This is the last post I'm going to write because ROBERTO IS CANCER FREE!
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The visit to the surgeon on Wednesday was full of great news!
First, the surgeon divulged some more tidbits about the surgery. Another reason why the tumor was difficult to remove was because it was "hard" and "had cartilage" in it. :\ The cartilage is actually normal for teratomas (teeth and hair have been found in some).
Second, the tumor had NO malignant cells! Hooray! I'm guessing this means the teratoma was around for a while (maybe since birth?) and the seminoma was a recent development. Also, the teratoma will *probably* not come back. Roberto will have to follow up with the oncologist to periodically check for the seminoma.
Third (I told you, lots of news), the surgeon took the staples out of Roberto without any trouble and put some skin glue on the incision. There's some tape on the incision now so Roberto doesn't burst open. Oh yeah, the adhesive I mentioned in the last post is from all the bandages for the dressing and tape to keep the sensors on Roberto's body. Yep, there's still bits on him because I've been lazy.
So, all in all, ROBERTO IS CANCER FREE. FREE!
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Roberto is making really good progress and is slowly weaning himself off of the pain medication. We are cautious because we don't want him to get to a point where he is "chasing the pain." He's slightly more mobile now but it's still hard for him to move his arm around. There's a part of Roberto's chest below the pectoral muscles that are numb. The surgeon told us that when they spread his ribs during the surgery, there is a nerve that was affected. Roberto might be numb there for a long time.
I feel like I can finally breathe a sigh of relief now that the surgeon has told us that Roberto is cancer free. It's almost strange to think that I won't have to occupy my thoughts with how sick Roberto is feeling or how to juggle Roberto's care with life's other activities.
We're lucky: the doctors found the cancer in time to treat it effectively and the treatment only took up 6 months of our lives. I know others who were/are not as lucky. I said this already, but I'll say it again - I'm going to cherish every day that I have with Roberto now.
Robostrong!!!
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The visit to the surgeon on Wednesday was full of great news!
First, the surgeon divulged some more tidbits about the surgery. Another reason why the tumor was difficult to remove was because it was "hard" and "had cartilage" in it. :\ The cartilage is actually normal for teratomas (teeth and hair have been found in some).
Second, the tumor had NO malignant cells! Hooray! I'm guessing this means the teratoma was around for a while (maybe since birth?) and the seminoma was a recent development. Also, the teratoma will *probably* not come back. Roberto will have to follow up with the oncologist to periodically check for the seminoma.
Third (I told you, lots of news), the surgeon took the staples out of Roberto without any trouble and put some skin glue on the incision. There's some tape on the incision now so Roberto doesn't burst open. Oh yeah, the adhesive I mentioned in the last post is from all the bandages for the dressing and tape to keep the sensors on Roberto's body. Yep, there's still bits on him because I've been lazy.
So, all in all, ROBERTO IS CANCER FREE. FREE!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Roberto is making really good progress and is slowly weaning himself off of the pain medication. We are cautious because we don't want him to get to a point where he is "chasing the pain." He's slightly more mobile now but it's still hard for him to move his arm around. There's a part of Roberto's chest below the pectoral muscles that are numb. The surgeon told us that when they spread his ribs during the surgery, there is a nerve that was affected. Roberto might be numb there for a long time.
I feel like I can finally breathe a sigh of relief now that the surgeon has told us that Roberto is cancer free. It's almost strange to think that I won't have to occupy my thoughts with how sick Roberto is feeling or how to juggle Roberto's care with life's other activities.
We're lucky: the doctors found the cancer in time to treat it effectively and the treatment only took up 6 months of our lives. I know others who were/are not as lucky. I said this already, but I'll say it again - I'm going to cherish every day that I have with Roberto now.
Robostrong!!!
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