Had a biopsy last week (My 13th since 1990!) and results were supposed to be in yesterday -- Called nurses several times but got no return calls, which is not a good sign. Had to take daughter to airport today, so I decided to drop in to office since I was on that side of Puget Sound. Told that although nurse was in, I would have to wait for nurse practitioner, again not a good sign (Nurses can apparently give you good news or tell you results hadn't come in, but can't give you bad news).

While I was there, Dr Haakenslash called in from somewhere to speak to me -- He had gotten results evening before and SCC was found in the high BOT, right below where it changes to mobile tongue (What I expected to hear when I went in for biopsy) -- He looked again at CT done two months earlier, but only a very faint indication, not noted by him or Radiology Doc -- He wanted an MRI, so since I was there, we got it done.

He will look at MRI and develop plan, likely submitting to Tumor Board tomorrow -- It will be surgery, with a tissue graft to cover the gaps as Chemo will only slow it down and I have already had lifetime dose of radiation.

Dunno when, or where the graft donor site will be or even whether he will go in from mouth or hack through side of throat, with his team of Cutthroats.

I'm actually relieved that it is cancer because otherwise we would all be wondering what was causing the sensitivity and ear pain (Classic symptoms, sore not healing and ear pain). Strangely, I'm starting to get used to all this.

Depending on when, I want my non-UW gastro-Doc to put in a good PEG, not that feeble, clogging one that I had last!

Oh Pete, sorry you have more to go thru ... Sometimes I wonder when does it all end .. Ya follow all the rules, go thru all of the treatments and still it comes rearing its ugly head again and again ...

Who is your doc at UW? That is where I go as well.

Well, I hope you can enjoy your holiday before setting in to motion against this latest finding. I know you will do well and we will be here sending up prayers for your fast recovery.

Pete-Best of luck to you. You've been through it before and have come out the other end again. Stay strong-we'll all be here for you.

Pete,

There have been a few recently that have opted for additional rad after they "had a lifetime of radiation earlier". I don't know what the deciding factors are, like area treated before and now, time between rad Tx's, etc but I don't think we can just brush off additional rad tx's like we we told in the past. Have you asked about this?

Pete,

So sorry that you have yet another battle to face.

You CAN get a PEG that works and and doesn't clog. Bill had such good luck with his...never had a clog or displacement issue and got over the soreness within about 4 days. I am grateful for a wonderful surgeon..I think that made all the difference with his PEG and port.

We cleaned around it every day with gauze and kept it in place with a soft ace bandage and never had infection and soreness.

Good luck to you and ask around for a good general surgeon to place this for you...makes a difference.

Deb

Pete not you too. You hang in there and give it the ole 1-2 punch...You can overcome this and beat it just to say you did it!!! I can truly immagine how you are thinking concerning your peg tube..the past trouble you have had...but this is a new start this time will be different and you can do it...Take care pete and hang in!!!

(((((((((((((((hugs Pete)))))))))))))))))))))))))

Rita, it's Dr Neal Futran, chair of the department at UWMC -- He's good!

http://uwnews.org/uweek/uweekarticle.asp?articleID=42071

David, the radiation came up the last time around with this and I have indeed had my lifetime limit -- I had a "shotgun" of XRT in 2005-6 to kill microscopic cells, so these have apparently grown since then. Last time, Doc said if we radiated again, my tongue would be a useless, brown, shriveled thing... More radiation is possible if very targeted radiation was used the first time around and not in the new area.

Deb, my first PEG, installed by a Gastro-Doc, worked fine -- It was the second PEG, installed by a Radiologist at UWMC, that was so poor.

The 'rules' are just guidelines and do not come with a certificate of guaranty!

There are a number of radiation options so don't rule that out. I had radiation 2nd time, and Jim has had the radiation seed implants which might be an option. Your donor site for the graft will likely be the front of your thigh. Mine healed very well and a year post graft it is a discoloured that people would look at and wonder what happened - but no horrid winding road scars (ya gotta look good in shorts eh?)

