Wowzers, it's been a long time since I have updated, I apologize about that! Things really haven't changed much and most of you are probably personally connecting with Mom so I haven't done an update. But I will now!
Mom has been chugging along with her chemo. She has her "bad" chemo on the first Thursday, then "ok" chemo the second and third Thursdays. Then she gets a week off before she starts the "bad" again.
Round 3, she managed "bad" pretty good, though still didn't feel great on Saturday and Sunday. That Sunday was Nora's 3rd birthday party, but Mom came to the party! Monday was Nora's actual birthday and not only did mom work most of the day, she came with us to the pumpkin patch, dinner and presents in the afternoon and evening! Second Thursday she was fine but a few days after the third, she got very sick. Turns out she probably got a bug and was really not fighting it well so she struggled with sickness.
She got "bad" round 4 a week and a half ago and it took her a bit longer to get through it, by Tuesday she said she was feeling a bit better. Last week was the second week of the round. She has been battling a headache and general fatigue after last weeks treatment. So next Thursday is the conclusion of round 4!
Mom gets the week of Thanksgiving off, where she will travel to Portland to spend the holiday week with my brother. She is very excited about going and hopes she feels a bit better. And she is very ready for a week off of treatment. Mom will also get the week of Christmas off after Round 5 and then she'll finish up after Christmas with her last round!
Mom has been fighting really hard and the treatments are starting to get the best of her. Though she gets up every morning, puts a smile on and goes about her day, she is internally feeling very tired and sometimes a bit sick with either a headache, nausea or aches. Each treatment just makes her feel more and more tired and she is having a harder time, and a bit longer to recover after each one.
What I admire about mom is that she is feeling like garbage, but she can hide it like a champ. She is still determined to do what she wants - work, church, time with friends, spending time with my kids, going to movies, even going hiking. You wouldn't know that she isn't feeling well until she really doesn't feel well.
This is the time to rally for mom. The novelty of helping has worn off a little, but we need you all more than ever! I've started a job that has recently gotten very busy and the holiday's are creeping up on us all. Please continue to send mom your prayers, good thoughts, notes of love and support, meals and whatever else. Let's continue to support her team and get her through the rest of this battle.
Thank you everyone and please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or ways you can help out! I want to give a special thank you to my Aunt Peg - mom's sister. She has made the trip out to take care of mom for each one of her "bad" treatments to help take care of her. We appreciate all she does to help us out!
Love to all~
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Update
Hey everyone,
So sorry for no recent posts! Mom has been doing so great lately! She has been working and feeling pretty good. She fights exhaustion a little but you'd never know if she didn't tell you so.
This Thursday is mom's last infusion of round 2. This time, she broke out the infusions to be 3 sessions, rather than all at one time. It was much better for her. The first infusion has the medication that makes her feel the worst, so she spent the first day of that (it's 48 hours after the infusion) just napping and fighting a little nausea. But the infusion last week was just fine.
I'm so proud of mom. She has been so brave and strong through all of this. She is confident and a hard worker. She even plans on a half marathon in the spring!
Keep praying for mom as she finishes up this round and that she continues to heal up. She had a HUGE milestone this morning even - she wore pants! This doesn't seem huge but for her, it's been a goal. The incision (though still partly open) is almost healed up and the sensitivity has been really hard for her so she has been wearing dresses 24/7 since July 2nd. With Fall coming upon us, it's good she can start working some pants into the mix.
Monday, September 8, 2014
Working Hair
Mom has had a great few weeks. After the sickness subsided from the first few days at the beach, she rebounded quickly and felt great the rest of the time. She had long walks on the beach, ate A LOT of food (according to her) and generally feeling good, very good.
She headed home on Tuesday afternoon last week and spent Wednesday through Friday WORKING! She loved being back to work and interacting with people and moving and just generally feeling normal - as normal as possible. She would crash at the end of the day (or middle depending on the day). What a huge milestone for her to hit!
During her beach time, she mentioned that she started to lose her hair. By the time she got home, it was coming out in clumps. Within a few short days, she lost about half of it. The part is quite large now as it's super thin. She has made the decision to shave it on Tuesday evening. Until then, she is trying out hats and scarves. She will be learning on Monday night how to tie scarves so that will help her. She also will be receiving a few wigs from her sister's friend. Here is a text I got this morning with the caption: "Waddya think? I feel a little like a gypsy!"
Mom's sister comes back to help her through round 2 of chemo. She arrives on Wednesday evening and will stay for a week. Mom's next chemo is on Thursday, September 11th. This time, she is going to take 3 weeks to get through the treatment, rather than doing it all on one day. She is going to see if that isn't so hard on her. The first week she'll do 2 hours, one of not-so-bad med and one hour of yucky-sicky med. Then next week, just 1 hour of not-so-bad, the week after that 1 hour of not-so-bad.
Pray for mom for this next round! And if you are able and willing, mom could use some new scarves! That would be a nice gift if you are thinking of one to send her!
She headed home on Tuesday afternoon last week and spent Wednesday through Friday WORKING! She loved being back to work and interacting with people and moving and just generally feeling normal - as normal as possible. She would crash at the end of the day (or middle depending on the day). What a huge milestone for her to hit!
