Hi Lea. Glad you found this wonderful site for information and support. I will be praying for you, your father and the surgeon today for your dad's operation. You have found without a doubt the best place for up to date information and support. From one "caregiver" to another it's not easy. Hang in there and like Cheryl said stay close to your dad the first day or two.

My mom had the "whipple" surgery at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, MD for pancreatic cancer. She had the top surgeon in the country at one of the best hospitals in the country but once surgery was over they basically left my mom alone. She had so many tubes and drains that she couldn't even move let alone reach for a nurse call button. Luckily they had no problem with one of us staying with her round the clock.

Best wishes and let us know how surgery goes.

Wanda (47) caregiver to husband John (56) age at diag.(2009)
1-13-09 diagnosed Stage IV BOT SCC (HPV+)
2-12-09 PEG placed, 7-6-09 removed
Cisplatin 7 weeks, 7 weeks (35) IMRT
4-15-09 - treatment completed
8-09,12-09-CT Scans clear, 4-10,6-11-PET Scans clear
4-2013 - HBO (30 dives) tooth extraction
10-2019 - tooth extraction, HBO (10 dives)
11-2019 - Left lateral tongue SCC - Stage 2