I know what you mean about having it identified. There is a sense of "relief" that it has been caught - obviously early - and that you weren't just going crazy. There is something about identifying the problem and taking action that is calming.

You will do great through this. As Tom R. will tell you - lots of new options and the other day someone posted something about a "cyberknife". I don't know what that is, but I know when I was diagnosed last time the lazer doctor was in on the consultation as lazer surgery was being considered.

Sounds like things are moving at a good speed and catching it early is so important. We're here for you.

Donna

Hi Pete,
What devastating news..what a bummer !!!!
So sorry to hear that you have another SCC.
You mention maybe a tissue graft which is planned for me on the section between tongue and flap on the 29th January.
The donor site will be from the inside of my cheek (mouth :-) on the other side.
Will be in touch when I am not at work as I am at the moment.
Gabriele

Pete:

Im very sorry to hear your results werent good. On the positive note, you have beat it before and can do it again. This time aroudn you know what to expect and how your body will react to treatment. Ive done it twice myself, so know its never easy. Hoping you have an easy time of it.

I checked with a Gastro-Doc and he has fairly open schedule, so I should be able to get a good PEG this time around!

Decided I will make up wrist tags for my brachycardia (so they will set the pulse alarm thresholds low enough that I can go to sleep) and my enlarged prostate (So the Pee Police will not be on my case so quickly) and of course, I will put in the ear plugs before surgery so they will be in for the noisy ICU!

Now all I need is a surgery plan and date.

Atta boy....you got control and I will be keeping an eye out for your posts...We are all by your side...Sounds like you got all the soldiers ready!!!

"No plan survives initial contact with the enemy", so the ability to adapt is a good thing to have!

S#!T Pete - so sorry to hear that you have to deal with this again.

Karen

Glad to hear your making battle plans. You are fortunate to get in easily for the Gastro surgeon. Mine has a 2 month wait for even a consult. I would gladly give you my PEG, it has served me well.

Just hoping I won't need another trach! The PEGs are not a big deal, but the trach is.

Pete,
Rotten news. PEG, trach, whatever it takes just get rid of the monster.

I just got a call (after 7pm) from Dr Haakenslash -- As expected, the tumor board agrees, and so do I, with the surgery -- It will be both from my mouth and through the side of my throat -- Tissue graft donor site will be my thigh -- Because it will affect my swallowing, I will need a PEG for the foreseeable future and a trach for the short term -- More tomorrow about when after he and his scheduler consult.

Whoo hoo..........I won the graft site prediction lottery! I too was freaked about getting a trach again, but truth is you get through what you have to. At least the 2nd time you know what to expect. Remember you can get through anything.

I was surprised at how they do a graft. It was almost as if they took off a layer of sod in a very precice rectangle, then they just covered it with a guaze type thing and let it heal in the open air. As the wound heals and the scab is removed, the gauze comes with it. Hope my description doesn't gross anyone out but it really wasn't gross to me.

Let us know surgery date. In the meantime - Hugs.

Donna

Hey Pete, sorry to hear you have more surgery to go through, but you are in excellent hands with Dr. Futran. I have been impressed with how you have managed things thus far - with humor and strength - a great combination that will surely serve you well with this next round. Let me know if you'd be up for a visit at UW; I'd enjoy meeting you in person.
Take care,
-Tricia

Tricia that is an amazing offer...It means a lot from the side of the visitees. I had someone I met here on the forum come to see me when I was in the hospital and whose husband had the same doctor as me. I know it was extremely difficult for her to do but it meant the world to me. I am always amazed at how technology can bring people together. Pete you are lucky indeed. I know you have trouble with the trach, it is a nasty thing but you can do it. Hope you are doing ok. My thoughts are with you my friend and I keep sending you huge hugs!!!

Dr Futran ... I agree, he is good He is my doc as well.

