Update from Judy & A Special Message from Robert!

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January 30, 2007
Tuesday

Robert and I went 4 Wheeling today, it was a little chilly but it was great to be outside riding again. We rode for about 3 hours and Robert did great, he did not show off as much as he does when Maniac Mick and the Mad Jap are here, but it was just great to see him riding again. For all you people out there who are saying how much fun could it be riding 4 wheelers well I am here to tell you don’t knock it til you try it and anytime you want to try it just let us know and we will take anyone 4 wheeling and I promise you, you will be just like Maniac Mick and go out and buy one after just riding once. I am very happy Robert loves it as much as he does, because I think the thought of the OklaArkTex Gang riding without him will drive him crazy and will push him harder in his recovery. Thanks again for all your comments; we can not tell you how much we enjoy hearing from each and every one of you. Robert has his first chemo. Apt. Thursday and we will let everyone know how it goes.

Judy

P.S. Benny’s 94 year old aunt Otta Lee fell and broke her hip and is in the hospital and they will be moving her over to hospice. Robert and I are so sorry we can not be there just want ya’ll to know we are thinking and praying for you.

Hey everybody! I want to take this opportunity to thank each & every one of you for your prayers & support. You don’t know how much it means to me when I read the blog.
It lifts my spirit & gives me more positive strength! I thank God everyday for his strength & guidance he has given me. It has amazed me that I haven’t had to take any pain medication since day 1! With his guidance & your prayers I am going to prove them wrong with my chemo – radiation treatments. May God bless each one of you!! As the player on the sideline would say, put me in coach I’m ready to play!! Let’s finish this game I have other things pending. Thanks again everybody!

Robert

We Are Home Once Again!

January 28, 2007
Sunday

Robert had an appointment with his surgeon, Dr. Oxford Friday in Dallas. Dr. Oxford removed all Roberts’s sutures and the last 2 drains he had in. Robert felt like a free man and was so happy to get all that out. Dr. Oxford showed us pictures of the mass he removed from Robert’s neck and we both could not believe how big it was. I am going to try and see if he can email me the pictures and will post them if they are not too graphic. The mass stretched out on a table was about 12 inches long and about 4 inches wide and 1 and ½ inches thick. Dr. Oxford said he removed 38 lymph nodes in Robert’s neck with 8 being cancerous. Sandi said that is probably why the nurse did not give us any updates during surgery, she was way too busy charting. We do not see Dr. Oxford again until 6 weeks after the chemotherapy and Radiation are completed. Then we will see him every 6 weeks for one year and then every 2 to 3 months for another year. Dr. Oxford said this type cancer is prone to come back so he is going to keep a close eye on Robert.

We spent the weekend with Sandi and Morgan, Mick was working in Oklahoma, and sorry we missed you Mick. We met Lisa and William for dinner Thursday nite and then went to eat with Al and Beverly Saturday nite. Thanks so much to yall for the wonderful company and good meals. Robert said he is very thankful for the opportunity just to be able to go out to eat. Robert worked on Sandi’s weights this weekend and is still doing better than expected. The doctor said he may not be able to raise his left arm to shoulder level for about 6 to 9 months and he is nearly back to raising his arm as high as he could before the surgery. It’s just amazing!!! Oh yeah I was forced to ride Sandi’s stationary bike last nite and I rode 3.65 miles in 31 minutes. Yeah Judy… Sandi and Robert were being slouchers and I showed them up….. Robert wants you all to know that he credits all his fast healing and positive attitude to everyone’s’ prayers and God’s strength. We are going to try to ride our 4 Wheelers before Robert starts chemo Thursday. We will post some new pictures. Happy Trails to you all!!!

Met with Chemo Doctor today!

