How's Mike?

One Month Out

2007-05-02T23:32:00.000-07:00

Hi there. Mike here...

It's been a month since the surgery, so I thought I'd just post a little update. My recovery is going slowly but surely; I feel a little better almost every day. When I think of the state I was in at this time on April 2, well...I'm MUCH better now.

I'm up and around for the most part, but I do get tired easily and much of the day is still spent with things that take longer than they should: getting washed up and dressed, eating (still a time-consuming chore), managing the medications, etc. But I'm also starting to get some exercise, tapering off the pills, and beginning to see the humor in my circumstances. (And there's actually a fair amount of it if I just step back a little bit!)

Thanks again to all who have been in touch since I got out of the hospital. Your support continues to be a big help to my recovery! My next check-up with the doctor is May 7 and I'm expecting a good report. I'm really looking forward to getting back into the real world soon!

The sweetest words

2007-04-12T19:38:00.000-07:00

Clear margins; lymph nodes negative.

Mike had his post-op follow-up visit today at the UW and we got the final pathology report (see above). After getting this awesome news, I realized that I had been pretty much holding my breath for the last 10 days waiting to hear the results. Thankfully we got the news we had been hoping and praying for.

The rest of the visit went well. Dr. Bhrany was impressed with how Mike is doing. He said the graft in the mouth looks really good. The graft on the wrist looks like it is supposed to. I hesitate to say that it "looks good" because, to be honest, it looks kind of gruesome! But the doctor assured us that it is healing perfectly. The last of the staples were removed from Mike's neck, and that entire incision is also healing remarkably well. Truly, if you didn't know Mike had surgery on his face less than two weeks ago, I don't think you would notice the scar on the chin. The doctors did an amazing job of reconstruction.

So all in all, today was a great day. Mike obviously still has lots of healing to do. He is sore, bruised, and definitely battered. I told him he'll have to come up with a really good story to explain all the scars - somehow "tonsil cancer" doesn't have enough oomph. I'm thinking something more along the lines of being kidnapped by pirates. Or perhaps a bizarre banjo accident?!?!?

I think the best medicine of all for Mike will come on Saturday evening when Aaron arrives home after 8 months in London. It will be such a treat to have him around the house again before he heads back to New York for his senior year at Sarah Lawrence. Both Mike and I are looking forward to hearing all the stories (at least the ones he is willing to tell) of his time in England, Morrocco, and France.

I think I will retire the blog for now. At some point I may write on another topic, as this was a fun way for me to keep in touch with people. Once again, we thank you all for your loving support through this whole adventure.

Home Sweet Home

2007-04-09T11:00:00.000-07:00

Yippee!! Mike's home!

The resident corps swept in this morning before 6. They removed the cast from Mike's left arm, took staples out from the two graft sites and stitches from his chin, and rather unceremoniously declared - OK, that's it - you are free to go home! And just like that, the discharge plans and preparations began in earnest. We got the requisite training on wound care and dressing changes, set up a follow-up appointment for later this week, loaded up flowers and cards from the room, filled prescriptions, and drove home. HOME! What a good feeling.

Mike is settling into bed now, hoping to sleep well today (for the first time in over a week) and continue with the process of healing. I am going to take a nap so that I am clear-headed enough to write a paper that's due tonight (ack!) for my sociology class.

Once again, a huge thank you for all your love and support over the past week. I know that it contributed to Mike's remarkably speedy recovery.

Easter Sunday (this post actually written by Mike)

2007-04-08T22:32:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to wish everyone a pleasant Easter (though there's not much left of it by now) and to thank you for all the great good wishes and prayers over the past week! This post must be short because my super-powers are still limited, but I'm pleased to say that there's some hope that I'll be able to go home from the hospital soon.

My nutrition tube was removed today (another super-power regained!), and tomorrow they'll probably replace the cast on my left arm with a simpler splint and dressing. If we can sort out the details of how to get everything else done at home, I may get to "graduate" from the UW again (in a brand-new sense) tomorrow!

More on Monday, then. Thanks again, everyone!

