Any news from Rhea? ......UPDATED by Rhea !

[SoConfused]

Hi there - wondering if anyone from the board keeps in contact with her outside of here ... just thinking about her and curious about how liver resection went on Monday. Hope all is well with her.

[DBF]

I'm not in touch with her off the board, but I was wondering how she was doing, too. I hope her surgery went smoothly.

[LKGower]

I have also been wondering how's she's doing. I've been waiting for her to post! I hope her surgery went well.

Lisa

[Rheaeliza]

I'm here!!!! I was sooooo out of it in the hospital I couldn't post....it took me like 10 minutes to send a text. I think I fell asleep texting, eating, talking with guests. You guys are right, I have NEVER been this wiped out in my life....falling asleep like every 2 hours.

The surgery went well, Monday morning, about 4 hours...two nights in the "step-down" unit, then two nights in a regular room, and home this afternoon! Only 4 nights. The surgery itself looked great. Took out the whole right lobe but from what he said and saw, got everything. Surgeon actually said "cancer free" I cried, hugged him. Had some nausea post surgery but I think it was the dilaudid because when we switched me to oral hydrocodone yesterday it stopped. I'm very very sore, and very tired, but so far so good otherwise. Glad to be home!!! Thanks for checking on me guys!!!

xoxo,
Rhea

[pfCml73183]

RHEA, thank you for posting. That is great news. I am so happy for you.
Congratulations and speedy recovery.
Peace and love, Corporate

[SoConfused]

I'm here!!!! I was sooooo out of it in the hospital I couldn't post....it took me like 10 minutes to send a text. I think I fell asleep texting, eating, talking with guests. You guys are right, I have NEVER been this wiped out in my life....falling asleep like every 2 hours.

The surgery went well, Monday morning, about 4 hours...two nights in the "step-down" unit, then two nights in a regular room, and home this afternoon! Only 4 nights. The surgery itself looked great. Took out the whole right lobe but from what he said and saw, got everything. Surgeon actually said "cancer free" I cried, hugged him. Had some nausea post surgery but I think it was the dilaudid because when we switched me to oral hydrocodone yesterday it stopped. I'm very very sore, and very tired, but so far so good otherwise. Glad to be home!!! Thanks for checking on me guys!!!

xoxo,
Rhea

SO HAPPY to hear from you ... and to learn that surgery was a success. Thanks for letting us know how you are ... and take good care as you continue to bounce back from surgery.

[GreenMonkey]

Rhea!!! thats GREAT NEWS. rest well, heal fast. thank you for posting. ((((((gentle hug)))))))

[Bev G]

Yippeeee, Rhea! So, so glad to hear your wonderful news! NO LIFTING! My hernia taught me that too late.

xoxox to you

Bev

[Kathryn in MN]

Glad it went smoothly and you are home so soon and feeling well, albeit tired.

[paula]

fabulous news Rhea! hang in there, it gets better every day....when do you have a follow up appointment? Maybe I'll catch you in the little House? I'm still in New York recovering from the hysterectomy until the 24th of Nov. best wishes, love, and Light
Paula

[Guinevere]

So glad to hear from you!

God bless ~
Guinevere

[Rheaeliza]

Thanks for all the support guys. Some days this board really keeps me going.

So it's been a week since surgery and I am in a lot of pain. I didn't realize how HUGE this incision would be. It's as big as my HIPEC and resection incision, but higher up. Feels so tight around ribs/midsection. Like I'm wearing a freaking girdle that is 10 sizes to small! Doing my spirometer excersizes, but breathing in deep, yawning, ouch. Emailed with my PA today and she said taking ibuprofen instead of tylenol since it's anit-inflametory along with my oxycodone, and upping my oxycodone a little. I'm in awe of those of you of narcotic pain meds so fast! I know dialauded is more effective/stronger, but man it makes me out of it and was giving me waves of nausea over IV in the hospital. Anyone here had dilauded over pill form? Did it upset your stomach. Just want to get this pain a little more under control this week so I can get moving around a bit more.

OH and at the hospital, my surgeon told me he is 100 percent sure that my ostomy can be reversed. He did a lovely rectal exam while I was under for liver surgery and could feel nothing alarming and also felt the scar tissue forming, so that's good. A little relief there. Was lounging on the couch with the boyfriend Saturday evening when I got my first leak. Yippie. Got all on my undies and pajama pants, had to stop the movie, and do an emergency change and shower. Gross. Better there than while sleeping though I think.

One last thing...how much should I be walking a day? Right now I'm not much, mostly just laps in the house, but like I said the pain has been so much more this time. I have read about others up and walking miles days after surgery and i just don't think I can do that!!! At all yet anyways...

Thanks again guys! Hope everyone is well! sending love and healing thoughts to everyone.
xoxo,
Rhea

[debb]

Hi..so good to hear from you! Sorry about your pain levels...it's good that your PA is so responsive via email, andbyou are trying to figure out the best pain management plan. And good news about possible reversal!
I think you should take your cues from your body, and walk as appropriate. Don't compare your recovery to any one else's. Everyone is unique. You're doing great!

[skypup]

Rhea, love your great news from the surgeon!!! And, for what it's worth, I get really sick on pain meds, too, but if I keep the dosage small and take them regularly, my body does adjust a bit.

WooHooo for you!

[Rheaeliza]

Hi everyone, thanks for your replies and support as always. So tomorrow is two weeks since liver resection and I have to say I'm doing better than the dilapatated mess I was after HIPEC.

Saw my surgeon on Friday, got staples out and then he said to me, "Okay Rhea, I have some news that's going to make you cry."

He then told me they got pathology back on liver. 4 tumors removed, and they were all completely dead. No living cells, fried from chemo. A complete response. After that, my good pathology from HIPEC, all the scans, he was happy and comfortable to tell me I am currently cancer free!!!! Now of course I know that's not cured, I know what stats are on cancer coming back in stage 4, but when I was diagnosed I was told by several doctors and nurses that this day wouldn't come for me at all.

Next step, looks like post op chemo, going to go back to my oncologist in the next couple of weeks. My surgeon would like him to look over everything and decide if I should get the chemo before ostomy reversal or not. From everything I have read it seems like we should do the post op chemo sooner rather than later, meaning delaying the ostomy reversal which bums me out a bit, but hey, I'm cancer free so nothing should bum me out right now!!! Any thoughts/advice on this? The thought is that my resection and HIPEC was already over two months ago, and if we did ostomy reversal first, it would be still a month out to do the leak test, then healing from that surgery, then starting chemo with new plumbing? Seems like maybe not a great idea...

Anyways thank you guys so much for the continued support. What a year! Hell it hasn't even been a year!

xoxo,
Rhea