update after surgery from hospital

Hello Friends,

Thanks to everyone that has come over, called, e-mailed or sent a letter. It is has been great to hear from everyone, and all the small pinkie toe jokes have really made me smile. I want to thank Sarah for bringing the twins to the hospital to see me, I still have a big smile on my face!

And a special thanks to everyone that has contributed financially, it really is going to come in handy since its going to be about 3 months before am able to be back on my feet (minus my pinkie toe, ha, ha).

I had my surgery on Monday (August 31), and everything went very well. They thought they might have to cut more than the pinkie toe at first but as it turns out it was only the pinkie toe and a small portion of the foot, to balance the rest of the foot. They think they have removed all or most of the infected bone. I have been on intravenous antibiotics for about 17 days, and will probably be on them for six more weeks. I do not have to spend all six weeks in the hospital but because of the Chemo treatment I took in the past, my immune system is compromised. For this reason the doctors are being extra cautious and they do not want me to leave until the infection is completely under control, and the wound is on its way to healing. So I will probably be in the hospital for another 7 days. Then when I go home I will be on intravenous antibiotics for another six weeks. It is a great thing that Revolution DVD is now online, and I can watch it when I have time.

The stay in the hospital has not been so bad, my old roommate was an interesting woman, who had a lot of experience with police brutality and was glad to hear about Oct. 22 and came back to visit me to tell me she really liked Revolution Newspaper. The nurses on my floor all know about Revolution Books, and think it is "the craziest" thing for me to be a communist, given all the anti-communist slander they have heard. And from a scientific point of view, this infection and the cure is completely fascinating. The infection disease doctor thinks its great, that I say "well I have a lot of faith in science" when he explains the next step in the treatment.

Thanks, again for your calls, e-mails and visits, and I will send another follow up when things change. I have been moved to the 17th floor (which is an isolation floor) to room 1701. You have to wear gloves and a gown when you come in the room. Am not contagious and you are not in danger of catching anything, it is a precaution mostly for other patients that also have a compromised immune system because of Chemo. Oh, yeah I almost forgot my room phone number is 212-639-4555 or you can try my cell phone.

Hope to see or hear from you soon,
Quetzal

PS. If you want to contribute financially you can send a check made out to my sister Maria Ceja to 530 west 157th street Apt. 2D, New York, New York 10032....Thanks

Good and Bad News August 15, 2009

Hi Everyone,

I would first like to thank everyone that came to my birthday party, called me, text me, and e-mailed a birthday wish. Those who came I hope you enjoyed the tamales and cake. I loved the collective gift of the kindle!! It will go to great use believe me. And the Many flowers made my living room radiant for days. Thank you all!

Now, I would like to share with you the great news about my battle with cancer. The test showed that the spots on my lungs and the tumor in my pelvic are very small. Which means the medicine is working, it is getting rid of the cancer. I will continue on the pill and get a new test in three months. This means no chemo or radiation for now. It is extremely great news!

Unfortunately along with these great news I have to let you know that I have been in the hospital for the past week because of a bone infection on my foot. It is a serious infection that has been going on for a couple of months, but because the chemo caused severe neurapathy in my legs, I have not been aware of it at all. It was actually a "lucky" thing that I also got a skin infection on my foot last Tuesday, which brought me to the emergency room, and they were able to do a MRI and find the bone infection.

To make a long story short, or to get to the point. The next time you guys will see me I will have 9 toes instead of ten. In order for the infection to stop and not contaminate my whole foot, they will have to amputate my pinkie toe. I will still be able to walk, and the recovery is about a month.

It is a bit shocking, but it is the most aggressive way to deal with the infection, and I will just not be able to do any pinkie toe activities any more (can't think of any right know but am sure there are some, ha, ha). Am in great spirits and feel like this is the best treatment. Science is a great thing. The concept of evolution has helped develop antibiotics that can stop bacteria from destroying a body. This whole experience has given me a whole new reason to fight against the attacks on evolution and science. Being able to have as much as possible a scientific understanding of the infection, has given me the strength to make the right decision on treatment.

Am at Memorial Sloan Kettern and will be here for another 7 or ten days on antibiotics. If your thinking of sending flowers I would rather you send money since I will be out of work for about a month. You can send a check to Maria Ceja (my sister) and mail it to 530 west 157th street Apt. 2D, New York, New York 10032. Or you can just send a card with your thoughts I would love to hear from you. Am in room 1032 on the 10th floor, and my number here is 212-639-4285. I also have my cell phone with me.

Looking forward to seeing you all soon,

Quetzal