Karen had a CT scan yesterday evening, and today we saw the oncologist. He confirmed what we had already suspected, the cancer around Karen's abdomen has grown since the last scan, since we took off for our trip. The area has become increasingly tender for her, and she has to be careful when bending over to pick something up or stretching to reach something, as bending and stretching hurts the area. The oncologist said there weren't any notable changes anywhere else, but we've also noticed her energy levels and fatigue seem to be getting worse, and she sometimes has random bouts of nausea. We had expected this to change while off chemotherapy, but it seems to be about the same.
The doctor suggested maybe having another surgery to remove the mass that is growing in her abdomen, and if she's going in for surgery, maybe another HIPEC. The surgeon who performed it last time seemed to think HIPEC was a one shot thing, and wouldn't be something we could do again, but perhaps something about the situation has changed, or perhaps new technology or studies have changed this. The oncologist said he would contact our surgeon and get his opinion. In the past we've found the surgeon to be very straightforward and honest. He manages to be both polite and blunt at the same time. So we've decided to make an appointment with him either way, just to hear his opinion on things.
As you can imagine Karen isn't excited about the idea of another surgery. The surgeon had said he only foresaw one more operation in her future, and worries the scar tissue from that surgery will make another surgery impractical. He says scar tissue is "sticky" and will adhere to her organs and intestines. Karen worries if it's put off too long, she might not be healthy enough for it. She's also worried, if it's put off, that the cancer will stick to more of her intestines and take more of them with it when it's finally removed. It's a lot to think about, and unfortunately, thinking about it doesn't do much good. Hopefully she can keep her mind on other things.
