Rich B - Surgery 6-20-06

“great to hear from you, RichB!

Hope your recovery is quick! :)”

“Great to hear from you Rich. Thanks for taking the time.”

“#&%!$ Cancer! Nice Job Rich!”

“Rich - Love and prayers going out to you.

And I hope you are out of reach of the flooding.”

“i said a prayer for you. hope the recovery's speedy.”

“GO RICHB!”

“We have lots flooding around here, but it hasn't reached me since I live on a hill.”

“Rich - It is so great to hear an update from you personally! msilver did a great job keeping us all up to speed on things, but there's nothing like the real deal. :)

Wonderful to hear that everything went smoothly. It sounds like it was as good as could be hoped for...
hang in there and be patient with the trach thing and getting back to your regular speech and such. You'll get there!

For now, hike vicariously throught this group of jokers...well, the ones who hang here that actually hike, that is. ;)
When you are ready to get back on the trail, we'll be waiting at the trailhead. You'll be on the trail in spirit this weekend in PA...and probably a few other places as well, I am guessing.

peace and love.
AmyG”

“Wow, I am constantly amazed by you RichB! I'm happy to hear that surgery went well and you sound to me to be in positive spirits. Thank you for the update. You are a great man and touch many peoples lives in a positive way.

Best Wishes for the smoothest road to recovery for you.

John”

“Thanks for the update, Rich. It's gotta be good to say you are not dying of cancer anymore.

Peace and patience.”

“I got the drains in my neck pulled out today and also my feeding tube. I passed the swallowing test so I'm thrilled to be done with that feeding tube. It was giving me acid reflux. I feel human again without walking around with 3 tubes hanging off my body. Also, while I suspected that the throat cancer has been eliminated since he mentioned that. He did find some precancerous lesions on my tongue base. The game plan is to destroy them with a CO2 laser in 2 months when he goes back in to implant my prosthetic vocals chords. It would have been nice if they weren't there, but at least he said he can eliminate them and everything else looks good. My doctor was very pleased with the way everything went.
last edited: 6/29/06 7:17:53 PM”

“good good good. Glad you are on the up and up, maybe we can plan a hike in September to mark your return.”

“Rich, I am so happy that things are going well. I'm not suprised though cuz you are one tough sob. Keep on mending and I can't wait to see you on the trail again soon.”

“Hat's off to you Rich for passing through still more hurdles. Glad you passed that swallowing test.

(I remember the happy, but very weird, sensation of having the feeding tube removed.)”

“Congratulations on the postitive news and attitude, RichB. You are just amazing.”

“Get on the good foot!”

“i've been off of TT for a while... but check in every now and then. didn't know you were scheduled for a surgery, but i'm glad to hear that all turned out well.”

“You guys are great and I can't wait to get back out there and hike with everyone. How long it takes my leg to heal will be a big factor on how fast I can get back out there. It seems like this might take long time to heal, but I go back to the plastic surgeon in two weeks to have him look at it so I might get an idea on a time frame then. There's a slice from the top of my knee almost to my hip since he needed a enough skin, muscle and connective tissue to make the new throat. He took two veins near the groin along with it to connect to the veins in my throat to feed the flap and keep it alive. There was a lot going on under the surface so that's why I'm thinking this might take some time to heal properly. Anyway, even a dayhike would be nice within the next few months. It'll take some time to build some strength back before I'll be able to carry an overnight pack and feel good about it. I'll just see how things go day to day, but as long as things continue to improve, I will be back in some capacity.”

“RichB, I'm so glad you're doing well. Thanks for taking the time to keep us updated. Sounds like you have a fantastic medical team who doesn't miss a thing.”

“Good to hear things are looking up. Keep mending and look forward.”

“Thoughts are with you, RichB. Keep the positive vibes a-coming! Best wishes on a tough(you can do it!) but speedy recovery!”

“Sass, having great doctors was the one thing I was fortunate to have. Without their expertise, I would have expired years ago. It's amazing what they can do and they just keep enabling me to keep dodging bullets. If cancer or serious illness strikes, always seek out good doctors and be willing to travel to get to them. Good doctors enjoy helping people get well again and are thrilled when that happens.
last edited: 6/30/06 7:02:09 AM”

“Thanks for keeping us updated on your progress! You are an inspiration, and one tough guy.”

“great news rich! hope to see you on the trail soon.”

“It's good to see you posting Rich. Can't wait to hike with you again.”