Healing from Surgery Progresses Well at Home

Home for a Week

Ann in front of our home accepting homecoming gift from Church friends on April 11.
(Photograph courtesy of Tim Dirsmith)

Ann’s first week home post-surgery has gone well. She stopped taking the pain medication early in the week and is now just using acetaminophen when she’s been over active and needs to reduce discomfort from her incisions and her drains. She tries to remember to restrict her arm movements to promote more rapid healing, but that can be a little challenging with a 4-year-old in-house!

Next Steps in Treatment

We had our first visit with a medical oncologist to begin to plan and prepare for chemo as the next step in fighting this disease. As you can see from the note posted yesterday (Searching for Treatment Ideas), our choices are not as clear-cut as the last time Ann faced chemo. Additionally, we need another piece of information to determine an appropriate treatment plan, that is, confirmation that there are no other cancer sites in Ann’s body. We’ll find this out by having Ann get a full-body PET/CT scan after her drains have been removed. Most likely, this will be the week of April 26th.

Thank You for Your Cards, Gifts, Calls, and Visits

In the meantime, Ann is enjoying receiving all your wonderful cards and gifts of love, care, and concern. Thank you for all those positive thoughts and prayers. Keep them coming!

Nello & Ann