During her beach time, she mentioned that she started to lose her hair. By the time she got home, it was coming out in clumps. Within a few short days, she lost about half of it. The part is quite large now as it's super thin. She has made the decision to shave it on Tuesday evening. Until then, she is trying out hats and scarves. She will be learning on Monday night how to tie scarves so that will help her. She also will be receiving a few wigs from her sister's friend. Here is a text I got this morning with the caption: "Waddya think? I feel a little like a gypsy!"
Mom's sister comes back to help her through round 2 of chemo. She arrives on Wednesday evening and will stay for a week. Mom's next chemo is on Thursday, September 11th. This time, she is going to take 3 weeks to get through the treatment, rather than doing it all on one day. She is going to see if that isn't so hard on her. The first week she'll do 2 hours, one of not-so-bad med and one hour of yucky-sicky med. Then next week, just 1 hour of not-so-bad, the week after that 1 hour of not-so-bad.
Pray for mom for this next round! And if you are able and willing, mom could use some new scarves! That would be a nice gift if you are thinking of one to send her!
Friday, August 29, 2014
The Beach
Mom is doing better. She has had some bad days/nights and good days/nights. She was feeling bad and a little better then bad again. On Tuesday, she had a blood test done and they determined that she was dehydrated so she got two bags of fluids. By the time she left, she was feeling much better. We went back to her house and got her packed up for her trip, then spent the night at my house (after eating a piece of fried chicken and cole slaw!). I dropped her off at the airport on Wednesday morning.
Luckily she was able to use the wheelchair service to help her through the airport. I got this picture texted to me later that day...
She said that night was a pretty bad one, sick from either chemo, travel or food, but her stomach was pretty upset. Mom also said that her hair is already starting to fall out. She spent the day watching the huge waves from a Mexican hurricane and resting.
Yesterday mom said she got sick in the afternoon again, but had a better night. Hopefully the worst is over and she can relax the rest of the vacation.
Next chemo is planned for September 11th I believe.
Luckily she was able to use the wheelchair service to help her through the airport. I got this picture texted to me later that day...
She said that night was a pretty bad one, sick from either chemo, travel or food, but her stomach was pretty upset. Mom also said that her hair is already starting to fall out. She spent the day watching the huge waves from a Mexican hurricane and resting.
Yesterday mom said she got sick in the afternoon again, but had a better night. Hopefully the worst is over and she can relax the rest of the vacation.
Next chemo is planned for September 11th I believe.
Monday, August 25, 2014
The Weekend
Mom finished up her first chemo treatment around 2pm or so on Friday afternoon. While in the treatment, she had a decent sized lunch and said that she felt just fine! She met a few people around her and that was encouraging to her. She went home and said she felt just fine. The rest of us went camping but I checked in on mom several times a day over the weekend and I just kept getting texts back that went like this "feeling fine!", "stay as long as you want, I'm good!", and "I went out to dinner with a friend, feel great". So when I was leaving Sunday afternoon, I checked in to say we were on our way home and did she want to go out to dinner. She responded "sick hit". So we rushed home and she was pretty out of it, tired, nauseated and feeling pretty bad. I got her a little bit of soup and a nausea med. She ended up throwing up the soup but she said that it actually made her feel better. I got her ready for bed and out she went.
She is still feeling a bit yucky today, hopefully it starts getting better soon. But crazy how for 48 hours she felt just fine, like pretty much normal, then boom. So we'll see how long it lasts. Chemo is a crazy ride!
Keep praying for mom as she tries to get as good as she can before she heads to California on Wednesday morning.
Friday, August 22, 2014
Finally In
It's been a long road to get to this, but she is finally on her first treatment of chemo as we speak! Obviously this is a little bit of a good thing and a little bit of a bad thing, but hopefully this is the beginning of the road to complete recovery.
Pray for mom today and for the next several days as she deals with the side effects of a brutal four hour chemo infusion.
Pray for mom today and for the next several days as she deals with the side effects of a brutal four hour chemo infusion.
Thursday, August 21, 2014
This is starting to get frustrating
So mom arrived at the hospital ready to roll, with a chemo appointment and they informed her that she needs to take a med 24 hours before she actually starts. So they gave her the med, did a few tests and some blood work and are sending her on her way (2 hours later!).
All that and she still hasn't started chemo! Tomorrow is apparently the day but until it's flowing in her, I won't believe it!
Keep praying for her, it's starting to cut close to her trip...
All that and she still hasn't started chemo! Tomorrow is apparently the day but until it's flowing in her, I won't believe it!
Keep praying for her, it's starting to cut close to her trip...
Today
Good morning,
I hope lots of you are reading this morning! Mom starts chemo today at 10am Mountain Time and will likely be done around 2pm. If you think of her during this time, please say a prayer for her. She has a lot of anxiety about this first treatment, how she will respond to it and the unknowns of her recovery from it. Please pray that the chemicals kill only the bad stuff and that she feels great afterward! Pray that her body responds to treatment in the best possible way.
If anyone in Utah area is available the following times to check on mom, please let me know!
Friday from 4-9pm
Saturday from noon on
Sunday morning to mid afternoon
Any part of these times would be much appreciated to help mom through possible sickness. She may not need someone there at all times, but a call person would be great.
Thanks so much everyone for prayers and thoughts and help, we all really appreciate it!
