Ameloblastoma 03 (Drafted on 06/20/2019): Surgery and Recovery

We are home safely

The Surgery

We arrived and settled in on June 3rd, one day before the pre-op appointments. The trip was event-less, but there was the great suspense of what to expect.

The pre-op appointments, including a medical grade CT, pre-anesthesia appointment, and talking to the surgeon, went smoothly. The process made us feel "yep, we are doing this". The day after, we arrived at the hospital a little after 6 AM for the 8:30 AM surgery. Being first time in a hospital for surgery, we began to learn the terms such as prep, in ops, recovery, recovery II. We were with Elvis for quite a while in the prep room (with his gown on and even the IV started), until shortly before 8, when he was wheeled into the operations room, and we ushered back to the lounge.

The monitors in the lounge show the status of each patient (of course without any personally identifiable information). The staff give regular updates like "family of who, the procedure has begun..." The surgery was scheduled to finish at 10 AM or so, at that time we were informed everything was going fine, just took a little longer. The surgeon came out around 10:10'ish, and told us all went well.

Since Elvis was taking more time to wake up from anesthesia, we decided to have a quick lunch in the cafeteria. Around 2 PM, we were led to see Elvis in Recovery II -- swollen, ice pack around his jaws, gauze with blood in his mouth, and subdued. A few minutes later, the IV was done, and Elvis wanted to go pee. Called the nurse to take the IV out, and we helped him to the bathroom, then changed clothes, and were discharged. Of course, the nurse went through the discharge notes.

While we pulled the car to the front door, an staff wheeled Elvis out to the car.

The 4th day after surgery was a turning point -- nothing got worse and most symptoms were subsiding. On the June 17th visit, Elvis was pretty much back to normal. The stitches were taken out, and Elvis was re-affirmed to continue 4 more weeks of soft diet.

We had very good experience with the hospital. All the staff were super friendly, and the surgeon and his team are phenomenal.

Diagnosis

We were told that it would take 24 hours after the surgery to know the biopsy results. As you may remember, the exact type of Ameloblastoma is unknown until the whole tumor is removed, so the pathologist can examine the whole thing. We decided not to call ahead to find out. I think both good and bad news can wait, and we should focus on taking care of Elvis. Hui was more afraid of any possible bad news.

When we visited the doctor on June 10th for the follow-up, we were tremendously relieved to learn the final diagnosis: Unicystic Ameloblastoma -- the sub-type with least likelihood of recurrence. While nothing is guaranteed, the diagnosis is the best we have hoped for. The conservative treatment seems to be all that is needed.

Looking forward

Elvis should be back to normal diet and activities by end of July, as long as he follows the proper directions and avoids any accidental injury. Then 6 months later we will have another follow up, and most likely annually afterwards.

Emotions

Hui commented that the trip felt shorter returning home. It makes sense. When we went there, we didn't know what to expect, of anything. After the surgery, the weight of the biopsy results grabbed the central stage in our mind (though it never left our thought before). But after  knowing the diagnosis, and seeing Elvis recovering very smoothly, we traveled back light.

While in the Doctor's office on the 17th, we realized it was the same room we were in, 3 months (plus 1 day) ago for the initial consultation. At that time, we were so much worried, confused by the wide possibilities of unknowns and ramifications. The doctor's experience, rigorous approach, and conviction in long-term cure of the patient with minimum interruption, gave us confidence, hope and clarity. 3 months later, we are ready to call it done. It is a great relief.

Thank YOU for your help

Many times we feel so blessed, for the help we are getting from all of you.

• Many of you pray for Elvis, and our family
• Your thoughtful inquires of how things are going
• Cards and messages
• Kind thoughts and blessings
• The medical professionals. Though we must decide a single doctor at the end, all the doctors were very sincere, patient, in answering our questions during lengthy consultation sessions; and helped us learn the disease, the treatment options, and finally narrowing down an approach.  They paved the stones along the path for us. We are very grateful.
• Most importantly, we are very thankful for the surgeon's phenomenal expertise and professional integrity.

The After Note

The journey over the past 4 months does teach us something. Life throws all sort of things to you, often least expected. I keep on reminding ourselves, "life is not defined by these incidents, but by how we handle them." Like Hui said "treasure every minute, every second with the family." We hope our story can give you more hope for any struggle you may be in. And, we root for the best for you.

Many thanks.