Surgery moved up to this Monday

Got to thinking that I didn't want to wait another two weeks to remove the nubbin on my noggin.  So I was very pleased when the folks at UW Hospitals readily agreed to schedule my surgery sooner.  I will report to the surgical pavilion at 2:15 Monday, November 7.  So fingers  crossed that all goes well.

Surgery scheduled

I saw Dr. Merati, the ENT at UW who will be doing my surgery.  The doctors and staff at UW could not have been nicer and when I explained that I wanted to have the surgery before my daughter left for her residency on June 7, they spent the morning pulling out all the stops for me to make it happen.  So many, many thanks to them.  It is scheduled for May 31st. 

As always, there is some caution here.  Dr. Merati has done this surgery (the implant is called a 'thyroplasty') over 300 times and he is confident that it will improve my voice significantly.  However, my breathing problems are not a standard presentation--something is not making sense in my reporting of the significant  breathing difficulties I am having upon exertion because most of the video taken in last week's endoscopy, show the airway fairly unrestricted.  So Dr. Merati wants to include  a neck scan in my ct scans as well. One thing that could have happened is that the original Radiesse injection could have moved further down into the windpipe.  In that case, it would be a nasty surprise because it would entail further surgical procedures, so the ct scan should help to determine if that is a problem.  

Dr. Merati was also interested in the fact that at least a year before the cancer was diagnosed, I was having swallowing difficulties and he wants to pin that down a bit better before surgery.  So tomorrow at 9:30 am I am back at UW for a swallow test with Ginger.  This means no food or liquids (including water!) after midnight. I will have to call upon my early  first communion training in the Catholic Church to make it through this privation......

Pre anesthesia on Thursday and a meeting with the speech pathologist on Friday.  It's going to be a very busy week.  More later. 

Max will have his surgery today

Max goes in at noon today for the operation to improve his breathing.  The surgeon will tie back one of his vocal cords, which will open up his airway and permit him to breathe normally.  There is around a 10% risk that there will be complications, such as the vocal cords will be too soft to tie back, or that he will develop pneumonia as a result of the surgery.    Fingers crossed that he comes through and  can resume a more active lifestyle. 

I've been combing through the family pictures looking for more of Max and I have found very few that really show him--partly because of his dark color but also because of his personality.  He has always been a rather retiring personality, not given much for hogging the limelight.  Max  barks (no longer an option after surgery) to let me know one or both of the dachshunds have taken over his bed and he wants me to shoo them off so he can lie down.   He even gives them first choice on food, if I don't step in and supervise.  

He was the Christmas puppy in 1997, which made it the best Christmas ever for me.  I think I was more excited than the kids were.  Let's hope he has a few more Christmases to share with us.



Waiting is the hardest part

Surgery to excise the malignant lymph node and submit it for testing to determine if it had the EGFR mutation went smoothly.  My friend, Diane picked me up and we were at Group Health at 10:45.  An unexpected cancellation moved me ahead from the original 12:45 appointment for the operation, and I was in by 11:30 and out of the operating room by 12:30.  They gave me a local anesthetic that worked most of the time.  I was in a pleasant somnolence when it failed and it was rather like a large electrical shock.  Fortunately when I screamed, the nurse anesthestist increased the dosage and the rest of the operation went without a hitch.  With about an hour's recuperation, I was home by 2 or 2:30.

Hopefully the node will be sent to the UW to do  the EGFR mutation testing, so the results will be back next week rather than in 2-3 weeks.  Until then it's a waiting game.  I'm on heavy strength pain meds to stave off the reaction to the surgery.  The nurse yesterday told me to stay on top of this because if I don't, catch up is not easy.  And being in a lot of pain impedes the healing process.  The drugs help with the anxiety for now.  After that, we'll have to come up with other distractions.

Scooter visits the surgeon

Up this morning and into the kitchen. Discovered that I had not let Scooter, my 7 year old dachshund, out in time. I could tell the puddle was his because it was not a lake, which it would have been had it been Max the labrador with the super size kidneys, and it was red. Scooter was treated for a urinary tract infection back in January and I had never followed up on it because it is difficult to get a urine sample from a dog who is so close to the ground and who refuses to pee when on a walk (really). Sensing opportunity was at hand, I grabbed the turkey baster from my utensil drawer and managed to obtain a sample large enough to take into the vet's this afternoon.

Scooter definitely had blood and sedimentation present in his urine and I agreed to an xray which showed a rather large stone in his bladder. Have to confess that while he was out getting his xray, I got rather teary eyed. It came a bit too close to my situation for comfort. My sister, the vet, told me later that a bladder stone is far better for Scooter than a kidney stone, which would be much more involved surgery. As it is, the final price tag for the excision is upwards of $1000. Ah well. He is a good guy and definitely worth it. I think he'll feel much better afterwards.

Anyway, I deliver him tomorrow to NE Veterinary. Say a little doggy prayer for him, if you are so inclined. Thank you.