Moving toward normal

2007-04-07T15:22:00.000-07:00

So much for a quiet Saturday. When Dr. Bhrany came in this morning he announced that because Mike had done so well over the past 24 hours with the down-sizing and capping of the tracheotomy tube, he was going to remove it! We both felt pleased about this development, but steeled ourselves for a major procedure with much sterile prepping and draping, sedatives, stitches, and heaven knows what else. Dr. Bhrany then bent down over Mike, undid the straps holding the current trach tube in place, pulled it out and said, "Okay, that's done." And just like that, it was out! He then announced that Mike could start eating regular food today (well, clear liquids, but that's a start on the way to regular food!). So with each passing day Mike is getting closer and closer to reclaiming his pre-surgical self. Now if only he could get a decent night's sleep! Truly, he is doing remarkably well and recovering at an amazing pace. The doctors and the rest of the staff are continually commenting on how great he looks and how well he is doing.

I don't think there is anything else planned for the rest of today or tomorrow in terms of Mike's care, but I will update with any news.

A breath of fresh air

2007-04-06T16:30:00.000-07:00

Good news - - Mike had his trach down-sized and capped, so now he can really talk. Following the changes, the doctor asked Mike to practice talking by saying "1-2-3" and "hello", which Mike did.

His next sentence: "I sound like Truman Capote."

And, he does :-)

But, he's talking, and boy does that make him feel more like himself!

Otherwise, things continue to progress very nicely and the staff is really pleased with how he is doing. I don't think much is going to happen over the weekend, just resting and healing. I anticipate a flurry of activity on Monday.

That's it for now. Thanks again for the notes, cards, balloons, flowers, offers of help, and many good wishes! We both feel blessed to have such wonderful support from each of you.

Evening update

2007-04-05T18:33:00.000-07:00

It's 6:30 and Dr. Futran and Co. came by for the nightly visit. Mike had, and passed, his final flap check. Everything looks great and the surgeon is very pleased with the progress thus far. Here's a preview of the next few days:

Down-sizing the trach tube to a smaller size (step #2 in preparing to remove it)
Getting rid of the cast on the left arm and replacing it with a splint (looks kind of like the carpal tunnel splints you see on cashiers at the grocery store)
Starting on swallowing liquids

If everything keeps going so well and stays on track, Mike could be discharged early next week! That was certainly welcome news.

Many of you have been asking about me and reminding me to get some rest and take care of myself while I'm taking care of Mike. In an attempt to do just that, I asked the nurses for something other than the single straight chair that is in Mike's room, hoping I could get some sleep without having to leave the hospital. The nurses kindly found me a ~~medieval torture device~~ reclining chair, so I was able to catch some z's during the day today. I'm thinking about heading home late tonight to sleep in my own bed, play with the animals, pick up some clean clothes, collect the mail, etc. I'll just see how things go here before I decide. It has been great to be able to crash at John and Nancy's place in Wallingford, and they have spoiled me with all sorts of goodies.

I will post at least once tomorrow with any updates/changes. Mike says to tell everyone hi and thanks for everything!

Busy day already

2007-04-05T10:06:00.000-07:00

Gee, it's only 10:00 and the day has already been full of activity for Mike. The gaggle of residents came by about 6 for the flap check. They all agreed it looked great. Then they "took down the cuff" on his trach tube, which is the first step in the removal process (which takes a few days). Taking down the cuff allows some air to now pass around the trach tube so that Mike is doing some breathing by mouth. (Notice I am avoiding saying that he has become a mouth breather!) The net effect is a very positive one: MIKE CAN TALK AGAIN! At this point just a few words at a time, and he sounds like he has a bad cold, but he's talkin'. As much as Mike is a great writer, he does like to talk, too :-) Plus, I have the sense he may be getting a bit tired of me having the last word in every conversation.

In other medical news, the docs took the drain out of his arm, and I think the cast is due to come off by the end of the week. He has good function in the fingers of that hand, and they are nice and warm. All good signs.

Also (I told you it had been a busy morning!), he went for a walk, making a complete circuit around 4 NE, moving at a good clip. Steady and strong.

Now he is sitting up trying to find something decent to watch on TV (hmmm...Martha Stewart or The View...such choices!).

As always, thanks for continuing to send positive thoughts, prayers, and good wishes. A special shout out to the friends and family who have been taking care of our pets this week. I can tell they have been pampered (the pets, that is), and will probably be completely disappointed when it is just me and Mike back at home with them!

Cheers!

Room with a view

2007-04-04T12:58:00.000-07:00

Well, sorta...actually the view is of the skybridge between the hospital and the surgery pavilion. Not very scenic, but it does mean that Mike has graduated from the ICU and is on a "regular" floor. Other than the change of venue, things are about as last reported. Mike's just trying to get some rest (easier said than done in a hospital!).

