Complications

As Jason was beginning to wake up he was following commands and breathing on his own so they removed the breathing tube from the surgery. At first they were pleased and were on their way to moving him to the SICU and over 10 to 15 minuets. His lungs would not fill up which meant he had an upper airway obstruction. They paged an ENT to come in exam his vocal cords and found that they were not functioning properly (completely closed off), one side is already paralyzed.

Jason's neck is limited to the movement in his neck. This is one of the most difficult intubation they have seen.

We have spoken to all the doctors involved and they are telling us that he is stable. They are unsure of the length of time he will need to have assistance breathing. They recommend that this is left in for his next few surgeries.

They will keep him sedated overnight. Jason will be extremely anxious when he wakes up. He will be able to speak with the external airway if he covers the opening.

Surgery is complete

We have spoken to the Doctor...Jason has begun his recovery. They were able to remove the entire tumor that they went in for. It was removed without damage to the speech nerve (huge relief) there was too much damage on a section of the facial nerve which needed to be removed. This nerve was long enough that they were able to reconnect the two sections. It may take up to a year to fully recover, in the meantime both sides of his face will be paralyzed for a time.

While they were in there they discovered another two small tumors, they did not attempt to remove them in their entirety (only partially) because of the nerves they were on they would have caused too much damage to his throat

We were just notified that we will be able to see Jason around 8:30pm in Surgical Intensive Care Unit. They anticipate that he will remain in SICU over night and then graduate to another room.

3rd Update

They are still working on the removal of the tumor....and will update us in another 2 hrs.

2nd Update

3:15pm update: Dr. McDonald had a farm...ei..ei...o (sorry it has been a day) Dr. McDonald is still working under the microscope removing the tumor without damaging the speech nerve. It is still expected to be a few more hours.

Surgery Update

Just received an update (1:10pm) that Jason is doing well, at this point the doctors anticipate many more hours.....

Surgery has begun

The day started out very early for Jason. He needed to be at the U of U at 7am. Because of the difficulties they had inserting the breathing tube with his last surgery, they needed to insert the tube while Jason was still awake and breathing on his own. This required multiple forms of medication, an oral spray, a jell swish, in addition to those inserted via his IV. At first he was not having it, he covered his mouth and repeatedly said no. Apparently, the taste was quite horrible. After his wife, Elsie explained the necessity of this process he understood, cooperated but hated every second of it.

At 8:30am we said our good-bye's and they took him back to begin prepping him for surgery. He seemed more nervous to me with this surgery than the one on Sept 19 2008. I am not sure if it because there is a high probability that he will loose his ability to speak or if other factors are weighing heavy on him. Most may already know Katie, his 13yr old daughter has just been diagnosed with NF2.

A little after 11am we received an update letting us know that the surgery had just begun. Inserting the breathing tube did not go as smoothly as they had hoped it might.

The duration of the surgery is scheduled between 4 and 6hrs. May God be with him and the surgical team as they remove one more of the many tumors that have invaded Jason's body.

We as a family appreciate everyone who has expressed their love and provided their support and prayers on our behalf. We will update Jason's Journey throughout the day.

From day one of the news of the tumors to today.

