, my colectomy has been moved back to 1:00 pm.

Heading for Surgery

  On Sept. 25th, I'm going to have laparoscopic colorectal surgery to remove the cancerous polyp from my cecum. Despite the fact that the polyp is only approximately 1cm, about one third of my large intestine will be removed. I believe this is being done in order to prevent the cancer from spreading to my lymph nodes. There's some lab and prep work that needs to be done prior to the surgery. I also have to get in touch with Human Resources at work to secure the time off. I'm going to be in the hospital for about one week and off from work for about a month. I also need to call AIL and see if they need to get involved.