Good News!

As promised, the update on Amber. Yesterday's surgery went well!

Before they went in, the surgeons told Cary and Amber that it might be simply an exploratory surgery. They weren't sure what they would find, and weren't sure they'd be able to do anything once they made the incision and looked around. Fortunately, they were able to work wonders. Thank God some people grow up and want to be surgeons. I can't imagine ...

One of the biggest problems -- an obstruction in the small intestine -- was removed. They were able to take the mass out and reconnect the plumbing. Excellent news.

They couldn't remove all of the tumor in her abdomen because of its location, but they got a good portion. And, more good news, the mass is shrinking and appears to be dead. Chemo works.

For the next couple of weeks, Amber needs to rest and start eating again; the obstruction in the small intestine prevented her from eating. She's thin to begin with and lost 10 pounds, including muscle mass, so she needs to build up her strength for the next round of chemo. But she'll be able to go home with Cary! Yes!

Thanks for the prayers and good thoughts. Keep 'em coming! We're counting on a complete recovery for this cutie!

P.S. Literary sidenote: Yes. There are a whole lotta exclamation points in this post. The purists can gasp, but I feel exclamatory.
P.P.S. There actually is a creativity tip in this post too. Consider your subject line when you're sending an email or writing a post. By saying, "Good News!" in the title, I immediately let CI team members know Amber is OK.