I hope lots of you are reading this morning! Mom starts chemo today at 10am Mountain Time and will likely be done around 2pm. If you think of her during this time, please say a prayer for her. She has a lot of anxiety about this first treatment, how she will respond to it and the unknowns of her recovery from it. Please pray that the chemicals kill only the bad stuff and that she feels great afterward! Pray that her body responds to treatment in the best possible way.
If anyone in Utah area is available the following times to check on mom, please let me know!
Friday from 4-9pm
Saturday from noon on
Sunday morning to mid afternoon
Any part of these times would be much appreciated to help mom through possible sickness. She may not need someone there at all times, but a call person would be great.
Thanks so much everyone for prayers and thoughts and help, we all really appreciate it!
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
The Go-ahead
I took mom and Peg down to Salt Lake today. We all had a great lunch (thanks Peg!) then dropped her off at the airport. We then headed to mom's surgeon for her 6 week post op. Good and Bad news.
Bad - her wound is still not completely healed. It's still been leaking, though not infection, it was kinda gross and making her bandage smell and be unpleasant for her. This leakage is unfortunately the result of still some unhealed space in her abdomen. Though remarkably healed from only 2 weeks ago, there is still open space that won't heal on it's own. So he had to make a small slit in the incision again and pack it with gauze. She luckily doesn't have to do the vac again, but will need to do packing dressing for quite some more time. She will have to do this on her own until it's completely healed. Please pray that happens quickly for her.
Good - she got the "go-ahead" to start chemo on Thursday. So that'll start on up! She isn't exactly happy to do it, but she is glad that she can just keep moving forward in treatment rather than waiting for the wound to completely heal. And it's good that it's not infected again. She will be on the road to the end of treatment, which she is glad for.
My bro comes into town tomorrow for a few days to see mom. He'll be able to take her to her first chemo treatment which means a lot to her. Continue to pray that she handles chemo well enough to head on out of town next Wednesday feeling ok.
Thanks everyone!
Bad - her wound is still not completely healed. It's still been leaking, though not infection, it was kinda gross and making her bandage smell and be unpleasant for her. This leakage is unfortunately the result of still some unhealed space in her abdomen. Though remarkably healed from only 2 weeks ago, there is still open space that won't heal on it's own. So he had to make a small slit in the incision again and pack it with gauze. She luckily doesn't have to do the vac again, but will need to do packing dressing for quite some more time. She will have to do this on her own until it's completely healed. Please pray that happens quickly for her.
Good - she got the "go-ahead" to start chemo on Thursday. So that'll start on up! She isn't exactly happy to do it, but she is glad that she can just keep moving forward in treatment rather than waiting for the wound to completely heal. And it's good that it's not infected again. She will be on the road to the end of treatment, which she is glad for.
My bro comes into town tomorrow for a few days to see mom. He'll be able to take her to her first chemo treatment which means a lot to her. Continue to pray that she handles chemo well enough to head on out of town next Wednesday feeling ok.
Thanks everyone!
Monday, August 18, 2014
Update
Hey there everyone,
Sorry for the long delay in posts. I went out of town on Wednesday evening and got home late Sunday evening. A few things have changed that happened while I was away!
First, mom is doing great. She is feeling good and hitting some awesome landmarks - driving on her own, no more pain meds, gaining some weight back, planned a tentative day back to work. I'm so proud of her!
When mom went to the chemo appointment on Thursday, they determined that they didn't want to start quite yet, wanted the surgeons clear that she can start. So she didn't get her treatment on Thursday! Instead she's been resting, eating food and feeling better each day. Mom has an appointment with the surgeon on Tuesday (tomorrow) in which we assume he will give the go ahead to start chemo on Thursday. She will have her big infusion then, and have 5 days to recover before she gets on a plane for California the following Wednesday for a week. I think that will be a good trip for her to rest, recover and recharge.
So I'll let you know what happens tomorrow after her appointment!
Cheers~
Sorry for the long delay in posts. I went out of town on Wednesday evening and got home late Sunday evening. A few things have changed that happened while I was away!
First, mom is doing great. She is feeling good and hitting some awesome landmarks - driving on her own, no more pain meds, gaining some weight back, planned a tentative day back to work. I'm so proud of her!
When mom went to the chemo appointment on Thursday, they determined that they didn't want to start quite yet, wanted the surgeons clear that she can start. So she didn't get her treatment on Thursday! Instead she's been resting, eating food and feeling better each day. Mom has an appointment with the surgeon on Tuesday (tomorrow) in which we assume he will give the go ahead to start chemo on Thursday. She will have her big infusion then, and have 5 days to recover before she gets on a plane for California the following Wednesday for a week. I think that will be a good trip for her to rest, recover and recharge.
So I'll let you know what happens tomorrow after her appointment!
Cheers~
Sunday, August 10, 2014
Catch Up
Sorry everyone for the delay in posts. I've been busy at my first week of work and I happened to be at a trade show with little to no access to update you all. And by the time I got home, I was beat!
Here is the update on mom. She finally got her wound closed on Thursday afternoon. There was a slow progression of closing the wound with the vac but all seems to be good now. She still has some fluid leakage from it, but is feeling fine and doesn't have to tote around the pump anymore. On Friday she walked about 2 miles which is awesome! She slept the rest of the day she said.
