The catheter came out on Thursday... and I peed! Woohoo! This surgery is a major deal based on the amount of organs, tissue and lymph nodes that were removed and sometimes the bladder does not take kindly to these changes. The surgical catheter was left in for a week post surgery to allow the bladder and surrounding nerves time to rest. Then they remove it and fill the bladder with solution to make sure it can work before you are allowed to leave. I mean pressure... thankfully it worked! It's definitely not working like it used to, but at least it is working. The Oncology nurses said that my young age is actually a big benefit for this component of post-surgery follow-up.
I am managing to make it up/down the stairs 1-2 times a day, and I have even gone on 2 very short walks around our court... before the non-stop rain. They both resulted in long naps, but still... progress!
Yesterday I even left the house for about an hour for the SON Foundation's 5th Anniversary celebration. The SON Foundation has always been important to me, but now it hits me on a very personal, critical level. I am blessed to be able to help this amazing foundation with their mission for providing accessible, affordable housing for cancer patients during treatment.
We surprised Marilyn with a very small, very quick surprise birthday party last night at our house with a few family friends. While I have been resting, it just kept becoming more and more urgent to me that we do something to celebrate our sweet girl. Her birthday is Wednesday this week, and she will be 11! So thanks to my amazing husband and some great friends and my parents, we pulled off the surprise! A quick ice cream bar with toppings galore, and I was back to resting. The kids had a great time, and my darling daughter felt surrounded by love.
As she snuggled in next to me last night to cuddle, Marilyn said, "Mom, we have really good people around us for this fight, I can feel it." So can I! The outpouring of love and signs of support mean so very much to not only me, but our entire family.
Our big, beautiful basset hound babies also returned home today after 11.5 days of boarding. Now our house feels like normal again. Their absence was a constant reminder to the kids that I am not well, and just as soon as I could bear it, we brought them home. They seem so happy to be here that they have wanted nothing but snuggles from the kids. It was just what our Sunday needed.
We return to the Gynecological Oncologist on Wednesday afternoon (Marilyn's Birthday) when we will complete a post-surgery exam and receive information about the pathology report, margin review of the re-sected area and discuss our treatment plan.
Waiting is not my strong suit, so the last 11 days since surgery have been LONG but I am filling them with research, time to reflect and time to prepare. Please keep us in your prayers and keep the positive vibes coming. I feel them.
Gentle Hugs,
Sarah
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