Quick health updates. I will do a much better birthday and NYC trip recap article later.
What's new in Burt's health (or, for you old-school folks, all the health news that's fit to print):
My symptoms are very light
My stomach has settled down
My skin is even a bit better - not fine but better
My fatigue is still hanging around - some days I ignore it but some days I succumb
I am still feeling great. I have a ton of energy, my brain is extremely engaged, I am being active, and I feel so good that I overdid it (of course I did) in NYC but recovered well.
My current medical treatment is just my once monthly Octreotide (or butt dart as we like to call it cause guess where I get it?)
The goal of Octreotide is to stabilize the tumors so they don't grow anymore
I now have a great Integrative Oncology plan with my naturopath at OHSU. If anyone cares I can post it in a blog post
I had my first round of acupuncture yesterday. It was awesome. It relaxed me, helped things flow better, and even made me emotional. It's pretty incredible. And the needles don't hurt so don't be scared!
Surgery updates:
The first surgery is scheduled for this Wednesday. It's a VATS Wedge Resection procedure to remove a nodule from my left lung. It's not open but done via scope. Probably 2-3 nights in the hospital. While the surgery itself is important, what's even more so is that we will learn if the nodule in my lung is malignant or benign. Fingers crossed. In any case, it will be out of me so that's one box I can check off!
The second surgery, AKA The Big One, The Party in My Abdomen, The Organ Sale, is now scheduled for June 9. I am happy it is scheduled because now it's not some grey cloud hanging over me but there is no doubt I will be nervous and a little anxious about this one. A week in the hospital, a long recovery time, and I lose some organs. But, then I can move on! Hopefully, they can do it all in one shot, but if not, it might be staged.
The kidney surgery will be at some point (most likely robotic so less invasive - more akin to the lung) in the fall.
That's pretty much where we are. Any questions? Let me know.