9/24 - Sam's Journey - Day 287

I know that many of you are waiting news of the ENT exam yesterday, so here it is: no physiological damage. This is really great news! Once the scope was in, it didn't take very long at all. The doctor had him make sounds, and they watched how his vocal chords moved as he did it. Jim was with him and got to see the video as they did they scope. He said that outside of it being an exam on his own kid, it was really intriguing. He could see the chords on the right reacting when he made sounds, but the left ones were really sluggish. From Sam's perspective, he said it wasn't as bad as he expected it to be, and that it just felt "odd." I think the worst part was probably not being able to eat for most of the day. Here's a pic of me bringing him home after everything was said and done. As you can tell, he is none the worse for wear.

The bottom line is this: the physical capability to regain full use of his vocal chords and swallowing mechanism is there, and we are back to the waiting game while Sam works to make those connections again. It's frustrating to us--and probably him--that it's taking so long. We still feel he will make a full recovery, but the wait is excruciating. We've already established that I'm not a good wait-er, and how my mind goes into overdrive during the waiting. That's when "what-ifs" go on the attack, and doubt creeps in. After the last 9+ months, you would think I would have learned by now that none of that is helpful. Sadly, not so much. I do know that Sam will not quit working until he is satisfied with where he is, and his standards are insanely high. He and God are on this, and I'm just going to stay out of their way so I don't mess up their plans.

Thank you all for the kind words and prayers as we maneuvered through our day. They were much appreciated. You've still got it, #TeamSam!

Other than that, it was a pretty mellow birthday. We had dinner together and all four of us were together and bonded over the new TV version of The Exorcist. Make of that what you would like. While it wasn't overly exciting by some standards, it was extraordinary that we are able to celebrate this day at all, considering everything that has transpired. For all of you who took time to make their day special with messages and gifts, thank you! All things considered, it was a very good day.  

To wrap up this entry, I'm including some pictures that Sarah took. As you can tell, he's still a big (not) fan of selfies. Peace to you all!