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It’s me this time.  I walked!  You saw the pictures to prove it.  When the Physical Therapist and the Occupational Therapist popped in my room Tuesday morning, I said, “OK! Let’s do this thing!”  Evidently, they don’t usually get such a reception.  They never met me before.  “I have things to do. I need to get walking.”  I walked and surprised everyone!

They went through the usual “push here, don’t let me push there” routine and I passed all those tests. “You probably should see the wound so you know what we are up against.”

The wound is . . . Well, it’s extensive.  I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this.  As I understand it, there are three muscles there in the buttock.  Dr H took most of the largest - The Gluteus Maximus.  While this muscle is charged with maintaining the upright posture of us humans, it also gives the buttock its shape. Without it . . .  Well there is no “junk in the trunk.”  The good news there is that the smaller muscles were left to keep me from dipping when I walk.  And I can walk!  I surprised everyone by doing so at every opportunity.  I am using a walker and I have to have someone with me to carry the machine that is attached to by tush, but I feel better standing up and walking than I do lying in the bed!

Speaking of the machine attached to my tush . . . In order to keep the wound from filling up with fluid, Dr. H has a “Wound Vac” sewn inside with a tube going to a collection machine.  It is like a sponge soaking up the fluids. The fluids drain via a tube into the machine. I have to have someone carry the machine beside me when I walk. Last night the Doctor came in to talk.  Seems there is more fluid draining than he likes.   He had three options: 1- take out the vac on Thursday as planned and hope it doesn’t fill up . . . (Not a good option) 2- Take out this sponge and replace it with a smaller one. And then another smaller one . . .and so on, until the wound heals tight and dry. (The preferred option) He said that I could stay in the motorhome on campus during this process. 3- Take a muscle from my side and place it in the void thus filling the cavity with meat instead of fluid. Dr. H would rather not have to take this option that he called a “Flap,“ but if it was needed, another doctor would do that portion of the operation. House had planned to take the Wound Vac out on Thursday.  He said that he would decided when he opened me up if he could get a good enough seal without having to take either secondary option.  I let my team know what was going on.  We all hoped for what was behind door number 1, but knew that door number 2 was most likely what we would end up with.

Everyone gone home, I settled in for the night.  It wasn’t easy.  My bed was far from comforting to my half-brained rear end.  With my nurses help, I piled pillow after pillow around and under my body.  You see, the middle of my bed is bowl shaped - especially when I elevate my head.  My tush is also bowl shaped, but in the opposite direction.

Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet. . .

By midnight, I had to admit to my nurse that it felt like I was laying on bricks.  Only more meds gave me the cushion enough to sleep.   When Dr. Young Guy came in at 6:00a Wednesday morning, I told him that my tush was tot and I showed him the spot that was making me crazy.

“Well, that is bone there. And there is not much to cover it. . . “

Wonderful.  I have never been called “Boney Butt” before!

A couple or so hours later, Dr H came in and asked how I was doing.  I repeated the tale (or half tail . . .) and he made a face.

“I was afraid you were going to say that.”  He, also, explained that there was not much covering the bone there.  “Hmm. . . Maybe we should just do the flap  . . . “ he thought out loud.  “There is still too much fluid.  When I go in on Thursday, I will make sure that my colleague is with me.  We will decide then whether to put in the smaller sponge or do the flap.”

“If you decide the flap is needed, will you do it right then.”
“No.  It will need to be done separately.”
“But I will at least need another sponge?” He nodded. “Then I will be staying through the weekend?”
“At least.”

I called the team. . .

By the time the team was making their collective way up from the parking garage, I had a message from Dr H, delivered through the nurse.
“Dr. H called.  He will not be removing the Vac on Thursday after all.  They will do the entire operation on Friday instead. “
“All of it?”
“Yes.”

The entire operation.  Ok Then.

(It’s Thursday morning now - 6:25a.  It is taking me a while to get this story out. . .)

Dr Flap and his own Young Guy came in in the afternoon.  The surgery will take four to seven hours, depending on what they find when they go in.  The muscle they will take from my side is the same muscle used in swimming . . . So I will have to call the Olympic Committee and decline their invitation for the swim team.  That is too bad.  I have been practicing standing at the top of the platform to receive my Gold Metal all week!

These new Doctors are Microvascular Reconstruction Specialists.  They explained that they will take the muscle from the side and match the blood vessels with those left in my posterior.  After the surgery, I will not be able to put any weight on the new tissue.  This will add a minimum of five days to my hospital stay.  I will have drainage tubes extending from my back for at least two weeks.

Meanwhile, I still need to start the Chemo as soon as possible. But not until the wounds (two of them now) have had a chance to heal.  The plan for chemo is still to have this done in Florida where we have family enough to help.  I have told you that chemo for sarcomas is rough.  We found out that I will need to be in a hospital for one week and then can go home for two weeks. Back and forth.  For about six months.  And we have to get there.  Soon.

At the same that we are scheming to get me to Florida, Dan will not be able to work much.  My mother can stay a while longer, but the rest of my company will need to fly back where they come from.  We are looking at at least another half a week in Portland.  And that gives Dan less time wrapping up the job at the beach.  The motorhome needs four more new tires and an extensive tune up before we can take it 3,000 miles.   The children are missing more school.

I am becoming a bigger pain in the butt as my butt gets smaller!  Go figure.   People keep adding pages to the script!  The story goers on and on.   I wrote “Practice Happiness” on the message board hanging at the foot of my bed.  A reminder to cowboy up.

I think I have sat in this chair to finish this update just about as long as I am able.  I am falling asleep again.   Since I would hate to talk in my sleep . . . I will have to continue the “tail” again when I can.

Love to You and Yours,
t