Just got off the phone with the scheduler and the surgery will be on Dec 30th, exactly the date I had been scheduled for my prostate treatment (enlarged, not cancer) -- Barb said it will be a ten hour procedure, followed by eight to ten days in hospital (and another round of discussions as to whether they can release me with a trach still in...).

Setting up referral to Gastro-Doc for a useful PEG, not the POS UWMC gave me last time.

Hoping I can talk Dr Haakenslash into removing the hair from the graft before installing -- Really don't want hairs tickling my throat!

Luckily, I still have some plastic flies left.

Well your New Year's eve is going to suck, but other than that great news that they are moving quickly to kill the beast. Too funny about the hair on your thigh - maybe electrolosis before surgery?? I know it will go great and you will be back posting in no time.

Donna

Pete,
Now that you have the date and and the plan
you can get your shoelaces pressed for your latest adventure in C-land. Wishing you an easy time and quick recovery.

I still have my EBay food pump standing by...

Pete Hang in there and good luck and best wishes in this next battle, you are atrue Warrior. Semper-Fi Bob

PeteD, you are an inspiration to all of us and with that sense of humor you always have at hand, you will come out of this on top . Good luck and I know you are a winner.

Pete,

You're tough, you'll come through this with more strength and humor. I'll be thinking of you and I'll say a few prayers.

Thanks, guys! It always helps to have moral support for stuf like this -- Right now, this darned cold that my daughter brought from Brooklyn is giving me more grief than the cancer (at least I have pills that work for that!).

You have pills that work for a cold!!! Man that's a blessing.

I spoke (wrote) obscurely -- The pills that work are for the cancer pain (biopsy site and ear); the cold pills are not working! However, the cold seems to be getting better.

If it would help and I know alternative or holistic approaches are taken with a grain of salt but I urge you to try echinacea in liquid form. I attribute my good health post surgery and pre surgery reguarding colds to taking this gem. It really builds the immune system. That in connection with my little bottle of waterless hand soap was a winning combination...

Darn it Pete, I thought WE were on to something. You notice how I inserted me into that potentially lucrative equation?

David, if I had a cure for the common cold, I'd be glad to let the whole forum in!

Actually, RatPhooey had a sneeze and liquid echinacea was one of the non-prescription remedies recommended by various on-line rat groups -- Couldn't find the liquid stuf, but I didn't look very hard.

The common cold starts to break up after 72 hours.

i was gonna try echinacea for something or other i heard it was good for ... cannot remember what it was now ... but anyways ... then i read it is not recommended for those with high bp or was it those with arthritis ... lol i do not know now but it wasn't one recommended for me LOL, so i never ended up takin it... my case in point is even if it is a supplement or vitamin type of thing, always check if you should take it, in regards to other conditions you may have or other meds you may be taking. some are great - others can cause problems more than help, depending on you and your condition.

I went for my pre-surgery prep yesterday and nurse told me that lady with similar case to mine had worked very hard on her speech and after eight weeks had gotten into speech therapy, so I guess it will be a longer time before I start making phone calls! Good thing my cell has texting!

Dr Haakenslash wrote "Total Glossectomy" on the sign-away-your-life papers, although what we discussed sounded like a partial glossectomy, albeit perhaps large, on BOT -- I presume he is covering all the bases in case he finds more that he expects from the MRI (This didn't stand out on the CT, so who knows?). I suppose I'll know more when I wake up.

My GI Doc will install a decent PEG on Friday or Saturday, depending on hospital scheduling, using full sedation. Be nice to have a good one this time!

Got my sister lined up to come out if needed to get me home from hospital with trach -- Gotta satisfy the rules (Reading between the lines, they must be at serious risk if they send patient home with trach), but I *know* from many other surgeries that I do lots better at home than in hospital and I don't want the intermediate step of a Skilled Nursing Facility (aka sniff to the profession) and ones with respiratory techs are apparently rare). Plus, I wouldn't have the QuackPack Ratz to keep me company.

Stopped by my pharmacy to alert them to keep the lockers full of Oxycodone <grinz>.

