On the Mend

Many thanks to Penny for providing the post-surgery update. Yes, it is true. I was out cold one minute, and up having lunch and talking to the recovery team the next. I am trying to provide photographic evidence, but since my desktop computer crashed I haven't had the technology at my fingertips to upload photos as I might like - laptop doesn't talk to my other equip (printer, scanner, etc) and I can't find the card reader for my cell phone. No matter. Take my word for it, I'm just ducky. Really.

Am currently rushing to get ready for an early morning flight into Vancouver. Will see Phil & Ellen off at YVR before heading to the Cancer Agency for my first radiation appointment. Not sure I'll actually have a treatment tomorrow, but know I'm slated to be glowing for each of five days (Mon-Fri) for two weeks.

Had the 35 staples removed from my nog this morning. Scalp feels very odd. The staples formed a sort of ridge on either side of the incisions and it is taking some time to settle back into the natural flat state. Still can't raise my right eyebrow all that much, and there remains a fair bit of swelling and bruising around the right eye where the various fluids and blood settled post-surgery. Over all, it looks quite good if one compares to how things appeared this time last week.

Interesting how folks around Sechelt have reacted to my new look. Those who know me, even slightly (e.g. various staff at Clayton's) first express concern that I might be in pain. When I tell them they should see what the "other guy" looks like, it kinda breaks the ice and conversation comes easily. I have no trouble talking to people about what has happened to make me look the way I currently do. Suspect it is rather a shock when viewed for the first time. Lots of laughs about how, if my timing was better, I could have won every Halloween costume party in town. What I wasn't prepared for is the number of strangers who feel the need to stare/glare/or mutter "freak" or some such thing. Interesting little insight into how visually "different" people in our society must feel on a day-to-day basis. Oh yes, and then there was the waitress at the restaurant in Vancouver that we stopped at en route to the ferry on Friday. She practically ran up to our table and demanded to know if I was in a car accident!! Turned out her daughter was in a very serious accident the night before and only escaped serious injury because her date (the first time out with the guy) saw the other car heading their way and threw himself between the girl and the car thereby taking the full force of the collision. Best reaction: the huge grin I got from a very young boy (about 4 yrs old) on the street - I like to imagine he saw all that surgical steel like I did, as one nifty mini model railroad track.

Speaking of images, somehow managed to get a cell phone photo off to Roz. She asked what gang I had joined that prompted me to adopt such a fine new look. A gang? Hmmmm. First thought that came to mind was the Homely Sheared Locks (hey, I was an Arthur Conan Doyle fan before Robert Downey Jr was born!). Roz and her sister Jan are giving a thumbs up to the Surgical Steel Magnolias. Once I get some photos up, I am happy to receive other gang name suggestions. Am currently trying to envision what the full-patch jacket of a member of the Surgical Steel Magnolias might look like. Perhaps I can work some of the staples I kept into a spiffy insignia motif of some sort? Seems there's nothing quite like cancer to get the creative juices flowing, at least for me.

So to sum up: I'm doing well. Better than anyone expected but right on target for what everyone hoped. Surgery is over, staples are out, and radiation schedule will be established tomorrow.

Will post further news as it comes. With luck, I'll also be able to include some images to aid with the explanations.