Well! When the doctor said this morning that we were in the home stretch, he wasn’t kidding. There’s no release date yet but the docs got together for a conversation today now that his main doctor is back in town and they decided he doesn’t need the procedure tomorrow to remove fluid after all. They believe they can get the job done with a medication instead so they started it this afternoon. Even though the procedure was minor enough that they can do it right in his room, everything comes with a risk so we’re glad this option was available instead. 

And there’s more good news. They finally took out the drain! Even though they could have sent Michael home with it still in place, not needing it at all is another sign that he’s recovering well. 

And there’s even more good news. A doctor who specializes in diabetes management came in for a chat so he could begin working on a plan for how Michael will manage his diabetes at home. It was a preliminary visit to get a total picture of what his life with diabetes was like before surgery, then the internist will meet with his team for input and come back tomorrow with suggestions and recommendations for when he goes home. They will also have a dietician stop by again with nutrition information that’s better tailored to him than the last visit when they didn’t yet have a clear picture of how his diabetes would show itself now that Michael’s entire pancreas is gone. 

How about some more good news? The best news so far, in fact. The final pathology report came back and the tumor has been confirmed as a Grade One all the way through it which, if you have to have a tumor, that’s just about the best grade to have. They removed dozens of lymph nodes as well, 26 I believe, and only one came back with a few cancer cells in it. The rest of the nodes were fine. The attending who shared the good news with us and was in the OR for the procedure said he expected a whole lot more infected nodes so that’s terrific in and of itself, but then also reiterated that a few lingering cells in a single node is not anything unexpected or concerning. Whether Michael will have follow up chemo or radiation is something his main surgeon will decide and let us know tomorrow. He wasn’t being evasive, he said that the main surgeon believes he got it all but wants to confirm that with pathology before we meet tomorrow because he likes to be thorough. 

Neither of us were expecting all the commotion today, but it’s been a day of happy surprises. To say Michael is glad that things are progressing faster would be an understatement because he’s really ready to be home. 

Tomorrow sounds like it will be a busy day for him but if this journey in Miami has taught us anything it’s to never assume or predict what’s around the next corner, so I won’t. I will say that we both feel very good about everything that unfolded today and are looking forward to what tomorrow holds. 

We know the lead surgeon will stop in tomorrow morning but that may happen before visiting hours so I’ve asked for permission to come to the unit early so I don’t miss him. I plan to post another update mid-morning but that’s dependent on who all wants to meet with us so if you don’t hear from me until later than usual, it doesn’t mean anything negative has come up. ❤️