My hair is growing back. There’s a light fuzz on my head, stubble on my legs, and yes, three whiskers on my chin so far. I wonder how far it will get before my next rounds of chemo make it all fall out again…

The pain from the surgery itself is mostly gone, Unfortunately, the cadaveric spacer scapula has … /shifted/. It’s sticking out about an inch and a half on the top of my shoulder, and the head of the humerus swings forward and back in a way that won’t be tamed by any conformation of the sling I’ve got. There are no comfortable positions. Walking or riding in the car causes shifting that quickly ramps up the constant discomfort into a sharp cramping pain. Rather than the broken shoulder I had before, I suppose now I’ve got one that’s permanently out of joint.

Yesterday, my oncologist said he wasn’t planning anymore chemo, since the margins were so clean and I reacted so badly to it. I didn’t really listen to the part where he said, “depending on the decision by the tumor board.”

The tumor board met this morning, and is of the collective opinion that I need 3 more rounds of chemo after the reconstructive surgery. My oncologist actually sought me out where I was waiting at the surgeon’s office for my post-op checkup to tell me in person.

Pathology came back from the most recent surgery, and the margins all came back negative. I should hope so, since they clipped off an inch or so from my clavicle, just to be sure. The drain stays for another week, but it doesn’t bother me too much. They also said I could start taking my elbow out of the sling to stretch it as long as I was careful not to engage the shoulder. That’s an improvement. Still sleeping a lot.

I’m home. I ache. I’ve got a drain still in (Sarah is fascinated by it). It was heartening to see all the well wishes when I got home. Thanks guys. Trying to find a comfortable position on the new couch…

Is my shoulder more sore because the tumor is growing, or because they *told* me it was?

TMI! While parts of my face remain naturally furry, the hair has fallen out of other parts of my face. Those parts of my face feel a bit like rubber. On the bright side, the chemo killed all my whiskers. (I knew it wasn’t my imagination that those suckers were ‘fast growing’.)

Saw the surgeon today. Had to wait over an hour (why is that considered normal?). The tumor has grown a little bit, according to the most recent MRI. The chemo may or may not have slowed it down.

Re Fancy Drug Trial: It’s only Phase 1. That makes it a lot less attractive. Also, given that it’s already grown a little bit despite being exposed to some of the most toxic substances deliberately given to humans, we’re more inclined to just want it out.
Re WTF Scapula Not Done Yet: The surgeon is going to meet directly with the company on Friday, and ask if I can be jumped the queue, since cancer patients aren’t considered as having ‘elective’ surgery.
Re Resection w/o Reconstruction: Yes the arm just hangs there (shudder), but you can still use the hand and forearm.

Ugh. The hospital just called to tell me the chrome scapula won’t be ready until mid-January, did I still want to keep my resection date of 12/5? Ugh! No. We’re meeting with the surgeon tomorrow to go over it.

The CT scan of my chest was clear yesterday, okaying me for surgery (still no metastases). Tomorrow we do an MRI so they get a clearer idea of where all the cutting will be taking place. The surgery might take place as early as 12/5, but there’s some confusion over whether they’ve finished making the scapula yet (which might be made out of cobalt chrome). I’m still having trouble with reflux, but Damon’s magic potion of baking soda gets me through meals fine.