MRI June 24

Today was the first MRI since the surgery and wonderful news.....

No sign of the tumor!!!

He'll have another MRI next June and annually for 5 years (Dr. Robinson said we may skip a year if the next couple are good).

We are so thankful for the news today!

Follow-Up

Wes's recovery has really been remarkable! Better than we ever thought it could have been. He still suffers from headaches but not every day and he never had any damage to his facial nerve. His scar is minimal and he has chosen to continue to shave his head!!!

Thank you again for all your prayers.

I'm asking for them again now.....

This Wednesday we go back to the hospital for his follow-up MRI and will see the neurosurgeon the same day to find out if all the tumor was removed and will discuss the course of action if it wasn't. We are hoping and praying that what was left was a piece of tissue and this will all be behind us. Please keep Wes in your thoughts this week.
I'll post later in the week when we know the results.

Happy Father's Day

June 5, 2009

4/15 - 3 weeks out

WOW! Today is exactly three weeks ago that he had surgery. He's having an unbelievable recovery!
We saw Dr. Cerenko today (ENT) for follow-up. Wes is having no balance issues, mainly because that nerve had been destroyed some time ago which works in his favor now. He is FREE to drive again!!!! However, he should not be lifting or doing anything strenuous for the full 2 months.

Something very inspiring happened while we were there. There was only one other couple in the waiting room & we got to talking with them a little. Turns out they are there because her husband has an acoustic neuroma and is meeting with Dr. Cerenko for the first time. We were able to tell him what an amazing job he's done with Wes & about Dr. Robinson as well. They were absolutely dumbfounded that he had surgery three weeks ago. The same way we would have been back in January when we got the news. When we met them they were aggravated about waiting there but when we left them, they were happy & hopeful! I can't tell you how great that felt! I gave her my number and encouraged her to call me with any questions and I hope she does.

Next week we'll see Dr. Robinson & get the follow up MRI to see if there is anything left (tumor I mean, not his brain!) I'll post again then or if anything changes....

4/6

It's hard to believe it's been less than 2 weeks since brain surgery! He's doing amazing...recovering much quicker than anyone would have expected. He got the staples removed today & then we went to the mall! He gets tired quicker than he normally would & still has to take pain medication for the headache (although much less frequently now) but other that, he's doing wonderfully. If you saw him today, you'd never even know.
Thanks to everyone who has prayed for Wes & our family. I believe he is prayer at it's best right now:)

9:45pm 4/3

A good day today!!!  Wes has been up & about today for the first time this week.  We went to Harbins to eat lunch with Dawson, who turned 7 today.  The noise got to him after a while, as you could imagine an elementary school cafeteria could, and he had to leave a little early.  We ran a couple of errands, even went into Bass Pro (guess who's idea that was)!

Of course he needed to sleep when we got home but he actually felt like being up and about, which is awesome!

8:15am 4/2

Still headache & meds....the story of the week. He's in quite a bit of pain and doesn't like taking so much medication. He got up for a couple of hours yesterday. He can get around well but his head just hurts tremendously.

12:10pm 3/31

Lot's of pain & lots of sleep is what's happening now. He's pale & has the headache that we were warned of. He's taking his meds as prescribed (no extra time in between right now) & just staying in bed mostly. He's eating enough to not be sick but just doesn't feel like being up & about yet.

Thanks to those who are playing with our kids & helping keep the house quiet! :)

11:45am 3/30

Spoke to soon....
He slept most of the morning & was only able to get up for about 15 minutes. The headache they warned us of has arrived! He's back in bed now & in quite a bit of pain.
Now's the time I'll be calling on those who offered to keep the kids.....

8:45am 3/30

We spent our first night home & it was so nice! Wes is still sleeping but he did awesome yesterday. He was awake for the entire afternoon. His pain is managable & he's feeling good, all things considered. Doctors all said that he's progressing very well, most likely because his vestibular nerve was already destroyed so he didn't have to recover his balance.

Thanks again, a million times over, to all who've prayed for him. It has got him this far & I know he'll have a amazing recovery!

3/29

We're going home today!!!!

6:00pm 3/28

We just took a walk around the floor!  He hasn't been up much today but is doing better now.  Pain was not unbearable & he's going much longer between meds.  The plan is still to come home tomorrow.  So far so good!

10:00am 3/28

He's exhausted!  He had to start getting up yesterday & he did fine but it really wore him out.  He slept all afternoon & night.  He has had breakfast this morning but still no energy.  They want him out of bed more today so he'll be even more exhausted later today.

