Finally....

Waiting for Jim's biopsy results always brings on a little anxiety, at least on my part.  If we had bet on the outcome, my money would have been on one positive and one negative.  Jim's birthday came and went on Wednesday and still no news.... did I mention my anxiety?  Of course, being the loving spouse I am, that prompted me to ask, "What if they saw your birthdate in your file and decided to wait a day to give you the results?  Why bum you out on your birthday?"  He laughed and told me he would let me know as soon as he heard something.  Well, as luck would have it, his best birthday present came a day late.  BOTH spots were negative!!!  Hooray!!!  What a huge relief.  It truly was his turn for some good news.  

Jim is doing well.  Healing and finding humor in his recovery.  I have decided his stitches 'stache is definitely more Charlie Chaplin and not Hitler-esque at all.  What a goofball.  The stitches will come out next week, hopefully giving him a much needed break.

Jim's stitches. 7/29/15

What? No Whiskey???

Today has been a pretty typical summer day - a walk with the dog, kids at science camp, a hair cut, and oh yeah, Jim had surgery....again. That's starting to be a little too routine for us!  And, even though he made a special request, the doc still did not have whiskey for him!!  What is up with that?  I'm pretty sure it should be part of the frequent flyer program.  They could have punch cards like the coffee stands - at the lucky 7th surgery, free whiskey.  Sounds good, right?  Unfortunately, the only shots he received were painful and involved a needle.  UGH.

As for the surgery details, things went well.  The entire spot was removed in one layer, getting all the cancer in that location, and a skin graft was not needed.  YES!!!  In the following picture, the surgical spot is marked with the circle on Jim's pointer finger.  The circle at the base of his thumb and the opposite side of his palm were frozen.  The last two circles, by his middle finger and up on his wrist, were biopsied.  We should have the results of those biopsies next week.  

Jim's left hand.  7/22/15

In addition to the spots on his hand, the doctor froze a few spots on Jim's face and is watching a concerning spot on his other hand.  Jim will return in a couple of weeks to monitor his progress and have the stitches removed.

Jim is now home and resting, headed for a nap after his exciting morning.  Thanks for all the positive thoughts and well wishes.  Jim is doing well.  He's in the good spot - full belly, tired, and glad it is over.  Hopefully, he will do well this evening and overnight.  That's typically when things get a little bumpier for him, but we are getting to be pros at keeping him comfy and staying on type of the ice and meds.  

Jim - post surgery.  7/22/15