I will post whenever there is news. Thanks again for the comments and e-mails; it's always great to hear from people.

Wednesday morning

2007-04-04T06:37:00.000-07:00

The 6 AM rounds have been completed and the docs are giving Mike a thumb's up! The flap check was good this morning, and they are going ahead with plans to move Mike out of ICU. They will also start removing some of the drains, and tubes, and such, which means he will be less tethered to the bed and more able to move around, with the hope of having him do some walking in the halls today.

I will update again once he has moved into his new room.

Day 2 - He's doing great!

2007-04-03T20:08:00.000-07:00

Mike continues to do remarkably well. It is about 8 PM now on Tuesday. Dr. Futran, the surgeon, came to see him about 7 after having just finished up a very similar surgery today on another patient. Wow - that guy works LONG hours.

Dr. Futran was very pleased with how everything is looking, and Mike has continued to pass the all-important "flap checks." Earlier in the evening Mike spent 45 minutes sitting up in a chair, and he looks good and remarkably strong after all he has been through. Dr. Futran even okayed a move tomorrow morning to a nice private room on the regular post-surgery floor. These are all good signs of how well Mike is doing. Right now he is back in bed and watching the M's, who hopefully can pull off a repeat of their opening day victory yesterday.

Thanks to all of you who have left comments on the blog and via e-mail. I will print out your messages tonight so that Mike can read them tomorrow. I haven't had a chance to respond to each of you individually, but I want you to know how much your love and support mean to both of us. Thank you!

Mike's awake!

2007-04-03T06:40:00.000-07:00

I got to the hospital this morning just before 6 and when I arrived at Mike's room he was awake! It was great to be able to make eye contact with him. They have removed the ventilator and he is breathing through the trach on his own. He can't talk to me, but he was giving me lots of messages by blinking his eyes, raising his eyebrows, etc. The nurse assigned to Mike has no other patients, which means Mike is getting constant, very attentive care. He continues to look remarkably good.

A little bit after 6, the three residents came by for rounds. They did the "flap check," which I promised to explain. This is a where the doctor pokes a small needle into the skin graft in Mike's mouth to make sure that it bleeds. Turns out this is a simple yet effective way for the docs to check the viability of the flap, which is one of the primary conerns during the first couple of days postop. They will continue to do this every 6 hours.

The chief resident said the plan is to let Mike rest this morning, and if all continues to go well, they will try to get him up into a chair later today. He may even be able to move into a "regular" room tomorrow and get out of the ICU, which would be great. The ICU is very reassuring for all its technical machinery and monitors, but also quite loud (because of all its technical machinery and monitors).

They have moved Mike into a larger ICU room with a nice view of the stadium and some beautiful flowering fruit trees. I'm not sure he is ready to appreciate that yet, but by this afternoon I think he'll be glad to have a view outside of the hospital.

I don't know how much I will post today, but at the very least I will make a note here before I go to bed tonight and let you know how Mike's day went.

P.S. Thanks Nancy and John for the coffee, bacon, and scones. That was a great way to start the day.

last post of surgery day

2007-04-02T23:14:00.000-07:00

I am now sitting in the (very empty) hospital cafeteria. I got in to see Mike at 10:15 and stayed until 11. I then found out that the docs are due in at midnight to do a "flap check" (more about that later) and I decided to stay here until that is done, then head out for some shut eye.

Mike actually looks better than I was anticipating (prepared for)! He is completely sedated right now, so unfortunately I still haven't been able to look him in the eyes, but that will come tomorrow. Because of the sedation, his trach tube is connected to a ventilator to do the breathing for him while he rests. His nurse Ray told me that they will likely disconnect the ventilator tomorrow morning as soon as it is clear that Mike can breath through the trach on his own. The surgical scar is amazingly well stapled together, and I know that the team worked hard to make it as cosmetically pleasing as possible. He has a cast on his right arm where they took the graft. He looks remarkably good and is getting very attentive care from his nurse. Most of all it was just great to see him after the long wait!

I will post in the morning once I have had a chance to visit an "awake Mike."

9:40 PM update

2007-04-02T21:40:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting in the ICU waiting room and just found out that it has great wireless internet reception (unlike the surgery waiting room), so I'm going to post this note while I have a chance.

Dr. Futran came to speak to me after he finished up with the surgery and said that everything went really well and just as planned.

