Surgery day and the road ahead.
Having been an avid walker my entire life, 36-hours after surgery I requested help out of bed and permission to lap the ICU and stretch a little. It felt amazing!
I arrived at 5:00 a.m. ready to endure a six-hour surgery called a glossectomy.
I delivered our son Ryan at Indiana University Hospital in Carmel, Indiana on September 6, 2012. It’s a stunning facility. The vibe is more in keeping with a five-star hotel than a hospital. Several of our most trusted physicians treat us in office suites there. Suffice it to say, I’ve come to feel safe and well cared for at IU. However, on a Friday morning in June of 2020, I showed up for a fight.
I arrived at 5:00 a.m. ready to endure a six-hour surgery called a glossectomy. The operation would remove one of the most aggressive forms of head and neck cancer there is from my body. The cancer had presented itself as a nickel-sized tumor inside my tongue. Blessedly, I’d be in the care of a brilliant surgeon, Dr. Michael Sim, who could take the tumor out of the exact portion of my tongue housing it. Dr. Sim and his team would then reconstruct a new tongue for me by removing an artery and fatty tissue from my left arm and wrist.
My body had taken a hit, but all was well with my soul. While it was my tongue that had been housing the nickel-sized cancerous tumor, a flap of tissue and an artery were used to rebuild it, and a skin graft from my leg helped close my writs.
When I woke up I was thrilled to learn that the margins around the area where the tumor had been were free of disease. The lymph nodes on the left side of my neck had also been removed; they confirmed that the cancer had not imposed itself anyplace else in my body. I was able to fully exhale after being told neither chemotherapy or radiation would be required as part of my post-operative care.
My medical team of doctors, nursed and therapists were all very encouraging. Along with Dr. Sim, they explained that the first month of recovery would be difficult because there’s a strict regimen of cleaning and caring for the wounds. However, by meticulously adhering to their protocols, they said I would see the progress of my physical healing near the end of month two.
They were right. Only seven days after surgery, the staples in my neck were removed. They left just a narrow scar that’s nearly invisible now. Also, the eight inch row of dissolvable stitches that had been formed like a tiny rope on my arm where the artery was removed began to flatten. And as for the shark-bite looking flap of tissue that was taken from my wrist, it had accepted the skin that had been grafted from the upper part of my leg to cover it.
In spite of my body’s excellent response to the procedure and the fabulous healing that was occurring, my mouth felt so weird! The side of my tongue that was replaced by my wrist felt heavy and dependent on the non-affected side to move it. Also, my entire mouth tasted like a complete garbage dump! -I’m slightly obsessive about keeping my teeth brushed, so that was rough.
“Another consequence of the glossectomy was that I could not speak very well at first. Even now, it can be challenging to articulate hard consonant sounds like ‘ch’ or a soft ‘g’.”
Another consequence of the glossectomy was that I could not speak very well at first. Even now, it can be challenging to articulate hard consonant sounds like ‘ch’ or a soft ‘g’. This makes it awkward to enunciate some of my favorite words like church and Roger. Overall though, learning to speak again has been a pretty low hurdle to clear and I am exceedingly grateful.
Recently a friend reminded me of a goal I’d set before surgery. I had told her, “When this is over, I just want to be able to speak the words ‘I love you’ to Roger and Ryan.” Joyfully, the only letter in the expression I love you that requires much movement from the tongue is the ‘l’ in love - and I was quickly able to coordinate it.
Since accomplishing that small goal, the Lord has illuminated my life with a passion to share my cancer story. My prayer is that in doing so, people will be propelled into a (deeper) relationship with Jesus. So you have my word: I’m going to keep talking, whether I can articulate hard consonant sounds or not.