DeDe UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi Ya'll

DeDe came through the surgery like a trooper of course.

I couls not sleep till I heard from George (Dede probably warned him I would pacing lol)

" I just got back from the Hospital her surgery was 13 hours, The Doctor said she did real well. They are confident they got all the Cancer from Her neck, She still needs Radiation to Kill off any micro-scopic organisims.

She'll be in ICU for about a week and home in about two weeks."

Let me tell you DeDe has been keeping me calm and I making her laugh...

"The MRI was a mess, it took an hour and a half to do. The guys were so good about it and didn't try to

hurry me or make me feel like I was the cause of the problem. Finally got it done and had about 45 minutes until the first doctors appointment. Once we seen these two doctors the appointments took off running and didn't stop. They had scheduled other appointments that we didn't know about on top of the three that we did.



The first two, one was going to be doing the removing of parts while the other one is going to start the reconstruction. I will have a feeding tube and be in the hospital for at least two weeks, the first 3 or 4 days I will be in ICU. The reason is to keep an eye on the "Flap" to make sure it is healing and having no problems. They are going to take from my right arm. My thighs, (which I am so grateful for) are to "thick", my left arm had been broken when I was young and the blood flow only goes to the top of the hand and not both the top and bottom. So that only leaves my right hand and arm. The thought of having flesh removed from my thighs, ugh...I just can't imagine having to pull clothes up and down over them all of the time not to mention trying to sit and sleep. I will probably not be happy with the right arm, but when it is all healed, I will be happy about it.



Then to have blood work, EKG base line done, and then to see the anesthesiologist. Had an eleven o'clock appointment with him and finally at almost two we seen him. Which made us late for the final doctors appointment at 1:15. The doctor I gather is the one that will be removing the parts needed to reconstruct my neck, he will be doing this. He is the one that said two weeks in the hospital, they want to do swallow test before they allow me to eat and drink real food. Where the feeding tube will be, is also where the


The one young doctor that was one of the originals that helped me the first night and did the trach came into see me as we were getting ready to leave. He gave me a hug and told me he would be with me on Friday. He was one that talked to George like a person. Took the time to explain what was happening and why.
 
Sonia, while I was in the MRI machine this morning, I talked to you and Marie!  The two of you should have heard me about 7:30.  Of course this was all going on in my head, I couldn't move my finger over my trach to talk to anyone.  Had to keep still....We talked and sang songs, yes sang songs, Christmas songs of all the songs to have sung. LOL  "
 
 
And then -"No Sonia, I am not scared, just looking forward to getting on the other side of this so that I can start the healing process. There are a couple of things that could change the course of this surgery.




When they were looking at my MRI yesterday morning the doc said my esophagus looked good, meaning cancer free, when I went back to the last doc, he said that when he and the other doc were reviewing my MRI with the radiology guy, there is some "flashing" located like right at my collar bone on my esophagus. If it is cancer, they may stop the surgery to take another route, because now they will have to work my mid section first and then work the neck. Which means a whole new team of doctors for the mid section, and I am not sure how long that would take to put together, it has taken almost four weeks to get the neck team together.



There are so many different things, like if the cancer has attached itself to the jugular vain and they have to remove it and reconstruct, things like this don't scare me, I know the team of doctors I have are top docs, it the things like having to stop the surgery and regrouping, which means for time to get to the other side of healing.



They don't want to harvest the flap from my arm until he knows for sure that everything is a go in the neck. Can't take the chance of wasting it and then trying to figure out where to get another one.



So looking forward to getting to the other side of this....."
 
 

Love you DeDe - Friends comfort Friends - Tell a Friend you love them

 

When I get another update I will post it.

 

DeDe, George and the Kids also thank everyone for the blessings, wishes and prayers.

 

XOXOXOXOXO