Busy week and weekend

I don't know about you, but we really enjoyed the beautiful weather this weekend. Steve was outside most of the time, working in the yard and the gardens. We pretty much finished his pond in the back yard. That was some hard work - carrying all the concrete pieces to him so he could arrange them around the pond. He mowed the yard, whacked weeds in the front yard, and used the blower to clean it all up. I mulched around his roses that he has planted so far. This morning we are sore and tired! Steve really overworked himself, but if I have learned anything in this 12 year battle it's that he heals by pushing himself. Today I will try to keep him inside, resting. Wish me luck!

We had a busy week with all the doctor's appointments for Steve, the girls and I. Dr. Grist, the oncologist says Steve's mouth is healing very nicely.  He is pleased that he can understand Steve's speech. He ordered a CT scan to have as a new baseline, so we took care of that on Friday. We will return to see him in 3 months.

Dr. Roser, the oral surgeon was also very pleased with the healing process of Steve's mouth and jaw. We discussed with him the implant procedure and also talked about the prosthetic for the roof of Steve's mouth. He thought that was a good idea. Both doctors suggested we speak with a certain speech therapist and see another doctor who will be more knowledgeable with the prosthetic and helps with the implants. I will work on setting those appointments. 

We will return in August to see Dr. Roser. He feels like he can begin the implants in August or September. That will be a longer process than I realized. They will put screws in Steve's bones inside his mouth. Then those will need to heal for 4 - 6 months. After that they can put the teeth in. So, it looks like this is going to take much longer than we anticipated. 

In the meantime, Steve continues to have the most pain from his leg. It is a constant source of swelling and throbbing. His jaw tingles, but the pain is minimal. Everyone says Steve looks great! He does. He has good color from working outside. On the outside you really would not know anything is wrong with the exception of his limp. He teases me for telling all the details of what he is going through, but I want to make sure everyone knows what he is struggling with each and every day. He is a strong man, but he continues to need your prayers for healing and strength. He still has a long road ahead. 

Many people want to know his prognosis. No one seems to have a magic answer to that question. We can only pray that the cancer will not return. I discovered this week that I have misunderstood some major details regarding the prognosis. I got it in my mind that the jaw cancer was causing the tongue cancer and since the removed it the cancer might be gone. However, I was wrong. According to the doctors, the tongue cancer caused the jaw bone cancer. They are two different types of cancer. The tongue cancer can come back. Only time will tell. Right now I am focusing on Steve's healing and on the hope that the chemo will hold off any new cancer cells. At least for now. My dentist of over 30 years meant well when he told me "you know the prognosis is not good for Steve's kind of cancer". Sometimes we do need to hear the reality, but we have to remember to hold on to our faith and hope, knowing God has the master plan and will be with us each step of the way!