And then stuff happened #CancerAwareness by Vicki Batman @VickiBatman author of Temporarily Employed #RLFblog

Welcome to day three of Cancer Awareness posts for 2021 on RLFblog. Today's guest is Vicki Batman.

It's been a while...

I haven't written about Handsome and the trials and tribulations due to throat cancer and his treatment over the past fifteen years. Mostly, we thought all was good.

Turned out, stuff happened.

Here's the story: Handsome cut himself, shaving over the plate area of his left jaw, right where the radiation hit him hardest, causing poor blood circulation. The area spread to the size of an eraser and then grew to a half inch. Then bigger. We knew what that meant-a visit to the reconstructive plastic surgeon.

Handsome went to the doctor, who determined tissue from his back would be used, mainly because arteries were larger. The vessel feeding the "flap" would cross under his chin to connect with his right carotid. All sounded good, and surgery was scheduled for July 20.

On the Sunday before the surgery, we took off for Houston, staying at a hotel suite five minutes from the medical district. The following day, we navigated to the hospital. Covid protocols dictated no valet parking, clean hands before entering, wear the mask they provided. Tests were done. At our plastic surgeon's visit, we discussed the surgery again. All decided a "go" for the next morning.

At 5:30 A.M., we arrived for admission. Handsome went to pre-op, and staff readied him for the operation. By 7, the nurses wheeled him to surgery, and I went to the waiting area.

Before noon, the volunteer called my name and said the doctor wanted to meet with me. The doctor? We settled in a consultation room, where he explained surgery did not proceed as planned. The right carotid artery (probably brittle from radiation) sprung a leak. The doctor went into lifesaving mode, called a vascular surgeon who used a stent, who then called a neurosurgeon to make sure Handsome didn't stroke. The doctor took Handsome's right pectoral and laid it along his neck. A graft from his left leg covered this. The doctor said there would be no more surgeries unless needed for lifesaving measures.

We were disappointed but understood. The risk was too high.

Handsome stayed in the hospital until the Sunday after surgery. He looked great. Lost some weight. Wanted to rest and get back to normal. A week after surgery, we went to the reconstructive plastic surgeon's office for a checkup. A drain was removed. We stayed for two more days. After another check on Friday, we loaded up and began the drive home.

Only we didn't get far.

Handsome asked me to pull over, saying he lost vision in his right eye. I did, and we sat for a long while; so long, the police came by. We returned to the hospital's emergency room, where I dropped him at the entry and turned to navigate through the creepy parking garage.

That's when I lost it.

I called #2son and cried. I wanted to go home. I wanted to be with my family and the Adora-poos. I wanted my life.

I found my way back to the emergency room, and a kind security guard guided me inside where Handsome sat, waiting to be called. After an hour, we talked with an emergency room doctor. She and another doctor decided because of the possible stroke risk, Handsome had to be admitted.

Over two days, Handsome saw ten doctors, did a lot of neurological tests, repeated for every doctor his vision loss story, had a CT scan and an MRI done, and ophthalmology testing.

Late Sunday night, the neuro doctor came to his room to review the MRI. He flipped through the images, saying, "nothing. Nothing. Good."

No one knew what had happened. A TIA? Maybe. A vascular spasm? Maybe. No one knew for sure.

We stayed one more night. I loaded us in the car Monday morning and headed out. The drive exhausted Handsome. Once home, I sent him upstairs and unpacked.

So since?

Recovery was challenging. The surgical site looked darn good, except for the area under the chin, which improved slowly. Fatigue swamped him. Handsome lost thirteen pounds, and because he drinks his nutrition, he had a hard time gaining weight and maintaining a higher blood pressure.

Five weeks later, I saw how the surgical site improved greatly. We had few answers for the fatigue. He scheduled a six-week checkup. All determined he looked great. The one-minute vision loss was probably because of low blood pressure.

So what is his future? All we know is we will continue with our plans for trips and living.

I say this every time I blog for RLF Cancer Week. Do Not Smoke. The Number One reason for throat cancer is smoking. But no one knows for sure how Handsome got it as he wasn't a smoker. Our sincere hope by sharing his story is we help someone. Be healthy. Maintain a good weight and eat right. Exercise. Socialize.

Cancer is a booger bear.