If you're out there...so is Matt

My last post was months ago. Why? Because Matt's doin' great!!

It's been almost a year since his last surgery and he's had three check-ups since then. They've all been clear! His CT scans and blood work always come back clean. Yeah :)

Thanks for your prayers and love. See you around!

[Yep - Matt grew up in TC, went to Willow Hill, and lived off Zimmerman]

Back to work!

Wow...I'm really behind! I doubt anyone is even reading this anymore, but here you go:

We've been home for a while. Matt's stomach looks weird. He took two months off of work to regain his strength. Trust me...he needed it. For the longest time he couldn't work more than 30 minutes at a time before he had to sit down. We went for a post-op check with our family doc and he agreed with the surgeon: eight weeks recovery.

At the eight week mark, Matt returned to work. He's worked three 40 hour weeks and has done pretty well. If things go well, in a couple more weeks he might be able to start adding hours. We're in no rush though. We want to make sure he's fully able before he goes in for 10+ hours of overtime.

We also had the post-op check up with the oncologist, Dr. G. All clear. No signs of cancer in Matt's system. This time he really is just going to have regular monitoring. He has another CT scan and blood work scheduled in a couple of months. After two surgeries and very successful chemo, however, no one expects to find anything.

And that's that! My sugar-daddy's back in action and he feels great. Thanks for your love and prayers!!

Out tomorrow

Matt is finally home! :) After 1/2 month away, we got home today around 2 pm. Matt is very happy.

His recovery is going SO well. He is down to just 2 Advil a day...woo hoo! That means he's driving again. He's also laughing, which can lead to discomfort, but he doesn't fight it anymore. He does, however, try to avoid coughing.

Tomorrow afternoon the staples come out...all 36 of them. A part of me wants to do it myself (hey...we've got the kit!), but the sensible side chirps in with, "And what if you pass out?!". Right. The doctor wins.

I'm thinking that's it for now...if I think of anything else, I'll post it. Promise.

Pathology Report

We heard from the urologist today regarding the lymph node they removed. They did a pathology test to identify the suspicious cells. These were the possible results:

1) Dead cells, no problem.
2) Teratoma cells. All removed, so no problem.
3) Teratoma cells and other cancer cells. Consider radiation or other chemo.

We got result #2. That's a good thing because that means there WAS cancer in Matt, but it's all been removed with the nodes. (Teratoma cells cannot move by themselves. However, if left long enough they can "mutate" into other cancer cells and spread throughout the body. They didn't. They were just teratoma with no other cancer cells present). It's also gives us a sense of peace about taking the experts' advice. They really knew what to look for and were able to make informed decisions based on their experience. Because of that my husband's life has literally been saved.

And so NOW we go to observation. Routine CT scans and blood tests, as directed by the docs at IU. However, when the doc called, he was optimistic and encouraging. Things look good :)

I'll let you know when the staples come out.

[And for those of you wondering, because teratoma cells can't move by themselves, they often don't appear in the blood work. That's why the CT scan was needed/important].

Relaxin'

Matt is officially relaxing and healing at my parents' house right now. I've talked to him a few times and here are the good reports:

- His bowels are apparently active and regular.
- Because his bowels are active and regular, his appetite is increasing.
- He slept NINE hours last night! He didn't wake up needing pain meds!
- He's cut back on the pain meds: he is now only taking one pill about every 5-6 hours, with an Advil in between, if he really needs it.

All of these things are GREAT! As soon as he's off pain meds completely he can start driving (woo hoo!). Once he has his staples removed he'll be able to start moving a bit more comfortably. Oh yipee!!

As for me? I'm at home by myself (the cats are even with Matt). If you haven't seen me or heard from me, don't be upset. I am very much enjoying my solitude before everyone returns.

That's it for now...we're expecting a pathology report from the doc today, so I'll let you know what he has to say!

Plop, plop, fizz, fizz

Oh what a relief it is...Matt pooped today!

And we made it

We left Indiana this morning at 10 am and arrived in Scottville just before 5 pm. Yeah, I thought it would take longer too. But that's okay...we got here just in time for the first BBQ ribs and sweet corn of the season. Matt ate one rib, 25 baked beans, a tablespoon of macaroni and cheese and two bites off a corn on the cob. I ate...more than I needed to, but you don't need to know about that.

Matt did pretty well on the trip. He did great until we reached the Michigan border, when the pot holes and uneven seams made for a long, bumpy trip. Luckily he has his paid meds, as well as Advil for the in between times. He didn't sleep in the van, but I did accidentally buy him the same Wall Street Journal that he had yesterday, so he was mildly entertained.

So now we're at the 'rents. I'm leaving Matt here for the week while I return to TC to work. Don't cry for him Argentina...he has the Man Cave and my mother who buys him any and all foods he may have inadvertently suggested that he liked, likes or may like to try. He'll be fine. He's even getting a hair cut on Tuesday. It'll be rough.

And now Matt's resting. He'll have the staples removed next week, then we'll go back down to Indy in about a month for a follow-up. In the meantime?? Oh, listen for his whining...he can't do the things he wants to do and I've a list of things I want him to do...hee, hee :)

See ya!

On the road again...

That's right, we're outta here! The doctors say Matt's doing great. Throughout the morning they'll remove his IV, get him used to oral pain meds, give us some directions on how to keep Matt clean (can you say sponge bath?) and then we'll get out of here!

As of RIGHT NOW (7:30 am) here's the plan:
1. Sometime today - Discharge
2. Go to Beth's house - hang out there to see how Matt's doing
3a. Matt's doing well - we get in the car and head toward Northern Indiana
3b. Matt wants to rest - we stay the night at Beth's house

Then it really becomes a choose-your-own-adventure book:
If we go to Warsaw, then we...
If we stay at Beth's, then we...
If Matt really wants to drive far, then we...

Since we don't know, I'll only give you options up through 3a & 3b. As is always the case, please stay tuned for more info later!!!