Update on Stacy's surgery

Hi everyone, this is Amanda (Stacy's sister), trying to keep everyone up to speed.  Stacy had surgery yesterday to remove the cancer from her tongue.  It was a long, tedious procedure, but one that was well worth it.  We can now say that Stacy is officially CANCER FREE!!!!  :)
They took her back to the O.R. about 8 a.m. yesterday morning.  Around 12:30, Dr. Couch (the ENT) came out and let Mom know that the removal went well.  They found that the cancer had spread more across her tongue and also into her right lymph nodes.  So they went ahead and removed half of her tongue and the affected nodes.  In addition, they informed us that there might be some long term swallowing difficulties, as well as the need for permanent feeding tube placement.  Stacy is very malnourished where she hasn't been able to eat due to the swelling.  They cut her from her lower lip, down her chin, neck, and back almost to her right ear.  So the removal phase went well.  They tested 9 parameters and all came back negative.  This is a great thing, as it shows that they removed all the cancerous tissue! 
Her surgeon was on standby as they were waiting to hear from pathology.  After finding out that the parameters were good, he then proceeded to start the reconstruction process.  This is a very extensive process, as it took about 7 hours.  First, he had to take a "panel" from her left forearm.  They then used this panel to create her "flap", which is now what her new tongue is being referred to.  They also had to remove one of her back right molars since it had fillings in it.  This could prove problematic during radiation, so they just went ahead and removed the tooth.  They rebuilt the floor of her mouth and attached her "flap" to the remaining tongue.  As the surgeon says, she will only have tissue and an artery on the right side.  There is no muscle there, so the flap is simply "along for the ride", so to speak.  The critical time was after surgery, making sure that blood was flowing through the artery.  This artery had to be sutured under a microscope, so it is very fragile.  The Dr. says that there is a 5% chance that it doesn't take, but feels confident that she'll do good with it.
We were finally able to see her around 9:15 last night, and we weren't quite sure what to expect.  Granted, surgery is never pretty, especially when there are incisions and stitches that you don't expect.  She was pale, and it was hard to adjust to seeing all of the tubes, stitches, etc.  Mom and Dad went in first.  They spoke to her, and Mom made sure to tell her that the cancer is gone.  She was trying to move her head and open her eyes.  This elevated her blood pressure some, which is something they don't want.  So we took a break from going back for a little while.  Dad, Jamie and Jesse left shortly thereafter and Mom and I went back in to see her.  As her "little" sister, it's hard to see someone that I've always admired and looked up to laying there helpless.  I stayed strong, as I knew it would be best for her.  We visited for a few minutes, Mom helped the nurse update her medical history and then we were out.  We went back to the SECU house and stayed there last night.  We all needed a good night's sleep.
So today is a new day and we are back at the hospital.  Stacy is still in ICU and will be for a couple more days yet.  We went in to see her after the nurses said we could.  Oh, the relief we felt when she tried to open her eyes and was smiling for us!!  We were talking to her, telling her how good she looks and that she's doing great.  She would nod and squinch her eyes, letting us know that she acknowledged us.  We were telling her funny stories about Kami and pets and such, and she would smile and try to chuckle.  At one point as Mom was holding her hand, she started fanning her hand.  We started asking questions... "are you hurting? cold?  need something??"  Finally Mom says, "Are you hot?"  She nods, and we start taking blankets off of her legs and fanning her.  This is due to the fever that she is running, as her body is recovering from the trauma.  They aren't that concerned about it right now.  So Dad and Jamie arrived not long after we came out.  We prepared them for what to expect and they went into see her.  They stayed a little while, and now we're all just hanging out in the waiting room.  We'll be heading back to see her again in just a few minutes.
So long story short, Stacy is doing great.  Her vitals are good, her pulse in the tongue is good.  She'll be in SICU for a few days before they move her to a room.  We asked if she'll be home for Christmas and they said it's "possible" that she may come home as early as Tuesday.  It will all depend on how she does.
Again, from Stacy, our family and me, we would just like to thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts for all of the prayers, well wishes and warm thoughts.  We believe that it is with this that she is doing so well.  Not only that, we know that our sister Heather was holding her hand the whole time, making sure that we get to keep her a while longer.  She continues to improve and get stronger by the minute.  Please forgive us if this goes a few days without updates, but we have so much going on.  I'll make it my personal duty to sign in and post updates as often as I can.
God bless you all, and thank you again for the prayers.  Keep them coming, because they sure are working!!!!
Sincerely,
Amanda Chambers (for Stacy)