God's Got This!

For about the last 6 months, my middle, 13 year old son, Noah, has struggled to breathe through his nose and had begun snoring very loudly.  Having had his tonsils and adenoids removed several years ago, we wondered what could now be causing the new issues.  After seeing Noah's pediatrician and having a couple months of  prescribed steroids and antihistamines we did not see any real results.  Finally, the pediatrician referred Noah to an ENT doctor at the Cincinnati Children's hospital.  

Truth be told, we fully expected to find a polyp in the nasal passages causing the blockage.  Knowing that Noah has the FAP gene that my husband carries, we knew nasal polyps could be a possibility.  On March 1, 2017,  while at the hospital, the ENT tried to do a scope of Noah's sinuses, but the right passage was completely blocked off.  Even in the monitors, Andy and i could see nothing but white as the camera tried to scope the area.  Finally, the ENT sent us for a CT scan with dye contrast to see what was going on.  We were able to have that test done the same day at the hospital.  

We had only arrived home from the hospital for a matter of an hour or so when the ENT called to tell us that it was not a polyp in the nose or remnants of adenoid tissue as she suspected.  Noah had a tumor in his sinus.  A Juvenile Nasopharyngeal Angiofibroma (JNA).  This is a very vascular tumor that is found only in males and usually presents itself during puberty.  The doctor assured me that the "mass" is always benign, but can cause issues by growing large and breaking through the sinus cavity and/or eroding the bone in that area.  Surgery would definitely be needed as would an MRI and interventional radiology to embolus the vessels that feed the tumor. 

To say we were shocked would be an understatement ... but God knew and cared!

March 3, 2017, Noah's 13th birthday, we went for an MRI of his nasal passages.  What a way to start the teen years!

Fast forward a few weeks and here we are ready to head to the hospital in the morning for surgery.  Noah has lost all sense of smell and taste as his nasal passage has been blocked by the tumor.  The snoring has increased terribly and he does not sleep well.  He cannot taste anything anymore and at times feels pressure in his right ear like it needs to "Pop".   

Noah is ready for this surgery!  When you ask him is he is nervous, he says "not really" with a shrug and a chuckle.  He is just ready to have it over with so that he can get on with a great summer and be able to taste food again.  My fun, loving, jokester, easy-going man is just ready to be "normal" again - whatever that means.  ha!

Tomorrow morning, May 23, 2017, the radiologist with spend 6+ hours emobilizing Noah's tumor to cut off the direct blood supply so that it can be removed more easily.  Due to the vascular nature of the tumor, there could be HUGE amounts of blood loss if this is not first carried out. They will do this process through stints/shunts in is artery - going through the leg all the way up through the neck.   The will inject dye to make sure none of those blood vessels feed the eyes or the brain, etc.  Once they isolate the vessels to the tumor itself, they will fill them with mircoparticals to "clog" them up to prevent bleeding during surgery.  Such a delicate and tedious process.  Noah will be required to lie flat for 4-6 hours after the embolization and will remain in ICU and intubated through the night.  On Wednesday, May 24, 2017, Noah will then have surgery to remove the entire tumor (Lord willing).  This has all been planned to happen laparoscopically and will require another 4-5+ hours of surgery time.  

To say this has been a bit overwhelming would be "putting it mildly" but as always, we have been reminded of the one constant in our lives - the grace of the Almighty.  We still serve the same loving, merciful Father that has always been with us.  He is still sovereign and knows what He is doing - whether or not we understand the circumstances.  Our family has been amazing and supportive and our sweet church folks have been precious and caring.  God put us in the midst of the right people at the right time for the painful circumstances we could never have foreseen   At those moments when the "what ifs" surround this mama's heart and his daddy would beg to trade places with his sweet son - God's grace surrounds.  We are every thankful for the sweet, tender, AMAZING grace of our Saviour and the prayers of His saints.

God's got this - Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you. - I Peter 5:7

What a wonderful, liberating and precious thought!