Updates on Treatment

I am recovering from my enucleation surgery. We went to see the eye surgeon and she showed Carol how to put back my temporary prosthesis. I have now learned how to do it myself. I will have to wait 6-8 weeks before I can get a permanent prosthesis. In the meantime, I had my left eye class tinted.

Carol drove me up to the Cleveland Clinic last Wednesday. We went to the appointment Thursday morning to see the melanoma specialist, Dr. Ernest Borden. The Cleveland Clinic is one big hospital. Dr. Borden and his associate examined me thoroughly. He said that the treatment that I am receiving collectively in Columbus is the correct treatment. He repeated (like all of the other doctors) that my condition is very rare. He did request that I return in six weeks and have an MRI of my liver. He would like a comparison of the original MRI to determine if there is any change.

I have decided to change my oncology doctor. The new oncologist is with the Zangmeister center (sent me to Cleveland for consultation). I will be taking another round of Chemo treatment next week.

I have decided to return to work part time. I will be working about 4 hours a day for the most part, mostly from home.

Treatment update

I was admitted to the OSU Hospital Friday morning for the enucleation of my left eye and optic nerve. The surgery was scheduled to be 1.5 hours. The actual surgery was 3.5 hours. The surgeon identified a new tumor that she referred to as a nubbin. She removed the eye as well as the optic nerve, as much as possible. Dr. Benes viewed my eye socket with a microscope in an attempt to identify and remove as much of the disease as could be identified and remove. She also inserted a temporary prosthesis.

They moved me to the OSU Trauma center following the operation. My doctor wanted me to be monitored overnight. Our insurance would not cover a regular overnight hospital stay (shame on them). This caused confusion amongst the OSU hospital trauma staff (who brought me? where did I come from, who put in the IV? What happened to me? etc.). They did monitor me overnight. I was awakened by them once an hour so they could monitor my vital signs. Also, the guy in the bed next to me was in really bad pain. He had been involved in a farm tractor accident, it rolled over on him, broke his back and pelvis.

Saturday morning, Dr. Benes arrived with a package of eye patches that she picked up from Walgreens on the way in. Dr. Benes removed and replaced my bandages, as well as provided instructions to Carol for care of my eye.

This morning, as I was taking a shower, I accidentally removed my temporary eye prosthesis as I was trying to clean the area around my eye. Carol attempted to put it back. She could not. We called the doctor. The doctor said I could come to her office this week and she would put it back in.

I have a busy week with doctors. I will see my psychologist on Tuesday. On Thursday I will go to the Cleveland Clinic to see an oncologist that specializes in melanoma cancer. On Thursday I return to my new oncologist at the Zangmeister center.