It was an extensive surgery, 8 hours and a million stitches later James is in ICU with the tumor and larynx removed. The surgeon believes that margins are clean and he took a few lymph nodes to biopsy. The voice prosthesis did not maintain placement so James has a temporary catheter in place at the stoma and the prosthesis will be inserted in 2-3 weeks. His breathing is nice and even.
The size of the incision was unexpected. It's horizontal across his throat where stoma is located then angles up diagonally on both sides towards his ears. When Phoebe and I visited him in the ICU after the surgery the nursing staff was still working to get him comfortable so we didn't stay long. I'm hoping that he'll sleep well tonight and I'll be back early tomorrow to catch the surgical rounds. The nurse promised she would keep him comfortable overnight.
I've packed a bag for tomorrow with a white board for communication (thanks Sheryl) amongst other things. They recommended that I not leave his cell phone tonight as they wanted him to rest but I'll bring it back tomorrow if you'd like to text any well wishes. I'll update again in the morning!
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