Surgery Update

My surgery was Wednesday. I don’t actually remember much from that day, I was knocked out pretty much all day. Surgery seemed to go well, they ended up using a bone prosthesis instead of a metal rod for my tibia and my knee replacement also seemed to go well. I also had a skin graft done, so my upper thigh feels like I have major rug burn since they took the skin from there. Yesterday my wound vac (the thing that sucks the gross stuff out of my skin graft area) had to be changed and I saw my skin graft. I wanted to cry, it looks disgusting. They had to put it through a mesh thing prior to putting it on and it just looks so gross. I’m hoping eventually it will look semi normal or I’ll most definitely be wearing pants a lot. Another downside is that i will probably have drop foot forever now. The tumor engulfed my perioneal (nott sure of how to spell it!) nerve, which is what controls your foot, so I’ll be stuck in a brace forever. My surgeon said I may get up to 30% of it back but that’s all. Luckily, I had foot drop after my August surgery so I know how to work the brace and everything. It’s also in my favor that my father in law is a podiatrist so I can get the latest and most advanced foot braces.

As for my leg, I can’t move it for 6 weeks, it has to remain straight. I can get up as long as I have my stabilizer on. Right now I’ve only gone from the bed to the chair because I still have an epidural in for pain, so even my “good” leg is weak. The most amusing thing was Thursday night I could not get up, we tried for 30 minutes. So, my nurses had to put this thing underneth me to lift me into bed, it was kind of like a swing. Actually, picture in your mind the thing they use to move dolphins into water…that’s it! It was pretty funny. I also had to have a blood transfusion, which I did not have a reaction to this time!

I’ve had a 102 fever since my surgery that won’t go away. Blood cultures take 48-72 hours to grow so I won’t know if I have an infection until Sunday or Monday…I really, really hope not. Somehow I always get the rare side effects.

I won’t find out how much of the tumor died for 2 weeks…so it’s a waiting game. We’re hoping for 90% or over, that is considered a success! If not…even more chemo and two more drugs. If it is 90 or over, then chemo until September!

That’s about all for now. I should go home on Monday if my fever goes away and I don’t have an infection…so I’m thinking happy thoughts! I may be in pain but at least I get a small break from chemo. Think happy thoughts for me!