My surgery was completed as expected yesterday, and the cancer is out of my arm with good clean margins. They did an initial biopsy before they closed it back up, and the cancer appears to be completely gone from my arm. I still have the lung nodules, but I am very grateful to have the primary mass out and dealt with.

There weren’t any complications in the surgery, and they took 90% of my brachialis muscle, 50% of my bicep, and the nerve that allows the sensation of the backside of my forearm. The future function of my arm is still to be determined, but at a minimum, I should still be able to lift a few pounds and have a relatively normal functioning arm. The doctor seems to have a lot of hope that with some good physical therapy, I will be able to live a pretty normal life, just much weaker on my left side.

The doctor had me stay overnight in the hospital, which I initially was not a huge fan of, but it actually ended up being really good. I was there for about 24 hours and I’m now back at an Airbnb with my parents for the next week or two. My arm is in a sling and all wrapped up, but the doctor expects that I should be able to take the sling and the compression bandages off within the week. The only real restriction is the site of the stitches, and once the skin heals, I will be able to work on my full range of motion and rebuilding my strength.

I have a lot of respect for the doctor that performed the surgery, and when he came to check on me before the surgery, he asked if he could pray with me. Just based on his demeanor and his professional and humble attitude, I’ve been wondering this whole time if he was a believer, but now I know he is. It was really encouraging to know that so many people were praying for the doctor and surgery while the doctor was also praying for the surgery. God was very glorified through the surgery.

I’ve always loved to try new things. Between some of the unique job experiences I’ve had and different trips I’ve been on, I’ve gotten to experience a lot of things that have broadened my perspective. While there’s a lot of grief to be had in this whole process, it’s also a brand new and unexplored area for me. It’s grown my perspective a lot and my respect for the medical world. I wish I didn’t have to go through this, but there’s been a lot of cool things that I’ve gotten to see and some amazing people I’ve gotten to meet.

Thank you all for the continued prayers. It’s been so encouraging to hear of all the different people that have been praying for me and I really think it’s helped me keep a more positive outlook on everything. Please pray that the sutures would heal quickly and pain-free so that I can get to physical therapy and get back to a more normal function. While I’m saddened to have so much of my muscle removed, I’m very encouraged that the cancer in my arm is now behind me, and I can focus on the lung nodules and getting back to normal life.