Sunday, July 26, 2009

Prayer Warriors Needed

Update 2: My dad is out of surgery and doing well. They took out the muscle in his back like they were planning to, but they didn't have to do a skin graft like they thought. So far so good. The surgeon said he had never seen anyone lose as much of their posterior leg before, but it could have been a lot worse! Thank you for the prayers. He will be in ICU for a few days, so I'll let you know how it goes.

Update: They are three hours into the surgery, and so far things are going well. The doctor said they didn't have to take out his fibula after all. BIG PRAISE! They are currently in the "reconstruction" phase where they are taking the muscle from the back, etc. Please keep the prayer coming.

I haven't updated lately about my dad, but tomorrow is finally the big day. He goes into surgery tomorrow to remove the cancer from his leg.

The surgery has been delayed several times now for various reasons, the latest being that a plastic surgeon had to be brought in on the surgery since it will be much more intense than originally thought. Because the chemo and radiation didn't really do what they wanted it to do, the surgery has to be a lot more intensive.

Basically, the doctors are removing the tumor, the muscle around it, and the fibula. As of right now we are hoping the tibia (that other bone in the lower leg) is okay. Doctors will be taking a large muscle out of my dad's back and placing it in the leg to give it some support. This means they will be trying to connect all the blood vessels etc. in the leg to the new muscle. However, since he has had radiation, it will be harder for the new muscle to be accepted by the leg. So, basically, after 24 hours if the muscle hasn't "taken," they will most likely amputate the leg right above the knee.

Please join my family in prayer tomorrow. Specifically:
1. That the cancer cells would be completely removed from my dad's body
2. That the outcome of the surgery is what is best for long-term survival (that the muscle is accepted by the leg only if that is what is best in the long run).
3. That my dad is able to adjust to his new circumstances whatever they may be.
4. That God gets all the glory no matter the outcome.

Thank you so much! I'll keep you updated.

2 comments:

Stewart Stuff said...

I will be praying for family!

Katie said...

We are praying. Me, David, my family, the big 6, and our Sunday School class. We all missed you this weekend! I know God will do great things today. Love you tons!