Lets see it all goes back to late april of 97 i went in to the doctor to find out why i could not hear out of my left ear from the time i was 16 years old.I always figured i lost my hearing from alwzays listen to loud music alot but i grew used to not hering out of that ear for along time but at the time of going to the doctors to find out wh i could not hear from it was due to the fact i wanted to be a cop and neeed to hear good so i want to see if it was fixable still. I had the MRI and the Dr.owens called us to go over the test. most of what he said was i had a very large tumor on my left side of the brain and i need an operation on moday or friday. it was not even a week notice of needing a major operation all at the age of 21 almost 22 years old. so it was alot to handel at that appt but i took it as gods plan from day one and i have already seen my life in heaven how it plays out before i came down here so i knew there was not much i could do but trust the doctors and god with my life. so i guess i never really gave it alot of thought about what need to be done with and just said from day one everything will work out just fine on me. he also gave us the news of a second tumor on my right side of the hearing nerve so it was just a bad day for news at a young age with my hole life ahead of me.It weried i was really never werid about these tumors to mush because i had already said i would live this life in heaven before coming down here so it was nothing i could do to change the out come now but to stay in good spirts from day one of the news. On the day of the frist operaion i could see how elsie and the rest of the family was at that time. the operaion took around 15 hours to remove the tumor so it was along day. when i woke up for first time i forgot where i was what happenedand other things i tryed to talk and yell out but i couldn't talk do to the fact i was on life support still with both arms tied down i did the only thing i could do was start kicking my feet. that was a scare felling forget what had happen and where i was but they end putting me hback to sleep for a day or two. as i slow woke up it all started to come back to me what happen. And i knew i was ok but still not sure of alot of things. I had to somewhat learn to walk again adfter tihis because iut took alot out of me but i ad faith i would be ok from this.I was in the hospital about aweek for this operation. and went back to work two work two months latter. as the months pass by it came to october i stated to have trouble hearing out of my right ear so they did another mri and said i need and operaion soon but i did not want to lost my hearing beacuse chelsie and katie was just really starting to talk and did not want to miss out that but knew it had to be done soon the day i lost my hearing was 10/31/97 of all the days to lose it on. on this sugery took along time too. i remember wakig up in the recovey room seeind dr owens trying to tell me it went good but i could not hear him but see his lips move. when the got me up to my room all the family was there and i never learn sigh lanuge or how to read lips so i was just thinking how is this going to play out now. but i found a hidden gift from god in me that night that i could read lips very well with out ever learning it so god plan that real good to have that gift inside of me. so my faith in the lord on these tumors grew bigger that night and never saw it as a bad thing that happened to me it just now i have to learn how to be a new person with my eyes being my ears. as time went by again i dad to have my third operaion in the same year to remove two and half tumos from my spinal cord in my neck. so it was hard having this one all in the same year and still havind that onhe half tumor under my spinal cord that they could not take out with out me losing filling from the neck down. some where while operating the found a fourth tumor in my neck and had an operation a month later on. i had that tumor done but was in alot of pain following night. and keep asking for my morfin to be stronger shots. and they did do that gave e more shots and was still in pain so the put me on the pump for pain medicns and still hurt so they gave another shot. but as it turned out i had an over dose of pain shots and was gone out of it the following am when elsie came up she tryed to wake me up with here cold hands on my feet but no luck on it. here is where i got a true blessingand knew there was god. Im not sure how much time passed by me but i finely work up but was out of it bad. i could hardly breath when i woke up so i was in bad shape but had some not from this world in my room with me. i keep falling asleep and every time i did i stop breathing so it was not a good sign but i keep hearing a voice saying wake up every time i stopped breathing but who was it im deaf i can't hear so was it my mind saying wake. I dont think it was who i think it was was my uncle tom that loved me very much was the one telling me to wake up because he had died earlyer in 97. he was always weried about me before he died. the voice i heard ward vry close to his. And he was sent back down to keep here on earth longer. that is what you call a true gift and faith in the lords plans it just made me stronger and better person to this day. that why im not even woried about any operaions i need to have in life because god has my family in heaven lookijng over me in the or room. it was about two year ago i started to lose weight and other things and doctors had no clue why i had mri yearly and was never told that any of my tumors had change shape so i thought i just had the half tumor in my neck along with the 40 something tumors they found on my back spinal cord in 97 but was still small and causing no problems in me. so i just figured it was due to fact of working to much and streess that was causing my problems. I guess you could say back december of last year i started getting light head and filling like i was weak at times when working and home. we just thouught maybe i getting high on my pain meds and that way i felt that. but in may the spells started happening more often even when i was driving at work but was still good to go and do what i had to do in life it in june when Dr.Porter wanted to make sure it was not tumors doing this he had an mri done i tought it would turn out out like the one hada year and half early and would show nothing but i was dead wrong. the mri report really only said one new tumor on my right side of the brain. so the films got sent to dr. owens and penka to go over and see what need to bhe done. with are appt with owens he told us i had one tumor on the right side of the brain and one on the left side of the brain and one on my swolling nerve in my neck along with the tumor the left over 11 years ago was was way big and need to come out so getting news of four new tumors that need to come out fast was alot to handle again. but i was still in good faith everyhing would work out right but not sure how. dr owens went down to the U OF U talk to alot of Doctors to figure out how to treat me best. and save my life again went and seen a dr. randy jenson down there he told us that an operation was only way to go on these so we meet with the team of doctors that did my operaion in late augest. so this time i had the filling things woulod not work out at 100% for these operation but i had faith that i would walk out of the hospital the same person and stayed up beat to the sugery date. the night before at my family blessing i could see it in every ones eyes the new i would not be ok but i keep tellijng them it would be fine you goto have faith in the lord and his plans. the day of my operaion i was my normal self joking having fun at the hospital with family and the staff there by being a smart s mouth and joking alot. as they came to take me in i gave tyler my hat i always ware and my watch he put them right on and never took them off for days. as i was kissing elsie good by i got so scared for her and new she would not handle tis operation well that i asked my dad/claude to take care of her and my kids for not knowing the out come of this. my hole way back to the or i keep thing what going to happen to me and my soul mate that make life what it is to me. i lowe elsie more than words can say i would die for her no ? ask if i had to but it also how will my kids grow up with out me here on earth that i keeped sqaying prayers to god to let everything work out right like i have been filling for months and still felt but need to ask the lord for more help to get me through and my family through this time of pain and sadness. onceon the or table i just got a calm warm filling over my body that i just relawed up and sayed to my self lets do this. after the operation when the woke me up in the or every nerve was shaking in my body so i thought i was in bad shape and it did not work out right. but then as trying to see if i could move my arms legs still i seen it with my own eyes i had the right faith in the lord on this. i think i had more than the lord with me in that room that day i had my hole heavenly family with me and looked after me. my first thought after moving seeing my legs move and arms move was i want my wife comfert and show her it all went well that we have more time on earth together she and the kids was what was on my mind alot after the operation. it a very weried filling when all your body is in shockand sure what really had happened to me in there. i was in a lot of pain and the shots was not working for me at all but i knew it was all going to be ok from here on out. elsie told me they took two tumors out of me but it was tell the next day i fully understood what ones they did. and ye i wanted dr.pepper right after i woke up what can i say it a nother true love in my life. i remember telling amy told ya it would all be ok you just got have faith and i proved to everyone that if you have faith in gods plans it will all work out right. by saturday i was ready to go homebut like that was going to happen that day. sunday i was back up doing everything my self and trying hard to go home but i just always get my way on things. but hey i did get out monday and guess what i walked out on my own feet and filling better than i have in years so look out world im steal here. my next operation on 27 i think of october should be a simple opersation nothing like this on so hey i got faith for my next two tumor that need come out and spare faith for who needs it in there life just remember the lordo and are heavenly familys do look out for us everyday just have faith in it love jason