Oh boy. Dr. W emailed us a photo of the tonsils - Matt insists on posting. :-) The right one is the one on the top - you can see how much bigger it is. Now you know what tonsils look like!Wednesday, December 9, 2009
For Strong Stomachs: the Tonsils
Oh boy. Dr. W emailed us a photo of the tonsils - Matt insists on posting. :-) The right one is the one on the top - you can see how much bigger it is. Now you know what tonsils look like!
All About Cathy
Okay - I am grabbing a post all for myself...
Yesterday it took me 1 1/2 hours to get home (including the Rainbow stop for italian ices, vanilla ice cream, etc.) given the stupid snow and wind.
Madalyn came over for dinner which was fab - we haven't seen her in a week - and I think that really cheered Matt up.
Then, she left around 10pm and called 7 minutes later - in a ditch off highway 494. OMG. She is okay, and the car (Chapin's Passat) is okay - she actually picked a perfect spot to spin out we concluded. The car's tires were shot - which we knew - but they had not been replaced (which we had been asking about for MONTHS) and given the black ice on the road - it was almost inevitable that something like this would happen. We tried to take a photo to document (we are in that mode as you all know!) - not sure you can really tell but here it is.
That's the Passat getting pulled out of the ditch on the right.
I called AAA (god I love them) and met her by the highway where not one but two tow trucks awaited, plus a state trooper - it was all good. It took quite awhile to get the car out of the ditch given its angle but eventually it came out and we arranged for the dude to tow the car to the nearest discount tire place. New tires are going on even as I type. Drove Mam to her mom's, then back home in the snow...to bed around 12:30pm.
Another rough night for Matt - the steroids are starting to wear off or something, and he has also developed a nasty cough which isn't too great in general, and for sure is rough on his throat. It is really depressing right about now, again. Argh.
But hey - woke this morning and was mentally preparing to go outside to shovel the driveway (which in theory I don't mind but wasn't looking really that forward to it 'cause I was tired and it was still cold and blowing) and GOD BLESS OUR NEIGHBORS: Jeff from next door had already been over and cleared our driveway! Wasn't that so nice?! So maybe today will be better. :-)
Yesterday it took me 1 1/2 hours to get home (including the Rainbow stop for italian ices, vanilla ice cream, etc.) given the stupid snow and wind.
Madalyn came over for dinner which was fab - we haven't seen her in a week - and I think that really cheered Matt up.
Then, she left around 10pm and called 7 minutes later - in a ditch off highway 494. OMG. She is okay, and the car (Chapin's Passat) is okay - she actually picked a perfect spot to spin out we concluded. The car's tires were shot - which we knew - but they had not been replaced (which we had been asking about for MONTHS) and given the black ice on the road - it was almost inevitable that something like this would happen. We tried to take a photo to document (we are in that mode as you all know!) - not sure you can really tell but here it is.
That's the Passat getting pulled out of the ditch on the right.I called AAA (god I love them) and met her by the highway where not one but two tow trucks awaited, plus a state trooper - it was all good. It took quite awhile to get the car out of the ditch given its angle but eventually it came out and we arranged for the dude to tow the car to the nearest discount tire place. New tires are going on even as I type. Drove Mam to her mom's, then back home in the snow...to bed around 12:30pm.
Another rough night for Matt - the steroids are starting to wear off or something, and he has also developed a nasty cough which isn't too great in general, and for sure is rough on his throat. It is really depressing right about now, again. Argh.
But hey - woke this morning and was mentally preparing to go outside to shovel the driveway (which in theory I don't mind but wasn't looking really that forward to it 'cause I was tired and it was still cold and blowing) and GOD BLESS OUR NEIGHBORS: Jeff from next door had already been over and cleared our driveway! Wasn't that so nice?! So maybe today will be better. :-)
Monday, December 7, 2009
Primary is Confirmed (and Matt's Throat HURTS)
Got the call today from Dr. W: pathology confirmed there is cancer present in the right tonsil and it was spreading. A good thing we got it out when we did. He will be setting an appointment with Dr. H (radiology-oncology at Methodist) for us later this week/early next to set treatment. We may also do one more visit to Mayo - we'll have to see.
And, as everyone we had talked to prior to the tonsillectomy had told us, it is confirmed that having your tonsils out as an adult is HORRIBLE. Last night was really tough: Matt's throat is so swollen that he can't relax his neck/tongue and when he starts to fall asleep he ends up basically choking on his tongue and needless to say, is not able to sleep. So....he (we) are going on his third night of basically no sleep. Dr. W phoned in a prescription for steroids to help quell the swelling - here's praying they help!
And, as everyone we had talked to prior to the tonsillectomy had told us, it is confirmed that having your tonsils out as an adult is HORRIBLE. Last night was really tough: Matt's throat is so swollen that he can't relax his neck/tongue and when he starts to fall asleep he ends up basically choking on his tongue and needless to say, is not able to sleep. So....he (we) are going on his third night of basically no sleep. Dr. W phoned in a prescription for steroids to help quell the swelling - here's praying they help!
