This is our first shot at blogging. It seems like the most effective way to get news across as we go through this challenging season of our lives. I'm assuming that those of you who access this blog will know the basic situation of our cancer diagnosis and long wait for surgery.
We have been deeply moved by the number of people who have communicated with us letting us know of their concern and prayers. It is a huge encouragement to experience the love of friends at times like this.
Most of you will know that our surgery has been delayed for weeks because our BC health system is "stressed to near the breaking point," in the words of our GP. He has become a good friend and fierce advocate in our circumstances. His pressure brought word yesterday that we should expect the surgery to come late next week (between Oct. 8 and 10?).
Just a word about the type of surgery. It's called a "neck dissection". (Any similarities to your high school science lab classes are purely accurate.) The melanoma has affected an area on my right shoulder, causing a lump the size of a marble, and the lymph nodes on the right side of my neck. The surgery will excise these affected tissues.
I think that's enough of Ken pretending to be an MD for now. The irony is that, except for the lump, I have had no physical symptoms and can honestly say I'm feeling fine. There are going to be after effects of the surgery (some change of speech, loss of muscle on the right side, etc.) but putting off surgery is not an option for melanoma. So we wait, but with strong assurances that it won't be much longer. Talk to you again soon. KEN
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