Pete,
I am saddened that you have to go through this yet a third time. Life just isn't fair - it's one of our greatest childhood lies, I have found out, as I have gotten older.

Sometimes a sense of humor is all you can cling too and you have been remarkably blessd with that.

I pray that they get this thing once and for all and that you have a successful and lasting recovery this time.

Gary, I consider myself lucky, three bouts (or even more in future) is nothing compared to what some on this group have gone through. Life doesn't come with guarantees, but I feel that I have had a good one and this stuf is just part of it. Heck, after all this I will still have two eyes, two lungs, two arms and two legs, just to name some useful stuf that many don't have!

A hundred years ago I would already have been dead from serious burns or a fall that broke my face, so cancer's maybe just the fare I pay for a longer ride on the mortal coil.

My ex-wife's second husband has pulmonary fibrosis, plus he's had serious heart problems -- I was talking to a childhood friend who had helped nurse her mother with PF, and she said that if he was lucky, he would die of heart problems first -- Apparently, PF is a long, painful process with only one ending.

I just had my new PEG installed today, courtesy of a doc who came in on a Saturday to do it -- He mentioned that he has replaced several of UW's radiology dept PEGs because they failed -- I will mention that after my surgery when I demonstrate that the inside diameter of my new PEG is the same as the *outside* diameter of the old PEG -- I've already taken the fittings off and, if I used some lube, I would be able to slide the old PEG right down inside the new one...

It's nice to pour water in the top and watch gravity do the rest with no pumping

Also, the old PEG had a large rectangular base so the Rad Doc could put a couple of sutures through to hold it in place -- First thing the nurse practitioner did was snip the sutures and cut the base back much smaller -- Not doing so leads to infections -- New PEG merely has two tabs sticking out so it won't "fall in" and can be rotated for cleaning underneath.

They gave me conscious sedation (some thing like Roofies) and the procedure took about ten minutes -- I have a dull pain in the area, which is lessening, and a little when I bend over or cough, but as easy as the first two PEGs were for me.

I have already taken off the dang tape (and some hair) and dressings, keeping it supported with a thumbdrive neck lanyard -- The tape hurt lots worse than the procedure!

The new PEG is installed in line with the first two, so my innie PEG navel is getting longer.

Gee whiz Pete you didn't have to make it sound so easy...just kidding I am really glad it went so well for you this is a good sign! So onward to battle you go and this time armed with experience and knowledge. And of course more prayers and angels!!

(((hugs)))

Congratulations Pete and I guess Merry Christmas a little late huh?? I hope that this PEG works out for you and that you don't have any worsening pain from the surgery.

Happy New Year also in case I miss you.

Patty

Pete

Hope everything is successful at your surgery on the 30th and best wishes for a VERY speedy recovery - we will be thinking of you.

Karen

Hi Pete,
Only home for a day and back again next Sunday but just wanted to add my best wishes as well. Like all the others here I am wishing you a quick recovery. Hope to see some of your next posts again soon letting us all know how well it all went.
"Break a Leg".
Love
Gabriele

Hang in there Pete. You are very brave, much braver than I am when it comes to the PEG tube. I really like your attitude, it should act as a guide to others who are struggling.

I've got to admit that it was kinda nice to dump two cans of Nutren 2.0 (1,000 calories total) in the bag last night and set the pump going while I read for a while and then went to sleep.

Today was "Mule Kick" day, where my chest hurt in the morning, but now it's OK.

Surgery is tomorrow and I'll be back online when I can use a keyboard again -- Got my plastic flies packed!

Best of luck tomorrow, Pete. I'll be thinking of you!

Best wishes and all my good thoughts, Pete. Your fighting spirit is such an inspiration!

- Margaret

Pete,
I hope everything works out OK.
Malka

Pete I guess better late than never I wanted to chime in and wish you all the best for today...So I guess you will get this after the fact but the intent is still there...God bless and we will see you when you get back hopefully it isn't long...

Thinking of you and praying all goes well.

