Here I sit, ten days after my last entry, recuperating from two successive weeks of surgery. Last Friday I spent two nights in the hospital at the University of California in San Francisco (UCSF), one of the best teaching hospitals in the country. The surgery occurred on Friday, October 10 and lasted about two and one-half hours. I was in the recovery room for about three hours. The surgeon, Dr. Norton, excised both the schwannoma in my leg and the lipoma in my shoulder blade, both on the left side. The stay in the hospital was made much less unpleasant by the kind and courteous staff, and, in spite of much pain, I remained comfortable. At one time, last Saturday, there were ten visitors at once!
Getting up the stairs on Sunday morning was no picnic. I had to sit on each stair and push myself up to the next one with my good leg. I couldn’t use crutches because of the lipoma incision. I’ve spent practically all of the last week lying in bed, doing mindful breathing, reading, and trying to get some work done. There was a lot of excitement this week, as Network General and McAfee are merging, and I missed all of the parties and announcements. On Thursday, I finally went out to see Dr. Norton, and yesterday I managed one half-hour sitting by the water in Sausalito. Dr. Norton said that the preliminary report on both biopsies was that they were benign.
I’ve had a mild case of post-operative depression, as I feel much like an invalid, having to use a walker or crutches to get around. Everything is starting to move forward now, however, and I expect to take part in some social activities this weekend. Wednesday, I see Dr. Norton and perhaps have the first of a series of BCG treatments in my bladder.