[nfb-talk] Update on cancer

[Sarah Baughn]

Joseph, thanks for the update, and prayers are still ongoing.  Get well 
soon.
Sarah
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "T. Joseph Carter" <carter.tjoseph at gmail.com>
To: <nfb-or at nfbnet.org>; <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, July 15, 2010 8:36 PM
Subject: [nfb-talk] Update on cancer


> Hi everyone,
>
> Some of the major details seem to be suffering from a game of telephone, 
> so before giving an update I probably need to recap the major details:  On 
> June 21st, I was diagnosed with a soft tissue sarcoma, a pretty rare form 
> of cancer most doctors have never seen, and therefore don't recognize when 
> they encounter it.
>
> I'm finding that many soft tissue sarcoma survivors have stories about the 
> medical adventure around trying to treat whatever the doctors thought they 
> were dealing with before they discovered the cancer.  I was no exception, 
> with doctors cutting a hole in my right lower back to remove the "cyst" or 
> "abscess" this was thought to be.
>
> So by the time it was diagnosed on the 21st, the tumor had grown to fill 
> the hole, and had begun growing out of it!  So, 32 days after my 32nd 
> birthday, there I am calling the sarcoma specialist's office in a panic. 
> We did what we could do dress the tumor until we could arrange the tests 
> needed to determine the best treatment approach, which turned out to begin 
> with surgery.
>
> I had that on the 8th, where the doctors cut out a blob roughly the size 
> of a six inch cube.  I was only released from the hospital today after 
> issue related to this thing I've got called a wound vac.  Basically they 
> left part of the operating site open and put a vacuum sealed dressing over 
> it that connects to a machine that constantly drains it.  This reduces the 
> mess and chances for infection a bit, but requires care and feeding of the 
> machine.  Plus dressing changes hurt a LOT, but that'd be true regardless 
> of the vac!
>
> We have the pathology results back, and thankfully the tissue around the 
> edges of the blob has no sign of cancer cells!  I'm still on heavy pain 
> medication, so you can expect me not to be great conversation if you tried 
> to call me right now!
>
> I'll be staying here a home quite a bit then to recover.  I don't plan to 
> go anywhere for while, and then just the doctor's office.
>
> That's all for now!  Take care everyone!
>
> Joseph
>
>
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