The surgeon was pleased with how surgery went. He was not able to remove all of the tumor because it was touching the cranial nerves, so he left a veil of tumor next to them. The Dr. said the 11th nerve (?), was the only one he put some pressure on to remove the tumor and that will leave him with hoarseness, hopefully, prayerfully temporary. After Erik is fully recovered from the surgery they will do radiation therapy to shrink the rest of the tumor. The tumor is called a fibrillary astrocytoma, which is a benign, low grade tumor, but it will continue growing. After he recovers, they will do focused radiation to shrink the tumor. Thank you so much for praying, we could feel and sense your support and prayers during the whole day.
Right now, he is the intensive care unit, swallowing talking and moving, no side effects except hoarseness. He's pretty miserable the pain (morphine isn't helping). So, please continue to pray for no extreme swelling around the brain, pray that he wouldn't need a shunt for gathering fluid, and that the pain goes down.
Please feel welcome to comment on this page. Erik will be reading or we will be reading to him and following your comments on here so feel free to comment.
So glad to hear how God is caring for you Erik and for everyone. We will continue to pray that God will continue to sustain you. Hey don't forget we still owe you a meal - when everything is back to normal.
ReplyDeleteCindy and Diego
So glad to hear that the surgery went well. Sometimes the recovery process can seem scarier than the surgery..That is probably the worst part for him. The staff at Jefferson is so encouraging, though..they are the best of the best. I can remember being afraid after seeing my father for the first time when he came out of his 10 hour surgery. The nurses took the time to spend with me and reassure me that everything would be okay. I'm praying for a pain free, encouraging recovery for everyone involved! "but those who hope in the LORD
ReplyDeletewill renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:31 :)
Hey to my Nephew from Iraq!!!
ReplyDeleteI was praying a lot for you yesterday and rejoicing a lot with you today. Know your loved! Miss you. Can't wait to get home and hug your neck! I'm growing a mustache in your honor...didn't want to shave my head! Love you!
Uncle Chris