Meeting Dr. Jones (not this one)

Paul and I went to Huntsman Cancer Institute yesterday for a consultation with Dr. Jones, Kevin, not Indiana. The appointment went well. We feel confident in his knowledge and abilities, and as an added bonus, he is a very likable person. He explained the options for treatment, which, as it turns out, are just slightly different from those presented to us by Dr. Hancock:

1) Do nothing - an all-around bad option, for the reasons I previously discussed.

2) Insert a metal rod into the femur - this would serve to strengthen the bone, but do nothing to address the problem of the tumor or the pain being caused by said tumor.

3) Remove the diseased portion of the femur, as well as the tumor in the soft tissue, along with surrounding tissues that are involved. Replace the femur section with a metal "bone," which would be held in place with cement.

We are going with option #3. Paul is scheduled for surgery at Huntsman on Friday, October 17. He'll likely need to go a day earlier to have some preliminary work done in preparation for the surgery. The doctor said Paul will stay in the hospital anywhere from two days to a week, depending on how quickly he recovers. Incredibly, he will be able to bear weight on the bone right away, though he may not feel like doing so. It will take some time for the muscles and other tissues to recover from the trauma of the surgery. He'll use crutches, then graduate to a cane for support.

Dr. Jones told Paul it would be fine for him to go skiing this winter, just later in the season. The only post-surgical restriction he placed on him was this: no marathons. Paul was heartbroken, as you might imagine (not!). But until the surgery, he can't ride a bike, motorcycle, pogo stick, go kayaking, climb ladders, any activity that could lead to a fall or put undue stress on his leg. I am going to have to hide all the keys to the motorcycles. Paul kept asking Dr. Jones, "What about..." Finally, the doctor just said, "You can walk." The nurse, Nancy, suggested I get Paul a shirt that says,"I'm only allowed to walk." Someone else suggested that I have my name and phone number printed on it, so people can call and report any incidents of noncompliance. I'm sure these measures won't be necessary, right, Paul?

While we were in Salt Lake City, we went to Primary Children's Hospital and saw David and Melanie's beautiful little Emylie. She was so peaceful, calm and alert. Her nurse was very kind and gentle with her. We hope she continues to make progress so she'll be able to go home soon! Before Paul's appointment, we went to the 6Th floor of the HCI and had lunch at the Point restaurant. The food was good and the view was fabulous! It's the highest point in SLC. Too bad the air quality was so poor.



It made me appreciate living in Rexburg even more, that and our lack of TRAFFIC! It took us over thirty minutes to exit I-15 at Layton, buy some Krispy Kreme donuts and get back on the freeway. We probably covered a distance of less than 2 miles.