Go Steve - Steve's Updates

Updates from Steve’s cancer-free life

June 6, 2008

no news is good news

Filed under: gallbladder problems — Tags: , , — By steve @ 8:19 am

I hope you live by the aphorism of ‘no news is good news’ because no news has been FANTASTIC news! If you visit any blogs/update pages, you hear the obligatory “I’ve been busy” excuses, but hey, I’ve been busy.

I start work on 9 june, so that means I finally got a job that meets my too-high-for-no-experience requirments. In terms of medical, I am happy to announce that I barely have anything wrong. When I breathe in deep I can feel an odd sensation in my lower lung area. I think I have some fluid/air caught in there somewhere, but I hope it’s not life threatening.

Here is my pre-gallbladder-removal IV that took more than four pokes to insert at Innovis

Here is my pre-gallbladder-removal IV that took more than four pokes to insert at Innovis

onward!
SDS

May 18, 2008

Hey everybody, let’s count!

Filed under: gallbladder problems — Tags: , , — By steve @ 8:18 am

I’ve decided this update will be your math lesson for the day:

I had my gallbladder out at around 2:30PM on friday…finally free of all that bad business! I’m nursing (or should I say lib is nursing) the four holes in my belly. These new additions increase the scars on my chest and stomach to a grand total of nine.

I have four from the gallbladder, three from my wedge resection (lung surgery), and two from my port-a-cath from chemo.

Out of my newest battle wounds the biggest incision is right in the top of my belly button and has six staples. Moving up my chest three inches, the next site has four staples. Those two are the most painful and are fairly sore. Halfway between my belly button and my right side hosts the other two cuts. The top one has two staples and the one immediately below it has four. They don’t hurt much at all.

That totals 16 staples in my four incisions (if I’ve utilized my college degree properly), and the first time in all my surgeries that I’ve had staples. My nurses found it odd that the doc actually put in staples. I guess not too many are used in this day and age.

I’ll have those out next wednesday and then I’ll be good as new (sans gallbladder, of course)!

onward!
SDS

May 14, 2008

waiting for another surgery

Filed under: gallbladder problems — Tags: , , — By steve @ 8:17 am

I’ll find out on thursday between 1 and 3 what time my surgery will be on friday. I’m pretty excited to get this done and in my past.

The pain has been coming and going, it wasn’t too bad for about 2 days but now it’s been rough in the mornings again.

Not much else has been going on…no news is good news though!

If you see my parents you can wish them each a happy birthday, they both had theirs in the last week and a half. My dad is a year older and my mom is a year younger!

onward!
SDS

May 8, 2008

this gallbladder has got to go.

Filed under: gallbladder problems — Tags: , , , — By steve @ 8:15 am

I spent most of yesterday in the ER at Innovis here in Fargo. I awoke wednesday with my gallbladder pain more excruciating than ever. I decided I couldn’t take it anymore so I went in. After a total of five and a half hours I finally finished meeting with a surgeon.

He said he could take out my gallbladder on Friday (tomorrow)–fantastic news! Enter the rain clouds—come to find out this afternoon that hospital policy has a 72 hour waiting period between meeting a doc and having surgery, unless life threatening.

They scheduled me for NEXT friday, the 16th, all the while reiterating the fact that, if I can’t handle the pain, I should come into the ER. Well, duh, I already did that. I’m just glad this isn’t universal health care, as I’d probably still be waiting in the ER for an appointment in four months!

At least I don’t have cancer again :)

onward!
SDS

May 4, 2008

What a weekend!

Filed under: gallbladder problems, lung scare — Tags: , , — By steve @ 8:10 am

You said it Steve, what a weekend! Good and bad. First we went to a twins game on saturday evening [yea, they won and we were in the fourth row]…but only after our car broke down.

So there we are- broken down in the cities and all with work, finals or little ones waiting for us the next day. It turned out semi-ok, as a few made it back to fargo to take care of business. I sure hope the car gets fixed tomorrow.

I’m pretty sure I’ll be getting my gallbladder out within the next few days (if I get my way) because it’s been hurting consistently during the day [all day] and especially when I try to get some of what the truckers call ’shut eye’, [properly pronounced "shoot aye"]. The dull but frequent short-time INTENSE pain sure makes it tricky to get comfortable enough to catch the sandman. Anyone have his cell number? He’s a slippery fellow…

I’ve made it a personal goal to only complain when absolutely necessary, and I do find it necessary to let you know about my gallbladder. It will be about the same laparoscopic operation as my wedge resection…so I have another two weeks of the colorful sliding pain scale of post-operation to look forward to!

onward!
SDS

GoSteve.org was started by members of Alpha Tau Omega to help Steve Symons raise funds to assist with medical bills. Just as the dynamic world of Steve has evolved, gosteve.org will continue to grow into a site to help others with their courageous battles against cancer and amputations. More

The information appearing on this web site is presented for informational purposes only. All outside sources have been cited. Please do not reproduce any information found on this site.