The surgery today went well, better than we had expected. My right arm is slowly recovering, and my left hand is sore from the post-surgical IV fluids. But so far the biopsies of the resected lymph nodes have all come back negative, with no sign of melanoma! It looks like the nodes were only swollen and not cancerous. I should have a full pathology report by Friday, but for now we are cautiously optimistic. I’m not ready to mention the R-word yet.
This morning I received a tearful, emotional apology from my surgeon. The explanation for the missed spot is that they wanted to move quickly before the tumor could grow any larger, and because the lymph nodes did not contain cancer, they did not show up on the scan. It was only late on Friday when the MRI specialist thoroughly reviewed the results and noted that the lymph nodes in my armpit were swollen (most likely because of the size of the tumor on my shoulder) and dangerously close to the brachial plexus. My surgeon said it was torture to have to call me back in for another surgery, but she is confident that it was necessary.
My follow-up appointment with my oncologist will be next week on Tuesday the 19th, and I should have a better idea of the long term strategy at that point. After a few weeks of healing, it looks like I will undergo six weeks of radiation. For now, I am dealing with two sensitive and painful incisions and a phantom itch underneath the surgical site numbness that is absolutely maddening.
In non-cancer-related news,you all know how important Kathryn is to me (she’s the best!). Next week, Flights of Fancy, a dance piece which she choreographed is being performed at Spoke the Hub, a performance space in Brooklyn. It tells the story of lowly pigeons dreaming of life as more exotic birds – the costumes Kathryn made are spectacular! You have all been so supportive of me – for those of you in the New York area, this is a chance for you to support my number one supporter! The piece is being performed at 7:30 PM on Friday, January 22nd and Saturday, January 23rd. Tickets are available via phone (718) 408-3234 or at the theater on the night of the performances. After repeated viewings, I am still amazed at the engaging spirit and creative energy in the piece – I highly recommend it (of course I am biased!) and would love for you to join us.
Thank you all for the meals and love and support over the last exhausting, harrowing week. I have managed to make it through only because of all of your good graces and generosity. Speaking of which, the Groinstrong store is up and running again (now through Google Checkout, not PayPal) if you’d like to make a donation to help with my continued medical expenses.