Surgery Recap

I'm back from my luxurious 2-night stay at the UVa Medical Center. I'm feeling OK - I'm sore, but not as bad as my first surgical procedure in December.

As requested, Meredith and I arrived at UVa around 9:30am, and then proceeded to wait for about two hours. The laproscopic surgery was done with a robot and took about 5 hours to do. I really can't give much more detail about it, because I was out the entire time. What I can say is that they shaved my belly and poked 5 holes in me. (I look like the 40-Year-Old Virgin after a mob hit.) I was told that the procedure went as smoothly as possible, and that to the naked eye, nothing looked wrong. The removed lymph nodes will be sent off to a lab for biopsy, and we'll know the result by the time I have my follow up visit on the 25th. They kept me at the hospital long enough to be sure I could walk, go to the bathroom, and eat solid foods without any difficulty.

So now I'm home. I have to wear these TED stockings as much as possible to help prevent blood clots, I'm forbidden from lifting anything heavier than a full gallon jug for at least 4 weeks (That in particular will suck, as my daughter weighs significantly more than a milk jug), and I have my good friend Percoset to ease any pain.

I want to sincerely thank everyone who kept me and my family in their thoughts and prayers during this unfortunate time. I greatly appreciate it and I am humbled to have so many caring friends.