The Good Fight

Mark was operated on late this morning and they got the tumor which was blocking two of his three airways into the right lung. They removed it with an instrument which they describe like a rooter and pulled it out. This was purely a surgical removal to open the clogged airway and does nothing to address the tumors that remain in Mark's lung. The procedure was considered a success although the instrument did cause a bit of bleeding when it scraped the wall of the lung. Mark had a horrible headache and was spitting up blood so the doctors and staff recommended that he stay overnight just to be extra cautious but they expect he will be fine after a night of monitoring.
He will return home tomorrow, Tuesday, and the doctors claim he will be recuperated and well enough to leave for the wedding Thursday afternoon. However, once all the wedding festivities are over, he will visit his oncologist, Dr. Aviles, and it is expected that he will begin a new regimen of chemo or back to erbitux and possibly radiation although Mark says he doesn't want to endure radiation again. The surgeons in Boston are already suggesting future procedures to follow chemo in case the tumor grows back in the airway again which they claim is very likely. So, it looks like there are options for all sorts of treatments in the future but for this week, we will focus on the happiness that Mike and Steph are bringing into our lives at this difficult time. We plan to forget the word "cancer" for the weekend and enjoy our time with family and friends celebrating the marriage in Newport!! We will all rally and plan to have fun!