Also on Thursday, mom went to see the chemo oncologist and he was going to start her first infusion that same day. Due to the wound still be open that morning, he felt more comfortable waiting another week to let the wound heal more before they started. So they will be starting chemo on this Thursday, August 14th. They will be combining the months worth of infusions into one day so she will be having a four hour infusion, likely followed by days of sickness. Please pray for her as she deals with that blow. The port seems to be healing great, she has that checked tomorrow (Monday) morning.
Mom and Peg came over for dinner this evening and mom is looking really good. Standing more up straight, able to bend over, more color in her skin, moving around well. She even ate a ton of food which is awesome. Her goal this week is to get protein and calories.
I have a major request. I have had a trip planned for some time that I would love to still be able to go on. Due to mom having her infusion only two days before Peg needs to leave, we would love some help taking care of mom for about 24 hours after Peg leaves until I get home. We would need someone to come for part of or the whole time from Saturday evening through Sunday evening. I also need someone to give my aunt a ride to the airport on Saturday afternoon.
Please let me know ASAP if you are able to do either of these things, it would mean the world to us! Thank you!
Here is the update on mom. She finally got her wound closed on Thursday afternoon. There was a slow progression of closing the wound with the vac but all seems to be good now. She still has some fluid leakage from it, but is feeling fine and doesn't have to tote around the pump anymore. On Friday she walked about 2 miles which is awesome! She slept the rest of the day she said.
Also on Thursday, mom went to see the chemo oncologist and he was going to start her first infusion that same day. Due to the wound still be open that morning, he felt more comfortable waiting another week to let the wound heal more before they started. So they will be starting chemo on this Thursday, August 14th. They will be combining the months worth of infusions into one day so she will be having a four hour infusion, likely followed by days of sickness. Please pray for her as she deals with that blow. The port seems to be healing great, she has that checked tomorrow (Monday) morning.
Mom and Peg came over for dinner this evening and mom is looking really good. Standing more up straight, able to bend over, more color in her skin, moving around well. She even ate a ton of food which is awesome. Her goal this week is to get protein and calories.
I have a major request. I have had a trip planned for some time that I would love to still be able to go on. Due to mom having her infusion only two days before Peg needs to leave, we would love some help taking care of mom for about 24 hours after Peg leaves until I get home. We would need someone to come for part of or the whole time from Saturday evening through Sunday evening. I also need someone to give my aunt a ride to the airport on Saturday afternoon.
Please let me know ASAP if you are able to do either of these things, it would mean the world to us! Thank you!
Monday, August 4, 2014
Healing
Mom has been doing a great, fantastic, incredible job healing. She took a few steps back with the last infection, then a stall when she got her port put in. But she is back to moving around more, going out, running errands, eating more. She has been at home for a few days and doing great there.
The home nurse came to change her vac and feels that it can be closed! Instead of just doing a quick close, they are doing a two day close. She didn't put anything in the wound, but put the vacuum on it anyway to help continue pulling it together before final closing on Wednesday. It's a great solution that everyone felt good with. So she'll have to carry around her "little friend" as she calls it (the machine for the vac) for two more days but it seems like without problem it will be closed again on Wednesday. She doesn't even need to go back to the surgeon to close it, the nurse is going to do it! But already since Friday, about 2 inches of the wound already closed itself at the top. She's doing great!
So now she has two full days of rest before round one of chemo starts. Keep praying for mom as this week progresses that she continues to heal and is ready for her chemo.
And thank you to Jenny for the meal for mom and Peg tonight!
The home nurse came to change her vac and feels that it can be closed! Instead of just doing a quick close, they are doing a two day close. She didn't put anything in the wound, but put the vacuum on it anyway to help continue pulling it together before final closing on Wednesday. It's a great solution that everyone felt good with. So she'll have to carry around her "little friend" as she calls it (the machine for the vac) for two more days but it seems like without problem it will be closed again on Wednesday. She doesn't even need to go back to the surgeon to close it, the nurse is going to do it! But already since Friday, about 2 inches of the wound already closed itself at the top. She's doing great!
So now she has two full days of rest before round one of chemo starts. Keep praying for mom as this week progresses that she continues to heal and is ready for her chemo.
And thank you to Jenny for the meal for mom and Peg tonight!
Sunday, August 3, 2014
Weekend Update
Fogg worked with Mom's good friend Anita to make these awesome bracelets for us. Mom and I have been wearing the rubber teal bracelets, but these are a billion times better! One side says "Have Faith" and the other side says "Expect Miracles". This has become our mantra - have faith, expect miracles. And I think about those two things a lot. We have four more available if anyone is interested. The cost is $25 so let me know if you want one and I'll get it going for you. The teal is for ovarian cancer awareness, on this bracelet, it's made of leather.
Mom's sister, Peg, came into town on Saturday morning. We packed mom up from my house and they headed back to mom's house. Mom is doing ok, battling a little bit of upset stomach, but getting a little better each day. It will be nice to have Peg take care of mom and to drive her to appointments.
