Life’s experiences cloud our expectations, but today I couldn’t have been more wrong; even Suzanne’s oncologist expectations for Monday were wrong. You see since May and the two following PATHway Follow-up visits, a nodule that appeared in Suzanne’s lung has consistently doubled in size. This consistent growth along with anyone’s life experience would tell you that you would expect this visit would be no different and the nodule would continue to grow.

So, in keeping with her tradition of not having the outcome that every one of her doctors ever expected through this entire process, the nodule has remained stable. A praise that Suzanne would tell you is a result of her unfailing trust that God is not done with her yet. As a result, her oncologist remains optimistic in hopes that this nodule may not be a result of her cancer.

Along with that good news, she met with her surgeon for a semi-annual checkup. He couldn’t get over the progress that she had made in eating and even questioned if she still had a feeding tube (it was removed about a year ago). When talking about what she was eating, Suzanne mentioned potato chips to which Dr. A responded “We really don’t recommend that patients with your type of surgery eat potato or corn chips” but the tone of his voice and the smile on his face told us both that he was elated that she was able to do so.

Finally, we were off to the Craniofacial Center of UI Health to meet with a new doctor, Dr. S, a Maxillofacial Prosthodontist who specializes in mouth prosthetics. The goal was to see if Suzanne was a candidate for a Palatal Obturator prosthesis that would lower the roof of her mouth so the space between it and her immobile tongue is reduced. The hope is that this may improve her speech as well as her ability to eat. In addition, the prosthesis may also help fill a void in the back part of her mouth which will also help in swallowing.

There was no hesitance in Dr. S recommendation to try this as she believes Suzanne is the type of candidate she wants to work with, someone who wants the device and is willing to do what it takes to make it work. She commented that many patients expect the device to work miracles on its’ own but it is the commitment of the wearer to learn and adapt to this device: Basically, Suzanne will have to learn to talk and eat all over again.

So they took impressions and way too many photos & ex-rays. She is also scheduled for the next three appointments which will take us into December. Her next visit is in October for an initial fitting of the device.

All in all, it was a great day in Chicago. Suzanne is excited that her dream of speaking clearer so her dad can better understand her is huge in her mind; My relief is that the lung nodule growth seems to have somewhat stabilized which has weighed on me since our last visit; and knowing that the hand on God continues to touch my wife in ways I just can’t grasp is the best part of all.

But all this I laid to heart, examining it all, how the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God. Whether it is love or hate, man does not know; both are before him.

Ecclesiastes 9:1