Monday, August 25, 2008

Sean Update from Taffy

As most of you know, Sean went in for surgery today at St. Marks to remove the tumor mass in his abdomen that had started to grow again following his chemotherapy. It took about 6 hours to complete because of the delicate nature of the surgery. The lymph node that they had to remove was attached around the aorta and vena cava, and according to his surgeon, Dr. Lane Childs, it was like it was super glued to the arteries. It was the stickiest one that he has ever removed, and made for a challenge in getting it out of there. It left a little residual film behind that couldn't be safely removed, so we're not 100% sure that he was able to get it all, but the doctor still feels like it was a success. We will have to wait a couple of days for the pathology report to come back to see if anything else will need to be done.

As far as the hospital stay goes... Sean has a tube running from his nostril down the back of his throat and into his stomach to help in relieving the stomach of any gas. He will need to keep that in until Wednesday, and will be unable to eat or drink anything until they remove that. He's on an IV to keep him hydrated and he's being cathed for the time being. He will need to stay in the hospital until his bowels are functioning properly and he's able to eat normally, which could take about a week. It all depends on how quickly the plumbing starts working again.

He was pretty out of it today which was understandable, but was aware enough to tell his sweetheart and new bride how he felt about her. When he opened his eyes for the first time after the surgery, he looked at Karen and said, "Hi sweetie...I love you"! How cute! Of course Karen's been an angel by his side, making sure that he's comfortable and taken care of.

Thanks for all of the love and concern that you all have shown for Sean and our family. We will try to keep you all posted with the latest. Love to you all...
Aunt Taffy

3 comments:

Miss Megan said...

Sean is one of the bravest people I know! Here's to a speedy recovery for Sean and Karen...*hug*

Englishfam said...

Sean you are amazing. Here's to a speedy recovery! Love you guys!

Ann Marie said...

Make sure and keep us updated! We will continue to keep in in our prayers! I'm glad the surgery went well!