2nd Surgery - updates

Peter here.

As you all know Caryn had her second surgery, the goal to remove the primary tumor in her pancreas, meaning parts of her pancreas and the entire spleen would be removed. The medical team led by her surgeon Dr. Rodney Pommier took extreme precautions to avoid any repeat of the complications Caryn had during her first surgery. He had a team of anesthesiologists at the ready in anticipation of any difficulties.

I am happy to report that her surgery went very smoothly and was deemed a success. Her blood pressure only had one small dip which they were able to control and the only unplanned action they needed to take was the removal of a one inch section of her colon, which is not considered serious. Plus the surgery took a minimal amount of time, probably 2-1/2 hours. Dr. Pommier was quite pleased and ebullient when he reported the results of the surgery to myself and to Caryn's parents Shirley and Ed Swan.

Recovery

Caryn was assigned to a regular hospital room after surgery, not ICU as in the first surgery. That was a surprise to us. It turns out this was indicative of the success of the surgery that no complications arose that would have necessitated recovery in the ICU.  She was pretty sedated Friday night. On Saturday there wasn't major pain or discomfort like there was during the first surgery. Her disposition and mood was great and her skin color was rosy and eyes bright. She did experience rough patches as expected during the first two days after surgery but as you all know, she's a trooper. Sunday night and Monday morning were rough for her as she experienced nausea and flushing. By this afternoon (Monday), she finally experienced a breakthrough in that she had her first bowel movement. Since then she has been feeling much better and has been able to sleep comfortably the last few hours, a good indication of her feeling better and worry-free. The doctors told her if she continues to progress, she may be able to leave by Wednesday. We'll see

In any case, this surgery and recovery has been a little easier than the first surgery and recovery. But I don't mean to mislead by thinking it's been pain and worry-free. She's still having her challenges as recovery is a very slow process. But relatively speaking, it has been a little better than the first surgery so far. I'm hoping the trend continues and we will be home safe and sound later this week. Thanks to all of you for you words of love and support throughout this ordeal. I want to send a special thanks to Shirley and Ed for their unconditional love and support during this challenging time.

The next report will either be done by me or better yet by Caryn upon her return home.