As I sit down to write this update I don't even know where to begin. We were at cancer care this morning for over 4 hours. As you can imagine we received a lot of information today. So I will try my best to walk you through all the details...
We arrived just before 8:30am and were brought upstairs to the theatre. A nurse greeted us almost right away to confirm who we were and told us it would be a few minutes. We waited about 10 mins and she came back and said it was our turn. Dr Nason (Rob's surgeon) and his nurse Pam met us at the door and said we could sit down. I didn't even look up but there were over 20 people in the room. I sat down in the front row and Rob sat on a chair in front of the Resident doctor with everyone watching him. His neck and mouth was examined by the doctor and 5 minutes later we were told we could leave. After we left they saw a few more cases and then they talked as a team to decide on the best treatment plan for each patient. As much as this meeting is very intimidating it is good to know that there are so many professionals that want to see Rob get better and will do whatever they can to help.
After about 30 minutes Dr Nason and Pam came in to the room we were waiting in. Dr Nason said that everyone agreed that surgery was the best option. At this point the MRI and CT scan show that it is not in his lymph nodes (Praise God!) however they will still remove a few nodes to be sure there isn't some small cells that are cancerous. His cancer is considered stage 2 specifically T2N0 meaning a stage 2 tumor with no nodes affected. The surgery date is May 6th and it will be an all day surgery. They will remove the tumor as well as a border of healthy tissue to be sure they got it all. They will have to take a large part of the right side of his tongue and will reconstruct it with tissue likely from his arm. He will also have a large incision on his neck from where they take out the lymph nodes and a tracheotomy just in case the swelling blocks his air ways. He will be in hospital for up to 2 weeks and will not be able to talk or eat for some of that time. He will be off work for 3 months to recover from the surgery and if further treatment is needed he could be off for more.
Dr Nason and his team have been wonderful so far. They remind us constantly to call if we have questions and that they are always there if we need to come in.
Next we met with the Speech Language Pathologist. She talked to us about the reality of the change Rob will experience in talking and eating with his "new" tongue. This was hard for Rob to take thinking about not being able to talk normally and not being able to eat things like raw veggies and nuts. Some people recover 100% with a surgery like this but she wanted to prepare us for the possible changes. Rob will have exercises to do after the surgery and hopefully with a little work he can go back to as normal as possible.
After that we were taken to patient services where we talked to a counsellor about how we are both doing with everything and what worries us the most. She talked with us about how to help Isaac understand what is happening and things that I can do with Isaac while Rob is in hospital. One thing she recommended and something we are going to do is buy a few of those recordable story books so that when Rob can't talk he can still do story time with Isaac.
Lastly we met with a dietician. Rob's tongue is getting more and more painful so eating and talking is getting more difficult. He is basically on a liquid diet right now so she gave us a bunch of suggestions to be sure Rob is getting the proper nutrition and is strong for the surgery.
After 4 hours we are exhausted! We are thankful for some good news today and processing what the next few months are going to look like for us. Thank you for all the prayers today. It seems crazy to me the peace that I feel when we walk in Cancer Care and the only way to explain it is knowing the army of people that are praying while we are there.
Please continue to pray for us as we figure out all the details that go along with this (work, child care, etc), that the lymph nodes that are biopsied are clear, for Rob's pain and that it can be controlled, for wisdom for Dr Nason and his team, and that God would heal Rob completely.
Thank you for loving our family! Karen
Thursday 24 April 2014
Wednesday 23 April 2014
Head and Neck Consult
So Thursday morning we go for Rob's head and neck consult. We will be brought to a theatre where Rob will sit on stage and I will sit in the front row. They will examine Rob and look at all his tests. We will leave the room and a whole group of specialists will talk about what they feel is the best option for treatment. After that we will meet again with Rob's surgeon and he will go over all the results and what they recommend for treatment. I dread this appointment but I also look forward to having some more answers. Rob's tongue is getting more painful and he is having a harder time with talking and eating each day.
Please pray for God's presence, peace and strength for both of us tomorrow. Also that we get good results including that the lymph nodes are not affected, and that we would get all our questions answered. We know God can heal Rob and we walk each step in faith right now. This doesn't mean that we aren't scared but it means we know we are not alone.
Please pray for God's presence, peace and strength for both of us tomorrow. Also that we get good results including that the lymph nodes are not affected, and that we would get all our questions answered. We know God can heal Rob and we walk each step in faith right now. This doesn't mean that we aren't scared but it means we know we are not alone.
Friday 18 April 2014
I am new at this blogging thing and apparently people want updates. I assumed if there wasn't much to report then why would someone want to read about it but you have proven me wrong...you do want to hear about our life!! So here is the latest...
On Wednesday Rob has his MRI. The hardest part was getting the IV in but once that was sorted out it went fine. Rob said at first you have to tell yourself to breathe since it is so small but then he said it wasn't so bad. They don't tell you anything about the test while you are there but we will find the results on Thursday. We also found out yesterday that his CT scan as well as a chest x-ray will be done on Tuesday.
During Rob's MRI it was my first time being at the hospital waiting for him alone. It was very weird to see him walk into the MRI and I was just left there to wait. I went to the little café and read my book and talked to a friend to try and pass the time. I dread the next while and the waiting at the hospital (especially during the surgery). You never imagine that your life will take a turn like this. I find I look at everyone I see and wonder what is going on in their lives. People often walk around and you would never know that they are dealing with something difficult. It is teaching me to appreciate what we have in life. This trial sure does suck but we are still thankful for so many people and things we have been blessed with.
