Waiting

It has been a week since the U of M consultation. Tom is keeping himself busy by picking up extra shifts at work, working on the ambulance, and coaching Cody's football team (5 days a week) until the surgery. He thinks it's good to stay busy. I think it just makes him tired and grouchy! Right now our time has been spent talking with our insurance company about the pre-approval process and trying to sort out plans with work and kids. Both of our employers Spectrum Health & Behler-Young have been incredibly supportive during this time.

Van Andel update, they have still not approved the Million dollar study for Tom's cancer. We have to check one more time before he goes in October to see if they really want to look at Tom's genes.

Otherwise, it's life a normal (in our house). Both boys are in football. Kyle came home last night with a knee injury. We took him to the Dr. today for x-rays. It turns out that he has Osgood-Schlatter Disease which is a painful enlargement of the bump of the shin bone just below the knee. This is normal in children ages 10-15 and is caused by a hit to the knee or overuse of the knee in sporting activities . (Basically the boy is getting so tall his ligament can't keep up with his bones). He will spend the next two days with his leg elevated and iced to reduce swelling. He will be out of football for a week with a brace on his knee. Hopefully he will be able to play the first game.

Our Trip to U of M

We were up and on our way by 6:00 am; thanks to everyone who took the kids last night. Wow! You think it's hard to find a parking space at Butterworth, try driving around the University of Michigan Health Complex. We met with Dr. Teknos, Chief of Head and Neck Oncology Division, and his staff. We were very impressed with him and his staff. Tom felt very comfortable putting his life in this Dr's hands. We now have a better idea of what the surgery will entail along with the follow up and treatments.

We will head over to Ann Arbor on Tuesday, October 2. Tom has a pre-op meeting with the surgeons and the Anesthesia staff. Tom will have his surgery on Wednesday, October 3. Because this will be an extensive surgery (6-8 hours) he will have to be at the hospital around 6 am. During surgery they plan to remove the tumor, thyroid, lymph nodes on both right and left sides of his neck, and Right Calcium glands.

There are possible risks and complications. It is possible that the cancer is around the vocal cords. If this is the case they will have to remove the vocal cords. Life over limbs. Damage to the vocal cords, this will result in Tom speaking with a hoarse voice, which could be corrected with another surgery later. Another possibility with damage to the vocal cords is that he would have to have a trachea. There are a lot of nerves in the neck area that are going to be stressed out. Even with out damaging the nerves, there will be numbness in the face, neck, and shoulders which will require some type of therapy. Of course, there is always a risk of complications with a surgery that last this long.

Post op. Tom will remain in the hospital for 4-7 days. Recovery at home about 2 to 3 weeks. We are going to get real familiar with Ann Arbor as we will be making numerous trips back for follow up visits. Radiation treatments can be done here in GR. He will have daily treatments lasting 4 to 6 weeks. Even with the surgery and radiation there is no way to know if all cancer has been removed. Tom will need to be monitored to make sure no other tumors appear. As we step into this new way of life, we are learning to enjoy each moment we have.

Again, thank you for all the cards, letters, and e-mails that continue to pour in. The love and support that we are receiving is overwhelming. A special thanks to the anonymous person up north who sent us the letter in regards to our kids back to school needs; your kindness and generosity was truly appreciated.

Guinea Pig

Well, happy Monday and here we go again. We went to the Oncologist today who bombarded us with information and options. He confirmed once again that Tom has Medullary Thyroid Cancer, which he confirmed is a rare cancer. He also said that chemo will not destroy the cancer. So far nothing new until...He would like Tom to have a Genetic study at the Van Andel Institute. This would have to be done through a grant that would have to be approved before we could begin, and right now it's in the paper shuffle pile. This study would be approximately 1,000,000.00 study that our insurance would deny, and since we are a few pennies shy, would be a Federal Grant. If this is approved Tom would need to have a needle biopsy before the surgery would take place, or they would test the tumor after it is removed (which Dr. did not like as well since the surgery is on the East side of the state). I believe Tom will have some radiation, but we did not concentrate on this during the consultation. As we walked out of the office I had to tell Tom, "I always knew you were rare" :)

Thanks again for all the cards, letters, e-mails during our trying time in life. We appreciate all the prayer warriors that are faithfully talking to the Great Physician of life. We are now focusing on the next consultation on the 23rd and what this will entail. As we get more information and know dates I will get up the nerve (more likely give up control) as to some of our family life. Again we appreciate all who have volunteered themsleves.

We're back to reality

We've survived vacation 2007! The cottages were cozy and the kids loved the sandy beach area. We were able to tube, ski, and the guys even tried knee boarding. It was good to see our friends again and relax with the children. Upon our return, we had a message from Dr. Hart's office. We are scheduled to meet with the surgeons at U of M on Thursday, August 23 @ 9:30 am. Now it's back to the everyday as Tom will be working tonight and then up tomorrow for the meeting with the oncologist at 12:15. I'm glad to see we are making progress as I noticed Tom rubbing his neck all week. Please keep these meetings in your prayers as these doctors are the core to Tom's future.

Go Blue

Today we met with Dr. Hart,the ENT surgeon, and now have an understanding of Tom's cancer and plan of attack. The CAT scan was really cool to see and he showed us where the cancer is located and how big the tumor is. The best treatment for this type of cancer is surgery. This type of cancer is intermediate aggressive and somewhat rare. The surgeons here in West Michigan have not had a lot of experience with this type of procedure. Dr. Hart feels that it is in Tom's best interest to have this surgery performed at the University of Michigan Hospital, by some of the best surgeons in the country. Dr. Hart explained that the cancer has spread to below the collar bone and sternum requiring a more extensive surgery (estimated 6 hours) and feels that the Thoracic surgeons at the UofM are better suited for this type of surgery. The surgery will include removal of the thyroid and all parathyroid lymph nodes. A few possible complications are irreparable damage to the vocal cords and possible nerve damage. Tom will more than likely be in Ann Arbor for 3 to 5 days and another 2-3 weeks of recovery at home. In the next couple of weeks we will head to Ann Arbor for a consultation and the surgery will more than likely follow a couple of weeks later, depending on their schedules. So we now have a thorough understanding of the cancer and how to get rid of it we will go on our vacation and relax!

Round & Round

Thanks to a little coaxing from my friends at work, I decided to leave work early to be with Tom for his surgery consultation. We went to the office where our appointment was scheduled by Tom's primary Dr. only to find the office dark & the door locked. Luckily the surgeon's office was in the same building as his primary. So, off we went to find out what was the mix-up. Tom's primary Dr. schedule him to be at one building and the surgeon had him scheduled at another building (we are back to being just a number). We will try again tomorrow at 4:30 to all be at the same place at the same time. At least Tom was able to get his blood work done while he was there. When the lab retrieved his paperwork, they had two of the same test requested; one from his primary and one from the oncologist. Does anybody talk with each other anymore? I hope that means they do not double bill us!

In the meantime I will expand about what I found of Tom's cancer. He has medullary thyroid cancer. There are 3 types of thyroid cancers (never knew that before) and the medullary is the more serious of the three. However, it still has a better success rate than if we were looking at the other endocrine cancers. That's all I know until we can finally meet with the surgeon. We are truly looking forward to being away from Dr's, schedulers, and hospitals. Seven days of nothing but sun, waves and little drinks with umbrella's in them. Thanks again for all the cards and e-mails it keeps our spirits up - and Tom likes opening these better than the medical bills :)