Doctor update

Steve had a doctor's appointment with his oncologist today. The good news is that the spot on the back of his tongue/throat has not changed or grown. The concern is that it is still there. Dr. Grist said again that he could biopsy it but it would be hard to get to and painful. It would also take a while to heal. So, they decided to wait and check it again in 2 months.

In the meantime Steve continues to push himself by working on projects and yard work to build up his strength and endurance. He gets winded and needs to rest some, but we can see an improvement!

Hope you are all doing well and enjoying the spring weather. We are getting excited about summer - only 5 weeks away! Take care.

March 26th, 2010

Steve had an appointment with his oncologist this week. Dr. Grist looked at the spot on the very back of his tongue (the one that had concerned his oral surgeon) and studied the new CT Scan. He did not see anything alarming. The CT Scan was inconclusive because of all the scar tissue involved. Dr. Grist wants to see Steve back in a month to check on the spot again. He might take a biopsy then if it is still a concern.

Steve went for 2 job interviews yesterday! Unfortunately, he was not able to perform the duties at either of the jobs. One required heavy lifting - which was not an issue but the bending over to pick the items up caused his equilibrium to make him very dizzy. He has had this issue since his surgery last January. The doctors are not sure what this is from - his blood pressure drops really low when he bends over.

The second job was taking book orders over the phone. Steve did okay, but the people on the phone really had trouble understanding him so that would cause a problem. He came home feeling very useless. Please pray for him to find the right job for him and for him to be reminded of his importance. He is still trying to keep his roofing business going (he has partnered up with another guy), but right now it is not showing enough success.

With all the budget cuts in education and the rise in health care, cost of living, etc, I am looking for a summer job too. And now that Becca is 16 she would like to find a part time job. She has the opportunity of a lifetime to go to Prague and Vienna with her chorus group next year. So, she will have to help raise the money need for the trip. She is discouraged already because jobs are so hard to come by right now - especially when you are only 16!

Hope all is well with each of you. Spring is right around the corner! Only one more week until Spring Break for us - yeah! May God bless you all.

Good News

Steve had his CT Scan yesterday and met with his oral surgeon. He was able to review the scan quickly and said he did not see anything alarming. The "tumor board" will look over it too just to make sure. When he examined Steve's mouth he found that the infection is clearing up and the spot in the back of the tongue is clearing up too - it seems it is an infection from sutures (stitches) too : )

Dr. Roser told Steve that he should see the dentist that is making his teeth and start the process for teeth implants. He is optimistic that the implants will go well! So, we had some really good news overall yesterday! What a relief. We thank you for your prayers and thank God for hearing and answering them!

Take care!

February appointment

Hello everyone! Just wanted to let you know that Steve had a check-up appointment with his oral surgeon yesterday. Dr. Roser found a spot on the back of Steve's tongue that concerns him. He took x-rays but could not tell anything from them. He has scheduled a CT Scan for Steve on March 9th to see if anything shows up on it. In the meantime, he put Steve on an antibiotic. There is a chance that the spot is just the result of a low-grade infection due to all the surgery and metal in his mouth.

Please keep us in your prayers as we await this next step and the results. We are praying that this spot is nothing to worry about. Thank you for all your support!

Anniversary

This past weekend was a busy one for us. We spent it camping with Alli and Becca's Girl Scout troops in Mableton, Georgia. While we were there Steve realized that Saturday was the one year anniversary of his surgery. He was reflecting that it has been a year since he has eaten an solid food! It is hard to believe.

Steve is doing pretty good. He does get tired and takes naps daily (but then again, I do too when possible!). He is in good spirits. He says bacon is the main food that makes him wish he could eat again. His pain level goes up and down, but then he is used to living with some pain everyday. He has an appointment with Dr. Grist this week I believe.

The young man Steve met at Dr. Grist's office had his surgery and we were able to visit him last week. He looked good for what he had been through. He was able to go home on Friday so that was good news. He is able to talk a little bit. Amazingly enough, they used a muscle in his stomach to try to reconstruct his tongue. Time will tell if it worked! Please keep him in your prayers (his name is Justin Clark).

With Valentine's day coming soon and Becca's 16th birthday around the corner, this month holds many fun-filled activities. I look forward to being done with January - my least favorite month. It is always a let down after Christmas! Take care. God bless you all!

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.