Mom has a big week this week. Monday she gets her wound vac changed again. Hopefully the nurse will give the go ahead to close it after seeing her improvement. In which case, she'll head back down to Salt Lake on Tuesday (hopefully) to have it closed. On Thursday, she has an appointment with the chemo oncologist who will check the condition of her port and likely start her first infusion right after. Please say a prayer for mom on Thursday as she launches into her first treatment.
Thank you again to everyone for the meals and taking care of things for us! I'll keep you updated tomorrow!
Friday, August 1, 2014
Port Done, At Home
The procedure went super quick and mom recovered so well and we headed home by 10:30. She is feeling good so far, but said she is just starting to get a little uncomfortable in her neck. The surgeon said it went very smoothly!
I also did a bit of scheduling (just call me the personal assistant) for next week. I was able to speak with the oncology office and figure out her chemo schedule. She will start chemo on August 7th. The first two weeks will be fairly mild and take about an hour for her. The third week, they will introduce another med that will be the one that will likely make her sick, that will take another hour or so. Then she'll get two full weeks to recover from that before she starts the second round. And that's how it will go. As of right now, her first three treatments will be 7th, 14th and 21st, then two weeks off and will start again on September 4th. And so on. I will let everyone know if we need help as the time gets closer, but as of now, we've got the first round covered with my aunt being in town.
We are also hoping to have the wound vac out sometime next week as long as it's healing as it should. I've made a few arrangements to have that done assuming things are going well. Please pray that she heals quickly so that can be removed sooner rather than later.
Mom will continue to recover at home today and tomorrow then head back to her house with my aunt. Please pray she continues on a good path!
I also did a bit of scheduling (just call me the personal assistant) for next week. I was able to speak with the oncology office and figure out her chemo schedule. She will start chemo on August 7th. The first two weeks will be fairly mild and take about an hour for her. The third week, they will introduce another med that will be the one that will likely make her sick, that will take another hour or so. Then she'll get two full weeks to recover from that before she starts the second round. And that's how it will go. As of right now, her first three treatments will be 7th, 14th and 21st, then two weeks off and will start again on September 4th. And so on. I will let everyone know if we need help as the time gets closer, but as of now, we've got the first round covered with my aunt being in town.
We are also hoping to have the wound vac out sometime next week as long as it's healing as it should. I've made a few arrangements to have that done assuming things are going well. Please pray that she heals quickly so that can be removed sooner rather than later.
Mom will continue to recover at home today and tomorrow then head back to her house with my aunt. Please pray she continues on a good path!
Friday Port Cath
Good morning readers,
Mom had a good day yesterday which is super positive. She has sort of had to start over a little with her eating and moving, but she's getting there.
Today mom is getting the port put in. She is prepping as I type. They will be putting a small disc under her skin near her collar bone that will take her chemo. There will be a tube that will go under her collar bone into her veins which is how she will get the chemo. This is a pretty minor surgery but a surgery still. She should be in for only about 45 minutes and we should be out of the hospital by noon. I'll let you know when we get home and how it went.
Prayers for mom this morning during surgery and while she recovers from this procedure.
While she is in for the procedure, I will be figuring out her chemo schedule. I have gotten a few questions about helping out during chemo so I'll figure out what the plan is. During the first cycle, her sister will be here with her and I think that will help her figure out if she wants people in to spend time with her during infusion or not and what needs she will have post infusions. Thanks again to everyone that has reached out.
We have tons of food at our house and thank you to everyone for that! And thank you to everyone that will be providing food next week for mom and her sister, so very helpful.
Stay tuned for later!
Mom had a good day yesterday which is super positive. She has sort of had to start over a little with her eating and moving, but she's getting there.
Today mom is getting the port put in. She is prepping as I type. They will be putting a small disc under her skin near her collar bone that will take her chemo. There will be a tube that will go under her collar bone into her veins which is how she will get the chemo. This is a pretty minor surgery but a surgery still. She should be in for only about 45 minutes and we should be out of the hospital by noon. I'll let you know when we get home and how it went.
Prayers for mom this morning during surgery and while she recovers from this procedure.
While she is in for the procedure, I will be figuring out her chemo schedule. I have gotten a few questions about helping out during chemo so I'll figure out what the plan is. During the first cycle, her sister will be here with her and I think that will help her figure out if she wants people in to spend time with her during infusion or not and what needs she will have post infusions. Thanks again to everyone that has reached out.
We have tons of food at our house and thank you to everyone for that! And thank you to everyone that will be providing food next week for mom and her sister, so very helpful.
Stay tuned for later!
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Overwhelmed
Hey everyone,
First of all, I wanted to tell you how overwhelmed I am. Not in the bad way (though there are still some of those feelings) but in such a good way. I put out a simple call for help and I am blown away by the response that I have received. All of you are just such a blessing to us in this time. It just proves how great each and every single one of you are to be our friends, so blessed! The help and care and concern has just been overwhelmingly amazing and I can't thank you all enough. The other night I was about to pull my hair out and go running down the street crying but you all are there to keep me in check and step in when needed and I thank you all so much for that. So that being said, we are totally set for now on meals and help, thank you all.
Ok, on to mom. She is currently getting the wound vac put back on (yay and nay to that). It will hopefully allow her to have some quicker healing and a bit more freedom in day to day life. But it's also a hassle and it's another machine/thing to take care of. The goal is to get it out as soon as possible. It's job is to promote healing and hopefully that can be done quickly.
