Cancer Surgery On Ear

Bandage ear after surgery to remove squamous basil cell carcinoma 

 Got up early this morning for my cancer removal surgery on my left ear. 

My appointment was at 6:30 AM.  I arrived at 6:00 AM and they took me right away.

The top part of my ear was removed. Squamous basil cell cancer. 

My doctor said he got it all.

The four needles to numb ear hurt. Initially I thought he was cutting me without anesthetic but he told me "No, these are the needles for the anesthetic."  He gave me five of them. Each one had a unique hurt.

Of course I felt nothing when he actually cut out the cancerous top part of my ear. But he cut so much he had to do a skin graft. He took off part of my lower ear and grafted it to the top. Sounds like robbing Peter to pay Paul but I didn't question him. I have to assume he knows what he's doing. 

As bad as  this was, I'm thankful it wasn't a more serious cancer like melanoma. I'm also thankful that I have medical coverage.

Oh if I could redo those foolish days of my youth when I would bake in the sun trying to get that perfect tan. That my friends is one (of many) regrets that I have in my long life. I'm paying the price now.

The results of another bloody visit to the doctor

Post Surgery

Ron humbled - on a walker

Surgery is over folks.  I had to spend the night at the hospital for pain monitoring.  Big baby girl that I am, the pain was a bit unbearable after the anesthesia wore off, as I was warned.  The first pain killer I took just about knocked me out with nausea so I had to take another pain killer.  I've been taking that one very four hours since and of course I haven't pooped, one of the lovely side "benefits" of taking pain killers.  But the pain is controlled.

If you want to know what is causing the pain checkout the photo below that I took when I cleaned my wound.  Yep, them there are staples in my leg.  Nice, huh?

My stapled leg (sorry for the gross out but I do like to share)

Oh the horror stories I could tell you while I was in the hospital.  Not about the care, it was fine but about my room.  When they took me to the third floor to a big, QUIET room by myself, I at first thought it was the
SAME room where The Cajun (Wayne) spent his last days.  "Oh no!" I thought.  Turns out it was a different room, but right across the hall from where Wayne was staying.

My surgery was at 1 in the afternoon.  They wheeled me to my room at 5 PM or so.  
All was fine until about 2:30 AM in the morning when the floor nurse advised me I was "getting a roommate."  Turns out an old guy like me (and a vet) tripped over (of all things) a wheelchair and broke his hip.  

Lights on, man screaming in pain, many people coming in interviewing him, man screaming in pain (did I say a man was screaming in pain?)  I felt so sorry for this man. I know he was in great pain and discomfort but a restful night of sleep with my painkillers was out of the question for me. 

I.GOT.NO.SLEEP.

But again, my situation was NOTHING compared to this man's awful and painful condition.  I felt so bad for him.  

Yesterday I was supposed to be released at 9 AM.  Bill and I left at 5 PM.  When I got home (on a walker and a portable commode - what was THAT all about? I don't NEED one of those), I was exhausted.  After getting settled and settling Bill (all this stress is very hard on him plus getting me in and out of the back seat of the car, now with a walker), I laid down on my bed, fully clothed at about 7:30 PM.  I didn't get up until this morning at about the same time.

This morning I had to change my dressing (with Bill' help), but that didn't work to well because I can't lift my leg and this is too stressful for Bill.  I called my doctor's office and they will send out a home health care worker every other day to change my dressing.  Helpless man here.  See how quickly one's life can change to one of helplessness from one fall?

Nurse Elena changing my dressing yesterday as I left the hospital

Of course it is still very uncomfortable for me to sit at this computer so I'm bringing this post to an end.  Actually, there is a silver lining here isn't there? No more rambling blog posts from Ron.  Short and succinct and to the point. There's always the good side to an bad situation isn't there?

I've been tagged a lot of things before but this is the first time I was tagged as a "Fall Risk." 

Surgery Today!

Finally, after almost a month since my fall on the ice and rupturing my quadriceps, I am having surgery to repair those quadriceps. My orthopedist told me that after surgery, recovery time will be six to eights weeks.  A long haul folks. But, could be worse. I could have broken my hip or got a fractured skull when I tripped/slipped on that mound of ice that had frozen at the base of the drain pipe at the corner of the building.

I slept fitfully last night.  I can never get a good sleep the night before surgery. I worry. I'm not fond of going under (anesthesia) again. Two things that scare me now that never used to: going under anesthesia and flying in planes. Imagine, being enclosed in a tube six miles high in the sky for over five hours with every seat packed.  First time I flew across country (to San Francisco in 1979), it was a lark.  This last time (flying to L.A.), my heart was in my mouth.  I'm also fearful of heights now, never used to be when I was younger. But I'm straying off the subject at hand here. Surgery today.

Bill will help me slid into the back seat of our car (I still can't lift my lower left leg). I have to be at the hospital by 11:15 AM.  Of course we'll get there earlier. 

I took my anti-bacterial shower again this morning as I have done for the past week.  Try taking a shower when you can't life your left leg or put pressure on it for fear of falling down.  Thank goodness my metal cane is waterproof. Again, I think of how lucky I am with "only" a leg with torn ligaments.  What do people do who have BOTH legs incapacitated?  God bless them and their caretakers.  Bless Bill, I have been such a burden on him for the past month. Limping around the house here, unable to go downstairs, drive a car, or clean the house.  I'm useless right now.  A couch potato.  

I am so looking forward to going back to work.  To getting my life back on track. To sitting at this computer without my left leg stretched out to the side, causing pain in my back as I update this blog. 

