Test results

Julie met with her doctor this week and received the results from her tongue, salivary gland, and lymph node tests.

The salivary gland and the margin removed around the tumour (extra skin removed from the tongue as a precautionary measure) both came back clear. This means that there is very little chance there are still cancerous cells in Julie's tongue!

Out of the 50 lymph nodes that were removed from the left side of Julie's neck, only one lymph node tested positive for cancer. Since the cancer only spread to one of the lymph nodes, and it was removed, there's a very good chance that all of the cancer is gone. This is very good news - 49/50 lymph nodes were cancer-free and healthy!

Radiation treatment is optional based on Julie's results. It is used as a precautionary measure to help eliminate the recurrence of the cancer, and can reduce the chance of the cancer returning by 5-10%. However, there are many side effects to radiation therapy, including potentially more severe speech issues, stiffness and hardening in the neck, and a chance that the radiation can induce malignancy (ie. cause another type of cancer). This is the biggest concern, especially due to Julie's age. They do not normally have to worry about this as a lot of patients are 65-75 years old and the cancers don't usually develop for 20 years. Since Julie so young, radiation is much greater risk.

Right now, Julie is leaning towards not getting the radiation treatment, but she is planning on meeting with the radiation oncologist in the next week to listen to everything he has to say before making a final decision.

Julie also met briefly with the speech pathologist, and she was pleased at how well Julie was talking. She said the swelling would most likely come down a bit more over the next few months, and gave Julie some exercises to practice several times a day.

Dr. Corsten checked Julie's tongue and confirmed that there is some extra bulk/ skin that he could eventually remove, as they had to use a fairly large piece of skin from Julie's wrist in order to get both the artery and the vein. After 6 months, the new piece of skin on Julie's tongue will be fed by various veins and arteries, so at that point they can surgically remove extra bulk, and Julie's speech will improve even more once the bulk is removed.

Follow-up appointments will include physical exams of Julie's mouth and neck every 3 months for the first year, 4 months for the second year, and 6 months for the third year. Julie will also have to get a CT scan every year to ensure that the cancer has not returned and moved into her lungs.

Overall, Julie is recovering well and her incisions look better day by day. The doctors are very pleased with the progress she has made in such a short period of time.

Thanks to everyone for all of the support on Julie's healing journey! Read More...

Great visit!

Julie had a great time at the open house and enjoyed visiting and catching up with family & friends. Thank you to everyone who dropped in for a visit - I know Julie really appreciated seeing all of you!


I've posted an album of pictures from the weekend at the link below:

http://www.flickr.com/gp/rogerscentral/5S8477

We're still waiting for the results of the lymph node tests and expect to hear some news this week. We'll keep everyone posted. Read More...

Open House visit with Julie this Saturday

Julie is really looking forward to visiting with all of her friends and family who have supported her on her journey so far. We will be hosting an open house this Saturday, March 14th, and are inviting friends and family to drop in for a quick, casual visit with Julie at our place in Riverside South.

Although she's come a long way, Julie will still need to rest and limit her talking over the coming weeks, so she's hoping that by having an open house, she'll be able to see as many of her fabulous cheer-leading squad members as possible!

Here are the details for Saturday:

Where: Mark & Laurie's house - 1008 Red Spruce Street (map)
When: Saturday, March 14, 2009
Time: 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Phone: 613-425-1230
RSVP: Email Mark or reply in the blog comments below

Please spread the word and pass this invitation on to Julie's family and friends. Hope you can make it - Julie is really looking forwared to visiting with everyone!

Although no gifts are expected, a few people have asked for gift suggestions for Julie. As many of you know, holistic nutrition and cooking has been a major interest of Julie's (especially lately!) and I know she's been really big on organic foods and veggies. They can be pretty pricey, so I'm sure Julie would appreciate something like a Loblaws or Natural Food Pantry gift card to put towards her specialty food items.

Hope to see you Saturday! Read More...

Home sweet home

Julie is back home! She's getting settled back into her apartment and is happy to be back to the comforts of home. She was surprised to come back to an apartment that was beautifully decorated by her friend, Lisa.

A nurse will be visiting Julie every two days to change the dressing on her arm, and she has a followup appointment at the end of the month with the surgeon and the speech pathologist.

They have told Julie to relax and really take it easy over the next little while, so Julie plans to do just that!

Welcome home Julie!


Julie had a suprise visit with her niece, Rachel, this afternoon and was excited to play with her!

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One more sleep

Julie is now feeding tube free! She is scheduled to be checked out and heading home around lunch time on Thursday. She's doing great and is healing well, and is ready for a restful sleep for her final night in the hospital. Sleep well tonight Jul! Read More...

More yummy food

Julie had a good rest last night and is feeling great! She's still a bit sore and tender, and has some neck pain around her scars but it is starting to settle down. Her eating is going really well! She had a big lunch today - soup, oatmeal, yogurt, and vanilla and chocolate meal replacement drinks. Tonight she will be progressing to some mashed potatoes and they will most likely be taking the feeding tube out of her nose!

