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.