Pete,

I'm pulling for you and I'm sure you'll be back posting sooner than you think. I'll answer anything I think you would and I'll just sign your name to maintain the balance of the site. I assume that's OK?

We are all pulling for you Pete!! Get back here soon!

Pete, Sorry to hear this news.

Just a quick note to let you know I am thinking of you. I pray all will turn out, and you will not have to do this again.

You have truly been through enough..

Diane

Still kinda weak, but I got my laptop going on hospital DSL -- Surprisingly, it was easier this time around, even with an almost total glossectomy and a much larger donor site (Forty wire staples holding it closed) -- I guess we adapt physically more than we realize!

Pete, welcome back to the land of the living! What did they use as the donor site?

Wow what a trooper!!! Was wondering how you were doing! I hope they are treating you well and taking good care of you...It is so nice to hear from you...Keep up the fantastic work soon you will be home and recouping in the comfort of your own home and onward and upward!!!! Be good don't give the nurses too hard of a time...

((((((((((((((((((((((((((hugs)))))))))))))))))))))))

Nice to hear from you Pete!

Great to hear from you Pete - and I know you will get through whatever you have to. You have such a wonderful fighting spirit that it will help you through the tough times.

Hugs

Donna

WTG Pete!! Great to hear from you, and here's hoping you hold onto that terrific attitude. It makes all the difference in how we get through treatment.

Apparently getting out on Wed when my sister arrives and we get trach training (already had the canulla out and cleaned it myself a couple of times).

They removed all of my tongue, except one portion on left side at top of tongue base (that leaves me with some taste buds). Since the thigh donor site isn't apparently as vascular as the wrist site, they wrapped Doppler sensors around the major vein and artery, with wires hanging out to listen to the vessels. That meant that instead of sticking pins in my flap every few hours, they listened to the blood flow (and still made some sticks).

Definitely going to be a while before I can talk -- Can barely make a noise now, even with trach covered -- More swelling in throat, but the cuts are essentially over the last ones.

It is great to hear from you Pete. Early Wednesday morning here and I was thinking of sending a quick text message to see how you were going when I saw your post.
Don�t know how you manage to stay so upbeat with all that you have and are going through.
I am even having a hard time picturing what you are describing.
Even though it will be a way off let me know when you are up for a chat again.
Bet you are looking forward to seeing you 4 furry friends again !!!!

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Hugs from me too}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

Hope you heal quickly and are not in too much discomfort.

Gabriele

Way to go Pete.

Boy is it good to see you up and posting again!!! Glad to hear you are hanging in there. Such high tech stuff out there now. Get better soon, we missed ya!!!! Will be thinking of you and sending positive thoughts your way!

Hi Pete,
Glad to hear you are up and about but don't overdo it. Your body needs to recuperate from this. Going home Weds sounds great. How long will you have the trach? What type of training does it require? Mine is permanent so I don't know much about temporary ones but will help if I can. Hope you have a speedy recovery.

Take care,
Eileen

Very happy to see that you are back with us Pete. I can imagine what you describe, it is very close to my own surgery only they left me the very back of my tongue. I am praying for you every day and look forward to your positive attitude back amongst us.

Here's to going home on Weds - there's no place like home.

Patty

Pete

You do our sixty plus cohort proud. I am simultaneously awed at your persistence and flabbergasted by your surgeries. Great to see you posting. Pour an Ensure Plus down that PEG for me. (can't let up on David).
Keep the Faith brother

Pete

Great news to hear that the surgery is over and done with and you will be able to return home real soon.

Just the mention of traches, canullas and dopplers bring back some very tacky memories - I shudder at the thought!!!!

Take care Pete, I admire your positive attitude.

Karen

Pete, It is good to hear your news. It sounds like you are doing great. Borrow some additional strength from us if you need it.

