From Vaughan
11 December 2015From Vaughan-
Fantastic news!
My lymph node results have come back.
I am cancer free & have extremely good margins. So no need for follow up radiotherapy / chemo. This is a huge relief for us all.
Im now back at home. The surgical staff, ICU, Ward nurses and everyone else at Mercy have been amazing. Stella Maris Ward nursing team Rock!
My body is still in highly catabolic state where it is consuming good tissue to try to repair the surgical sites - a quarter of my tongue is now made from inner forearm tissue & blood supply.
The size of the tongue is huge & its going to take a while for the swelling to subside.
Today is day 3 on puree foods. No Xmas ham or mince pies for me unless they go via a blender first smile emoticon
Inner forearm 'donor' site looks pretty gruesome at present (they call this the shark bite).
This will take 3 mths for the graft to stabilise - its the main risk area right now.
Skin graft site from leg - this is good - s.be stable in 2 weeks.
Ive dropped 10kgs in 9 days & they said don't be surprised if it keeps going down even tho Im drinking as many smoothies as i can. Amanda is making me some delicious puree meals!
Im going to unplug now & enjoy the next few months with family & loved ones & rebuild myself.
Amanda & I both deeply appreciate and have been overwhelmed by your support & assistance.
https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/help4vaughan
My deepest heartfelt thanks for your donations.
The comments and words of support were also good medicine for me- lying awake in pain at 2am , reading through everyones wishes gave me immense hope for the future and carried me though the dark moments.
Best wishes to you & your families. Looking forward to seeing you again 'In the '16'.
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01/01/1967