Rick Update

Rick sent me an email this morning with some more details on how his health is doing, and how it all went down. I figure that you might want it straight from him, so I'm just pasting it here. We're glad that he's doing well and hope he continues to improve!

Hi Amanda,

Just an update on my health condition, and some more facts for your blogspot. Everything happened quickly.

On 18 Feb I had bloody urine.

On 22 Feb I went to the ER with severe pain, and had a CT scan that revealed a tumor on my left kidney and penetrating part of my "vena cava", which goes to my heart.

On 23 Feb a bone scan showed my bones are clear of cancerous matter.

On 04 March I had surgery to remove the tumor, kidney and part of the vena cava.

I was discharged from the hospital on 10 March and am recovering at home. The doctor said to expect to be recovering at home for 6 weeks, as it will take a while to build up my strength. The biopsy on the tumor shows it is malignant. The surgeon is confident that he removed all the tumor and cancerous matter, but I will be meeting with an oncologist soon to discuss possible medicines to reduce the chance of recurrence of cancer. My surgeon hasn't talked about me taking chemo, so I think the medicine the oncologist will prescribe will be some kind of preventative measure.

I have 74 or 75 staples to hold the incision together. The incision is on my front abdominal area, and goes from my left side, up to my sternum, and down my right side. It's like a huge smiley face looking at me. The staples will be removed on 16 March.

Every day I feel a little stronger. Yesterday, I began taking short walks in front of our house, just to build up my strength.

What a busy year it has become.

Love you guys, Rick.