The portacath was installed in my right shoulder on Monday and I could leave the hospital the next day. The whole operation took no more than 10 minutes in all, but I’ve been told it has been performed in South Africa in under 60 seconds (Gerry!) Heck, but that’s where they perform open-heart surgery  with hunting knives.

Glad to be at home again, especially since chemotherapy is back on this week and I am very tired again. Other than a slight discomfort when trying to sleep on my right side there are no noticeable side-effects from getting the port installed and only a small bump is visible under the skin. The port should be ready for its intended use by mid-February. There is a good chance, however, that we won’t be needing it for a while (maybe try some nice recreational drugs instead).

I am not just relying on conventional medicine, of course, I am taking a number of “alternative” medications such as frankincense, Omega-3 acids, etc. I try to  change my diet by cuttting down on red meat and by adding a lot of vegetables. I am also getting daily Reiki sessions by my angel Milena, which really help a lot and I will restart with acupuncture next month. Also, I’m contemplating to get some personal therapy sessions to deal with my subconscious mind. I will keep you posted.

Cheers,
Tom

I will be checking in today for a second operation (garden-variety type) to remove the flower tomorrow morning. Should be nothing too taxing, since the neurosurgeon has already been there before. I’m looking forward to seeing lots of smiling faces when I wake up!

Love xxx

Tom

My operation was done with a new technique called navigation-aided surgery, whereby a virtual-reality system is employed to support the operating procedure. Basically, MRI and CTI images were used as a guide to the inside of my brain. This enabled the neurosurgeons to precisely navigate and to use minimally invasive techniques to remove the tumour.

Now this was something they didn’t tell me beforehand, but in order to align my head with the navigation system, I was screwed (literally!) into a head vice. Three holes were drilled into either side of my head just above the ears to fix the instrument. No movement possible anymore – think mediaeval torture device!

They also did a couple of other unspeakable things to me, including sticking tubes into just about every orifice in my body. Then a seventh, rather smallish hole was drilled into the back of my head through which the tumour was cut up and extracted piece by piece. The whole operation took about six hours including preparation.

I plan to read up more on this new procedure, as I find the combination of the surgeons’ craftsmanship, the computer technology and the micro technology used for the surgical tools absolutely mind-boggling.

On another front, I will meet the radio-oncologists for the first time next week in order to discuss a course of action. I have also received an incredible amount of information and links from many of you, which I am going to research. Thanks for all your support!

One promising bit of information regarding glioblastomas comes from Duke University, according to this recent article in the “Economist”.

SUCCESS!!! Had a chance last evening to discuss post-op MRI with my neurosurgeon. The blob is gone, all gone!

Only thing remaining now is the cyto-pathological analysis to see whether it’s metastased or malignant. So keep those positive thoughts coming until Monday.

Even though I’m feeling much better now (showered, shaved, own clothes), I’ll keep this post brief as my vision is still badly skewered.

Cheerio,

Tom

Operation completed. Survived. Spent all night in the emergency ward. Dead tired and a raving headache (but so I would!)…

More in the next few days, watch this space!

Love Tom