I still haven't seen Mike yet, but they promise me it will be soon. He got out of surgery a little bit past 9 and is in the ICU now. Once Mike is settled in, they will let me go in to say hello, though they explained that he will be asleep, waking slowly through the night.

I will stay with Mike for a while tonight, and then drive to my sister's house in Wallingford and try to get a couple good hours of sleep. I will be back here tomorrow and just hang out in the ICU with Mike as much as the nurses will let me.

I will try to post again tomorrow once I have actually seen Mike with his eyes open so that he knows I have been there and I can tell him about the great prayers and support being sent his way. Thank you all!

8:00 PM update

2007-04-02T20:00:00.000-07:00

Just heard from the OR and they are finishing up! The nurse said Dr. Futran (the surgeon) should be out to see us in 30-40 minutes once he is completely done. Sounds like everything is still going well and according to plan.

Once Dr. Futran gives us the final report, then hopefully I will be able to go see Mike in the ICU, and I will try to post one more time after that.

It's been a long day, but I have had some great visitors (thank you Dianne, Pat, and Dawn) and family (Nancy, Cathy, Tom, and Ann) to help me pass the time. And as you all know me well, you'll not be surprised to hear that I haven't run out of things to talk about yet!

6:30 PM update

2007-04-02T18:29:00.000-07:00

No real news right now. I spoke with an OR nurse about 5:30 (an hour ago) and he said everything was still going according to plan, no problems. They were still working on putting in the graft, so lots of fine technical work connecting veins, artery, and nerves. At that point the estimate for when the surgery would end was 7:00 PM, but he warned me that it can take longer. As he put it "it will take as long as it takes, but everything is going well."

Update #2

2007-04-02T11:44:00.000-07:00

Got the second update about 11:30. They have finished the neck dissection and are now beginning work on the tumor removal. At the same time a second set of surgeons is working on taking the forearm graft that will be used to repair the defect left where they take out the tumor.

The nurse said Mike is doing well and things are going just as expected.

I expect to hear from the OR again around 1:30.

Until then...

9:00 update

2007-04-02T09:35:00.000-07:00

I just got the first update from the OR. The surgery got started about 8:40, and as of 9:00, Mike was doing well, all vital signs stable, and they were beginning the work on his neck. The RN who called with the update said that she would be in touch by phone from the OR every two hours, so I hope to hear something around 11:00.

The connectivity in the waiting room is really spotty, so I may not be able to post much. I’ll just do what I can to keep everybody informed.

Otherwise, the morning is passing slowly but pleasantly. My sister Nancy has been here with me since about 6:30, and is now learning all about Sudoku. :-)

More in a couple of hours...

The day has begun

2007-04-02T06:31:00.000-07:00

It's 6:30 am, and they just wheeled Mike up to the main hospital operating where he will meet the anesthesiologist, get his IVs started, and prepare for the 7:30 surgery start time.

We had an early morning, leaving the house at 4:40 for the trip into Seattle. While there wasn't any snow (which had been predicted for this morning), we drove through lots of sleet and freezing rain. But the traffic was blissfully light and we arrived plenty early for the 5:30 check-in. We had about an hour together in the pre-op area where they asked all the same questions Mike's been asked a million times: Do you have diabetes, are you allergic to any medications, and our personal favorite, "Do you have anything in your body that doesn't belong to you?" Say what?? Yes, that's a real question they asked! I guess it has to do with things like access ports, piercings they can't see(!), etc. Thankfully he could answer with a definitive "no!" The chief resident, Dr. Bhrany, came by to review the basics of the surgery again and answer any questions, then they wheeled Mike off to the OR.

So now I am in the Main Hospital Surgery Waiting area (not the Surgery Pavilion as I had originally thought). Dr. Bhrany said the standard ending time for this surgery is about 6:00 PM, but I will post any time I get news from the OR.

Thanks again, everyone, for your good thoughts over the weekend and today.

It's a go for surgery

2007-03-30T12:28:00.000-07:00

The pathology report is in and positive for residual tumor. So, Mike will be having surgery on Monday, April 2, at the UW Medical Center. His surgery team will be led by Dr. Neal Futran. It looks to be a long day, though at least Mike should be relatively unaware of the passage of time due to any number of analgesics, amnesic sedatives, and anesthetics! I am hoping to post to this blog throughout the day on Monday as we get updates from the operating room.

Waiting...

2007-03-28T10:36:00.000-07:00

We continue to wait for the pathology results from the biopsy done on Monday. Had hoped to hear something yesterday, but so far no word.