Julie's diet over the next few weeks will consist mainly of purees and blended foods. She has also started some homeopathic remedies and pro-biotics.

It will still be a few weeks before the swelling is down in Julie's tongue, but the speech pathologist was happy with the progress Julie is making with her talking.

If all goes well, Julie is scheduled to head home from the hospital tomorrow - sending you positive vibes Jul! Read More...

Mmmmm...soup!

Julie was able to enjoy food today for the first time in a week - she ate pureed chicken noodle soup and said it was the best soup she's ever had! She also had her IV removed so is enjoying a bit more freedom.

After a bit of a painful day with the trach removal, Julie is looking forward to a restful and healing sleep. Read More...

No more trach!

Here are a few brief notes from Julie as she is quite tired this morning after a busy and exciting day yesterday:

"I was wide awake all night, but totally peaceful - I did some meditations, deep breathing, physio exercises, etc. I didn't get to sleep at all - except from maybe 6:45am to 7:20am...crazy! I showered this morning - was great again, but noticed that my mid and lower body are all pretty swollen - probably from trying to always stay upright and not being as active, etc. They said it's normal and should go down in a few days.

They changed my arm dressings (definitely the worst scars and stitches) and played around with the needle on my hand which is pretty sore. Fun news - they came to take out my trach! It's gone! I can see my neck scar now - looks great and there's just a little gauze and tape over the hole that's healing. I have to talk a lot less for the next 3 days and always hold my finger over my throat - just to keep out as much air as possible in order to speed up the healing process. So I'd like visits to be a little shorter for now...

I started drinking water on my own with no problem, so I think they'll be removing my feeding tube - hopefully today! Looks like I'll most likely be going home later this week...maybe Thursday or Friday."

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Look who's talking!

They put a plug on Julie's trach today and she is talking up a storm! It is incredible how well she is speaking already and it was so nice to have a conversation with her without the magnadoodle! Julie even surprised her sister, Lori, in Kuwait City by calling her tonight and chatting over the phone!

Julie looks and feels great and she has increased her food intake now that she is moving around more. She's working with a physio (well...two physios including Mom) on lots of stretches and has been enjoying some relaxing massages from Dad.

Mom & Dad brought Julie a beautiful picture today that her brother, Jeff, made for her - an amazing mosaic made up of over 7,000 individual photos of Julie's family & friends. It is quite an impressive print and looks great in Julie's hospital room:

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Great start to the week

Julie is feeling better and better as each day passes, and is making great progress on her healing journey. Here are a few notes from Julie:

"Feeling so great today - I took a shower by myself (most exciting thing ever!), washed my hair, shaved, put on deoderant, put my contacts in, brushed and flossed my teeth...even put on a bit of mascara because I could! ;) They downsized my trach and it will most likely be taken out by Wednesday. I'm starting to learn to swallow and I will start practising drinking today or tomorrow - I'm so excited! The swelling in my tongue is a lot better, less of a white coating, and all around, I just feel much better!

Dr. Corsten came and said everything looks awesome and wishes all of his patients were like me - to make him look good! He said I'll be getting the lymph node pathology test results in about a week to find out if I'll need radiation treatment.

I'm happy just chilling, reading the blog, dreaming of delicious foods, watching tv, surfing the net, listening to music, and looking at my awesome cards, flowers and plants!

I'm excited to get home and get back to full throttle healing mode - once I'm in charge of what goes into my body, what I do, etc. I'm really excited to be cooking again too! :)"

Here's a picture of Julie all fresh and clean:

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Sunday update

Julie was moved to a semi-private ward room today and lucked out again getting the bed beside the window. She has more energy and her swelling has gone down significantly. She's excited to have a TV hooked up in her room so she can stay caught up on everything.

Today Julie was able to say 'hello' by covering her trach - it was so neat to hear her talk! Later this week she will be working with the speech pathologist to practise swallowing.

Here's a picture of the view from Julie's new room:

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Note from Julie

Julie had an excellent day today and is feeling a lot more comforatable with less medication. She's walking around a lot more and is going to the bathroom on her own. She is happy and excited to be hooked up to the internet and even watched Slumdog Millionaire tonight! Breathing is getting better and there have been less blockages to be suctioned. Here's a quick note from Julie:

"I'm feeling more like myself and enjoying quick visits from family, but still want to wait to extend visiting to others. I'm excited to get home and get back to the best health of my life - something I will do! I'm so happy to see all of the love and support come in from the messages - my face was sore just from smiling so much! Thanks again to everyone for everything - can't wait to see you guys again!"

Love,
Julie
xo

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Feeling much better

Julie got 7 hours of sleep last night and is really feeling well rested today. She spent most of the morning sitting up in a chair and enjoying the nice sunshine. She's all caught up on the Bachelor interviews on Ellen, and now has her laptop at her bedside. She had her hair washed and got a nice leg rub, and was even up for a picture:

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Heading into the weekend

Julie had a great visit with Mom & Dad tonight and was feeling much better than she did earlier on in the day. She was sitting up in a chair for a bit and was in very good spirits. She is also more comfortable now that she doesn't have to wear compression stockings on her legs as they made her quite warm.