With all that in mind, he has asked that no one visit today.  He'll feel more like visitors when we are home & he can move more easily.  Hope everyone understands.

Thank everyone for all the prayers & warm wishes.  We knew there would be a lot of recovery time involved & now we just have to be patient.

11:30am 3/27

He's in room 444!

He hasn't stood yet but will have to soon.  Has less tubes now!  He's eating good & all is great!  He will take visitors now....

8:45am 3/27

Seeing him for the first time today & he's still GREAT!!!  He'll get moved out of ICU sometime today (could be late this afternoon).  He's taking more time between pain med. & still says that it's his shoulders; however, they are MUCH better than before.  He will probably get to go home Sunday!  Can you believe that???  He's anxious to get up & move, which he'll get to do today also.  His vision is getting better.  He ate a biscuit & eggs this morning!

I caught up with Dr. Robinson this morning & he is so pleased with his progress, as are we obviously!  He looks great, still no facial changes or swelling.  

Wes won't let me post a pic or I would so you can all see how fabulous he's doing.  

He isn't ready for visitors yet, since he's still in ICU but hopefully he will be once he's moved, or plan to visit him at home next week.  

6:00pm 3/26

Shoulders are starting to feel better & b/p is coming down.  He has eaten jello, italian ice & now had broth too.  He slept most of the day today, which is what he needs.  Still looks awesome!

10:30am 3/26

Never thought I'd like to hear him snore!!!!  Sure sounds good right now knowing that he's resting.  His shoulders still hurt but he's better than yesterday, whether he knows it or not!  His blood pressure is coming down.  His vision is blurring but that should be a combination of swelling & lots of pain meds.  He can't get up until that is better.  Don't know if he'll stay in ICU again tonight or not yet.

I just can't express how great he looks.  For them to have worked on his brain for 10 hours solid & he's not even swollen...it's just unbelievable!!

The day after

I lost WiFi last night so I couldn't update again.

I got to see him about 10:00 last night & he looks AWESOME!  You wouldn't even know he had surgery except for his head being wrapped!!!  I stayed with him until after midnight & went to get a little rest.  He is in a tremendous amount of pain in his shoulders.  I'm not sure if that is from they way they had him secured to the table or something else.  He says it's the worst pain he's ever felt.  I hope that subsides today.

THANK YOU to all my wonderful friends & family who've been so wonderful.

AGAIN, Wes is in ICU now.  His blood pressure was up last night.  HE HAS REQUESTED NO VISITORS for now.  Perhaps when he's in a regular room & feeling a little better, he'll change his mind.  As of now, I'm asking everyone to respect his wishes......

6:00

Assistant came out & said that Neuro. was about 80% done removing the tumor.  Everything still is going great.  Don't have a time frame but hopefully we're in the home stretch.

2:15

Dr. Cerenko came out with update -- he finished his part & Dr. Robinson scrubbed in & started his portion about 1:15.  Dr. Cerenko said that it was exactly what they expected and everything looks really good.  I'll update again when the nurse updates me.

1:00 pm

Nurse just called out & said that Dr. Cerenko (first surgeon) is still working.  Said everything is going fine & he'll speak with me when he's done.

We're here....

We got checked in fine & Wes was doing well on the way here.  He got anxious once they started to prep him so they gave him "something"!  He was relaxed & feeling good by the time he went back.   I was with him until 8:10 & they said they should start by 9:00.  I'll update more later today.

THANKS FOR ALL THE PRAYERS!!!

Pre-Surgery happiness!!!!

Pre-Op

We went to the Neurosurgeon & hospital today for pre-op. We were both anxious about it....we are less than 2 weeks away now & it got REAL today.

However, everything went well, as expected. We got some logistic info., blood taken, EKG done, instructions, etc.....routine stuff. Again, surgery is scheduled for the 25th at 8:00 am and should last between 7 & 14 hours. They will update me throughout & I plan to post here via the laptop. He'll be in ICU that night and depending on how he is the next day, he may get to go to the "floor" (regular room). He'll be there anywhere from 3 days to a week. Everything just depends on how the surgery goes & how he feels afterward.

I know that I keep saying it but thanks to everyone who is pitching in for us with everything from prayers to food to childcare. I don't know what we'd do without all the support.

