January Update

For those of you who still check the blog, I know it has been since November since I updated. We had a great Thanksgiving and wonderful Christmas! A week or so before Thanksgiving Dad started having some pain in his neck right around the scar tissue from the original surgery. We decided to watch it and hope that it was scar tissue and/or muscle pain as the scar is right along the neck where he turns his head. After the holidays it was still there and seemed swollen and caused a lot of pain so he decided to call Dr. Holmes. We had an appointment on January 4 already scheduled so he said we could just wait until then and he would look at it. Upon first looking at it, he thought there was a great deal of scar tissue located on the nerve that leads down his neck and shoulder and that could be causing the pain. He also felt a small mass underneath and wanted to do a biopsy. While doing the biopsy he discovered there was a lot of infection in the area which could also have contributed to the swollen area and the pain. He prescribed him a muscle relaxer and an antibiotic while we waited for the biopsy results. One week later the biopsy came back and it wasn't the news we wanted to hear. It appears the cancer was trying to come back again. Thank God for the signs that something isn't right and we get to the doctor to check it out. It was not the news that we wanted to hear, but at least we now know and we can do something about it. Surgery is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 19th at St. Vincents. The surgery will be at 11:00 and Dad will stay overnight for observation and pain management. Dad had a PET scan last week so Dr. Holmes would know exactly what he is going in to get. As of tonight (Monday) we have not received a report about the PET scan but hope that it was the small mass that we suspected and nothing else. Hopefully, Dr. Holmes will go over that with us in the morning. Please pray for good news there. Pray that the mass is small and easily removed. Pray for Dr. Holmes and the other doctors and nurses involved in tomorrow's surgery. Pray that the surgery go as planned and for complete healing. We pray that when Dr. Holmes comes out after surgery that he reports that the cancer was self contained and completely removed. We will also pray that Dad feels good really quickly after the procedure. I will post as soon after the surgery as possible. Thank you all!

Update

Didn't know how many people still checked here for updates, but for those of you who do, I wanted to "update" you. Dad had an appointment with Dr. Holmes yesterday to check up on the healing process and to remove a bridge on the lower left side that had some infection. There apparently was some infection under the gum where a bridge had been put in that had nothing to do with the cancer and his previous surgery. It was just decided a while back that this could take a back seat and be taken care of after the more pertinent things were dealt with and some healing had occurred. So, yesterday was the day for that. He was sedated in the office and we were back home in a few hours. He is doing well and all is good. Dr. Holmes told him to be patient and continue healing for the next 8 weeks. At that time we should be able to schedule another PET scan. He still wants a clear PET scan and another 6 months before starting any type of reconstruction. He said if Dad "pressures" him for teeth at that point he will work with the prosthetic dentist and get at least something temporary and good looking going! ( I am thinking he should expect that "pressure"!) So remember Dad in your prayers. Send up praise for the healing that is taking place. Pray for continued healing, a clear PET scan and progress toward reconstruction. Thanks to all of you who continue to check on him and our family. We are so grateful!

Dr. Holmes Appointment

Mom, Dad and I took off to Birmingham this morning for a check up with Dr. Holmes. He removed the splint from dad's mouth today (dad is so grateful for that!). He will be really sore and a bit irritated in his mouth for a few weeks until it heals. We will go back in 8 weeks and he will have one more tooth removed that has some infection...TOTALLY unrelated to any of the cancer, just needs to come out before we move on with more permanent reconstruction. Until then, just healing and waiting. Pray and give God the glory for what he has done so far. We pray for continued healing, dad's ability to eat more and more, weight gain and for the cancer to stay away! The pathology report from the surgery two weeks ago came back over the weekend and it was all good news! We were scheduled to have a PET scan sometime this month (our 2nd one since the major surgery) but Dr. Holmes wants to postpone due to all the activity in his mouth right now with this last surgery and all the healing going on. He believes it would not be accurate at this time. I will let everyone know when that is.

It has been one year Friday since the diagnosis. We are so blessed with the outpouring of prayer and concern for Papa and our family. Thanks to all of you. We ask for your continued prayers as we move through this healing and reconstruction phase. God is so good all the time and we are so blessed.

