August 22 Update

We drove to North Carolina to meet with the plastic surgeons yesterday. We love the doctor! The dates for the to surgeries are September 14 and 15. There are three different procedures they can do, depending on how much was taken off the day before. One would be almost cutting his face in half vertically and pulling it over. It is a very hard surgery, and the O.R. will be loaded with doctors. Phil will be under general anesthetic maybe five hours.

I do not ask "Why us?" Because everyone goes through trials. A better question would be "Why not us?" I have strong faith. But yes, I am shaken, scared, sad, and almost unbelieving. God does not promise to spare us from trials, but He does promise to be with us during them. And I know that HE is. Thank you all for sticking by us through this hard time!! I will continue to give you updates, and I will return at some point!! My header is a picture of Duke University as we were driving up to it.

August 19 Update

    Hello dear friends! It has been awhile, so time for an update on us. We have just returned from the doctor, and he said I have the flu. This is why all the medicines the last two weeks have not helped me. Normally, he would just let it run it's course. But we are travelling back and forth to North Carolina for Phil's pre-surgery appointments. So he gave me lots of drugs to make me feel well enough for the trips and surgeries.

   The surgeries will be at two different hospitals, Duke and U.N.C. on Chapel Hill. We are driving there this Friday for the team of plastic surgeons to map his face, and may get a date at that time. It took a long time to find a large team of doctors experienced enough to to this procedure. But they are all in place now.

   I so much hope to return to blogging after the surgeries, and I think they must be very close now. You have been so faithful with your prayers and comments. I have the best followers in the world! I will be keeping you informed, and hope to return maybe sometime next month!

Our Trip To Duke University

For a couple of geezers, we made a pretty fast trip! We drove to North Carolina and back all in one day. The surgeon appointment at Duke University was discouraging and frightening. He said the surgery would be “terrible”, but he has done thousands. We have some very hard decisions to make as well. Ones like checking for lymph node spread. The doctor said that at this point, it would not be much help, and twenty percent of the biopsies are wrong anyway. I am still in shock over this. Each time we see a new doctor, there is something else unexpected to consider. I will get used to this, but I will never get over it. We have a plan, and are praying and waiting to see if God has a different one. We are exhausted, and I am taking a sleeping pill and sleeping through the morning! Thank you all so much for your comments and prayers.God is always GOOD! 

Duke University, Here We Come!

   We are going to doctors almost all the time now. Each doctor sends us to other doctors. We have seen six so far, with return trips to each and many biopsies. Finally, the last one said that the hospital does not have the right equipment to do such a rare surgery. They have sent us to Duke University. Apparently, this is where Phil will get the best surgery and where the experts are. We are driving down for a conference with the surgeon on Wednesday, and then the surgeries will be scheduled. Duke is a very long trip, but we have friends and family to help. I have gotten sick with some kind of bug and have been in the E.R. Going to my own doctor today, I have to get well fast! Thanks for all your comments, patience, and prayers!! I love and miss you all. It has been a long and winding road for us, filled with many surprises.

   We spent part of the day with Anne Marie awhile back, and for one day we were able to just forget everything. Here is a picture of us just taken a few days ago. My header is on one of our many medical trips, returning at twilight.

Weekend Update

Time for me to let you know what has been going on. Phil now has a team of doctors at a big University Hospital. They are scanning and doing biopsies to find out if the melanoma has spread. Then a surgeon will remove Phil's lower eyelid, and anywhere else the cancer may have spread.

About a week later, a plastic surgeon will operate again. She will make him a new lower eyelid by taking skin from the top of an upper eyelid, and from underneath the other eyelid. She will create the new lid, attach it, and sew his eye closed for a month.

No one has ever heard of such a thing, so we have no one to talk to about it. We feel like we are in a bad science fiction movie. We will be spending a lot of time in the hospital with tests and surgeries. I STILL plan on returning to posting when things settle down! Thank you all so much for your comments, prayers, and sticking by me!!

Bad News

This is Phil after the doctor did a biopsy on his lower eyelid. We got the results yesterday, and he has stage ll melanoma. They will likely have to remove his lower eyelid and reconstruct it with skin from his neck. But first they need to check and see if it has spread anywhere. I WILL return to blogging, but we need to get through this first.  Getting old is definitely NOT for sissies!

I believe he will have a team consisting of: a head surgeon, a dermatologist, an oncologist, and an eye doctor. We go to the big University Hospital on Tuesday, and then we will know the plan. I love and miss all of you, you are the BEST!!

July Update

Thank you all so much for your wonderful comments, prayers, and cards!! They mean a lot. Now to the latest. Phil has had three infections in his incision. They had to cut his whole abdomen open and let it heal from the inside to the outside. I am packing and bandaging it twice a day, and nurses are coming twice a week. It is finally healing, though still a big open gash. Monday we go back to see the surgeon and see when Phil will be cleared. He still has a way to go, but we are walking together and he is going out now. I hope to return to blogging sometime this month!! Thank you so MUCH!! I miss you all. I have a lot of pictures to catch you up on when I return.