May 16, 2018

God is Good. I sit here in my hospital bed, talking with Melanie, still in shock that 1.) I had a tumor and 2.) that tumor is now gone. It all still seems a bit surreal. In under two months, I discover the tumor and then have it carved out of my chest. What a journey in faith, health, relationships, priorities, etc. Now, this isn't near over yet. I sit here with other issues that are bring monitored, but I know I'll overcome. Hopefully discharged Friday where Melanie and I will settle into a cozy condo herein the Med Center in Houston.

Post op periods have their typical "ups" and "downs".
My "ups" are:

1. I passed my swallow study so I was allowed to start eating yesterday afternoon.
2. I'm up walking around. I've even challenged a few old men to a race!
3. Several tubes that were placed during surgery have been removed over the past 24 hours.

A few downs over the past 48 hours are:

1. I have pericarditis, which is inflammation of the lining of the heart, common for this kind of procedure. This mimics a heart attack on EKG, so Melanie was freaking out a little Monday night.
2. My intercostal block wore off early, so Tuesday night I was up and in pain all night long. More pain meds come with more side effects
3. My left vocal cord is permanently paralyzed as my left vagus nerve has been removed as it was too involved in the tumor to save. So, I sound like I've been a smoker for the past 50 years. I've never smoked, and I'm not even near 50 years old yet. 

I am meeting with a head and neck surgeon on Friday who will do an injection into my left vocal cord trying to make my voice more normal. This will be a temporary fix. I hope to be discharged from the hospital later that day.

So the next 24-36 hours will hopefully bring about better pain control with less side effects, losing my last chest tube, and getting a real shower.  Although I admit, I'll miss the sponge baths!

Please keep praying!