Update

Seems I need to write an update on recent goings-on.  Back in December I spent a couple nights in the ER with severe stomach problems.  An ultrasound in March revealed a gallbladder that needed to come out, and a question about one of my kidneys.  A CT scan several weeks ago showed no issue with my kidney, but an unknown mass mixed in with my guts.  My doctor made the right decision and referred me out of town.  Last Wednesday Nicole, Madeline and I flew down to Seattle, and Thursday we met with a surgeon at the U of W.  Friday I was back for another ultrasound-guided biopsy of the mass.  Saturday I was fast-tracked into surgery, where they removed the mass, my gallbladder, and various other parts, then did a quick repair on a surprise hernia they found before sewing me back up.  Today I was released from the hospital, and am spending some time in Seattle recovering before heading back to Sitka.  Turns out the mass and some of the other stuff they removed was cancerous, so now I get to live with that.  The doctors are pretty positive about the whole situation.  Just by pure chance this was caught during a different test, so that was a very good thing.  Long term I will most likely go through chemo, and probably have a lot more medical attention than I am used to.  Short term I seem to be missing a bunch of my innards and that hurts like hell.
I'm not going to include pictures with this post, if you really like seeing staple closed incisions come visit me in the next couple weeks, I've got a bunch to show off.