Enough complaining from me.  Soon I will be on my way to another adventure at the local hospital. They have me in their data base from my past visits for prostate cancer procedures and multiple kidney stone visits and two surgeries. I've had more hospital procedure these past two years than I've had my whole life.  From 1962, when I dislocated my other knee when I was in the Army, I didn't have a hospital visit until 2001, my first kidney stone attack. Then I had two sphincterotmoty surgeries (the first one didn't take) in 2003 at the VA.  All those years I worked at the banks.  I didn't even have a doctor.  I left my one job at Girard with 220 sick days accrued.  Of course my later hospital procedures, not working not paid just like now.  But I'm rambling.

I'm going to lie down and rest now.  Haven't had anything to eat or drink since about 10 PM last night.  One hour we leave for the hospital 

I hope to be back here at this location later today.  If I'm not, it's been real.

One More Day

Quadriceps

My knee surgery is scheduled for 11:15 AM tomorrow.  I just called to confirm the parking arrangements for letting me off at the hospital. Bill is getting stressed out.

Yesterday I overdid it with shopping and my leg was throbbing.  I slept late this morning, not waking up until a friend texted me at 9:26 AM asking me if I was up.  Bill was upset that I didn't let him know I was sleeping late.  See a Catch-22 here?  How can I let him know I'm sleeping late if I'm sleeping? 

After I woke up I just laid in bed, enjoying a few pain free minutes, checking my e-mails on my iPhone. Then Bill poked his head in the door, furious that I didn't let him know I was up.  

We just had a talk.  The protocol has changed.  I ask him to check in on me at anytime.  I don't mind being awakened.  I will also phone him as soon as I get up.  

This whole leg injury thing hasn't been easy folks.  Our whole lives have been disrupted by one mound of frozen ice at the bottom of a drain pipe that I stepped on in the dark and tore ruptured my quadricep ligaments in my left leg.  Tomorrow they get sewn back together.  Hopefully they will heal and I won't be permanently disabled the rest of my life.

I'll be honest with you folks, this past month (I fell February 18th, the day after The Cajun died) has not been easy.  In fact this has been one of the worst six months of my life with the deaths of my friends Bob Mc. (Sept), Ed C. (January) and then The Cajun). 
Their passing wasn't made any easier by the fact that Bob didn't know me, Ed was distant and The Cajun was angry at me; all at the time of their passing.  Life isn't always like it is in the movies folks.

So enough self-pity here.  This time tomorrow I'm "be under".  That's something else I'm not looking forward too folks, going under.  I've lost count of the times I've been under anesthesia the past few years.  Being knocked out and flying planes never used to bother me before, they do now.  Hopefully I don't do a "Joan Rivers" tomorrow.  But if I do my troubles will be all over won't they?

Now for the countdown and the road to recovery. I just want to be able to lift my left leg again and get my life back.

Roller Coaster

This day could best be described as a roller coaster day.

Earlier this afternoon (2:15 PM) I had my surgery time to repair my injured knee, confirmed: 

this Friday at 11:30 AM. 

I was wrapping my head around this when I took to my bed for my daily afternoon nap.

I awoke an hour and a half later to the sound of my silenced iPhone beeping with a phone call.  As I pick it up I notice two messages on it already.

I answer my phone.  It is "Ginny" from my orthopedic surgeon's office.  She tells me that I didn't pass my EKG test yesterday and they have made an appointment with my cardiologist at 10:30 AM this Friday.  They detected an extra heartbeat (something I've been aware of for a few years now, two stress tests during those years) for:

Cardiac Clearance

She said the anesthesiologist will not go near me for surgery unless I get a "cardiac clearance."  

I called my neighbor Barbara and told her the latest developments.  She said she has to get a cardiac clearance whenever she goes under.  Apparently this is routine.  I hope so.  

Of course this development has me scared to death.  I'm not ashamed to admit I'm not a brave man.  But I do care about those who care for me.  I am afraid.  More afraid than I've ever been for surgery.  I was wondering why earlier today and was told because this knee surgery affects my mobility.  So much of what I do.  

Bill hates it when I say this, but he gets more upset than I do when something like this happens. We're just trying to hold it together here folks.  Thank goodness we have each other.

Quadriceps Tendon Rupture

The news from my doctor wasn't good yesterday afternoon.  He informed me that my quadriceps in my left knee were torn (disconnected) when I fell three weeks ago (to this day).  That's why I can't lift my lower left leg.  The technical term is:

quadriceps tendon rupture 

See HERE

He has to connect (sew) them back together.  That means he has to drill holes in my knee for that repair. That means I need surgery.

Surgery is scheduled for this Friday.  It will be outpatient surgery. Six to eight weeks recovery. The doctor tells me I won't be able to punt a football anymore. But I should recover nicely with a combination of bed rest and physical therapy. 

You know, there is a good blogger friend of mind who occasionally complains of his "boring" life.  Well, my life is anything but boring.  I'll take boring any day to what I'm going through now.  

I'm not a brave fellow folks. I'm the first to admit it.  But I will get through this.  I think the worst of it will be the inactivity and not being able to drive.  The loss of my mobility. But I will adjust.  I've already adjusted. 

Now back to bed to put this leg horizontal and get some relief.   

I Survived

I survived folks.  I was scheduled for surgery this morning at Milford Hospital at 8:30 am.  Just got home, 4:00 pm.  Long day.  Got up early.  Actual surgery or "shock therapy" only took about an hour.  All the rest was preliminaries.  I do have to say that the staff and Milford Hospital was great.  Just another reason I'm glad I retired to Delaware.  

I need my rest now.  Just wanted to keep you all up to date.  I'm too tired now to go into the details.  I may (or may not) go into details in a future blog post.  For now the photos below will have to do as a narrative of my day.

Ron is back.