Liver & Onions - Part I

      Summer was almost gone, my chemo for this round was completed, and the future had one big yellow post-it note affixed to it:  "Liver Surgery" is all it said.  Shortly after my sixth chemo I was sent for a  CT exam.  I drank a concoction known as 'RediCat', in order to enhance the contrast I suppose.  The claim on the bottle was that it had some sort of berry flavor.  I did not realize 'chalk' was a member of the berry family.   After the exam I was advised to drink a LOT of liquids to flush out the contrast material.  Now I had three CT scans in my life, including this most recent one.  This was the first time however that I was alert and conscious through the process.  Nothing really exciting happened, so I guess I would have been bored during the other two if I had remained awake!

     The CT itself was positive in a good way, showing that the tumours on my liver had noticeably shrunk.   Unfortunately continual chemo was not a solution as there would be a point of diminishing returns.   The plan was and still continued to be surgery to remove a section of the liver with the tumours.  First however would be the consult with the surgeon, as detailed in my previous post.

     As a result of meeting with my new doctor, I was scheduled for both a liver embolization and another consultation with an Internal Medicine specialist.  A liver embolization is a day surgery, and by now anyone reading this blog knows all about Terry & Day Surgeries....here I go again!

     A liver embolization procedure consists of sticking a needle into the liver to divert blood flow.  Also to check the oil I think.  A liver embolization procedure is classified as a day surgery, meaning you are in and out in a day, unless of course there are complications.  Considering that the liver is the second largest organ in the body and has about a million blood vessels attached to it, there is a chance for nasty things to occur.  Deciding to worry about the what-ifs won't cure me.  I have faith in my medical team, and faith in myself, and that's enough.  Onwards once more to my favorite hospital.

     Thursday morning of August 12th I get up at 5:30AM, preparing for my 8:00AM surgery.  Which means be at the hospital for six and wait around in nothing but a Hospital Gown and socks for two hours.  I know the routine well enough that I am no longer nervous at the prospect of sitting in a room full of other similarly-attired folks, it's just something to be endured.  Finally my turn comes and I am brought to the surgery prep & recovery room.  Being able to get into a bed is a welcome relief;  I  can get warm blankets and finally stop shivering.   It must be due to the cold days of August I tell myself.

     Being warm and comfortable lasted about 10 minutes.   My nurse appeared with a razor in hand.  "We need to shave you" she said as preamble to explaining how the embolization procedure would go.  Apparently it's snaked through a large vein starting from the the groin.   Guess where I needed to be shaved.   Pleasant conversation ensued during this process, and yes I was cold, why do you ask?  A deft touch and no razor burns at least, for what was yet another novel experience for me.  From then on it was more hurry-up-and-waiting, til finally, one and a half hours after my scheduled time I was wheeled down to Radiology.  Deja Vu, it was the same place for my Port surgery some six months prior.  IV was hooked up and I was out like like the Leafs during playoffs.  Woke up hours later in the same bed that I started from that morning.  I did learn something however, that a Liver Embolization is done through the side of the abdomen, and not through the groin.   So now I have some additional personal grooming and a neat hole on my right side.   No side effects, no complications and no pain.  And I was hungry.  A stop on the way home at McD's and all was right with the world.  Then another nap!

     There was less napping and more bike riding in earnest, as I wanted to build up my strength and stamina for the upcoming surgery.  My clock building took a hiatus since there were no more chemo sessions, but I found a  neat little novelty  in making LED Life circuits.  Therapy through blinkin' lights...

LED Life -Random Patters based on precise rules!

     Although all my pre-surgical procedures proceeded at a measured pace, I still had time on my hands to think about the future.   Here's where being mentally prepared comes in handy - if you start thinking about bad things then all you will think about are bad things!  As my surgery date drew closer I finally resorted to the cantrip that I will simply go to sleep during my surgery and if I wake up,  that's great, and if I don't, well I wouldn't need to worry anymore!  The long lead time between the end of my chemo and my surgery worked against me in this way.  Physically I was gaining strength and endurance.  I rode my bike all the time, I ate well enough that I was gaining weight at roughly a pound a week and keeping it on.  But the mental game can effectively negate all positive changes if those what-if thoughts are allowed to run unchecked.  So I started to keep those thoughts in check, literally, by playing chess.

     In my first year of university I found myself as the nominal president of the student-run chess club.  The other positions of secretary and treasurer were filled by the remaining two members of said club.  Sadly my brief University chess career lasted until my first tournament, where I ended up 3rd out of 3 competitors.  My passion for the game was inspired like many others,  by Bobby Fischer.  Passion  had diminished to a pastime, then to an occasional interlude.  Finally it was non-existent.   During the early days of the internet, online chess seemed interesting but failed to hold my attention or respect.  Playing a person is infinitely preferred to playing a computer.  My time off allowed me to once again pursue my passion from  days-gone-by.

     Found out that the local Windsor chess club would meet for tournaments several times during the summer, and I often hung out there.  Never entered the tournaments themselves however, due to the fact that my game sucked.  I did find it therapeutic to play actual live people on occasion.  For the most part, got my butt kicked.   But as a wise man once told me, if I'm thinking about chess (or anything else), then I'm not thinking about that THING that's always there.   Yeah I'm talkin' 'bout you, Cancer sweetheart!

    Summer was drawing to a close, with days getting noticeably shorter.  Another CT was booked for the end of August (my fourth) to verify that the Liver Embolization was working.  A visit to the Internal Medicine specialist would happen shortly. And of course, my surgery date was now fixed for September 22nd.  As I was often fond of saying, "the excitement continues to build!".