September 16 appointment

It was an early morning as I left for Duke before 6 a.m.

The redeeming factor in the early start was I got to see a gorgeous sunrise on the drive.

I went to Duke today for my new patient/pre-op appointment with Dr. Sabino Zani, Jr. Duke’s website lists his areas of expertise as:

• Metastatic Disease

• Complex Biliary Surgery

• Robotic Surgery

• Liver Cancer

• Pancreatic Cancer

I check three of those boxes, so I am hopeful we’re a good fit!

This was a simple appointment with conversation and time for questions on both our parts.

A few key takeaways:
1) No dietary restrictions before the liver resection. I’m thankful that I have a healthy liver apart from the noted areas of concern.
2) He is cautious about the idea of my leaving the hospital same day. He said there's a possibility of needing to stay one or two days. There's a lot that is unknown until they have a clear view of the inside of my abdomen.
3) He believes I'll have 5 incisions, the largest being reserved for the portion of the liver being removed.
4) He did a rotation under Dr Rossi during residency, and they’ve now both commented to me that they work well together.

Today marks one more appointment down that brings me one step closer to surgery on October 22. There are still details to work out and a number of unanswered questions, but I feel like today was productive.

I even stopped at The Mad Boar for their Build Your Own Sides plate lunch, a great way to break up the long drive back home.

I was reminded today of an old hymn from my childhood. The words seems fitting.

“I don’t know about tomorrow,
I just live from day to day.
I don’t borrow from its sunshine,
For its skies may turn to gray.
I don’t worry o’er the future,
For I know what Jesus said,
And today I’ll walk beside Him,
For He knows what is ahead.

Many things about tomorrow,
I don’t seem to understand;
But I know who holds tomorrow,
And I know who holds my hand.”

— Ira Stanphill