So my latest scan results were not as positive as I had hoped. They show that I have two new tumours in my liver. Much to my relief however, the rest of tumours that showed up benign in the last set of images, still appear to be non-cancerous. But this latest development is a little disappointing.
There was some good news however! As my liver function has improved over the last twelve months, since I was told there was nothing more the hospital could do, it means I am eligible for surgery! My liver is stronger now than it was last year, I believe, because of my new diet, my exercise regime, and my reduction in alcohol consumption. How fantastic is it that the body can recover so well when you start to look after it, - something we should bare in mind all the time, not just when the stuff hits the fan!
So the operation will see my doctor cut out most of my liver. He will remove all the tissue that has been damaged from my previous treatments, as well as the benign and more recent malignant tumours. Although the liver regenerates itself and regrows to its normal size within three months, the doctor needs to leave enough of the organ to support my body while the liver is recovering. At the moment, I don't have enough clear liver to leave and re-grow, and therefore if the surgery was conducted now I would go suffer liver failure. So last week, I went in for a smaller operation to increase the size of the tiny clear bit of liver I have!
The concept is incredibly clever, and sometimes I honestly believe I'm lucky that the cancer recurs here and not elsewhere in my body, as I'm not sure I would have so many options when it comes to surgery and treatment if another organ was infected instead.
Here's what they did... There are two 'tubes' that feed the liver, one on the damaged side of my liver, and one on the side which is clear. During the operation, known as Portal Vein Embolisation (PVE), the surgeons block the 'tube' (or portal venous flow) on the side of the liver which is damaged and diseased and this, in time, will cause that side of the liver to shrink. In turn the other (clear) side is forced to enlarge as it is made to work harder. By the time I have the main operation to remove the damaged part of liver, which will hopefully be in a month's time, the clear part of my liver will be bigger and stronger, and will be able to support my body after the surgery as it grows back to a normal size. The surgery left me sore and bruised for a few days, and uncomfortable for about a week (longer than I anticipated). My throat also hurt from the ventilator that was inserted to help me breathe while I was under the anaesthetic. But after having the operation in the morning, I was able to leave the hospital that evening, which meant I could recover at home where I was far more comfortable - the best place to be I reckon!
I'm very anxious about the next operation. It's a big one, and one I know I will take a while to recover from. But at least I have been given the chance to rid myself of this disease once again - a chance not many others are blessed with.
So, although it was frustrating to hear that the disease had returned, at least now they are able to remove all the damaged tissue, and the tumours. The benign tumours could become cancerous again at any point, and by removing them now that threat will be eradicated completely.
So perhaps these new tumours really are a blessing in disguise?
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