HOME

March 28: I was released this afternoon and now I'm home on the road to recovery. One of my doctors put it this way: "After we take out everything we put into you, we no longer have a reason to keep you here." The passing tests were: can you pass gas?, can you pass urine without the catheter?, can you eat solid food without any nausea? It feels really good to get home. I was trying to beat the 7 - 8 day expected hospital stay by a few days and ended up spending 6 days there. We received results of the biopsy and they did find some microscopic cancer cells in the largest tumor but they were so small they couldn't tell what kind they were. In general, this is good news. It means no more chemo and a regimen of surveilliance.

They will take out the staples on Monday and then there's a follow-up visit a week or so later to see how the incision is healing. I am feeling pretty good but definitely need to keep up with the pain medication. I let it lapse last night and was in a lot of pain this morning when I woke up. Can't be tough here. Need to keep the pain in control. I'll write more about my hospital experience in the coming days. I'm really happy to be home.