Good News From John

John's sister, Debbie, just sent me an e-mail with a progress report on John, my friend and fellow cancer blogger who had surgery yesterday to remove his tongue in an attempt to stop the progress of his oral cancer. 

The good news is that the surgeon did not also remove John's larynx (voice box) as well, as had been planned, so it looks like John will not lose his ability to speak. 

Here's John's message: 

 

"There may be something to that whole 'power of prayer' thing after all." 

This was a quote from John's doctor after he gave us the unexpected but VERY GOOD news of John's surgery.

First the news:  The larynx (voice box) was saved and appears to be unaffected by disease.  The tongue was removed as planned.  

The stoma (permanent airway in the neck) was not needed. Instead a trachea was placed. This is a temporary airway. The trachea will allow John to be more comfortable in breathing as swelling from the surgery site may be present. It will also allow time for John to re-learn how to swallow with the "new" tongue. 

The new tongue is basically a muscle from his chest wall. Its primary purpose is to be a floor to the mouth and protect the airway and saliva glands (if they return to work later), and now since he will have a voice...be a rehab fixture for John to learn how to communicate again.  

His speech will not be perfect. And it will take some hard work from a very determined man like John.  But the doctor admitted it is a possibility to communicate with what has been done.  The left side of his jawbone was removed as planned. 

Now for the explanation of the quote:  John has been uncomfortable with the pain for a couple of months. Some days ...much more discomfort than other days. Tuesday was rough. 

His ability to control the swelling of the tongue and jaw by dosing to the max with Ibuprofen was removed from his routine on Monday.

John developed a "routine" of what works for symptoms...and knew what made them worse.  Ibuprofen and one pain pill was his best defense against the tremendous headache caused by the referred pain from swelling.  Prednisone, not so much.  Cold packs were OK.  He had a system, and it worked—somewhat--for him.

By Tuesday morning nothing was helping.  By Tuesday night, quite unexpectedly, comfort came.  He slept a solid four straight hours late in the night.  When he awoke I could tell the pain had not return to its usual strength.

By Wednesday morning, surgery day, the swelling was NOTICEABLY down in his jaw and tongue. The pain was tolerable.  He felt pretty good. 

Later that morning, while in pre-op, I learned about a friend of John's, someone he knew from his high school days, Greg.  Greg told him that he was going to get a group together to hold a prayer vigil all morning until he went to surgery. They would pray for a miracle to take all the cancer away.

When I heard of this and combined it with the knowledge of his progress just in the 10 or 11 hours of that day, I was becoming a believer.  I (being the squeaky wheel sometimes) made certain that the anesthesiologist, the surgery room staff, and even his surgeon knew of this situation. 

I firmly but caringly informed them all that if once they have begun the procedure and their eyes appear to be deceiving them and they do not see any cancer....WE WOULD BE OK WITH THAT and we would expect them all to respect what they see (or don't).

Then came the news of the saving of the voice box.  And then the news of no stoma.  His doctor then stood back and said, "There may be something to this power of prayer after all." 

To borrow my brother’s words: "Who da thunk it?" 

Today is Thursday.  He is doing well. The swelling he has today is very expected. He is becoming accustomed to the odd feelings around him.  The trach, staples, drain tubes, etc. He fought sleep last night...but is resting better this morning.

Other than the fever, which is not concerning them yet, they say he is doing better than most patients having the same type of surgery.

I would like to express on behalf on my brother, John, and his entire family to all the deepest heartfelt thanks for all the prayers that God did hear.  We know Greg's group was not the only ones praying.  Many people from coast to coast...probably EVERY state and some countries were praying.

(From probably the most conservative religious person in this family)...I can truly say I do believe He heard and answered your prayers.  Mere words will NEVER be enough gratitude.

Much loving thanks,

 

"the lil sister" 

Debbie

See also:

What Do You Say to a Friend Who's Lost His Tongue?

John's blog

If you'd like to make a donation to help John: 

Comments

[l'optimiste]

this post made me cry - I was so happy for John not to lose his voice completely, and yet so sad he has to go through this. So amazing he can share everything. I am seriously impressed!! Sending millions of good vibes his way! thank you - your blog is quite inspiring.

[debbie]

Thank you Jeanne for all your help. Much love, debbie (John's sister)

[Brian]

Thank you for posting John's update Jeanne. He's been on my mind heavily the last two days. We've kept in touch ever since he stumbled across my blog and have been buddies ever since.

Having gone through what he is going through, I can feel his struggle as if it were my own. Though I've never met him in person he's almost like family. I hope to "hear" from him soon, but I know that will take awhile.

I hope you're doing well:)

Brian

[meg wolff]

Could you please give me the link to John's blog. I read your recent post about him and thought I had bookmarked it. Wonderful news that his surgery was not as extensive as they had planned. Thanks.

[jeanne Sather]

Brian--thanks for the comment. I hope to have John's updates on both my blog and his from today on. Just a brief e-mail from his sister this morning saying he has some pain today, but that's to be expected--pretty major surgery.

Do you have a blog as well? If so, please post the link or e-mail it to me.

And Meg--here is John's blog:

http://www.surviving-oral-cancer.com/

If you leave him a comment on his blog, it will sit in his inbox waiting for him to get back to the blog--because his comments requite author approval.

If you want to send him a message more directly, you can e-mail it to me and I will forward to Debbie, John's sister.

Thanks,

Jeanne

[Brian]

Jeanne,

I have maintained a blog ever since the beginning of my cancer treatment. I have been a fan of yours for a long time. John has been someone I've kept in contact with since his beginning.

It's a bit odd how we all find each other online. I'm so grateful to so many, like you, who share their stories and insights to help the rest get by a little easier.

Cheers to you!

Brian

My Blog: http://beyondtheglassdoor.blogspot.com/

[Wendy S. Harpham, MD]

Thank you, Jeanne, for keeping us up-to-date on John and offering to be a conduit for messages.

Please let him know he is teaching many people what it means to be a "Healthy Survivor."

With hope, Wendy

[jeanne Sather]

Wendy--thank you. I will make sure that John sees these messages.

[ChristineB]

Thanks for posting Johns wonderful news. Hoping he has an easy recovery. His friend over at OCF are all cheering him on and wishing him well.