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Today (05/24/10) we had appointments with the radiation doctor and Chad's surgeon. Chad was a basket case going in and he left feeling much lighter. The Surgery is set for May 27th. They are going to go in through his back in the same place as last time and be much more aggressive in removing the tumor. The risks are higher this time because it is a repeat surgery and because they are going in more aggressively to remove every bit of the tumor that they can. They will be removing the rods and the 2 cages that are already in place. They will also remove the T3 vertebrae because the tumor has damaged it and it has become soft. They will replace the rods with longer ones, put in one large cage to fill the big gap and probably throw in a few screws and some cadaver bone to stabilize things. Because Chad is in such good health right now the doctor doesn't forsee any major problems and expects Chad to walk out of the hospital in 5 to 7 days without a back brace. AMAZING. The recovery, muscle and tissue wise, should be a bit slower but structurally he should be pretty good because the base work has already been done with the previous surgery. No extra physical or neurological therapy is expected at this time. All will depend on what they find and how well surgery goes. We are 100% confident in Chad's surgeon. He is the best there is! We are so blessed to have been referred to him. Prayers are answered.

Ok...4 or 5 weeks after the surgery Chad will be starting radiation. As of right now (this could change based on what they see during surgery) he will go through 2 to 5 weeks of radiation. He will go in for about a 1/2 hour every day Monday through Friday for his radiation. They will zap him and send him home. The major side effect will be burning in the esophagus. He can work, be with his family...no real restrictions. He may get a bit tired but nothing major. The best news is that he can get it all done at Ogden regional hospital as apposed to driving to the Huntsman everyday.