Surgery

We are confirmed for March 25 at Piedmont Hospital. His surgery will last between 7 and 14 hours, from what we've been told.
I'll update this blog throughout the day of surgery with the laptop. If you want to know how the surgery is going, just check here.
Thanks again to our wonderful, supportive friends who really are helping get us through this and a special thanks to Sandy, my brother, who's driving up from Florida to stay here with the kids while we are at the hospital that week. I love you!

Surgery Date

We are pretty sure the surgery will be on March 25. It is scheduled with the hospital and the Neurosurgeon. The Neurotologist's assistant is double checking but thinks that date works for him too.
Farther out than we'd hoped but at least now we can start making plans....

Jan. 26, 2009 Update

I spoke with the surgeons office today & there is still no date scheduled. Hopefully she'll have one for me tomorrow.
Wes is requesting no one be at the hospital for his surgery. I'll let you know if he wants visitors in the hospital after that day but it looks like everyone should plan to visit once he's home & recuperating. My girlfriends have offered to be there the day of surgery for my support but Wes doesn't want anyone else to come just yet. I hope you understand and respect his wishes. Thank you all again for your prayers and support. We really appreciate it and hope we can count on your support once he's home....that's when we'll need it the most.

Moving along

We met with the Neurosurgeon today. We like him better than we expected to (we'd been warned that he's a surgeon, not the best bedside manner). He was very informative & again gave us the option of the "Gamma Knife" (radiation) but surgery is the best treatment option, all things considered. They are going to have to work on getting a date scheduled with the Neurotologist since it takes both surgeons to do this procedure. We are hoping to have a date by the end of the week or early next week. It could be into March since this is such a time consuming surgery. I'll post as soon as we know the date.
We got a little more info about the surgery itself. The Neurotologist (ENT) will do the initial cut and removing of the bone behind his ear. Basically, he'll get to the tumor. This will take several hours. Once he gets to it, he'll call the Neurosurgeon (literally, on the phone call him to come to the hospital). The Neurosurgeon will then remove the tumor and finish the surgery. He said that his part could take anywhere from 4 to 10 hours, depending on the tumor itself. It's going to be a very long day!
That's what we know right now. We both feel that we've got excellent surgeons and are confident in their ability.
Thanks again for all the support.

The Kids

We decided to tell the kids last night. We fear that they were overhearing enough to make them worry so we thought it'd be best to explain what was happening to them. They think it's a long time to be in the hospital and Dawson asked if he'd be able to hear after this. They are kids though & it only took a minute before they went back to their popsicles!

Details

First, the kids do not know about the surgery yet. We'll tell them when it's close to time. They don't need to worry about it now.

What we know:
Surgery will be at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta
Surgery will last at least 7 hours
ICU for 3 days
Stay in hospital will be at least 5 days
No driving for 1 month
No work for 2 months

We meet with the Neurosurgeon on Jan. 21 and should know more then.
I'll keep this blog updated as best as I can so if you want updates, please bookmark this site and check here for the latest.

Thanks to all our dear friends and family who've shown so much support. I don't know what we'd do without all of you. Please continue to pray for Wes to have a full and speedy recovery.

The journey begins

In 2003, Wes got vertigo and had to go to the doctor. He had an MRI & an Acoustic Neuroma (benign, slow growing tumor) was discovered on his left side inner ear. He lost his hearing on that side in his early 20's so probably he's had it since then & wasn't diagnosed until 2003.

A follow up MRI in January 2009 shows that the tumor had more than doubled in size. We met with the ENT this week and were told that it must be removed. Wes will be having brain surgery, probably in February. We were surprised and saddened with this news, as it was unexpected. We expected radiation therapy but it isn't the right answer for him. Now we must focus on doing what has to be done and getting well again.

The tumor has destroyed his auditory nerve and his vestibular nerve (balance). Fortunately, the body can work out the balance part but he'll never regain hearing on the left side. Now, the 3rd nerve involved is the facial nerve. This, of course, controls his facial movement on the left side. It is elastic-like and has stretched with the tumor. For the surgery, he'll be cut behind the ear and the bone will be removed. A Neurosurgeon will attempt to remove the nerve from the tumor, keeping it in tact, so that he will still have full use of his eye muscle & smile. This nerve could be affected but may improve for up to a year after the surgery, we'll have to wait and see. They will also have to cut his abdomen and harvest fat to put into his skull where bone was removed. This is to prevent cerebrospinal fluid from leaking.

December 2008

Notice that he's wearing a fish shirt when he's not drawing them?

He even draws them!