She is feeling better overall, she did have a pretty bad Monday and Tuesday, but much better today. Just in time to get cut into again on Friday!
Aunt Peg is coming to visit and help this weekend, and will stay with mom and help out while I return to full time work next week. She'll be able to help mom to doc appointments and through her first chemo round. Thank God for that!
That is all for now. I can't say thank you enough to all of you for your support and for being part of the TEAM! And what a team we have!
First of all, I wanted to tell you how overwhelmed I am. Not in the bad way (though there are still some of those feelings) but in such a good way. I put out a simple call for help and I am blown away by the response that I have received. All of you are just such a blessing to us in this time. It just proves how great each and every single one of you are to be our friends, so blessed! The help and care and concern has just been overwhelmingly amazing and I can't thank you all enough. The other night I was about to pull my hair out and go running down the street crying but you all are there to keep me in check and step in when needed and I thank you all so much for that. So that being said, we are totally set for now on meals and help, thank you all.
Ok, on to mom. She is currently getting the wound vac put back on (yay and nay to that). It will hopefully allow her to have some quicker healing and a bit more freedom in day to day life. But it's also a hassle and it's another machine/thing to take care of. The goal is to get it out as soon as possible. It's job is to promote healing and hopefully that can be done quickly.
She is feeling better overall, she did have a pretty bad Monday and Tuesday, but much better today. Just in time to get cut into again on Friday!
Aunt Peg is coming to visit and help this weekend, and will stay with mom and help out while I return to full time work next week. She'll be able to help mom to doc appointments and through her first chemo round. Thank God for that!
That is all for now. I can't say thank you enough to all of you for your support and for being part of the TEAM! And what a team we have!
Monday, July 28, 2014
Upcoming Week
Mom had an eventful (and not really in a good way) day. First thing we had to change her dressing. She really anticipates that each time and has to prepare both with meds and mental preparedness. Then we were off to the surgeon to discuss the installation of the port. It seems like an easy procedure, though she is quite done being cut into. The port will be put in on Friday morning. Please pray for that as she will be knocked out and have a tube put in her veins.
Then it was off to some other small errands and home for a nap. Then we headed down to Salt Lake to meet up with the first surgeon again to talk about closing the incision - again. She again anticipated the removal of the dressing and him poking around in there. Unfortunately, he was unable to close the wound, in fact, he had to open it up a tad more to reveal a sizable "cave" in there. There is no more infection at all, this is a good thing. But she needs more blood supply to the area in order for it to be closed again. He had to repack (not close!) and send us on our way. She will see the wound care people tomorrow (currently waiting for a call about that) to discuss putting the wound vac back on for a few days in order to increase blood supply to the area. Ideally, that would then come back out on Friday and they can close the incision again. Mom was not happy about this news - like at all. And she was very much not happy about all the poking in there during the appointment. Hopefully we can have this thing closed up again by end of week.
She is pretty low in how she is feeling right now. She has to take pain meds to deal with the messing around in her belly and that makes her feel nauseous and tired. Hopefully once the wound vac gets put back on, she'll feel a little better and not have to take too many pain meds. And then hopefully things can be healed up enough to be closed.
I'm in need of a few things from the community. Mom gets the port put in on Friday and we have some obligations to attend to in the evening. She needs to be attended to for 24 hours after the placement. If anyone is willing and able to come over on Friday night to watch mom, make her dinner and generally care for her, that would be great. I need from about 4:30 to about 9pm.
Also, I'm pretty tired and getting a bit overwhelmed. If anyone is willing to do a meal or just come hang with mom so we can go out, that would be amazing. Thank you!
Then it was off to some other small errands and home for a nap. Then we headed down to Salt Lake to meet up with the first surgeon again to talk about closing the incision - again. She again anticipated the removal of the dressing and him poking around in there. Unfortunately, he was unable to close the wound, in fact, he had to open it up a tad more to reveal a sizable "cave" in there. There is no more infection at all, this is a good thing. But she needs more blood supply to the area in order for it to be closed again. He had to repack (not close!) and send us on our way. She will see the wound care people tomorrow (currently waiting for a call about that) to discuss putting the wound vac back on for a few days in order to increase blood supply to the area. Ideally, that would then come back out on Friday and they can close the incision again. Mom was not happy about this news - like at all. And she was very much not happy about all the poking in there during the appointment. Hopefully we can have this thing closed up again by end of week.
She is pretty low in how she is feeling right now. She has to take pain meds to deal with the messing around in her belly and that makes her feel nauseous and tired. Hopefully once the wound vac gets put back on, she'll feel a little better and not have to take too many pain meds. And then hopefully things can be healed up enough to be closed.
I'm in need of a few things from the community. Mom gets the port put in on Friday and we have some obligations to attend to in the evening. She needs to be attended to for 24 hours after the placement. If anyone is willing and able to come over on Friday night to watch mom, make her dinner and generally care for her, that would be great. I need from about 4:30 to about 9pm.
Also, I'm pretty tired and getting a bit overwhelmed. If anyone is willing to do a meal or just come hang with mom so we can go out, that would be amazing. Thank you!
