You may have noticed that I have not been quite as prolific in my updates to this blog over the last few days and weeks. And, in the coming weeks there may be very few new posts. I have another challenge to deal with that needs my more immediate attention.
When I was in Australia dealing with the events surrounding Geoff's death I had a flare up of a "lesion" in my mouth that had occasionally been a nuisance to me over the last few years. In August, 2007 I had the lesion examined through a "loop biopsy" (at that time it was the size of a pencil eraser) and it was determined to be benign. Over the past few years I was treated primarily by a dentist under the assumption I was grinding my teeth in my sleep and had a "night guard" made, along with some other recommendations which I followed. During that period of time the lesion was stable and didn't seem to get any worse, nor did it get better. However, when I returned from Australia toward the end of October, 2010 it had grown approximately 4 fold in size and was causing me considerable pain. Over the course of the following 8 weeks I was seen by an Internist, Dentist, referred to an Oral Surgeon and subsequently referred to an Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist (ENT). The ENT was immediately alarmed by the size and appearance of the lesion and he ordered some tests that culminated in surgery on December 17 to determine if, in fact, the lesion was benign or perhaps had become malignant.
The ENT had told me before the surgery that there were two possible outcomes: He would take a portion of the lesion and have it processed as a "frozen section" immediately and if the lesion was determined to once again be benign he would remove the entire mass, stitch up my tongue (where it resides) and after a few days I would be as good as new; OR, the analysis of the frozen section would indicate a malignancy, in which case he would terminate the surgery and refer me out to a different type of physician for a more invasive procedure. I awoke in the recovery room of the surgery center after the procedure on December 17 and noticed by the clock that it was approximately 3 hours after the surgery had begun. Shortly thereafter, a nurse came into the room and asked me how I was feeling. I could barely speak but I managed to ask her "What happened?" she then asked me if I had spoken to the doctor, I shook my head to indicate NO and she then said I would have to wait until I spoke with him to find out the results of the surgery. I had somewhat convinced myself before the operation that I was going to awaken afterward and be told that everything was fine and after a few days of healing I would resume the normal course of my life. Given the way the nurse responded to my garbled question I knew I was absolutely wrong in that assumption. After a few minutes my wife, Mitzi, came into the recovery room and reluctantly shared with me her conversation with the doctor since he had to leave the hospital to attend to other patients before I awoke.
I was diagnosed with a well differentiated, diffuse, Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) of the Tongue based on the results of the analysis of the frozen section. We were to meet with the ENT doctor a few days later, after I had some time to heal, to talk about the next steps.
When we met with the ENT doctor the following week he explained that I was going to be referred to a Head and Neck Surgical team at a teaching hospital about an hour away from my home in Southern California. This particular hospital is well respected for their head and neck surgery along with many other specialities. The appointment with the surgeon was scheduled for January 4 and I had healed up about 70% from the first surgery by the time we met with the new doctors. After examination by two different physicians I was counselled that the most appropriate treatment was further surgery, specifically, a partial glossectomy and a selective neck dissection. In simpler terms they were recommending removing a piece of my tongue, approximately 5cm in diameter from the right lateral side along with the lymph nodes on the right side of my neck. During the past few weeks the details have been arranged such that the surgery is going to be performed on Friday, January 21. The surgery will last from 4 - 7 hours and I will be in hospital for 5 - 7 days. I will have a tracheotomy performed as well as a feeding tube (for approximately 2 weeks). Any further treatment will be based on the analysis of the lymph nodes after they are removed.
So, naturally, I have been asking myself if or how this could relate to Geoff's challenge with Hodgkin Lymphoma and my amateur research indicates that it does not. I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in 1998 and have had no recurrence after treatment with chemotherapy. Apparently that is also unrelated to Geoff's cancer, according to those that are supposed to know. I will undertake this journey with the SCC and its treatment with the support of all my family and friends and the confidence that is needed to prevail. I ask only for everyone's best thoughts and good feelings. Keeping the memory of my son alive in the hearts of those who knew him and now for many that never did is so important to me that I will focus on that commitment to help get me through these next challenging weeks. Knowing that I have 3 wonderful, strong, daughters, 4 fantastic grandchildren, a wife that loves me, 2 incredibly supportive step children and my own parents, siblings and in-laws that will be with me every step of the way mitigates the fear I imagine one would normally experience about this next period of time.
I will be communicating with all of you as soon as I am able. I have been in constant contact with Geoff's doctors in Kogarah at St. George Medical Center and I expect to have the official coroner's report within the next month, or so, and am anxious to try to come to some understanding of just what happened to take the life away from just a wonderfully happy and productive young man.
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