Save The Date!

January 20th will be the date of the surgery.

It will be at University of Pennsylvania Hospital.

Recap:

The type of surgery I need will depend on the length of the tumor. Another Flexible Bronchoscope will determine if the tumor stretches too close to the lower lobe of my right lung. Dr. Cooper, my surgeon at UPenn, will conduct a Flexible Bronchoscope before proceding with the surgery. The following are my options which will depend on the length of the tumor:

• If the tumor is ONLY in the middle lobe then the whole middle lobe will be removed.
• If the tumor is mostly in the middle lobe but also stretches to the lower lobe then the middle lobe will be removed and the lower lobe will be cut than patched back together, called a "sleeve".

Surgery outcome should...
Get rid of the tumor completely. My doctors do not believe this is a cancer that normally spreads but I will have check-ups for awhile.
Recovery outcome should...
Depending on the length of the tumor and the procedure that will be needed, about 5-10 days in the hospital. After leaving the hospital I will have an additional 4-6 weeks of recovery at home. The doctors told me that the first 3 weeks at home will probably be the worst as far as pain, tiredness, and feeling weak. I will not be able to lift more than 10 pounds for about 6 weeks after the surgery.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MY SURGERY PLEASE REFER TO THE PREVIOUS POSTS:

• TUESDAY, DECEMBER, 28 2010 - MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SURGICAL PROCEDURE
• MONDAY, DECEMBER 27 2010 - SURGERY OPTIONS FOR REMOVING THE TUMOR