The article discusses an experimental program at Memorial Sloan Kettering aimed at helping "cancer patients find a sense of meaning, peace and purpose in their lives, even as the end approaches." The program is based in part on the writings of Victor Frankl, specifically Man's Search for Meaning. As I have written previously in this blog, particularly on March 20, one of my first thoughts when I got my cancer diagnosis was to go home and start re-reading Frankl to help structure my thinking about my short remaining lifespan. I count myself as fortunate that I had read this book, and therefore was aware of it as a resource, prior to my diagnosis.
Today, I spent the day at MSK having my liver and general condition tested and examined. It seems that the right lobe of my liver is atrophying and the left lobe of my liver is growing in line with expectations. Moreover, even though I am appalled at my loss of condition this calendar year, the doctors and nurses seem to think that I am rebounding exceptionally well from my first surgery. Thus, the tentative August 3 date for my next surgery is now a firm target.
The doctors and nurses cannot figure out what caused the skin around, and particularly below, my surgical incision to become hypersensitive, then peel and become pink and itchy. The best guess seems to be that the trauma of the surgery triggered a mild case of shingles--a mild case because I had been vaccinated for shingles. Whatever caused this condition, it seems to be running its course and is now only a minor irritation. I am hoping that the next surgery will not cause it to flare up again, as a mere touch of cloth to my abdominal region was difficult to bear, which interfered with my sleep and added to my pain when forcing myself to walk for exercise.
