Now I really completely understand why some horses, when they’re on stall rest, go nutty. I’m there. Really. It’s only been 11 days since surgery and I’m going looney. Ready to get out of the house, and get back to work, driving my car, and going to the barn on a regular basis. The weather today is a perfect 33 degrees out – no wind, sunny, and just a gorgeous day. I would so be driving everyone if I could just get out.
Oh hum.
I had a 10 day recheck yesterday and the incision is looking good and so is the drain. It’s definitely doing it’s job, and is not ready to be pulled, so no driving for me until this thing is out of my leg. It’s still pumping out about 9 times the amount of fluid it should be before it can be pulled. Looks like I’m stuck with it at least another week.
Awesome.
And next week, I meet with the radiation oncologist to discuss what’s going to happen for the next phase of treatment.
The tumor was apparently a very very bad one. Actually, not to put too find a point on it, it would have killed me.
After the surgery, they sent the whole 3.1 cm mass away for full biopsy. Initially, the needle biopsy identified the thing as a pleomorphic spindle cell grade II sarcoma. What that means is that it is a mis-mash of random cancer cells (pleo = many , morphic = shapes), and it was a mid-grade tumor (grades 1,2,3).
When they removed the whole mass and got a more definitive biopsy, they realized it was actually a grade III, the most aggressive grade. It would have happily spread, given a little more time, and gone to my lungs or lymph nodes, and I would be in a life or death battle.
Not every day you find out something like that. But, the doctors do assure me they strongly feel they got it all. This is a type of tumor that can come back, so I’ll be monitored heavily for any new lumps and bumps over the course of the next five years.
Otherwise, I am sooooo ready to get the heck out of the house, go to the barn, and maybe take a little vacation, too. After all, there are only so many games of Bejeweled I can really play in one day.
Drains suck. Roxanne (our Great Dane) had two of them recently. It took an extra day for them to quit draining before we could pull them. So, you have my sympathies. And I’m glad the tumor was found and caught when it was! How scary! How lucky!
Thanks for stopping by my blog and commenting. Sorry to hear about your drain and not being able to go out yet. But it’s lucky they caught it early so a week or so of in house rest isn’t so bad. I’m sure you’ll get out soon. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.