Michelle

surgery

Dad is out and the surgery went well. Dr. Holmes was very upbeat about the whole thing and said the cancer was very small and the margins were all clear. He did loose several more teeth and has a temporary splint placed in his mouth much like wearing a retainer. It will be removed in about 3 weeks. We are waiting while he is in recovery. I will post an update later. Just wanted to let you all know! ~Michelle

Surgery info

As we go through this long weekend and say good-bye to summer, I wanted to remind all of you to be in prayer for the surgery this coming Tuesday (September 8). We will be at St. Vincents with Dr. Holmes and the surgery is scheduled for 12:30. Pray for the cancer to be completely and easily removed. Pray for peace for all of us and quick recovery for Dad. Thank you! I will post Tuesday evening to let everybody know how things went. ~Michelle

Surgery Date

It has been several months since the blog update and I have had several requests to get it going again so here it goes! Dad has spent the summer healing, working, eating and having check ups. At his last check up Dr. Holmes mentioned that he may be able to get a temporary set of teeth to wear while everything heals and he waits for the desired end result..implants. Well, as of last week he had his last appointment in Huntsville to have the temporary made and went today to actually get his teeth. Although a bit awkward at the moment...I think he will get used to them and learn to like the way if feels soon. More on that in a moment.

Most of you may have heard by now that dad has another spot on his right side that needs to be removed. He wanted to have his teeth cleaned a couple of weeks ago and Dr. Holmes said it would be fine to do this. Dr. Bishop cleaned his teeth and did a thorough examination of his mouth. In doing so he found a small spot that just deserved to be looked at. We went to Birmingham the next morning to have Dr. Holmes take a look at it. He knew at first glance that is was suspicious and deserved a biopsy. Indeed it came back last week positive for squamous cell cancer. It is a small localized area which can be removed in an outpatient surgery. We are so thankful that he wanted to get his teeth cleaned! Small blessings!!!

The surgery is scheduled for September 8 at St. Vincents sometime around 10:30. It should only take about 45 minutes to remove the spot. The real downside to this is that it may cause dad to loose two or three more teeth. That is hard for him to take. I believe that a small part of the roof of his mouth will be taken out too. Dr. Holmes will place a plastic stint in there which apparently stays while it heals. There has been no talk of further treatment (like chemo or radiation) once the spot is removed. So continue to pray for this whole situation. We know that God is in control and he will handle it all in His way. Everybody is in good spirits about and ready to face this next step. Thank you all for your calls and support. I believe a couple of good meals have ended up in his lap as well. Both he and mom surely appreciate that!

One more thing...the prosthetic had already been in the process of being made when we found out this news. He talked to the doctor about it today and he seems to think that it won't be a problem to add more teeth to the piece should they need to after the surgery. Yeah!! So until the surgery he can wear the temporary that he has now and then hopefully fix it right up as soon as the next spot heals.

God is good ALL the time! I will be in touch after the surgery. Until then we ask for your prayers.

Michelle

Check up with Dr. Holmes

Today we went to Birmingham for Dad's first check up with Dr. Holmes since the radiation and chemo treatments have been completed. It went very well and Dr. Holmes seemed pleased with all that is going on. He thought the flap looked wonderful and is healing as it should. Dad gave him details about how he was feeling and he told us again that this healing would be a very long process. He actually looked shocked that Dad works and does as much as he does. Dr. Holmes told Dad that it generally takes 24 months after any type of radiation to heal and feel completely back to normal. I know from the look on Dad's face that it seemed like FOREVER, but I can see that being true and I am sure it will pass before we know it. He also told Dad that he thought the first PET scan was done a little premature and that he would have expected it to show some suspicious activity in the tumor area because the treatments were so recent. If something suspicious had shown up, he would have ignored it having been so early after the treatments. However, as you know, the PET scan even done a little early showed "all clear" and Dr. Holmes declared it "a good base line" and he was happy with that. Dad still has a lot of numbness and dryness in and around his mouth. All this is to be expected and will heal and get better with time. Now, for the big part. Reconstruction cannot take place until at lease one year after treatments are completed and a couple of PET scans have been done to monitor for recurrence. Our next one will be in 4 to 6 months. Please continue to pray that the cancer is gone and the healing continues. I KNOW it will be! When Dad actually heard that reconstruction wouldn't be possible until a year from now, you could see the disappointment. I would not like that either. However, the good news is that he wants to see Dad back in 8 weeks to monitor his weight and mucous healing. ( I am thinking that he was talking about the dry mouth issue!) If he is consistently gaining weight and the mouth has continued to improve Dr. Holmes would like to set him up with a dental specialist to make him a temporary prosthesis type mouth piece which would give him some teeth!!! That would be so great. This is the reason he tried to save the one tooth in the back of the mouth. He has warned Dad that he may eventually loose that tooth as well, but for now it is the "hook" he will need to hold a temporary. Although the temporary would not provide him any "function", it would give him something to fill the space until reconstruction. Yeah! Please pray with us that all of that works out and goes smoothly.

Until then, Dad is to keep EATING and trying to gain weight...and keep healing. His appointment is July 16th to see about the temporary. Thank you all again for your constant support, prayers and love.