Good-bye Feeding Tube; Hello Freedom

Well, it's official. The last week in March, Vic got his feeding tube out. It was a question mark right up until the very end, because the first week on no cans went really well, and then we got the flu and were laid up for about a week. During that time, he lost about five pounds. On a frame that didn't have five pounds to spare. And in a week during which he wasn't supposed to lose any weight.

Fortunately, the doctor understood and said it was OK to get the tube out, and Vic has since regained the weight he lost to the flu.
I know everyone wants to know what the tube looked like, and what Vic looks like now without the tube. ;-) So here are a few pictures.

This is the tube:

Apparently, it was all curled up inside his tummy. So they cut it off on the outside, which makes it uncurl on the inside, and poof! You just pull it out. He didn't even have to leave the room. I didn't even have to leave the room. It was a little crowded, though, because all these people were in the room with us:

Then 1-2-3, the tube was out. Put on a gauze pad, send him home. Take off the gauze pad the next day, and voila! (Or "viola," as my friend Rhonda used to joke.) All fixed.

So now he has a second belly button.

It was one of his best days, because other than the constant dread that the cancer will return—this was his last reminder that he had (whisper) cancer (end whisper).

Meanwhile, our lives—and the lives of those around us—have continued. We have a new nephew:

Our niece Margeaux and her new husband Xan

We have a new grandson:

Our new grandson, Ryan Scott Love

And of course, we still have Princess Wagglebutt Ginger Love:

So what's next, you ask? Well, there's a dilation on May 2. It's been a month since the last dilation, and Vic is not feeling like his throat is closing up yet. So that's a good sign. Would be really nice if he could always go two months between dilations. Or, you know, MORE. :-) And then there's a new PET scan. That's June 4. I'll be curious what happens after that—assuming it's clean. Vic's oncologist actually said "I don't think you need another PET scan, just a CT scan." But the radiation oncologist had said she wanted a PET, so the oncologist set one up. But if it's clean, I would bet that the next scan (which should be another six months from that) will be a CT scan. Woot!

Food is still a challenge—but he continues to learn what foods he can eat and what foods he can't. He continues to be disappointed by the foods he no longer enjoys, but I admire his stick-to-it-iveness in continuing to try things he assumes will disappoint him and to try new things that he might not have liked before. He's been quite the inspiration through all of this. If I ever get cancer, I'll probably have to read this blog every day just to remember how to behave. Because otherwise, you know I'm going to be whining 24x7. ;-)

Once again we thank our family and friends for their unwavering support. You all helped us get through this ordeal in ways small and not-so-small. LOVE YOU!