Its been a while since my last post so I will try to update you all with as much as I remember from the past few months.
After 341 consecutive days of oral chemotherapy, I was able to stop taking it on March 14th because the Temodal had been doing its job and had reduced the size of all 3 tumours enough to allow me to gain some strength back with my immune system and prepare for my up-coming surgery. While this is of course good news, being off the chemo also means there is nothing fighting the tumours if they've decided to grow back. I've been dealing with constant headaches and fatigue lately put I guess I can't put the cart before the horse and assume that these symptoms are tumour related. I have a scheduled MRI this Monday, June 4th and will hopefully know the results prior to my surgery on June 11.
The June surgery is to remove infected bone and flesh from the open wound I have had on my head since my last craniotomy almost 4 years ago. Over the years, the hole has gradually became bigger (about the size of a quarter now) and there are previous surgery pins and dead skull bone showing. Even though I receive Home Care to clean the area, as well as clean it myself and keep it covered 24/7, I have been on antibiotics for months to at least control the open site from infections etc.
The surgery will be a 2 step procedure....first my neurosurgeon will go in and remove all of the dead/infected area (which we do not know the extent of until he opens me up). After that, the Plastic Surgeon will be taking a skin graft from my inner thigh to use for wound closure since the existing skin on my head is not suitable since I have had so much radiation and disturbances in that area. From what I was told, he will make an incision on the back of my head where my once upon a time hairline was, push that skin forward to cover the hole, and then use the grafted skin to make up the difference where he made the incision.
I was told this should only be an over night hospital stay so barring any complications, I should be home the next day. The Plastics guy has forewarned me that this may be unsuccessful if the graft isn't accepted by my body and if so, I will have to have another, more complicated surgery where they would take a deeper graft from my leg, along with its own blood supply (vein) and slap that on my head. Just because of the location of the graft and incision, I feel some sleepless nights ahead after surgery.
After continually beating my expected prognosis, and having to watch friends and family members of friends lose he fight to cancer, it is a small amount of discomfort that I will take in stride. My thoughts and prayers go out to all of my friends fighting the fight, as well as to those who have recently lost loved ones.
PS: Cancer Sux!
Ed
