Penmachine

As I've mentioned, even six weeks after my surgery I continue to have some pain for which I'm taking codeine. This past Monday I had another CT scan, ordered by my oncologist Dr. Kennecke, to see if there was anything wrong.

Today I found out that there is something wrong, but in the scheme of things it is very minor and nothing to worry about, which is a great relief both to me and to my family. As Dr. Kennecke wrote in an email...

...there is a fluid collection beside the anastomosis and a fistula (a connection between the bowel and the fluid collection beside the bowel). Unless there evidence of infection, It does not look like this needs to be drained, as it seems to be draining itself.

So, depending on what his consultations with my surgeons reveal, it may or may not be useful to drain the buildup. But it's not a tumour—not more cancer, which of course was a worry. If all I need is a nasty needle to drain some fluid, I can handle that.

Funny how chemo and radiation and surgery and complications can make a potential fluid-draining needle seem like a small thing now. Last year a procedure like that would have seemed like a big deal.

I'm also pleased that my piped-in video appearance at Gnomedex went over so well with so many people, including Scott Rosenberg, someone whose work online I have admired for a long time. Organizer Chris Pirillo has some great things to say about his event overall:

Gnomedex is just about as close to a un-virtual blogosphere as I’ve ever seen it. [...] How does one attract the blogosphere’s thought leaders without hammering through the topics that are (quite frankly) already yesterday’s news—or completely irrelevant to people who don’t live and die by whatever is on TechMeme or its vertical equivalent? How does one equally attract those who are striving to become thought leaders, or those who love following those thought leaders?

One thing that makes Gnomedex worthwhile is that Chris, even just a couple of days afterwards, when he could just be sleeping it all off, is working hard to figure out how to make it better next time.

Labels: cancer, family, fatigue, gnomedex, pain, surgery