Update 9/15/09

We had another visit with Dr. Khalil yesterday. Dr. Khalil originally diagnosed me and performed my last surgery. He asked us to come in to his office that afternoon so we could ask questions and get more information, since the last visit was a little overwhelming! Overall, we were encouraged by what he had to say. Please forgive my non-medical recap of our discussion. Hopefully I got it all right!

• My CT and PET scans are still scheduled for Thursday evening, and we should know results the next day. These tests will help determine if the cancer has spread.
  
• Based on the size of the tumor that he already removed from my tongue, there is a 30% chance the cancer has spread to my lymph nodes, chest, lungs, etc.
  
• He will be removing a "wedge" from my tongue of tissue that contains the cancer and also a 1cm of clear margin around the cancer.
  
• He will also reconstruct my tongue at the same time using grafts from my chest wall, or depending on the size of the graft, it might be from a cadaver...GROSS...I need to get over that!
• One of the reasons this cancer is dangerous is that it is poorly differentiated, which means it mimics regular tissue. The only way to know if the tissue is cancerous or not is by testing it. A Pathologist will test the tissue during the surgery so we will know for certain that it is all removed.
• The other procedure is the Radical Neck Dissection. Dr. Khalil will start the incision behind my ear and go along the side of my neck and wrap around the front. I will have a wicked cool scar! He will only do this on the left side, and will remove all the lymph nodes.
• The reason we are doing the Radical Neck Dissection is because this is the only way to make sure the cancer has not spread to the lymph nodes, because the PET/CT scans are helpful but can still be inconclusive. This also prevents the cancer from spreading to the lymph nodes. We want this surgery. Even though the recovery will be tough and my neck won't be pretty, we want this surgery.
• Dr. Khalil felt my lymph nodes and said they were not swollen and that this was a "great sign" so I am feeling good about that. He also brought in his associate, Dr. Lutz, who checked over my tongue and felt the lymph nodes as well. He said the same thing.
• Radiation is still tentative - best case scenario would be that I have great results from the surgery and don't need radiation at all. That is our prayer.
  

We are so glad that we went back in to meet with the Dr. Khalil. We have complete confidence in him. Jason asked him if he had treated this a lot, and he said he's performed the surgeries hundreds of times. So apparently he knows what he is doing.

My parents arrive this Saturday and are staying one week until the following Sunday, to take care of Brady while I am in the hospital. After that, Jason's mom and step-dad are arriving to take over. So we have two solid weeks of care for Brady, not to mention care for me and Jason, too! My doctor says that my recovery will last a minimum of two weeks, so their help is essential. We are so thankful that they will drop everything to help us.

I am feeling pretty positive, but I still have my low moments, and my times of sheer terror. I have never felt closer to the Lord. Every breath is a prayer. Sometimes they are desperate prayers, sometimes they are calm. But I know He hears them all, and I am never alone!

Here is an encouraging article that I've been reading before bed. It's called "Don't Waste Your Cancer" by John Piper. Since we already know that my chances of getting this type of cancer are so low, I can only conclude that God gave me this cancer. Now it's up to me to determine His purpose and not to waste this cancer!

Thank you again for your prayers. We have felt extremely supported and can definitely feel the love and support. We love to hear from you, too. Don't hesitate to write, text, email, or call, if you want to. Don't be surprised if I add "love you" before I hang up, or at the end of an email, and I will really mean it! :)

~Angie