Wednesday, July 14th

Hi everybody!

It's been quite a busy time for us. Last Friday we met with the Dermatologist about the spot on Steve's nose. Turns out it is a common type of skin cancer (squamous cell) that was caught very early. Really nothing to worry about. We can treat with outpatient "Mohs" surgery or try creams. Steve opted for surgery if insurance will allow it - we are waiting to hear about that.

Steve had his CT Scan on Friday afternoon. We heard from Dr. Grist on Tuesday. He will need surgery to remove the spot on the back of his tongue. They will go in through his mouth. They expect it to be outpatient. We are waiting to hear from the scheduling person to set the date but next Tuesday was mentioned.

Yesterday we went to see the gastroenterologist that put Steve's feeding tube in. He has been having enormous internal pain and some bleeding. They sent us to the ER to get a CT Scan. Several hours later the ER doc said the bulb part of the tube that is on the inside of the stomach has worked it way up under Steve's stomach muscle - OUCH! He tried pulling the tube from the outside to make Steve more comfortable. Talk about painful!!!! It helped release some of the pressure, and 8 hours later we returned home .

Today we are waiting for the gastric office to tell us when to go back so they can replace Steve's tube or reinsert it through a new site. They want to try to do it today. Looks like another long day : ) .

I will let you know when the surgery is scheduled and any more details we learn. As always, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your love and support. Please keep those prayers coming! Bless you all.