Thoracotomy and Double Lobectomy

We've had some crazy things happen health-wise. And through it all, we've seen the Lord's hand. We know HE loves us and watches over us and has been laying the foundation for this miracle for years. He knows all, sees all and guides and directs the faithful. He put into our lives the people who could help us and make this miracle happen. From my brother, to the specialist, to the surgeon and helpful family, neighbors and friends. God has provided all.

We found out on the 3rd of March that my husband had a mass in his right lung (we had seen it on an earlier CT in November but were waiting for a second one to see if it would grow or go away). They thought it was about the size of a peanut. My radiologist brother expertly and quickly read the CT for us (thank you!) and advised that we get in to see a specialist.

At this point, we were reminded (via a third party mention of the doctor's name on facebook) of a specialist in Pulmonology who my husband had served in a Bishopric with 12 years ago. This specialist wasn't taking any new patients, but when we called, he quickly scheduled and appointment for us the next business day. Because of his connections and time as a doctor and the capacities he'd worked in, this specialist took care of everything from that point on. We saw him on a Monday, he preformed a bronchoscopy on Thursday, he called with biopsy results (all non-cancerous, thankfully) soon after, and scheduled an appointment with the best surgeon the following Tuesday. We KNOW that the Lord put this man in our lives so long ago to be the trusted, guiding hand at this time.

So Thursday, March 17th, (St. Patrick's Day), we arrived at the hospital at 5:30 am and began the prep for surgery. I kissed my husband and saw him wheeled off to surgery. It was a long day and a long wait. The surgery took 9 hours. It turned out that the rare carcinoid tumor was much much larger than expected. The middle right lobe of the lung had completely collapsed and grown abscesses and pustules. The lower lobe had tumor branched out into/onto it and there was a lot of scar tissue amongst all the lobes of the right lungs. The surgeon upon opening him up didn't think he'd be able to save any of the right lung. But he worked really hard for 9 hours and was miraculously able to save the upper right lobe. We thank our Father in Heaven that this man was sustained, guided and directed during the surgery.

The recovery at the hospital was tiring and difficult but again, the Lord blessed him to progress in his healing faster than expected and he was discharged from the hospital on Monday night. Each day has gotten better since. While we were in the hospital and the first days home we couldn't have made it through without help from our parents and family. Our moms selflessly served hour upon hour...making food, taking care of kids, buying things at the store, etc. We feel so blessed to have both parents living close by.

There are so many other seemingly small things that the Lord has blessed us with during these last few weeks we are in awe. Most of all, we are humbled by the sacrifice our Savior Jesus Christ made for each of us and the suffering he endured as he atoned for the sins of all mankind. We know we are loved.