Hernia Operation

Curt saw Dr. Hudson at the Corvallis Clinic (after being referred from his new primary doctor at the Clinic, Dr. Lee) today about surgery for his stomach hernia caused by the removal of one of these muscles to be used for "filler" in his jaw during his major surgery a year ago last September. Right now the hernia surgery is scheduled for Monday, December 29. He could spend the night afterwards (it depends on how the surgery goes), and might only have to give up tennis for about 3 weeks afterwards. He almost weighs 160 lbs. now!
Earlier this week Curt called Dr. Wax's office at OHSU about his eye. It has been watering a lot and having some pain. He started to use a prescription eye drop from Dr. Gross that he got a while ago, and that has seemed to help. He will see Dr. Gross again on January 20.

Gross Visit Continued

I forgot to say Curt is still going to see Dr. Gross again in January and have another MRI/PET scan in April.

Visit to Dr. Gross

Curt has been having some minor headaches around his left eye and above it, so we e-mailed Dr. Gross on Sunday and were able to see him this morning. We didn't realize that Curt had both an MRI and PET scan of his head on November 10. Dr. Gross said the PET scan showed there is still some "activity" in his head, but they are not sure what it is yet. As long as Curt's headaches do not interfere with his lifestyle, he does not need to do anything else. He thinks Curt has a high tolerance for pain. Curt did take an Advil on Saturday and might take some ibuprofen or Tylenol, etc., when needed. We are having a nice visit with all of our family. The Bogners arrived on Saturday and we are staying at the Bakers until tomorrow when we will go to Corvallis for Thanksgiving. The weather was nice on Sunday and Monday. Sunday we visited the Vista House (very windy), Multnomah Falls, and the Bonneville Dam and Fish Hatchery in the Columbia Gorge. Maddie has kindergarten Monday through Wednesday this week. Yesterday afternoon we took a short hike at the nearby Tryon Creek State Park and spent some time in their Nature Center. Today we might visit the Oregon Trail Museum. Jef and Jason are going to the Civil War game on Saturday and the rest of us will come back here. The Bogners leave on Sunday.

Call from Dr. Gross

Curt finally heard from Dr. Gross this afternoon while I was at an Antique Meeting. He said there is still something at the base of the skull or a little lower, and they are still not sure what it is (could be a tumor, or possibly scar tissue). It has changed very little, if any, from the last MRI. As long as Curt does not have any other symptoms (i.e. headache or trouble opening his jaw, etc.), there is nothing to do now. He would like to see Curt again in January and have another MRI in 6 months. He said Curt could go ahead with surgeries for his jaw/lip and possibly his eye with Dr. Wax. He can also have the hernia repaired in Corvallis. Curt might contact Dr. Wax later this week.

November MRI & Dr. Wax

We just returned from Portland after Curt's MRI and seeing Dr. Wax and his "Fellow" doctor (a doctor from Cleveland who is studying under Dr. Wax for a while), and then having dinner with Angie's family. The "Fellow" doctor removed a chunk of wax from Curt's ear and mentioned the canal in this ear is not straight like ours after all the surgery on it. They said they could put a heavier weight in his eyelid to make it close more, but this would make his eye get very tired by the end of the day. Dr. Wax could pull up his upper lip and straighten the lower lip, but he could not do anything about his bite since part of his jaw bone was removed during the surgery. The hernia from his removed stomach muscle could be repaired here in Corvallis. We did not see Dr. Gross because he was not available for another hour (we could have waited, but Dr. Wax said he could talk to him). They want to study the MRI and will not get back to us for another day or two. They won't do any cosmetic surgery until they see what is on the MRI. So we are still waiting!

November Appointment

Curt's next MRI is going to be Monday, November 10. He will see doctors Wax and Gross later the same day.

Good Summer

Well, we had a good summer and Curt seems to be doing well. The coed church softball team even made it to the playoffs! Curt did most of the pitching for the team. We never heard about the "extra" MRI in July and assume everything was okay. We had a good week with Angie's family at Eagle Crest in July and a good 10 days with Beth's family in Schaumburg, IL in August. Following that we spent 5 days in Moline, IL and got to see both of Curt's brothers and some other relatives and friends. The weather was great while we were in Illinois and it is great back in Oregon.
Last Friday, September 5, Curt had laser TURP for his prostrate (non-cancerous). He had the procedure about 10 o'clock and we were headed home by noon. He will have some discomfort for a few days and should be back to "normal" activities in a week or two.