Martin
04-13-05, 05:16 PM
4 weeks post chemo now, and just met with Dr. Richie of Brigham & Womens Hospital, who is the man to decide whether I need RPLND or not.
Well, he decided that the surgery is in order since the largest lymphnode is still measuring in at 1.3 cms (however down from almost 3 cms pre-chemo).
He says the effected nodes are on the left side, the nerves on the right, so my changes of nerve sparing are pretty good (I'll take his word for it - he says he does about one of those surgeries week).
Now the anxiety is back, and torn between sadness about this story continuing and happiness that aren't taking any chances on this!
We've been planning on travelling early June, to have our little babygirl baptised overseas, where my wife grew up. With the operation being done on May 12 that is off the table, I suppose.
He was throwing probabilities at me: 50-60% chance it is scar tissue, about 30% chance it is teratome and about 5% that is could still be cancer.
My tumor markers had been near to totally normal since I had basically completed the second round of chemo. How could there still be a chance that they will find cancer in any of the nodes?
Also, wondering what 'weight/lifting' restrictions others have had to content with?
I think it would really get to me if I wasn't allowed to lift and hold my little girl for several weeks (she will be a little over a month old then) ...
- Martin
Well, he decided that the surgery is in order since the largest lymphnode is still measuring in at 1.3 cms (however down from almost 3 cms pre-chemo).
He says the effected nodes are on the left side, the nerves on the right, so my changes of nerve sparing are pretty good (I'll take his word for it - he says he does about one of those surgeries week).
Now the anxiety is back, and torn between sadness about this story continuing and happiness that aren't taking any chances on this!
We've been planning on travelling early June, to have our little babygirl baptised overseas, where my wife grew up. With the operation being done on May 12 that is off the table, I suppose.
He was throwing probabilities at me: 50-60% chance it is scar tissue, about 30% chance it is teratome and about 5% that is could still be cancer.
My tumor markers had been near to totally normal since I had basically completed the second round of chemo. How could there still be a chance that they will find cancer in any of the nodes?
Also, wondering what 'weight/lifting' restrictions others have had to content with?
I think it would really get to me if I wasn't allowed to lift and hold my little girl for several weeks (she will be a little over a month old then) ...
- Martin