Radio Silence

I have been radio silent for weeks now and wanted to catch everyone up. We have been having a rough row to hoe these last several weeks and, frankly, have been in survival mode.

When last I posted, we had gotten word that my melanoma had reappeared in my pelvic lymph nodes and I was scheduled to meet with my surgeon to figure out what was next on my agenda. As it happens, I am now post op from that surgery–wide excision of right, pelvic lymph nodes. As it also turns out, pooping should never be taken for granted.

I thought I had done a pretty good job of talking about my surgery. I was pretty apprehensive about it and was saying it out loud as much as I could because I was hoping to normalize it by saying and hearing it. Seems as though I was saying it out loud only to the same handful of people over and over again. With the fifth or sixth telling, thanks for not saying, “Yeah, you told me bout the time!”

Anyway, recovery has been everything I anticipated. Of the six procedures I have had in the last year, I rank this one as a close second only to the groin lymph node excision and only because the muscle reconstruction limited my mobility for much longer than I was expecting with the first one. Better living through chemistry translates into Percocet, please! Laxative, yes, I’ll have another.

I have had my one year melanoma anniversary and did a quick tally: 6 surgical procedures, 4 hospitalizations, 8 rounds of antibiotics, 10 rounds of anti fungal medication (ladies), 4 months of exhausting Interferon, 87 doctors office visits, 4 bazillion prescriptions, 22 bazillion individual pills consumed, one amazing husband, two adorable children, one exceptional dad, one phenomenal sister and countless enduring family members and friends.

God is faithful! His will is life more abundant that I can ask or think.

I will try not to be such a stranger,
Reek