Take care

good to hear from you, Pete. hoping that is the last time you are at the mercy of the hands of dr futran while he is a good man, you have been thru quite enough.

please go slow and easy on the road to recovery ... men in your age bracket always seem to push it (my brother is about your age and every surgery he has i have to lecture him because he overdoes it and ends up with setbacks because of it ..) so slow down, let others tend to things for you and allow the body to heal

let us know if we may be of assistance ... otherwise we will be here thinking of you and saying a prayer for you.

take care (HUGS)

For some reason, it actually was easier than the last time -- I asked Dr Haakenslash if that is usual and he said it is not -- Kinda like winning a lottery -- Even the ICU wasn't the dim hell it was last time! He doesn't want to see me on his table again either!

Not going home Wed after all because my sister's flight from Back East was canceled for weather -- Maybe Friday -- The real problem is that the hospital sticks their neck out liability-wise if the send a recuperating patient home alone with a trach because something could go wrong fast! Don't know yet how long the trach stays in, but throat is swollen more than last time, so I expect it will be a while.

Have plenty of Nutren 2.0 on hand at home, plus 1.5 cases of VHC!

Misplaced my plastic flies so I didn't have that kind of fun.

Downstairs neighbor is having great fun feeding the rats, esp the yoghurt-covered raisin treats!

You sound upbeat which is so good to hear. Already looking for your flies to get into mischeif!

Sorry to hear your release has been delayed. Its good that the hospital isnt going to just send you home to be on your own. Yes, there is a big ice storm going on here right now.

Hope you feel a little better everyday.

Ice storm Oh my oh my Christine I hope you are ok!!!! Got all supplies needed to last a few days. Those ice storms can be very hazardous but sooooooooooooooo beautiful! I guess I don't have to tell you that!! You are fully aware and I am confident prepared...Keep warm and sit by the fire and enjoy!!!

Sorry that you have to hang out longer at the hospital especially without your flies Pete. I'm certain that the nurses are happy to have you a few days longer (you are probably the highlight of their day) and it is better to be safe. Maybe it seems easier just because you knew what to expect. Take care and rest so that you will be ready to come home.

Patty

I am enjoying myself -- Even talked the Cutthroat Team in the AM into letting me pull the last drain after one of them removed the sutures -- More difficult than I thought, but it was the last one and had been in there for a while -- Then two of them ganged up on me and removed the 40 wire staples... Getting good at cleaning the trach cannula.

I just realized there is a very positive benefit to having PEG installed before the major surgery -- They didn't put in naso-gastric tubes!! I especially don't miss the one with the three sutures through my scepula!

Glad to hear you are doing so well, keep up the great healing!!!

I agree about the PEG Pete. I hated the nasal tubes. Mine worked its way up and halfway out one night and was quite painful. The doctor finally came in about 4 AM and still refused to take it out. The staple removal is fun. I had an intern removing the staples from my leg and everytime I would say ouch he would start apologizing. I got to giggling so hard that I almost cried.

You sound as if you are doing very well. Do they have you sucking on those great little sponges on a stick yet??

Patty

Hated that one too and so did the nurses.
They always had a terrible job getting to stopper off to change bottles and flush it.
Then an x-ray around 5 days post operation showed it was too long and kinked at the bottom of my stomach. Mentioned something about my being out of proportion (first I ever heard of it !!!)
Anyway removed sutures and pulled a couple inches off the length and restitched.
Ouch� but at last the problem was resolved however as it turned out I only needed it for a few more days.
Take Care
Gabriele

Hi there, Pete.

I'm so glad to hear your "voice" on the forum. You sound like you are in relatively good spirits, which is great. I'm sure you are keeping the docs and nurses on their toes and entertained at the same time! Glad to know the PEG is working well for you, and here's to good news from here on out.

How wonderful to have you back posting Pete. You sound like you are coping fabulously, but we expected no less of you. Talk to you later.

Donna

Last time around, I would have killed for a sliver of ice; this time around I don't feel at all dry -- So much difference -- Have only had one 'sucker'.