Sunday, July 27, 2014
A Little Bump
So I'm not so good at posting when mom is doing great. She has been doing so great! This past week she did a long outing to doctors and other errands on Monday, she did a long outing on Wednesday evening, did the parade on Thursday morning, and went to dinner and a movie with friends on Saturday afternoon. She has been moving a lot, eating well and generally feeling really good. She has been doing great managing pain and taking her meds. I will do a better job of updating everyone on the mundane, like when she is doing exactly what she is supposed to be doing and more!
Unfortunately, my post today is to update you on a little bump she had yesterday. Mom was about to leave for her movie and had a little bit of moisture in her bandage. By the time the movie was over and she finished up dinner, it became a drip. Fortunately she felt ok, but when she got home, I immediately saw that it was another infection. I called the surgeons office and they told us to go back down to Salt Lake City to the same hospital and go to the ER. Mom felt a lot of anxiety about having to possibly open the wound, yet again, so I encouraged her to take a lot of her pain meds to help with that. I figured the worst case scenario is that she would be sleepy! We drove down at 8pm last night and checked in. We had to go through the ER system, which took a bit of time. The ER doc finally came in and immediately said - yep infection, I'll call your surgeon personally. We waited a bit longer and eventually, one of the surgeons residents came specifically to see mom. She unfortunately determined that mom would need to be reopened and cleaned out. They did some local pain killing and gave her a very strong anxiety med to help with the procedure. They determined that it wasn't very bad and good that we caught it so early. They were able to clean it out and pack it without too much discomfort for mom. We were able to leave late last night and we were home by 1am.
The cleaning/changing of the dressing is definitely my least favorite thing so far. We both got through the change this morning ok. We will go back to the surgeon Monday afternoon to get it closed up - again. And hopefully for the last time!
Monday is busy! We will be visiting with the surgeon locally to talk about the port cath placement in the morning. We also will need to schedule a CT scan for as soon this week as possible so that can be done before they actually place the port, which I'm guessing will be either Tuesday or Wednesday (but I don't really know). The port needs one full week before she can start chemo, so I think the doc is anxious to get that going soon.
Please pray for mom as she has quite some outings tomorrow and without a doubt some discomfort with moving around with her open(ish) wound. Pray that they will be able to close it again tomorrow afternoon, rather than putting in another wound vac. Pray especially for mom's anxiety about any procedures she will have, that seems to be one of her biggest hurdles right now.
Thank you to Elaine and Anne Rene who were able to come spend the afternoon with mom, take care of her, entertain her, feed her and give me a break for a few hours to spend with my family. What a blessing all of you people are to us!
I'll let you know what happens tomorrow evening from the day. Prayers all day!
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Chemo Plan
Well, we've had a busy day so far. First of all, mom was out and about for a LONG time today and was doing great all the way to the end. She may crash fast and early tonight though!
We ran a couple of errands before her appointment. The appointment was quite an ordeal, a lot of doctors, waiting, questions, answers and more waiting. BUT, we both really LOVED that doctor. He seems to be so genuine and knowledgeable. We were able to ask a ton of questions regarding the treatments and schedule.
First, they are going to put a port in her chest for the treatments. That way she won't have to be poked each time she has chemo and it's safer than hoping that a vein doesn't have trouble during a four hour treatment. They will be scheduling a consult for either later this week or early next week and likely be putting it in sometime next week, a 45 minute procedure. She will need to wait a week for that to heal before it can be used. Right before she has her first treatment, which will likely be the first or second week of August, they will do another CT scan to see if there are any other remaining tumors that the surgeon missed (hopefully not) and get a baseline. They will also do a blood draw to check for the cancer markers to see how she is starting.
She will go to treatment every week for three weeks then have a week off. For two of those three weeks she will likely feel fine as the meds aren't too hard to manage. The third week will be the kicker and then she'll have some extra time to heal before she starts the next round. She will lose her hair and I'm sure battle feeling sick. The office seemed like a happy and inviting place, the kind of place that mom wants to be. They see the infusion room as a family, and patients in there were already so friendly to her.
She is hoping to be able to work a little through the chemo time, once she's recovered a little from the surgery a little more.
I may need some help in the coming weeks and months with rides to and from the hospital, and people who are willing to be with her both while she is being treated and when she is home afterwards. I'll try to set up a schedule when I have a bit more exact timing info.
Thanks again for all the prayers. There are so many other hardships happening both in our local community and around the world for so many people. Please continue to pray for all of those around you, it would mean a lot to mom and to the community. Thank you all for the physical help too, it means a lot to us.
Till I have more info!
We ran a couple of errands before her appointment. The appointment was quite an ordeal, a lot of doctors, waiting, questions, answers and more waiting. BUT, we both really LOVED that doctor. He seems to be so genuine and knowledgeable. We were able to ask a ton of questions regarding the treatments and schedule.
First, they are going to put a port in her chest for the treatments. That way she won't have to be poked each time she has chemo and it's safer than hoping that a vein doesn't have trouble during a four hour treatment. They will be scheduling a consult for either later this week or early next week and likely be putting it in sometime next week, a 45 minute procedure. She will need to wait a week for that to heal before it can be used. Right before she has her first treatment, which will likely be the first or second week of August, they will do another CT scan to see if there are any other remaining tumors that the surgeon missed (hopefully not) and get a baseline. They will also do a blood draw to check for the cancer markers to see how she is starting.
