From "the trach in 910"

Well, I have seen hell from its brink, and it ain't a place I want to see again.  Here's the scorecard: a 12-hour surgery, followed by 3 days in an induced coma, then 3 more days in ICU due to a bad infection, and then 4 days on a  post surgical floor and it looks a discharge in 2 or 3 more days. It has been hell in so many ways that I can't even count them.  The low lights have included, well, being in a hospital for nearly two weeks, oxycontin withdrawal in ICU, sometimes bad nursing care (but mostly excellent), having my head and face looking like a pink bowling ball with baseball stitches around it, and having to live the life of a hospital patient with no privacy or dignity available.

Because I had a trach tube installed as part of the surgery, I could not talk for several days, so when I pressed the call button I couldn't respond to "How can I help you?"  One nurse finally figured  that out and told the call nurse that if no one responds on the other end,  "That's the trach in room 910 so be sure to get me right away".  So, that's how I'm known to the nurses and floor staff now--the trach in 910.

But there are many highlights as we'll.  Tops among those are the great medical-surgical care I've received at Emory, the iron will of Terry to carry me through this, and some special help from two of  my sisters who have helped us in so many ways.  Thanks, Melissa and Mer.

I am writing on an iPad so it's a bit difficult to type efficiently and will post more soon.  I still have a long way to go before I'm anywhere near a full recovery, but the first corner has been turned.  I will leave the hospital with a feeding tube to my nose and maybe some other tubes still in me, but being able to go home and enjoy some deck time with Terry  (she'll have white wine, I'll have a shot of some brown liquid up my nose) has now become the first stage towards a near-normal life as a cancer and ORN survivor.

As always thanks to Team Mike for the good vibes to get me to to this point.  You pulled me through some pretty scary stuff in the OR and the ICU.

The trach in 910