We met with the Chemotherapy doctor today. Robert will begin Chemo next Thursday February 1st. The doctor wants to give Robert’s incisions time to heal before the treatment starts. We will also meet with the radiation doctor then and he will set up the radiation apt.’s. Robert will have 7 treatments of chemo and 5 days a week for 7 weeks will have radiation treatments. The doctor said Robert will lose his hair 2 weeks into chemo, so he is ready to shave his head now and get it over with. I told him let’s just wait til we have to, I don’t wanna be looking at no cancer patient any longer than I have to. Ha Ha... He should also be able to eat anything he wants for a couple of weeks and then he will have to be fed thru the feeding tube. I told Robert he better be a good patient, he will never know what I put down that feeding tube. Robert’s chemo doctor is a straight shooting doctor who does not sugar coat the truth. He said this is very serious but he feels good about the treatments killing the remaining cancer. Robert is doing great emotionally, spiritually and physically. I am in awe over his attitude. The doctor told Robert today he has Stage 4A and the worst stage you can have is 4B, the cancer was in 8 lymph nodes, and the dr. said that was pretty high and could not believe Robert was not a smoker, chewer or a dipper ever. He said this is really rare for him to get this and it could have been caused by 2nd hand smoke. So all you smokers out there, you can think of my husband when you light up and think I am not only hurting myself I could be hurting MY loved ones. Robert has a long road ahead of him and we are still learning how hard it is going to be, but as long as Robert keeps his positive attitude it will seem a little straighter and not as bumpy I hope. Again thanks for all your thoughts and prayers, if it was not for them when we pulled up in the parking lot and saw the Cancer Treatment Center sign, I think we would have just broke down, but we did not we held our heads high. Love to all.

Robert and Judy

Back in Broken Bow

Just wanted to let everyone know that the kids AKA Robert and Judy made it back home late yesterday and Robert is still doing really good. They were wanting to try and start the Chemo / Rad therapy tomorrow so I know Judy Judy is running around trying to get everything in order and handled so she can be at home with Robert as much as possible. I will post more definitive update as soon as I hear from from Judy and Robert .

lisa wood on behalf the GOODNERS:)

January 21, 2007Sunday
Robert had a good day Saturday, it was very quiet so he was able to rest more than he did Friday. He really enjoyed visiting with Ronnie and Janice, friends he has not seen in a while and I finally got to meet them after hearing lots of stories about them. Dr. Oxford released Robert this morning so we get to go home. YEAH!!! We will go to Sandi and Micks when we are released and then we will head home to Beavers Bend tomorrow. We want to say thanks so much to all the wonderful people in our lives, I guarantee you Robert nor I would be as strong as we are with out each and every one of you. The comments and phone calls are so appreciated they are our support line. O'k Sandi get that chocolate out or has Mad Jap eaten it all? Anyway here we come..

January 19, 2007Friday

Thanks to everyone’s prayers and special thoughts Robert made it thru surgery just great. The doctor said that everything went well. The surgery lasted 8 hours and the mass was the size of a grapefruit. There are still 2 places on the back of Roberts tongue, but the Doctor said chemo. And radiation would treat that area, so Robert could keep his tongue. The mass invaded his jugular, so Dr Oxford removed a nerve in Roberts left leg to replace the jugular and he removed muscle out of his chest to protect the carotid artery. When Robert was in recovery the nurse broke the rules and allowed Cassie and I to go back to see him. We were very grateful for that. We found him pretty out of it and he could barely speak, but first thing he wanted to know was if Mick was there? We said yes and he said to tell Mick “This was the hardest Trail he has been on so far”. We finally got in his room at 10:00pm. Robert was alert and talkative. Robert so far has managed his pain very well. He is up sitting in a chair for the first time, and drinking a smoothie. They are suppose to come and get him to start his therapy on his shoulder, due to removing the nerves and muscle. Robert said to tell everyone he sure is glad he is thru with that trail and ready for the next. Robert’s attitude has been so wonderful. He told Sandi she would make a pretty good nurse if Mick could ever get her to work. Lisa Wood and Lisa Garvin, we went thru his gift basket this morning and he was exhausted, had to take a nap after looking at EVERYTHING you guys did for him. We can never thank you enough. He loved it all. We love everyone and thanks again. Will keep you updated on how the therapy goes.

Out Of Surgery and Doing Good

Robert finally made it out of surgery around 7:00pm and he stayed in recovery until aroubd 9:30pm. They removed the squamous cell tissue in his neck and reconstructed the area with muscle tissue from his pectoral / shoulder area on the same side. He had quiet a bit of discomfort but that did not stop him from talking and even though he had plenty of pain medication he was pretty darn coherant. He was also drinking water through a straw that his lovely wife and nurse helped him with and overall considering what he went through he looked good. He has quiet a few stiches and we hope to have a photo to post sometime on Friday. Judy Judy was so relieved when they brought Robert up to his room, I hope they both get some really good rest tonight of course Robert's morphone drip will help him, let's hope Judy can lay down and clear her mind tonight. They do have internet access so all of you that want to comment feel free to do so as they can see your thoughts and prayers from their room:)
Thank God Robert had such awesome surgeons!