The date is set. I will be having surgery and HIPEC on February 3. My brother Mike and I met with the surgeon and discussed the procedure and the recovery.
I have googled the procedure and read about it, I have also looked it up on YouTube and watched it. I like to see the various procedures that I will be having. I am not grossed out or sickened by watching the videos, it actually puts me more at ease.
After cutting me open and removing as much cancer as possible, the surgeon will then fill my abdomen with a heated chemotherapy drug, Cisplatin. It will be in my abdomen for 2 hours, bathing my insides and killing any microscopic cancer cells. It will then be pumped out and I will be stitched or stapled shut. I will have a large scar.
I have been doing more prep for day. I have my pre-surgery EKG tomorrow morning at 9am. I have reached out to the company that handles my leave from work. I reached out to Spas Etc. to find out how to drain and winterize my hot tub, as I will not be allowed in it until about May.
I have friends taking care of my furry kids, Kalina and Gracie. I purchased extra food and litter, as those bags and boxes are heavy, and I won't be able to lift them until May or June. I am stocking up on non-perishable type foods, cans of soup, veggies, peaches and pears. I won't be able to lift groceries. I have friends lined up to help me with errands, follow up appointments, meals and short outings. Friends that want to help me somehow, well, I have made a list on Amazon. It is listed as 'recovery list Jan 2022'.
Most support groups in our area are focused on just breast cancer. Well, guess what?!, there are a lot more cancers than just breast cancer, not all cancers are pink!!! So, I have created the "Chemo Club". I am the president and founding member. We will start simple with meeting for coffee on Saturday, place and time to be determined. "Chemo Club-Support thru Laughter, Strength thru Tears".
With God holding onto me, I will get thru this.
I love the chemo club idea… breast cancer gets so much hype .. my family history is childhood cancer (daughter) but I’m learning more as life goes on. CHEMO is CHEMO - it’s hard no matter what age or treatment … I remember in my 20’s being told if my daughter didnt swallow her pills at age 4 SHE WILL DIE - I shoved them down and gave her chocolate as a chaser (bad bad memories as a young mom) Dolly - count me in as your support / resource!💕