Here I am!!

Surgery is done, though we wait for pathology to see if the mass was even found. My neck was such a huge mess of scar tissue that my surgeon's job was a nightmare. He had the radiologist in there doing ultrasounds to help guide him and sent frozen slides during the operation to pathology. Pathology didn't see the cancer cells on the slides, but my surgeon says that that doesn't mean he left the mass in, that often the slides miss things that will be apparent on the final pathology when they slice through and analyze everything.

All in all, surgery took four hours. The scar is much smaller than my previous scar B"H. I am breathing and talking, though in a considerable amount of pain and hoarse. Percoset is helping the pain, but not getting rid of it entirely. I have one drain and will be here until it is draining less than 20ccs a day and can be removed. We hope that that is before Shabbos, but only time will tell. After my last surgery it took a week and a half to get the drains out... I think they were draining more in the beginning though.

I am definitely doing better than after last surgery. Pain control is B"H better. I am ambulatory and have been to the bathroom on my own. I have use of my arm. This surgery was also major surgery, but compared to my last surgery it was so much less invasive that I am just relieved to be doing better than I feared I would be. Getting in and out of bed is definitely painful, but it is possible. I have been able to dress myself and keep track of what medications I am getting and when.

So I am here, B"H, on the other side of the surgery. The recovery will take time and we still have to pray that the mass is out, or this was all for naught, which is a scary thought.