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Tonsils are OUT
The tonsils came out yesterday and the right tonsil continues to look suspicious. It was noticeably larger than the left one, and Dr. W said it also felt firmer which is another indicator. He did take a photo for us but we don't have it yet - they kind of look like pink oysters-on-the-shell! Check out 
some of our yet another fab surgery teams - can you tell they are having fun or what? (Matt was cracking them up, trying to shock them, of course.)So we are home and Matt is recuperating. As predicted, his throat 
really hurts - last night neither of us got a lot of sleep. The cold he is getting over doesn't help. :-( The dogs are trying to be as sympathic as possible - see photo of Sogra trying to comfort.
really hurts - last night neither of us got a lot of sleep. The cold he is getting over doesn't help. :-( The dogs are trying to be as sympathic as possible - see photo of Sogra trying to comfort. I am off to get more ice cream, ice and popsicles - another update later. We will get results of the pathology on Tuesday hopefully.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Matt's Idea of Prep for Tonsillectomy
Buy gallons of ice cream at Cub.
Eat ALL the ice cream between Wednesday and Thursday nights.
Send Cathy for more on Friday.
!!!!
Eat ALL the ice cream between Wednesday and Thursday nights.
Send Cathy for more on Friday.
!!!!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Yup to Tonsils Out Friday
Tonsils will come out this Friday, Dec. 4 - yeah.
Then pathology report with cancer status available on Tuesday, Dec. 8, hopefully. And yet another Doogie follow-up scheduled for Dec. 21 (same day as the chest CT - oh goody and the day before he has his final touch bases with the lungs dr. - we still need to officially rule out the nodes but just aren't too worried about them.). Hopefully? Potentially? somewhere after next week is another consult with Dr. H at Methodist (the radiologist-oncologist) which is when we will possibly? probably? know about treatment.
Can you say count down to Christmas? :-)
Then pathology report with cancer status available on Tuesday, Dec. 8, hopefully. And yet another Doogie follow-up scheduled for Dec. 21 (same day as the chest CT - oh goody and the day before he has his final touch bases with the lungs dr. - we still need to officially rule out the nodes but just aren't too worried about them.). Hopefully? Potentially? somewhere after next week is another consult with Dr. H at Methodist (the radiologist-oncologist) which is when we will possibly? probably? know about treatment.
Can you say count down to Christmas? :-)
Yet Another Day, and More Waiting
I keep thinking daily or semi-daily posts are kind of ridiculous - we all have lives don't we? And yet for Matt and I right now, it truly is one-day-at-a-time and each day brings something new. Can you say exhausting?
Yesterday we got a chance to connect with Dr. W, our quarterback, and fill him in on the Mayo visit and talk next steps. Not much to say really. He has not received the notes yet from Mayo but he took a 'feel' of Matt's tonsils as well (Matt says it wasn't half so aggressive as Dr. O) and says yes he feels something but it is REALLY small and could be a nodule or something. He says we all really want the tonsils out and heavy-duty pathology done right away. We agree!
It turns out there was a bit of a scheduling snafu and Matt is calling on the tonsillectomy this morning to confirm he can get in on Friday - if not, we have to wait until next Friday - argh. Happily, it is an in-and-out/same day procedure so no more hospital stays - yeah. He says it will take at least a week and a half for Matt's throat to heal.
We also did talk treatment: we will be going back to Dr. H at Methodist once the pathology report is back, for a consult with him about the extent of the radiation therapy needed. While we hold out only a slim hope right now for no radiation, at least we can consider a more modified approach that isn't going to impact Matt's mouth...But we are FINALLY learning not to project out too far on that front. We just won't know until the report on the tonsils are back, and Dr. H has had a chance to review.
So...more waiting. I will post when we know about the tonsillectomy; the pathology reports will be available (in theory) the Tuesday after the surgery, FYI.
Yesterday we got a chance to connect with Dr. W, our quarterback, and fill him in on the Mayo visit and talk next steps. Not much to say really. He has not received the notes yet from Mayo but he took a 'feel' of Matt's tonsils as well (Matt says it wasn't half so aggressive as Dr. O) and says yes he feels something but it is REALLY small and could be a nodule or something. He says we all really want the tonsils out and heavy-duty pathology done right away. We agree!
It turns out there was a bit of a scheduling snafu and Matt is calling on the tonsillectomy this morning to confirm he can get in on Friday - if not, we have to wait until next Friday - argh. Happily, it is an in-and-out/same day procedure so no more hospital stays - yeah. He says it will take at least a week and a half for Matt's throat to heal.
We also did talk treatment: we will be going back to Dr. H at Methodist once the pathology report is back, for a consult with him about the extent of the radiation therapy needed. While we hold out only a slim hope right now for no radiation, at least we can consider a more modified approach that isn't going to impact Matt's mouth...But we are FINALLY learning not to project out too far on that front. We just won't know until the report on the tonsils are back, and Dr. H has had a chance to review.
So...more waiting. I will post when we know about the tonsillectomy; the pathology reports will be available (in theory) the Tuesday after the surgery, FYI.
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