Back Surgery is a Success!!!!!!!! 8-22-07

Hey! I again don't know what to say about the delay in blogging except I can't even believe the gap. Sorry again, especially for those of you who check frequently. I will commit to writing far more frequently, although they will probably be shorter posts.

Tuesday I had my surgical procedure to "fix" the L3 vertebrate and can only characterize it as a success.

This involved a never been done in South Florida procedure, taking a tried and true procedure called a Vetribroplasty (don't think that is spelled right) and adding a new wrinkle specifically for cancerous damage to vertebrate pioneered in San Diego. The basic procedure basically shoves a huge needle into your vertebrate, then they pump cement into the gaps in the vertebrate. What I did adds a step where the dead cancer tissue from the Radiation is ablated by a radio frequency "wand", eliminating far more soft tissue material and reducing the risk of the cement pushing the dead tissue material into the spinal cavity.

The doctor, Dr. Tate, later that afternoon presented my operation in a presentation to the entire Cancer Center Medical staff to a standing ovation!

All of that celebrating aside, there was a small complication during the procedure. While they were filling the vertebrate with structural epoxy cement, I had a minor heart arrhythmia on the table.

So..... More nights in the hospital for Eric. They kept me in Tuesday for some EKG's, blood tests, an Wednesday for Echocardiogram, and a stress test. We didn't get the stress test results back by 6pm, so he I sit on a Wednesday night, blogging to you from a hospital bed.

Obviously there's a lot of reasons why that could have happened (oh... Radiation, Chemotherapy, Job Stress, Life Stress, I was having surgery, are a few that come to mind)... The head of cardiology is feeling like it was probably a one off thing, but Dr. Lozada (my oncologist and lead doc) is very conservative. The Taxol chemo can be hard on hearts, so she wants all the results back before discharging me. I expect that will be sometime just after lunch.

Anyway, I am not worried about it and am in great spirits over the back. I can already tell I have more mobility and can move much easier.

If I can only get my back to feel back like it was pre-diagnosis, I would be in such good shape with all of this. It also means I can scuttle that back brace.

With the exception of Sunday a.m. my past week has been great. And even with all of the surgery excitement, I have been doing very well feeling wise.

More good news to report: I only have (2) (read it! 2) more radiation therapies. that means no more going to the hospital EVERY day. And i can cut out a major side effect generator. No it may take 4 weeks for the side effects to subside, but at least the line is no in the sand and it is Friday.

Friday is also my "bye-week" for Chemo, so next week is my rest week - and without radiation treatment.

I am hoping that it will be a high watermark in how I am feeling during all of this treatment. The Friday after that, I go back to a chemo only regimen and we bring back the Gemzar in to the mix.

Thanks for the continued e-mails and prayers!

Love, in Christ,
Eric