Surgery 1 Success!

It was a long day, but Lauri has come through her first surgery so far with flying colors! Our Surgeon was able to remove the tumor while minimizing the amount of lung tissue he had to take. He also found no other tumors in the left lung...a REALLY good sign!

Lauri went into the operating room for surgery around 11:00am, and she was finished by 12:30pm. She had an extended stay in the recovery room, waiting as she woke up from the anesthesia. Lauri has a Thoracic Epidural for pain, which numbs the nerves in chest area of the body. This is different from a lower lumbar epidural which is commonly given to pregnant women at childbirth. Lower Lumbar epidurals are generally more potent since they must cover both the lower back as well as the woman's...uh...lower front. Anyway - you get the picture...

Lauri's epidural was actually a little too good. After surgery in the recovery room, Lauri noticed that the numbness extended from her chest into her fingers. The anesthesiologist backed off the epidural dosage and used other pain medications via IV as they recalibrated the epidural dosage. No big deal, all is fixed now. The extended stay in the recovery room was due primarily to the epidural issues. Lauri has plenty of pain medications and she is feeling good with little to no pain.

The Surgeon used a "Wedge Resection" to remove the tumor. Basically, think of this as a pie slice of the lung, with the tumor in the middle of the pie slice. This approach leaves behind as much healthy lung tissue as possible. The Surgeon did NOT have to take the entire lower lobe of the lung, which is really good news. Further, the Surgeon could not find any other tumors in the left lung. This is great news because it raises our chances of being completely cancer free for life once the surgeries are complete.

Lauri is on a clear liquid diet until tomorrow, at which point she can begin having "other liquids." Eventually, perhaps by the second day, she will be able to eat regular food again.

I know those reading this blog and many others had been praying for Lauri's health and a successful surgery. I want to tell you thank you so much for your prayers, there is no doubt that they led to the great success and blessings God has given us today. I also ask that you keep up the good work, we have one more round to go. And for that matter, we still have difficult days ahead as Lauri recovers from major lung surgery.

Lauri and I were supported today by her Mom, Dad, Stepmom, Sister and her family. They were all a great help in keeping us all in good spirits throughout the day.

As I was writing this note, Lauri actually got out of bed (with the nurse's help) and is sitting up for the first time since surgery! It's amazing how quickly they have her getting up and around. We may actually go walking later tonight. We'll see!

Finally, for those who would like to send flowers, I wanted to let you know that it is generally MD Anderson's policy to not allow flowers or plants to be delivered to the patient's room. This is due to possible fungal spores that may come with the plant or the soil that could cause infection in the patient. I would recommend holding off on sending any flowers or anything like that until after we have left the hospital and are at home.

That's about it for now. I will provide updates as they come along...