i found a bunch of emails i sent during and after Michael's surgery....wanted to remember them.
I've been in with Michael since 6:15.....he's more awake.....in pain, but they are working on it. When I saw him, I told him the good news....I said "God was so precious to us Michael.....Dr Truelson got all the cancer"....tears rolled down his cheeks...."and no trach, no opening of the chest..you will be able to breathe, talk and eat on your own....." More tears.....then he whispered "tell me again!"......although he is in pain, blood sugar is up because of steroids and they are giving him insulin temporarily for that.....he is GREAT! Please continue to pray for healing.....this resection needs good blood flow to heal correctly. Love you guys and can't thank you enough for all the prayers! Love you to the moon and back!!!!!!
Michael is doing really good this evening.....with one thing tho that we are asking prayer for.....his heart rate is elevated. They think it can be taken care of by raising one of his meds.....but sure would appreciate prayers.....asking The Lord to guide them as they figure it out. It's at times really high and they are working on getting it down.Thank you guys so much! Need his heart in tip top shape!!!!!!
Today is rough.....heart rate is up, blood pressure is up.....he feels awful......just sleepy and no energy. He's not cracking any jokes so I know he feels awful. He has tubes down his throat with tons of drainage and they told him not to cough....puts a strain on the surgery....but sometimes he said it feels like he's drowning.....and he coughs huge. Scares me so bad. Hate seeing him like this :(. Say prayers.....huge ones. God gave us such a miracle with his surgery. Praying now He leads us thru recovery! Love u ❤️
I'm so sorry I haven't been better about updating.....it's crazy here.....we have so many docs involved and they are in all the time....nurses doing stuff....then helping Michael with stuff....and nights are crazy! All that said, there's not a lot of down time. But right this minute I have a couple of minutes (I think).
We have our ups and downs.....he's doing better each day tho. Problems seem to arise tho....heart rate and BP have been a problem....they are adjusting meds to try and correct that. He's vowed to sit up most of the day.....he doesn't cough as much when sitting up. He's already walked a lap this morning and will be walking a few more today. We have quite a bit of swelling...but thinking walking will help that too. There was a thing they found on his lung....a small collapse but doc said not concerned....it should correct itself with time and exercise. They usually use those things you blow in, but Michael can't do that....so we have to depend on exercise. So much he can't do because of the kind of operation he had.
Prayer requests are that his congestion and cough would get so much better....nights are a bear. When he's in bed....coughing is bad....and the told him not to cough! Pray that his body, his heart rate, BP will get to normal....swelling will go down. Pray for his spirit to soar......that he will be encouraged each day with little steps forward.
So many of you have asked about visiting...he's just not up to visitors right now. He's got drains and tubes everywhere.....he can't talk....they've told him not to as much as he can keep from it....his voice is only a whisper because of the loss of the vocal nerve. It will get better with a speech therapist, but right now he's suppose to keep quiet and when people are here, he feels awkward not b ing able to visit.....and give you a hard time! Our kids have been SO awesome.....they bring snacks, hairdryers, and such.....they come each day......just for short time.....to be sure we are ok.
Love you all so much. Thank you for loving us....for covering us in prayer. God has this! So glad He put sweet friends and family on the journey beside us.....to pray, to encourage, to walk with us. Can't tell you how much we love you! You are precious gifts in our lives!!!!!!!!
Love, Michael and Cindy
Soooooo, last night was awful. Could really only see discouragement on his face.....so sad. Today, Chase came to stay with him and I went home....showered....checked the house and mail.....got outside in this beautiful day....Chase walked "the loop" with Michael twice....they did an ex ray to check for fluid on his lungs.....he's really SO congested....coughing a lot and they don't want him to cough but he just can't help it....we don't know results yet.....but he's been sitting in the chair all day long.....hasn't been in bed once. I gave him a "bath", a " shampoo " .....clean jammies and he's a new man! He told me today, for the very first time, he can see that light at the end of this tunnel. I know tonight will probably be hard....he coughs bad when he's in bed......they give him steroids and he's wired....eyes wide open....can't sleep,,,,but tomorrow will be just a bit better than today! Thank you so so much for prayers. Pray it's not fluid in his lung. He does have one lung that's collapsed a bit but they said it will heal .....as the body heals. Pray his heart rate and blood pressure stay down (they checked it a minute ago and both were awesome! ).....pray for the recovery and the plan that's coming up to be the one that totally for sure without a doubt gets rid of any bad cells in his body! Love you and so blessed to have our cheerleaders encouraging us, sending texts, phone calls, keeping our dog, getting mail, watching the house, and for the precious prayers you continue to lift for us! So many have asked to bring food....to visit...to run errands. We are blown away!!!!! This horrible storm has brought us closer to our Lord and Savior.....our sweet and precious kids have just gathered round and showered us with encouragement and love.....they have cancelled plans and just concentrated on nothing but us.....we are so blessed to have those 3 looking after us! (And the grands are the icing on the cake :). We found out what a little bulldog Angie is.....she's not one you want to mess with if u r dealing with her family! And our family of friends.....oh my goodness.....we are overwhelmed. All the prayers.....can't imagine the number of prayers and from some people that don't even know us! The prayer warriors at home praying the day of his surgery.....the prayer warriors that took off work, gave up their entire day to stand with us that day and night....we are just can't thank each of you enough.....I can only say that if any of you ever have a need, we will be there for you! Yes, I am long and drawn out in my writing.....I'm an emotional wreck.....but I'm just basking in the sweetness God has given us...precious gifts. We thank Him for each one! ❤️ you!
