This morning we met with Dr. Cook who is the surgeon who will implant my chemotherapy port and will probably do the major surgery.
The port is a small reservoir that will be connected to an artery in my neck. The whole thing is surgically implanted and will not be visible. The chemo is administered through a tube that is inserted into the reseviour with a needle. The tube is attached to a pump, that I will wear, that pumps the chemo into the reservoir.
I will wear this contraption 24/7 for nine weeks. This will be followed by surgery. The surgery and recovery will take about two months. This will be followed by another nine weeks of chemo.
Dr. Cook did not indicate laparoscopic surgery was likely to be an option, though it is not entirely ruled out. This means major surgery is likely. The decision will be based on how much the tumor has shrunk after the first round of chemo.
Before we totally commit to this process we will be exploring other treatment options. Because the stakes are so high we want to be certain we are following the best course of action.
This afternoon I underwent a PET scan. After fasting all day they shot radioactive material into my arm and had me sit quietly for an hour until it spread through my system. They then sent me into an imaging machine.
The radio active material is attracted to cancer, so by measuring where the material has massed they can find cancer. This test is primarily to determine if the cancer has spread to other parts of my body.
The upside of the procedure was they allowed me to listen to Beatles music on my mp3 player during the prep and scanning procedures. That was pretty much the high point of my day.
I can’t put all this into perspective because I didn’t eat most of the day, am exhausted, and psychologically wrung out.
I am absolutely certain there is some humor in todays events, but at the moment it is beyond my grasp. After a good nights sleep I’m sure the humor will become apparent. But for now it escapes me.