dkillion10
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Fred,
I can only support that my recovery had a very similar course with ups and downs. It’s important to remember that your son went through a major surgery and likely every organ in the digestive track was ‘touched’. I experienced swelling and fluid build-up in the gut that forced me back into the hospital a few weeks after the surgery. Getting comfortable with eating was a struggle. What helped me was smoothies, protien drinks, fruits/vegetables and nuts (walnuts and almonds). I started with small meals 4-5 times a day (as opposed to 3 bigger meals). I was also diagnosed with iron deficiency (which seems to make sense since have my liver was removed). I started taking an iron supplement each morning with Orange Juice (better absorbsion). Keep the spirits up and there will be positive progress ahead! Continued best wishes and God Bless!
Dennis
Fred
That covers it from my perspective. I believe nutrition is a major thing at this point in recovery. If you haven’t already, you might ask if there is a nutritionist available to be refered to. Might also add the following:
What does the follow up testing schedule look like? Blood Tests (Liverpool function, and CA19), Scans, and Frequency of such?
Best wishes and continued prayers for healing,
Dennis
Fred. Came to that same fork in the road. We asked and rec’d varied options pro/con. We opted not to have chemo/radiation. At the time there just wasn’t enough solid evidence to support it being more helpful than harmful based on our specific situation. We weighed all considerations as to tumor size, location, margins, differentiations, lymph nodes …before making the choice (which was supported by our Oncologist). Once the decision was made, it was full speed ahead doing all the things required to support liver health and a full recovery. Hope this was helpful and continued best wishes to you and your son. Dennis
Fred. Fantastic news on the successful surgery. And now onto a steady recovery! Your son’s journey is very similar to the road I have been traveling. I had a very similar diagnosis (Klatskin) last June and had the same surgical procedure (I was at Columbia Presbyterian in NYC) July 16th. Recovery started slow, but gained momentum and now to a point where I’m doing all the things I was before falling ill (got 6 mile run in this morning). As others have suggested, keep good spirits, have faith, eat well (fell in love with beat smoothies, brussel sprouts, walnuts and spinach salads), and get daily excersise (start with walking, stairs, and work your way to jogging). Hope this doesn’t come off as too righteous, but thought you and your son might appreciate the information. Your son is very fortunate to have such a wonderful advocate/father. – Dennis
Julie – Thank you for sharing the good news! There is power in keeping positive thoughts and your posts help me (and I’m sure others) stay upbeat about the future. I’m about three months behind you and enjoy keeping pace! – Dennis
Momsrecovery, You have done a great job in advocating for your Mom. She is fortunate to have you by her side through this. I can contribute my experience as like you, I went to NYC to interview surgeons. We narrowed down to Dr Jarnagin at MSK and Dr Guarrera at Columbia. We were very comfortable with both. All other things relatively equal, we went with Dr Guarrera because of his personal approach and the fact the he could get me in right away (time was critical). I had surgery on July 16th and we haven’t looked back. We could not have asked for a better outcome. Dr Guarrerra was fantastic and his team at Columbia were wonderful. The great thing is you have some excellent options.
Congrats on the great news. Continue enjoying life’s blessings. You are an inspiration to those of us looking for examples of victory against our common enemy.
Hello Liz,
My thoughts and prayers are with you and your husband. I have come to understand that everyone’s CC experience is somewhat unique. That said, our best option seemed to be resection surgery once we found the hospital/surgeon we had confidence in. Sounds like you have a good one there in Michigan. My surgery took 9 hours and was somewhat complicated by the amount of the bile duct needed to be resected (hence the connecting of the liver to the intestine). Fortunately I was in good shape leading into the surgery (I’m a runner). I was in ICU for almost two days, then in hospital for another week. I left the hospital for an apartment near by for another two weeks before heading home to Cincinnati. I was up and walking a few days after the surgery and have progressed to now running 4-5 miles each morning. The MOST important thing is to keep your husband positive and in the “fighting” frame of mind. I credit my wife Tina with doing such. My best wishes to you and your husband. Please let me know if I can help in any other way. Take care and God Bless!
Dennis
