The smile on Sam’s face tells the story.
The feeding tube removal went smoothly and while there was some discomfort when Dr. Thomas pulled the tube out, there was relatively little pain afterward and even more amazingly, no restrictions on eating or drinking. I think we both thought Sam would spring a leak like a scene from a cartoon – but apparently the stomach heals over very quickly and there was no leakage.
However, the wound site looks like Sam was hit with an arrow and it will take a little longer to close up. It almost looks like he has two belly buttons. I told him he would be able to tell his grandchildren tall tales one day. Of course, we would have to have grandchildren for that to happen. No pressure, of course, on our children.
On Tuesday, April 7 th, Sam was examined by his E/N/T, Dr. Celin, who again said he saw no evidence of disease. This is a phrase we love hearing. We asked if Sam would continue to improve and his answer was non-committal. He said that most improvements occur in the first six months following treatment, but smaller changes could continue to occur up to 18 months after the cancer treatments end. It’s been almost 7 months since Sam’s final radiation and chemo treatments and he has recently noticed some increased ability to swallow larger quantities of food in one bite.
We continue to pray that his saliva production would increase because his limited saliva production is still hampering his eating/swallowing, but he is trying to adapt and I’m always impressed that doesn’t complain. Also, he now weighs 148 pounds – a 19 pound gain from his lowest weight in September 2008.
The best part of Sam’s feeding tube removal for me is that I can hug my honey again without having to worry about his tube being in the way or hurting him. It’s the little things that become precious.
I’ll close with a quote from Streams in the Desert by L.B. Cowman: “This is the blessed life – not anxious to see far down the road nor overly concerned about the next step, not eager to choose the path nor weighted down with the heavy responsibilities of the future, but quietly following the Shepherd, one step at a time.”
Our love to all,
Maddy
However, the wound site looks like Sam was hit with an arrow and it will take a little longer to close up. It almost looks like he has two belly buttons. I told him he would be able to tell his grandchildren tall tales one day. Of course, we would have to have grandchildren for that to happen. No pressure, of course, on our children.
On Tuesday, April 7 th, Sam was examined by his E/N/T, Dr. Celin, who again said he saw no evidence of disease. This is a phrase we love hearing. We asked if Sam would continue to improve and his answer was non-committal. He said that most improvements occur in the first six months following treatment, but smaller changes could continue to occur up to 18 months after the cancer treatments end. It’s been almost 7 months since Sam’s final radiation and chemo treatments and he has recently noticed some increased ability to swallow larger quantities of food in one bite.
We continue to pray that his saliva production would increase because his limited saliva production is still hampering his eating/swallowing, but he is trying to adapt and I’m always impressed that doesn’t complain. Also, he now weighs 148 pounds – a 19 pound gain from his lowest weight in September 2008.
The best part of Sam’s feeding tube removal for me is that I can hug my honey again without having to worry about his tube being in the way or hurting him. It’s the little things that become precious.
I’ll close with a quote from Streams in the Desert by L.B. Cowman: “This is the blessed life – not anxious to see far down the road nor overly concerned about the next step, not eager to choose the path nor weighted down with the heavy responsibilities of the future, but quietly following the Shepherd, one step at a time.”
Our love to all,
Maddy
