NED

Sorry about my previous rant. It is a coping mechanism that Clem and I refer to as "sick humor". Whenever things get really tough we have a tendancy to cope by making humorous and often sick jokes/stories. Clem has had a tough pain day and along with all the walking down the hall he has had his share of nausea too. It is really hard to watch on the sidelines when all you can do is be encouraging and rearrange his sheets.

Tonight has been especially hard. His GI tract seems to be working again however his epidural is not really cutting the pain. The nurses can't give him oral meds along with the epidural so he is having to just tough it out until the anesthesia dudes show up in the morning. Everyone here has been really helpful and responsive but if he can't find sleep soon I am going to call in the calvary. I can't stand seeing him suffer like this.

The Doctor was very positive this morning about the outcome of the surgery. It appears that Clem is in a state referred to in the medical field as NED which is an acronym for no evidence of disease. During surgery the Doctor searched extensively for other signs of disease and discovered nothing. He does believe however that the pathologists will find cancer in his lymph nodes. It is not a major factor in determining his cure rate it is his liver that will eventually determine his long range survival rate.

Right now NED is good enough for us. Pain free would be a welcome state too. Some days are minute by minute and today has been one of those days.