I have heard from Steve a few times and he seems to be doing OK. He had his PICC line removed so the 4 times a day antibiotics infusions are over and he is getting back to a normal sleep schedule. That is a big step in the right direction. He's now in the slow-but-steady stage of healing and gradually getting back to eating solid foods.
You might remember my friend and mentor from Cancer Survivors' Network, Pat. He guided me through the ORN developments leading up to the jaw surgery in May. Pat is now in his fourth bout with cancer, and the docs say that it's not curable. He can be treated to slow down the cancer's progress, but those treatments are taking a heavy toll on him. Please send some Team Mike Good Vibes to him in Arkansas so that he can hang in their for more time with his wife before the inevitable comes around. I am trying to find a time to visit him, but the opportunities to do that are fading fast. If and when he is up to it, I'll get there.
As for me, we had two appointments yesterday that made us a bit unsettled, but nothing to worry about just yet. I saw my ENT to ask him about my bouts with vertigo. He said that given my history of disease and radical treatments in the head/neck area, the vertigo could be from any number of things--including the May surgery. He has now put me on a watch, with follow up in December.
Later that day my oral surgeon told me what I already knew--I have a protrusion of exposed and dead bone in my mouth, right where the natural jaw bone is connected to my...well, you know--my leg bone. He said that this is somewhat common, and his hope is that the bone will just continue to die and come out on its own--like my old stuff with ORN shards. If it doesn't, he'll have to go in and remove the dead bone surgically, like one of the debridements I had two or three years ago.
A bit more alarming was his examination of a spot under my chin that opens up and oozes 'stuff' every so often. That could be a sign of infection on the titanium plate. If so, the best hope is that it will respond to antibiotics. The worse case scenario is that the plate will have to come out and be replaced with a new one--basically most of what was done in May, minus the new leg bone being inserted.
So, both docs are now watching these developments closely. I have my annual PET scan in December. That will give them a good look at what's going on with both things, and also give me some time to monitor stuff myself.
Our job is to stay calm and be watchful for any signs before the December scan. Your job is to crank up the Good Vibes machine that has worked so well in the past so that both of these things turn into false alarms.
Mike
