The Surgery is on the Calendar!

I saw the surgeon today and learned that the whole lower lobe of my left lung will need to be removed..  The left lung has two lobes, the right lung has three lobes...the tumor is in the middle of the lower left lobe, so the whole thing needs to be removed.  I certainly didn't like hearing the procedure but it seems he will have to cut both the vein and the artery that comes from the heart to the lung and staple the ends...they will no longer be in use.  Then he will have to take the airway from the lower lobe and connect it to the upper lobe!!  Gives me the shakes just thinking about this!!  (So my question is this:  about the vein and artery with the staples at the end...are they just hanging there?...just wondering about that now...of course I didn't think of it at the time to ask the doctor.....)

The surgery is scheduled for Monday November 26 at 7:30 AM...at St. Vincent's in Portland, they have blocked three hours for the surgery and the hospital stay is 5 - 7 days!  I will have three incisions and he will have to 'spread' my ribs apart (not crack or break them) and because the ribs have nerve endings, I most likely will have pain radiate out from those incisions.  Sounds like a piece of cake, right?

But I am ready to move forward and both Scott and I really liked this doctor and have a lot of confidence in him...he is Italian, after all!!

Dina news:  you know the saying:  "No news is good news" and that is what I am going to report...although I guess I am telling you that there really is no news...for the most part she is feeling pretty good...she is trying to lay low as she has had a sore throat for the last two days.  She is already on antibiotics, so it most likely is just a virus, but she is keeping a close eye on her body and how she is feeling...and YES she has a very good thermometer and knows to call the doctor ASAP if she runs a fever.

She said yesterday that her scalp felt tingly...we are wondering if this is something that happens prior to the beginning of hair loss...she has her next treatment next Friday, Nov. 2...and so far she has no hair loss!

So that is the news from here for now...I guess I won't have any more news about me until December...but I will continue to keep you informed about Dina right up until I go into the hospital...hmmm, do you think I should get an Ipad to take with me to the hospital...kind of like a 'surgery gift'???  hint hint...anyone reading this???