It was a long and physically exhausting day so Julie is looking forward to getting some much needed rest tonight. Read More...

Friday afternoon

Julie had a tough afternoon, but worked with the doctors and the physiotherapist to clear her airway/trach and is feeling more comfortable breathing. She's exhausted from the afternoon and is looking forward to resting this evening. They expect to move Julie from the step down unit to the ward sometime this weekend. Thanks to everyone for the positive energy and encouraging messages! Read More...

Extra positive vibes needed

Julie is not feeling to well this morning - she has had quite a bit of nausea, a bit of dizziness, and is feeling really tired. She would prefer no visitors until she's feeling better and has asked for extra positive vibes from everyone! Read More...

Thursday night

Mom & Dad had a good visit with Julie tonight although she's continuing to feel the effects of being off of the morphine. She's feeling sore and and is still having some nausea.

She has been enjoying seeing your messages on the blog and is looking forward to visiting when she's feeling better. Julie still really needs her rest to fully recuperate and is not yet ready to welcome visitors, but we'll be sure to keep you posted when she is. Read More...

Feeling better

Julie is feeling much better this evening after some nausea this afternoon. The food she's getting through her NG tube was changed and it seems to be taking quite well. It was great to see Julie smiling and laughing while watching a clip from Ellen today. She has received some nice cards and gifts - here's a picture of one of the fun balloons:

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Thursday morning

Julie is doing well this morning and spent some time sitting up in a chair. She is off the morphine now, and her tongue and hand are sore. She is able to move her tongue around a bit, and the nurses are happy with how things are healing. Read More...

Evening update

Not much new news to report this evening, but Julie is still in very good spirits and is grateful to have the attention and support of the nurses and staff in the step down unit. She is trying to get lots of sleep and give her body as much rest as possible. Julie sends her love and can't wait to see everyone again soon! Read More...

Afternoon update

Julie had a good day today, and is settled nicely into the step down unit. She was lucky to get a bed right beside the window and is enjoying the beautiful sunshine today in Ottawa.

She has been using her magnadoodle toy to communicate with short notes, and the nurses all think it's such a great idea!

The skin graft on Julie's tongue looks good and seems to be taking well.

She is getting lots of rest and seems very comfortable.

Dad printed out the comments from the blog and Julie has them at her bedside. Thanks to everyone for all of the positive thoughts and messages! Read More...

Morning update

Julie had a good night last night and has moved to the step down unit. Dad & Jeff will be visiting with her this morning, and Julie will be seeing a speech pathologist and a physiotherapist later today.

We asked the nurses to give Julie the latest news on "The Bachelor" - I'm sure she'll be happy to hear that Jillian will be the next Bachelorette! Read More...

Progress

Just a quick update on Julie's first night - she is getting stronger, is starting write notes, and has been taken off of the respirator. She's moving to the step down unit tonight and will be there for a few days before transferring to a ward room.

Thanks to everyone for all of the positive wishes - I know Julie will be really excited to read all of your messages! Read More...

Thumbs up!

We all got a chance to see Julie this evening and she looks fantastic! She was responsive and smiling and squeezed our hands. She's got great colour and the nurses and doctors are really happy with how she's doing. She's staying overnight in the Post anaesthetic care unit and will be moving to the step down unit tomorrow.

She needs to get a lot of rest over the next little bit so we'll keep you posted when she's ready for visitors.

Here's a picture of Julie post-surgery, all smiles:

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Update

Julie is in recovery in the Post anaesthetic care unit and is still heavily sedated. The nurse will let us see her briefly at 6:30 tonight but she will still be sleeping.

I removed the restriction on the blog comments - now anyone can write a comment below each post. Read More...

Good news!

We just spoke with the surgeon and the surgery went extremely well! The surgery took 6 hours in total, and Julie is now in recovery in the critical care unit and we're hoping to see her in the next couple of hours.

The surgeon told us he was very pleased with the tumour removal, and the lymph nodes that were removed didn't appear to be cancerous and will be analyzed to confirm.

The skin graft from Julie's wrist onto her tongue went well and there is a 95% chance it will take.

Julie will most likely move to the step down unit this evening or tomorrow, and be there for a couple of days. We'll wait until Julie is well enough to tell us when she's ready for visitors and we'll let everyone know. Read More...

Waiting...

We're waiting in lounge for an update and we should know more sometime after 3:00. Stay tuned!

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Ready to go

Jeff took this picture just before Julie went into surgery:

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The journey begins

After arriving at the hospital at 6:00am this morning, Julie is now on her way into surgery! I'll keep you posted as the day goes on, but feel free to email me with questions. Keep on sending your positive vibes! Read More...

Surgery Details

Where:	Ottawa Hospital, General Campus
When:	Tuesday, March 3, 2009 @ 8:00am
What:	Surgical removal of the cancer cells on the tongue and a margin around it, removal of 2 lymph nodes in the neck, as well as a salivary gland. They will be removing a piece of skin from the forearm (inside of the wrist) and they will transfer it (with an artery and a vein) and attach it on the tongue (and hook up the artery and vein in the neck).

Read More...