I remember being very thirsty and they were adamant that I could not drink or suck on the green suckers because it might damage the flap. Maybe it is a good thing that you are not craving them so that your flap can heal. Is there any post surgery treatment talk?

Patty

No doubt I will be getting lots of instructions at discharge tomorrow -- Nurses are really impressed with how good the healing seems to be on throat, but I might also be the after-effects of the radiation -- My throat feels like it has some sort of bamboo armor on it under the skin!

Also, there will be a lot of outpatient visits in the near future -- Still have both sutures and wire staples in my throat seams.

Best of luck today with your release!!!!

Happy Coming Home Home Day Pete.
Hope that you get all settled in and can relax and heal in the comfort of your own home.



Patty

Pete,

It's great to see you back here again.

I hope your recovery is quick and as painless as possible.

Jerry

I am amazed at how much more quickly this go-around is healing compared to last time (and that was also a quick-healer). Plenty of pain meds, so if it isn't fairly painless, that would be my fault! This morning I discovered that I have some pain behind collarbone, heretofore not a place I've associated with OC treatment pain.

Finally got my machinery set up, the suction and ventilation stuf -- Gotta admit that the hospital setup is a lot quieter than these portable setups.

Pete,

Maybe you need your ear plugs at home also? Glad to hear you are home again. Wishing you a speedy recovery.

What I do is put on the headphones when at computer! Actually, the machinery becomes nice, white, background noise.

Donna, the graft this time was different -- On the previous one, they took the tissue from my wrist and then took skin from my thigh, covering that spot with the cheese-grater snap-and-crackle gauze -- This time they sliced my thigh open for about a foot and dug deep to harvest from inside -- When they were finished, they just closed up the slice with about 40 wire staples and no snap gauze.

I'm not exactly running up and down stairs (I live on second floor), but am pleasantly surprised at how little movement restriction has resulted from that trauma. Some decades ago, I had a ladder leg fold up on me, resulting in a short fall to the ground and a broken face -- Part of the repair required cutting into my hip and harvesting some bone marrow to "seed" the egg-shell fracture in my right orbit -- That small trapdoor into my hip caused a lot more problems than this long, meaty slice.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who posted or PM'd your support and prayers for my latest bout with OC. I found the group waaaay back when I was being nuked for the first time, so I was essentially alone in terms of actual cancer victims -- I find that it really does make a difference knowing that a whole bunch of people whom I haven't met face-to-face are behind me, as a sort of shadow Verizon <g>.

My first surgery they did what you had this time - foot long harvest of tissue/veins/whatever - from my left thigh. My 2nd surgery I had the graft from my right thigh directly to my tongue - they did not use my forearm as a "middleman". I didn't find that either of those contributions from my legs bothered me much at all. My first C section I remember being soooo worried about the metal staples - but I've learned they truly are nothing at all to worry about.

Thrilled to hear you are recovering well.

Donna

Pete:

It really does make such a huge difference having an extended family. Just knowing you have people out there who really do care is a nice feeling. Thats what I love about OCF, its even better than family cuz we are all in the same club and truly understand.

Someday I hope you have the opportunity to meet some OCF members in person. Ive had the pleasure of meeting several members and am very proud to say they are my friends.

Hope you feel alittle better everyday.

Pete,Hope all goes well in your recovery from all this and remember that we are one big happy family here. Semper-Fi Bob

Pete,
I agree about the PEG. I had a nasal tube but somehow managed to pull it out in my semi delirium. I was on a soft diet and found lifting the spoon to my mouth very tiring for a while. I believe that if I had the PEG my nutrition would have been better thanfrom self feeding. I know that I did not drink as much fluid as I should have. Being home is much better especially as I am getting the royal tratment with home made food.

you sound like you are in good spirits...keep up the good work Pete...keep up the good work

Pete you sound like you are doing well. I am happy that I can be part of the network supporting you.

Patty

Pete, I'm so glad you're back home and doing as well as you are. You are always a font of info and entertaining, to boot! Your outlook on life is an inspiration.
Lori