I got this one this morning 
Good News!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hi, everyone -
I know you are anxious to hear how Ralph fared in his surgery today. I'm happy to report that things went as well if not better than hoped. It lasted four hours - a lot less than the 8-10 hours originally projected. The surgeons were able to remove all the cancer, they said, without complications. A portion of his colon, the "tail" of his pancreas, his entire spleen and about half of his stomach were removed. The stomach will stretch out after awhile, so eventually he should be able to eat normal portions again. He will be in the hospital for at least a week, with the first two days in ICU (with no visitors other than Susan). As soon as he's out the doctors will start an aggressive chemotherapy regimen to do everything they can to deter recurrence of the cancer. His surgeon told Susan to expect that he'll be a "sick cowboy" for quite awhile.
Van and I and several close friends waited with Susan today during the surgery, and she was feeling very positive about how things were working out with Ralph. The last two days had been very difficult for him, she said, as he was getting sicker and weaker and was starting to experience some pain. He was very relieved to arrive at the hospital this morning where he knew he would be getting help.
If you're in the Twin Cities and want to visit Ralph, you'll want to wait until at least the weekend. Also, please remember not to bring flowers or balloons as they are not permitted in the cancer recovery area. If you'd like to send him a card while he's there, the address is: North Memorial Medical Center, 3300 Oakdale Avenue North, Robbinsdale, MN 55422
That's all to report for now - I'll be in touch later this week. Thank you everyone for your continuing prayers for Ralph and Susan!
Kathy
Good News!!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hi, everyone -
I know you are anxious to hear how Ralph fared in his surgery today. I'm happy to report that things went as well if not better than hoped. It lasted four hours - a lot less than the 8-10 hours originally projected. The surgeons were able to remove all the cancer, they said, without complications. A portion of his colon, the "tail" of his pancreas, his entire spleen and about half of his stomach were removed. The stomach will stretch out after awhile, so eventually he should be able to eat normal portions again. He will be in the hospital for at least a week, with the first two days in ICU (with no visitors other than Susan). As soon as he's out the doctors will start an aggressive chemotherapy regimen to do everything they can to deter recurrence of the cancer. His surgeon told Susan to expect that he'll be a "sick cowboy" for quite awhile.
Van and I and several close friends waited with Susan today during the surgery, and she was feeling very positive about how things were working out with Ralph. The last two days had been very difficult for him, she said, as he was getting sicker and weaker and was starting to experience some pain. He was very relieved to arrive at the hospital this morning where he knew he would be getting help.
If you're in the Twin Cities and want to visit Ralph, you'll want to wait until at least the weekend. Also, please remember not to bring flowers or balloons as they are not permitted in the cancer recovery area. If you'd like to send him a card while he's there, the address is: North Memorial Medical Center, 3300 Oakdale Avenue North, Robbinsdale, MN 55422
That's all to report for now - I'll be in touch later this week. Thank you everyone for your continuing prayers for Ralph and Susan!
Kathy
