Whiny Days

You know, sometimes I feel whiny and whimpy. I mean there are just those days that are tough. And then there are the phenomenal days where I get stuff done. The little projects I want to accomplish...getting out with my husband...laughing with friends. The good news is that the good days are more often than the bad ones now. I’m so glad.

So here’s what’s going on. I ended up in the ER on Wednesday morning. Went to my primary care physician...he checked me over and sent me to the ER. The suspicion was appendix problems. The good news is my appendix is just fine. The colon it’s in isn’t and that’s what was causing pain. Evidently the colon wall is thickening due to portal hypertension. The solution...pain management clinic. I haven’t made an appointment yet. I just don’t want to go there yet.

Yesterday I had an appointment with Interventional Radiology. My transplant team has decided that it would be better for me to have the tumor treated than to go through a full transplant. So on the 26th of July I go in to have the tumor eradicated with an RF Ablation. This entails placing a needle into the tumor and my liver. A current, either electrical or microwave, is run through the needle into the tumor. This burns the tumor and kills it. As in all situations with surgery, there are risks. The one that concerns me is the possibility of seeding into my abdomen when they remove the needle. My transplant doctor said if another tumor shows up, then next time it’s transplant. His hope is that this will give me a five year reprieve to live with my own liver. I say five years because that’s how long most people have to wait before another tumor pops up. There is a very small percentage of people who have a perpencity to grow tumors. Hopefully I’m not one of them.

Then in one month, probably the last week of August, I’ll undergo another procedure. This one is full surgery to remove the mass in my colon. I’m hoping this will also take care of the reason for my pain.  I’m not sure what the full plan will be. I won’t talk to the doctor till later on what she wants to do with that. I’ll update when I know.

So no transplant right now...but lots of surgery. More than I wanted. As if I would want any.

So how are we through this? We are good. There is a peace most days. When not, I call out to friends to assist. They are always an encouragement. God’s presence is always a comfort. On the practical side...we are taking full advantage of a summer with no work and enjoying our time together. We are getting some projects out of the way. We are taking small fun trips. We are living and enjoying the healthy days.