Frankenstein's Monster has never looked so good.

I live!

Well, to be fair, that was never in question. However.... I speak! Praise the Lord.

Up next is a story of God's faithfulness to your prayers. Let me show you.

It all began with a good night's sleep. I'll be honest, I was a little nervous. I mean, one would expect to stay up all night before an event like this, yet I don't think I've ever slept more soundly or woke up more swiftly. After a 4:00a.m. wake up call my Father and I checked in at 5:30a.m. to the hospital's surgery ward. Though I had gotten a good night of sleep I was worried that being such an early surgery my Surgeon would be, well, slightly drowsy. While waiting, I saw my Surgeon roaming the halls. In his own way, he swaggered in to my pre-surg room touting a story of just removing a pin from a cop's throat and exclaiming "I'm all warmed up!" and writing "yes" on both sides of my throat. After that there was a whirlwind of family, nurses, and a nurse anesthetist named Bill. My family braved the morning air and and enjoyed every second of me wearing a gown and hair net. We enjoyed the short time we had until the nurse came to take me away. Like a movie, as soon as she came everything happened so fast. At once, my 6x10 room vacated it's ten occupants and out I came on a stretcher, family lining the hall. A rushed down the hall, hand in air as we pushed through the double door marked surgery, hooked a left at the scrub station, and "churned" right at Operating Room 6. Inside there was glits, glam, and an ominous table that had arms. After being laid upon it and being introduced to the surgical staff, Bill, Bob, Sarah, Donna, and an anesthesiologist that I can only remember her named sounding like Dr. Voldemort, the surgeon came in for one last salute. After some reassurance he left and I shouted out "best of luck" as a giggle rolled through Operating Room 6.  Then there were only 6. Dr. Voldemort began speaking from behind my head saying that they were pushing my first cocktail as she walked around the side of my bed. She asked for my full name, "Trevor" "Maatoox", then what procedure I was there for, "aaa tooootalllllll thyroiiiiidect'omeeeeeeee." "Wow, you guys already sound weird.... well, happy hunnntiinnnnggg...."And I was out.

The next thing I remember was a nurse, later named Karen who had a son also named Trevor, gently telling me it was time to wake up. After pushing a pain killer and letting me come to life they took me to my room. As soon as we came out of the post-op room, which had a lovely view of Yogurtology, my family was again lining the halls. For me what was only minutes, for them was over 3 hours (It was only suppose to be a 90 minute surgery). After arriving in room 683 and getting settled I started to feel a bit nauseous so they gave me some anti-nausea medicine (for some reason this included alcohol wipes on my nose... yeah...). And that was the last "real drug" that I was given. For some reason that I'm still not quite sure of, my outpatient surgery was turned into an overnight stay. Luckily, I had my family stay with me for most of the day, leaving at around 4:00pm only to return at 7:00. I took my first tylenol just before they got there. Seth, my twin, visited with his girlfriend after work at 9:00 bringing the only proper way to sooth a sore throat, soft-serve Yogurt from Yogurtology (with Nurse approval, of course). Having only had a short nap mid-afternoon, by 10 I was ready for a long, solid, uninterrupted, quiet night's rest.... In a hospital? Ha!

Even though my night nurse Ming and CNA Sean treated me great, hourly check ups and Calcium supplements dont make for my previous vision for a good night's rest. My 6:00a.m. lab test became a 4:30a.m. blood draw. My parents arrived just before 7:00a.m. when my surgeon was suppose to show up for the morning rounds and to authorize my discharge. 7:00 a.m. became 9:30a.m. before I was able to finally speak with Dr. Deems. He told me that the surgery went great! He was able to separate all four of my parathyroid glands from my thyroid and leave them in place instead of damaging or reinserting them in my sternoclydomastoid muscle (read: neck). My ability to speak showed that he was able to preserve my voice fully, and my lack of any numbness shows that I have little-to-no nerve damage around my neck and the incision. What's more, the removed lymph nodes looked normal, without blackness or abnormal growth, meaning an increase in likelihood that the Cancer hadn't spread. Everything had gone to plan, accept one thing. My tumor. The ultrasound revealed a 3.8cm mass, about the size of an egg. The total thyroidectomy revealed a mass the size of an orange. Bob, the surgeon's assistant, claimed that it looked not just a mean kind of red but like chicken liver. An Orange! The tumor had been so large that it displaced my windpipe by 2cm and went deep enough to go around the back of my esophagus. They were amazed that I was asymptomatic. Though the size was a surprise the better surprise was that the tumor was "very well encapsulated." This means that whatever cancer was in my tumor likely stayed in my tumor, a premonition that will await affirmation until my full body scan in 6 weeks. What's all this mean? I was free to go. I was going home.

If you're wondering how I'm currently feeling, I'm pretty sore. Dr. Deems claimed that unless I go mow my lawn I'm not going to hurt the incision, which is on my collarbone, so I should stretch. I can turn my head almost 90 degrees each way, though raising my head up is still a little difficult. Pain around the incision is almost non-existent. It feels only like I have a bruise on my neck. The worst part of it all is my sore throat as I swallow. Due to being on a respirator I have a fat lip and an inflamed larynx. However, I am able to swallow and eat solid food. All in all, I'm hurt but working. I'm already healing fast. Only one day after surgery I am on No pain killers, I can talk some, and I'm eating Pizza! What's to thank for all of this? Prayers. I'm assured of it. Save for the size of the tumor the surgery could not have gone any better. Every corner I turn I'm continually reminded by nurses and patients how fortunate I am to have the specialists that I have. My nurse told me that the average wait for my endocrinologist is four months. I waited one week. The same man the city trusts with the care of their police officers I trusted with my own throat. God is good.

And so starts my new life and regiment. With Stephani on the other side of Skype I took my first of a never ending series of Synthroid hormone pills. Up next is a post-op with the surgeon on 6/30, and 3 weeks after that with my Endocrinologist. The task at hand? Heal my neck, undergo radioactive Iodine, and Regulate my Hormones. With your prayers all of this will happen just as everything has happened up to this point. With speed and accuracy. I thank you again for your continued prayers. I'm not out of the woods yet, but I'm certainly on a well worn path. Thank you.