Well, it has been 22 hours since they wheeled me down for surgery, and based on how I felt when I got back to my room here I can't believe that I'm up to this. But I figure it will make an interesting read for me once the Oxycodone wears off.

Surgery took 4-1/2 hours instead of the scheduled 3. Not sure why. They got good negative margins on the tonsilar tumor, and said the lymph nodes "looked good" - whatever that means. We are supposed to get the pathology results back on that Wednesday. This will be how we determine whether to add Cisplatin while undergoing the radiation treatments.

They are keeping me in here for tonight again, based on wanting to watch one edge of my tonsil incision. And it's probably a good idea because although I'm feeling a lot better than I did last night, it's still a little rough and wobbly. And by staying in here I am also de-stressing Deb, who won't have to worry about a midnight drive to the ER if I start to bleed.

As you guys who've been through this already know, my throat hurts like H-E double-toothpicks when I swallow. But swallowing I'm doing - some apple juice, some gelato, and a couple sips of chicken broth so far. With that progress they've taken me off the saline drip (yay!) and given me more mobility because I now know how to disconnect/reconnect the suction for my neck incision drain tube. So now I can pee without calling for a nurse. That bit of independence feels pretty good. The only downside to all of this is that with the IV drip removed I am having to swallow a lot more to keep hydrated, but I'm getting used to how to do that in a way that minimizes the pain.

I'm gonna' stop here because this is about the extent of my concentration at the moment. But I just wanted to check in with you guys and thank you for all the encouragement. It has made a big difference to me.