Happy New Year!

Well, it's the last day of 2009. Hard to believe! It's been quite a year of ups and downs for us. We like to work on focusing on the ups. Steve's surgery went well today. The doctor says he was able to do what he intended. It took a little longer than we thought it would, but when I finally got to see Steve he was sitting up in a chair looking great! The pain started getting the best of him, but that tends to be the norm, unfortunately. I was able to bring Steve home today! He is taking it easy watching some tv and surfing the net as usual. Lots of sleep is definitely in the plans too.

The doctor released some of Steve's tongue so he has a bit more movement. This will help create a ridge for the implants in the future. He took a skin graft from Steve's left thigh again to use on the base of the mouth. They put a prosthetic piece down to help the tissue heal properly. Of course Steve is having trouble talking right now because of the swelling, but he seems to be handling this one very well. His color looks good and he is in good spirits despite his pain and weakness.

Once again, thank you for your prayers - they have been answered! Please add Steve's younger brother Ed to your prayer concerns. He had a stroke this week and spent some time in the hospital.

It is our prayer that you will each have a healthy and prosperous new year! May God bless you.

Season's Greetings!

Here we are in the time between Christmas and New Year's. Our pastor calls this the Season's Greetings time of the holidays. This is the best time of all for me. I'm not stressed and frazzled about getting ready for Christmas, and I am off of work so I'm able to relax, do a few things around the house, and spend time with the girls.

Today is our anniversary. We have been married 18 years! Time flies when you are having fun : ) We are so thankful to be celebrating another year together. Last year at this time I wasn't sure how things were going to turn out. God has been good to us - thanks for your love, support and prayers.

On Thursday of this week Steve will have another procedure at Emory Hospital. This time the oral surgeon will be cutting Steve's tongue to separate it from his gum line. We are praying that the doctor will not have to remove any tissue and that this will only need to be done one time. The doctor is hopeful that this will be an outpatient procedure. He is graciously doing this surgery on Thursday so we can get it in before the new year begins (for insurance purposes).

I will let you know how it goes. The good thing is that we are moving right along on the road to recovery! We have a special prayer request for you. Steve's oncologist asked him to meet with a young man who faces radical surgery for tongue cancer. The young man wanted to meet someone who had survived his cancer. I know that Steve was n inspiration for the man and his parents. Steve has not been able to stop thinking about him ever since. His name is Justin and he is 26 years old. He will have a total glossectomy (tongue removal) on January 20th. Please keep him and his family in your prayers.

Kennestone Visit Successful

We had a good trip to Kennestone Hospital today. Though it did take a long time because they were backed up, all went well. The doctor did not find an ulcer or any other problems. He was able to remove Steve's feeding tube and replace it (using the same hole) with a new one. This one has a balloon on the inside so it is easily replaced in the office as needed. Steve feels a little tired and weak but is otherwise doing well!

Our next step is a pre-op appointment tomorrow at Emory for Steve's December 31st surgery. This one will be much more involved since they will be removing some of his tongue and using a graft. This is to prepare for the teeth implants. The doctor says this will be outpatient but I have my doubts. We'll see what happens.

Thanks for your prayers for today! They were answered and we appreciate it. Please keep Steve in your prayers for his next procedure. Merry Christmas to you all! Take time to remember the reason for the season - Jesus!

December 11th, 2009

I am so sorry for letting this blog go to the wayside! Life just gets so busy. In the case, the saying is true - No news is good news.

The last week of November Steve had another CT Scan and went to see his oncologist. He received a good report - no new spots on his scan. All looks good as far as the cancer is concerned. Steve will have 2 out-patient procedures this month. On December 21st he will be at Kennestone Hospital. He now has a gastroenterologist and a stoma nurse who will be helping him care for his feeding tube. The area around the tube has been infected several times and continues to give Steve problems. They will be removing that one (OUCH!), checking for ulcers, doing a colonoscopy and giving Steve a new tube. This new one will not have a tube coming out of his stomach but instead will be a sort of port. The whole will stay closed until he is ready to "eat" and then he can open it, insert a tube and get his nutrition/medicines. This will be painful, but will be a good thing since the tube constantly gets in the way and is painful.

The second procedure will be more involved. On December 31st Steve's oral surgeon will be operating on his tongue. The plan is to cut a piece out on the right side of his mouth "untether" it from the gum line. The purpose of this is to hopefully allow them to put in implants for his teeth. They say this will be out patient, but I have my doubts.

Steve has a prosthetic piece that he puts in the roof of his mouth to help improve his speech. It is a work in progress as they change it each visit to find the best fit. It seems to be helping a little. Steve is still not able to swallow. With a lot of effort and work he can swallow a little bit of water, but has not progressed past that point. He is in good spirits though and is handling all of this life changes extremely well.

Steve is currently trying to keep his roofing company up and running. The competition is fierce around here, but he has had a little success. He is a hard worker and is not one to give up!

The girls are doing well. They just keep growing up. Becca is busy with her singing - in Chorus and at church. She is working on getting the youth praise band started again at church. She has a new boyfriend who is a very nice young man. I just can't believe she is growing up so soon - she will be driving on her own in February!

Alli is very involved with the band and chorus at school. In fact, the band is performing at UGA tonight! She is playing volleyball to. She is getting that teenager attitude - UGH!

I will do my best to keep this blog updated again, especially during Steve's upcoming procedures. Please continue to keep Steve in your prayers and know that you are in ours. God bless you all. Enjoy this glorious holiday season with your family and friends.