This morning we went to church to remember the sacrifice God made by sending His Son to earth to die on the cross and take away our sins. Often Good Friday is emotional for me as I think of this sacrifice and today was no different. Our pastor reminded us the day we were told Rob's diagnosis that the bible says" you will have many trials and sorrows" (John 16:33). Not if we have trials and sorrows but when we have trial and sorrows. But the good news is that the verse ends with "Take heart I have overcome the world". Jesus came to earth and suffered through many trials and sorrows and ultimately died for each one of us. We may be going through a difficult time right now but we have hope in Jesus and know that He has not forgotten us.
Next Thursday is the day we will meet with a whole group of doctors and specialists to get the results of all the tests. They will discuss Rob as a group and make recommendations for how to move forward. We are thankful it is soon and anxiously await the results. Thank you for continuing to pray for us and for Rob`s healing.
Karen
On Wednesday Rob has his MRI. The hardest part was getting the IV in but once that was sorted out it went fine. Rob said at first you have to tell yourself to breathe since it is so small but then he said it wasn't so bad. They don't tell you anything about the test while you are there but we will find the results on Thursday. We also found out yesterday that his CT scan as well as a chest x-ray will be done on Tuesday.
During Rob's MRI it was my first time being at the hospital waiting for him alone. It was very weird to see him walk into the MRI and I was just left there to wait. I went to the little café and read my book and talked to a friend to try and pass the time. I dread the next while and the waiting at the hospital (especially during the surgery). You never imagine that your life will take a turn like this. I find I look at everyone I see and wonder what is going on in their lives. People often walk around and you would never know that they are dealing with something difficult. It is teaching me to appreciate what we have in life. This trial sure does suck but we are still thankful for so many people and things we have been blessed with.
This morning we went to church to remember the sacrifice God made by sending His Son to earth to die on the cross and take away our sins. Often Good Friday is emotional for me as I think of this sacrifice and today was no different. Our pastor reminded us the day we were told Rob's diagnosis that the bible says" you will have many trials and sorrows" (John 16:33). Not if we have trials and sorrows but when we have trial and sorrows. But the good news is that the verse ends with "Take heart I have overcome the world". Jesus came to earth and suffered through many trials and sorrows and ultimately died for each one of us. We may be going through a difficult time right now but we have hope in Jesus and know that He has not forgotten us.
Next Thursday is the day we will meet with a whole group of doctors and specialists to get the results of all the tests. They will discuss Rob as a group and make recommendations for how to move forward. We are thankful it is soon and anxiously await the results. Thank you for continuing to pray for us and for Rob`s healing.
Karen
Monday 14 April 2014
Our journey begins
Last Thursday our life was flipped upside down. We went for a follow up on an ulcer that Rob had removed from his tongue and was told he had cancer. He was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma on his tongue but that was all we really knew. We were told we would hear from cancer care in the next few days. We left the office shocked and scared. We are so thankful for the amazing support we have received since Thursday and know that there are many prayers happening on our behalf. Although we do not know exactly what lies ahead we believe in a God that heals and trust that God will see us through. It was a tough weekend with many tears but we made it!
Today was our first appointment at Cancer care. As you can imagine it was very overwhelming but we felt very well cared for and finally had some answers. We saw a nurse, a physician assistant, and a surgeon. They asked a bunch of medical questions, examined Rob's neck to see if the lymph nodes were enlarged, and did a lot of looking and poking his tongue.
In the next week Rob will do blood work, have a CT scan, an MRI and a chest xray. This way the doctors will have a better idea what is going on. Next Thursday April 24th we will meet with a team of doctors who specialize in a variety of things. They will assess Rob and discuss what they all feel is the best option. At this point we know that surgery is inevitable, including removing the tumor from his tongue, reconstructing the tongue and removing some lymph nodes from his neck to be biopsied. This will likely happen at the start of May.
We are thankful to have some answers and to have a bit of a plan walking forward. Our prayer right now is that the cancer has not spread to the lymph nodes, that the tumour can be removed without taking too much of Rob's tongue, and for an overwhelming amount of peace and strength from God. Thank you for caring about our family and taking this journey with us.
Love Karen
Today was our first appointment at Cancer care. As you can imagine it was very overwhelming but we felt very well cared for and finally had some answers. We saw a nurse, a physician assistant, and a surgeon. They asked a bunch of medical questions, examined Rob's neck to see if the lymph nodes were enlarged, and did a lot of looking and poking his tongue.
In the next week Rob will do blood work, have a CT scan, an MRI and a chest xray. This way the doctors will have a better idea what is going on. Next Thursday April 24th we will meet with a team of doctors who specialize in a variety of things. They will assess Rob and discuss what they all feel is the best option. At this point we know that surgery is inevitable, including removing the tumor from his tongue, reconstructing the tongue and removing some lymph nodes from his neck to be biopsied. This will likely happen at the start of May.
We are thankful to have some answers and to have a bit of a plan walking forward. Our prayer right now is that the cancer has not spread to the lymph nodes, that the tumour can be removed without taking too much of Rob's tongue, and for an overwhelming amount of peace and strength from God. Thank you for caring about our family and taking this journey with us.
Love Karen
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