unTIL the TILS grow and the dutch surgeons

Alex and I just came back from Amsterdam, and though the cat pissed everywhere and it stinks I really love being back home....

So: the surgery for harvesting the TILS went really well. Alex came with me which made the whole thing less "medical", his dry sense of humor and purpose of getting good food even before surgery, made sure we remembered that it is not ALL about cancer...he even wanted to drag me to a museum after surgery but I told him it would be a bit much :)

As planned thursday at 7am, I finally got the see the 4B ward at NKI where I will be lodging during the TIL treatment. The surgical team I had that day was awesome, not to mention I had too young surgeons that looked straight out of a calvin klein underwear catalogue, I mean seriously....how can one be operated in those conditions?

Ok, so they were fully dressed....the female nurses were also very pretty and they were all there holding my hands and being all nice, so I felt somehow I was at least in "very good looking" hands.

Then a more rational part of me woke up and I told them my surgeon was watching them....so they better not mess up too much with his Frankenstein work (yes I have had about 20 tumors removed in 5 years so I am a surgical piece of art)!!!!

 
Then they all gathered around me and explained in lengthy detail what they would do while I was being nicely drugged and I just was laughing at the situation while I pictured Hawaii. I woke up feeling great in a wonderful recovery full of windows and sunlight, I was full of energy as every time I come out (this must be some sort of like "ok, once again I survived general anesthesia!" highs).

I was brought back to my room and immediately shown the huge 10-12cm scar - with no bandages! yes this is the cultural specialty all glue no bandages - and told I should stay the night to make sure I recovered fine...I was not prepared for this but Alex was happy to go back "window drooling" while I became better acquainted with the ward, the room, the nurses, the small cafeteria for patients and I guess just the whole cultural differences of patient/carer relations. I actually REALLY like the dutch....

So I had calvin klein model surgeon show up later on and most importanly Prof Haanen who told me he had looked at the CT scan I had just done on tuesday and that though there are progression sites growing it all is "ok", whatever that means I do not really want to know more at this stage. He just really emphasized now the TILS must grow. He reminded me for now they have 100% success rate growing the TILS, that the lab had received my tumor (tennis size ball no less) in very good condition and that within a week to 10 days we would really know for sure if all goes according to plan. The suspense is I guess part of the treatment...so we all now wait and send good vibes to the TILS. If all goes well we will go back for leucapheresis april 4th to collect food for the TILS from my blood.

Alex and I are thinking of taking the kids up to Amsterdam then to show them around a bit and start "desensitizing" them for the whole thing.

I am really tired but do not want to sign off without saying that the fundraising is going extremely well and that we want to thank everyone who continues supporting us also with catsitting, babysitting, texting love, my resseguier work life support, colleagues voting for my final entry as a ULB official "titulaire", people sending me lovely cards and emails and just all the boundless unconditional love!!!! and last but not least the delicious bears from bern, we just LOVED them!!!!!! thank you thank you thank you.....