"Hungry Catterpillar"

Yesterday surgery was scheduled for 9:30 am.  It was about 12:20 p.m. when I said goodbye to Leah and I wheeled into the OR.  I remember about 10 minutes in the OR, in regards to getting on the table, putting my arms down and then about a minute or so later the fog hit me.  The next thing I remembered is meeting my family in my room where I was staying the night. This was about 6:30 p.m.  In the OR I was gifted with a few things including a new IV in my right wrist and and NG tube in my left nostril.

My first question to my family members was "did they do the whipple procedure?"  It was at that point I  discovered that 3 surgeons were unable to remove the cancer.  The explanation I was told is that it would put me in more danger and I could have possibly not make it back out of surgery.  I did have the hernia repair done at the close of surgery using the "Hungry Caterpillar" stiching as Leah calls it.  

It is now April 12 and alomst 24 hours after the close of surgery.  I have had the chance to chat with my Oncology surgeon and she told me what she told my family yesterday.  They worked with the upper portion of the intestine and the colon, but only for repair purposes.  Bascially moving forward with the procedure would have cut off my blood supply to the portion  that is left of my liver, therefore causing liver failure.

Where we go from here?  I'll be honest in saying we really don't know what is in the near future.  We have thrown out several options for future treatment and we'll just have to sort them out and decide at a later date. The surgeon who fixed my hernia said he wants no less than 6 weeks of recovery before another  treatment begins.

~Kent