Well....that was easy?

Back home in Buffalo after the plaque radiation in Cleveland. It certainly feels good to be home - back in familiar surroundings, my animals are around me, and my freedom of movement from room to room has returned as has much of my energy. What has not returned is my eyesight. I just took the patch off from surgery to do my first treatment at home with the medicated eye drops and the antibiotic cream. Big time double vision in my right eye. I couldn't close it fast enough after getting it open! I'll spare a lot of the details other than to say the eye is very red...not much white to see, and there seems to be a lot going on over in the corner of my eye near my temple. That must be where the stitches are. There is certainly something there because that area seems swollen. Anyway - the clean patch feels good on my eye now.

The hospital visit was not so bad. Graham and I arrived a day early and settled into the hotel that would become his new home for the next four days while I lived in the hospital. We started our adventure by taking a walk around the Cleveland Clinic campus: from the hotel to the Cole Eye Institute and various other points of interest. We ended our last night together with a fancy French dinner at L'Albatros. It was a great meal! I started with the French Onion Soup, we split a chopped salad, three different types of cheeses ranging from soft to hard and light in flavor to funky, steak frites for dinner and then a brownie for dessert. Oh...and a bottle of Malbec and a decaf cappuccino! Gluttony has always been my favorite vice, and I made my mother proud by finishing all of my dinner. After all, I wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything until after my surgery the next day.

The following morning, I sit around in anticipation while my family is all en route to Cleveland from various parts of Indiana - my sister and brother-in-law traveling the furthest distance from Indianapolis, while my parents had a marginally shorter trip from Bristol. Everyone was descending upon the Cleveland Clinic Guest House, where we would spend a few short moments together before heading over to get me ready for surgery. My parents were the first to arrive, followed shortly by Juli & Ben...and then it was time walk over to the eye center.

It was a beautiful day in Cleveland...especially for January 6th...temperatures nearing the 50 degree mark! We arrive at the Cole Eye Institute, and Graham and I are quickly sent back for pre-admission screening. Basically, they gathered my insurance information, advance directives, and got me entered into the system for the surgery. We met with the seductively foreign Anka, a woman whose role and position within the hospital continues to elude me, and sign the paperwork to participate in the medical study which will determine how likely my cancer is to metastasize. We are told to expect the results in 7-10 days.

Shortly thereafter, I am called back to the surgical area to get hooked up to all of the machines and changed into my hospital gown. Graham joins me for this part and I am later joined by the rest of my family. I met with all of the doctors and nurses who will be working on me, answer a whole series of questions, get my IV inserted and am all set to go! I find out that I will be receiving Propofol - made famous by Michael Jackson. Woo hoo! I get a quick shot and wake up completely confused 45 minutes later. Graham and my Dad are standing by my side in the recovery room, and after a few foolish moments induced by sedation, I come to a quick realization that I am in a fair amount of pain. Percocet to the rescue, and I am transported to my private hospital room where I will spend the next four days.

The room is nice - the nurses are attentive - the food staff is always making me laugh - and I've got my two favorite guys by my side at all times. While the nurses were certainly capable of doing their jobs, I had the best two back-up nurses in Graham and Dad that anyone could ask for. I won't go into great detail about each day in the hospital other than to say that as time wore on, the radiation and pain caused me to lose more and more energy. My days were brightened by visits from a couple of friends, phone calls and text messages from many others and the return of my mom and sister to Cleveland for a visit. Throughout this entire ordeal, I am completely indebted to Graham and Dad - those two had a mission at which they were entirely successful - their purpose seemed to be to make me feel loved and not alone in this journey, and my heart feels so big when I think of the comfort it gave me to know that they were either in my room at all times, or were within reach. I felt safe with these two watching over me.

The second surgery had its share of fun - more Propofol, more silliness from me as I'm coming out from under its spell, more realization of pain, but the best part about the second surgery was that I got to go home afterwards. Feeling the outside air on my skin was a welcome reminder of being alive -  something that is easy to forget when your days are spent lying in a hospital bed in a room from which you cannot leave.

So, now the healing begins. I return on the 19th to Cleveland for a follow-up visit with Dr. Singh. We should also learn the results of my genetic study at that time, if not sooner. Until then, scores of bad television shows will be watched....Graham will be thoroughly reminded of my presence....and I will remain positive and optimistic that the best is yet to come.