Cancer redux
Jan. 5th, 2009 11:50 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chronicpaintOtherwise known as "Why you are looking at pictures of my naked, flabby ass"
A couple of the questions in the comments on the pictures made me realize that some of you may not actually know the cancer story.
In 2000, I was diagnosed with Synovial Sarcoma, (the cancer that killed actor, Robert Urich) a very rare soft tissue cancer, in my left knee. The tumour was about 6 centimetres when they caught it. I did 5 weeks of radiation (while still working in the book store) In May of that year, I had an 8 hour surgery that removed the joint (except for the front face of the kneecap) and about 30% of my quad. The replaced it with something called Kotz Prosthesis, and took a muscle flap from my calf to cover it, then took a skin graft from my thigh to cover it. Was in the hospital for three weeks, got an infection that required weeks of IV antibiotics to treat, then was on crutches for three months, unable to bear weight on the leg. It took 4 months of physio, 2 hours a day, 5 days a week to learn to walk again and then another 5 months of tapering off physio to regain about 60 degrees of bend.
On my one year anniversary, they found 8 tumours in my lungs. I had fifteen weeks of aggressive chemotherapy (I was hairless and kind of yellow-ish when the WTC went down) then they cracked my chest open and removed the tumours. Less than a year after that, they found another tumour and I had another surgery. About nine months after that, they found another in a different spot and had to go through my back to get it (hence the scar y'all were asking about) The tumour turned out to be too close to the vital structures of the lung itself, so they had to remove the lower lobe entirely.
Few months after that, I had to have a revision on the knee (they thought the polyethylene bushing was going, but it turned out to be the upper stem which hadn't bonded properly) As it turns out, there was just enough bone damage from the radiation to prevent the proper healing, so I've had ongoing issues. Hence the crutch. But since I can function and there am not in severe pain, we are not making any changes as to fix the prosthesis would require everything coming out and starting from scratch. And if there's another infection or other issues, the leg would come off entirely.
But in October, I celebrated my five year anniversary clean of cancer, so I'm officially cured
And now you're up to speed
A couple of the questions in the comments on the pictures made me realize that some of you may not actually know the cancer story.
In 2000, I was diagnosed with Synovial Sarcoma, (the cancer that killed actor, Robert Urich) a very rare soft tissue cancer, in my left knee. The tumour was about 6 centimetres when they caught it. I did 5 weeks of radiation (while still working in the book store) In May of that year, I had an 8 hour surgery that removed the joint (except for the front face of the kneecap) and about 30% of my quad. The replaced it with something called Kotz Prosthesis, and took a muscle flap from my calf to cover it, then took a skin graft from my thigh to cover it. Was in the hospital for three weeks, got an infection that required weeks of IV antibiotics to treat, then was on crutches for three months, unable to bear weight on the leg. It took 4 months of physio, 2 hours a day, 5 days a week to learn to walk again and then another 5 months of tapering off physio to regain about 60 degrees of bend.
On my one year anniversary, they found 8 tumours in my lungs. I had fifteen weeks of aggressive chemotherapy (I was hairless and kind of yellow-ish when the WTC went down) then they cracked my chest open and removed the tumours. Less than a year after that, they found another tumour and I had another surgery. About nine months after that, they found another in a different spot and had to go through my back to get it (hence the scar y'all were asking about) The tumour turned out to be too close to the vital structures of the lung itself, so they had to remove the lower lobe entirely.
Few months after that, I had to have a revision on the knee (they thought the polyethylene bushing was going, but it turned out to be the upper stem which hadn't bonded properly) As it turns out, there was just enough bone damage from the radiation to prevent the proper healing, so I've had ongoing issues. Hence the crutch. But since I can function and there am not in severe pain, we are not making any changes as to fix the prosthesis would require everything coming out and starting from scratch. And if there's another infection or other issues, the leg would come off entirely.
But in October, I celebrated my five year anniversary clean of cancer, so I'm officially cured
And now you're up to speed