So today.....here's our prayer request.....that tomorrow he can swallow.....that the surgery Dr T did will not fall apart....sometimes it can....he said after day 7, rarely does it happen....pray it all holds together. Pray for fluids to settle down. He's getting tube feedings but they r pumping fluids like crazy. He's 10 pounds heavier today :(. Not in the lungs tho thank the Lord! But he's so tired (plus we got no sleep last night....they were in the room SO many times) and carrying around 10 extra pounds is hard period.....but after major surgery, it's awful. Pray also that coughing will subside. Feeding tube will come out tomorrow if he can swallow. Oh my, how he would love that thing out of his nose!!!!! Because of the damaged nerve, swallowing could be a problem. We are praying so hard it's not! Lots of requests....but we know God will be glorified thru it all and we know our sweet family and friends are keeping us lifted up to The Great Physician! Love you BIG ❤️❤️
Oh my goodness....what a difference a day makes!!!!! What a difference prayer makes! We got awesome sleep last night.....Michael was up at 4 though in anticipation of doc taking something out....the feeding tube thru the nose being the main thing! He has fought that thing and fought that thing....today when doc T came in he said I'm ready to get this thing outta here......doc T said let me get some scissors.....he came back, as he was clipping the stitches in his nose, he's saying "this is kind of uncomfortable coming out.....just no way around it....I'm fighting to get out of the bed (papa was sitting in the chair) so I wouldn't have to see it and he ripped that sucker out quicker than quick. THEN he got him water and explained how to turn his head....water went down wrong way. Doc T said just practice....once he heals better he thinks he will be ok....he's going to have speech work with him, do a test.....if he still can't, they will do a barium test? Anyway, the tube in the nose is gone!!!!!! Today is SO much better😝. We just walked a lap....we are adding a lap today so we will do six! Pray now that as his throat adjusts to that yucky tube being gone....that he will be able to swallow. We knew it would be difficult because of the nerve damage.....but we are praying that he will soon be able to do it. Also praying that he can get rid of the congestion.....it's causing shortness of breath when we walk. Love u so.....we just can't imagine walking this road without you....prayer warriors we can't thank enough!!!!! Love you BIG!!!!! ❤️😘
Here I am with another prayer request......Michael is doing better but we still have bumps in the road...today he didn't pass the swallowing test given in radiology. They think after all the swelling goes down, after congestion has cleared....the speech team believes he will be speaking and will be swallowing....but they won't clear us to leave without some way to get nutrition and his meds to him. So in the morning he will have a g tube placed in his stomach. Please pray all goes well with this surgery.....that his congestion will not cause problems.....and that soon Michael will be able to swallow. Lots going on .....love you guys. Thank you for prayers!!! We love you and miss you!
Surgery went well this morning. He's doing good.....wants to sit in the chair but Linet suggested resting a while before trying that. He's in no pain at all....just got some pain meds so he can rest,...but he's wide awake! Been joking with everyone since they brought him in here! He's doing good.....it just this button on his stomach with a small tube coming out. But they won't start using it until tomorrow. Thank u guys for prayers. Just praying he only has to have it a short time. They will train me on it probably Saturday. Not sure when we are going home.....hopefully soon. Love you BIG!!!!!
P.s, Michael is my hero.....thru every part of this....from diagnosis to all the doc appts....to being poked and prodded from every direction, to the scary things we heard COULD happen.....he's never complained.....never not once. So proud of him.
Here’s the latest:
We met with the speech therapist today. She gave Michael new exercises to do, ordered another swallowing test and gave us lots of GREAT information. I will say this - i can’t say enough about UT Southwestern. Everyone is connected and all know before our appointments about Michael, his surgery, treatment plans - everything! VERY organized and so thorough. The speech therapist said that voice and swallow recovery can sometimes takes months - not that it has to….but that it’s very common. Michael is doing everything he has been asked to do - He’s VERY motivated to get that voice and swallow back. We would continue to ask for prayer regarding this.
Another prayer request is that we will KNOW what plan of action to take moving forward. All the Doctors met on Friday and it seems all are in agreement that in about 5 weeks they will give Michael radioactive iodine and then do a scan afterwards to see what lights up. (he has to be off his thyroid meds for three weeks prior and we have been told it’s not going to be fun….that he will be overwhelmingly tired, moody and depressed - please pray for this time to pass quickly and for Michael to do well) We are HOPING and PRAYING that ALL remaining thyroid cancer lights up big time and soaks up all that iodine and is COMPLETELY GONE from his body. But this is where the doctors are not in agreement. The surgeon wants radiation and the endocrine doctor doesn’t. We were told today by the speech therapist that radiation can actually make the swallowing harder - it can cause great harm. It can harm those muscles and could make it even harder to get that swallow back. The surgeon is afraid not to do radiation. The endocrine thinks the radioactive iodine will take care of it. Please pray for us….that we will KNOW the right plan for Michael moving forward.
You guys are so precious to us. Thank you for your prayers, the cards, the emails, the texts and the sweet things you have all done for us during this ordeal. We couldn’t make this journey without you!
Love you BIG,
cindy and Michael
This one right after we talked to the doctor:
Excellent report. Got all the tumor. No tracheostomy. It is aggressive so they will do radiation. Did not take lymph nodes or parathyroid because they looked fine.
Does have a feeding tube for a while. May have a little problem with swallowing and speech may be a little different. We will take that!
We are giving God all the glory. Thank you so much for praying. Please pray him through recovery!!!
These are just a few of the updates i sent during Michael's surgery and recovery.......
Giving God ALL the glory - praying his complete recovery will be soon!
Mimi and her girls....but missing Audrey
