There is no place like home.

Well, it's been a few weeks since I've last posted.

The surgery went well. Unfortunately, they did find ovarian cancer again in my right ovary. The surgery was very thorough and included full staging procedures. I now have no reproductive organs which is very sad. But I can't spend too much time sad about it, looking on the bright side, I don't have a cancerous tumor inside me either.

I was in the hospital for three days and then recovered quickly at home. Ten days after surgery I was walking around my neighborhood and really feeling like I could do almost anything (with lots of naps in between.) My plan was to spend the next week working on getting things together before I start chemo on 10/14. Unfortunately, that plan didn't work out too well.

Since I was feeling good, I decided to cook dinner on Monday night. The doctor's all had told me to eat normally when they released me from the hospital ten days earlier. Sadly, they didn't explain to me that my idea normal and their idea of normal were two different things. That Monday, I made roasted cauliflower as a main dish, roasted carrots as a side dish and we had zucchini bread for dessert. I had no idea these are some of the hardest foods for a person to digest. I had no idea I should be eating more mild foods.

Apparently, during the staging process in surgery they inspected my intestines very carefully. This means that they took them out of my body and ran them (think like you are flaking a climbing rope to see if there are any kinks, knots, or soft spots-- they doing that to my intestines as they looked for tumors). No one told me that this can cause adhesions, obstructions, swelling and a general rebellion of the intestines. No one told me that I should be mindful of my sensitive intestine when I chose foods to eat.

I became violently ill and spent the past four days in the hospital getting re-hydrated.

The experience was nothing short of awful. I am not used to being so sick for so long. The worst part was that each day, they thought I'd be able to go home but then I couldn't. I'd get my hopes up and then become very sad. The time in the hospital was very dark for me. Fortunately, they finally let me home today. Already, I'm feeling so much better. I can do things like cook myself rice rather than have a plate of spaghetti and meatballs put in front of me as my first meal in 36 hours. (Was the hospital trying to kill me?) Plus, just breathing fresh air is helpful. Yes, I know it is Philadelphia air, but at least it isn't a controlled climate!

The best part is that I'm going to be able to attend my brother's family's going away party tomorrow night. They are moving to Belgium at the end of November so they are having a huge blow out. They expect 140 people to attend. The party is at their house. They got a band (bluegrass), a moon bounce for the kids (and adults) and a mobile bathroom! There will be a ton of relatives who I hardly ever get to see. During my lengthy stay in the hospital I was envisioning having relatives from out of town stop by to see me in the hospital on their way to my brother's. This thought depressed me so much. But the good news is, I'll be at the party! I probably won't have a beer and will pack my own dinner, but I can still be at the party!
Then on Sunday, I get to go to my friend Anj and Sue's wedding. This is something I'd been looking forward to for nearly a year. I'm so glad I don't have to miss it.

So, it's been an exciting week of sitting in the hospital bed watching the hours slip away. I'm exhausted from the experience so I'll close here saying there is no place like home.

Soon I will post about my prognosis and treatment plan for the cancer. As far as cancer goes, I couldn't have a better situation. So it is good news.