She will go to treatment every week for three weeks then have a week off. For two of those three weeks she will likely feel fine as the meds aren't too hard to manage. The third week will be the kicker and then she'll have some extra time to heal before she starts the next round. She will lose her hair and I'm sure battle feeling sick. The office seemed like a happy and inviting place, the kind of place that mom wants to be. They see the infusion room as a family, and patients in there were already so friendly to her.
She is hoping to be able to work a little through the chemo time, once she's recovered a little from the surgery a little more.
I may need some help in the coming weeks and months with rides to and from the hospital, and people who are willing to be with her both while she is being treated and when she is home afterwards. I'll try to set up a schedule when I have a bit more exact timing info.
Thanks again for all the prayers. There are so many other hardships happening both in our local community and around the world for so many people. Please continue to pray for all of those around you, it would mean a lot to mom and to the community. Thank you all for the physical help too, it means a lot to us.
Till I have more info!
Friday, July 18, 2014
Errands
Mom has been doing great and better each day. Though she is still feeling tired and worn out from little activities, she is making strides each day. She walks more and more each day, sleeping a little less each day, helping do a few things around the house. She battled a little upset stomach the past few days but seems to be better now. She is also eating more and more at each meal which is great.
Today, mom wanted to run a few errands with me. We first dropped off my kids at school, then went to her house to pick up a few things. We then went to the bank and then to Costco, where she walked around the entire place on her own! She didn't even get out of breath. Then we went for a little brunch. She did great will all of the errands today, I'm so proud of her!
Thank you to Jerriann for bringing lunch over for mom yesterday and for all of those that have offered to help. If anyone is around tomorrow and would like to swing by to check on mom mid morning or lunch, you are welcome to do so - we'll be out doing a few things.
Prayers for her doctor appointment on Monday for her chemo plan. We hope to get some answers and a plan for the coming weeks/months.
Today, mom wanted to run a few errands with me. We first dropped off my kids at school, then went to her house to pick up a few things. We then went to the bank and then to Costco, where she walked around the entire place on her own! She didn't even get out of breath. Then we went for a little brunch. She did great will all of the errands today, I'm so proud of her!
Thank you to Jerriann for bringing lunch over for mom yesterday and for all of those that have offered to help. If anyone is around tomorrow and would like to swing by to check on mom mid morning or lunch, you are welcome to do so - we'll be out doing a few things.
Prayers for her doctor appointment on Monday for her chemo plan. We hope to get some answers and a plan for the coming weeks/months.
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Doctor Appointment
Mom had a follow up appointment with her surgeon yesterday and to hopefully remove the wound vac. He was quite busy (sad!) and running late. When they did come in, they attempted to remove the vac and mom is such a great healer that she actually started to attach to the sponge that was in the wound. She was in quite a bit of pain as they removed that. It took about an hour to get it all out and ready to be closed. She did great though and made it through! They were able to close the rest of the wound with steri-strips and a fabric sticker basically. And they removed the remaining staples. She is thankful for not having any staples left in and no more wound vac - so freeing!
The doctor told us that he discussed mom's case with other doctors at a tumor conference. He told us that the group was split as to what kind of cancer it was but the treatment would still be the same. He said that we will likely never really know exactly what kind, but he is calling it as he did after surgery - Uterine stage 1A and Ovarian stage 3C. The other option was Epithelial stage 4 and we don't like that one. But again, either way, it's treated the same - surgery and chemo.
We go see the chemo doctor here in Ogden on Monday to find out her treatment plan for that. I will update you when we have more updates on when that will be for anyone hoping to come help.
Thank you to Jan for coming to pick up mom yesterday afternoon after her appointment, it was a huge help!
Please continue to keep mom in your prayers and thoughts. She is doing great at recovery so far, making all milestones and walking a ton! She walked down and around the corner at my house this morning already. She is eating better and better too. Her struggle right now is that she is feeling sad about being "sick" and still in recovery. You don't have to know mom for long to know that she is a mover, so all this sitting around and not feeling well is getting her down a little. Once she recovers from this, she will be hit with round after round of chemo and it will certainly test her strength.
Thank you everyone!
The doctor told us that he discussed mom's case with other doctors at a tumor conference. He told us that the group was split as to what kind of cancer it was but the treatment would still be the same. He said that we will likely never really know exactly what kind, but he is calling it as he did after surgery - Uterine stage 1A and Ovarian stage 3C. The other option was Epithelial stage 4 and we don't like that one. But again, either way, it's treated the same - surgery and chemo.
We go see the chemo doctor here in Ogden on Monday to find out her treatment plan for that. I will update you when we have more updates on when that will be for anyone hoping to come help.
Thank you to Jan for coming to pick up mom yesterday afternoon after her appointment, it was a huge help!
Please continue to keep mom in your prayers and thoughts. She is doing great at recovery so far, making all milestones and walking a ton! She walked down and around the corner at my house this morning already. She is eating better and better too. Her struggle right now is that she is feeling sad about being "sick" and still in recovery. You don't have to know mom for long to know that she is a mover, so all this sitting around and not feeling well is getting her down a little. Once she recovers from this, she will be hit with round after round of chemo and it will certainly test her strength.
Thank you everyone!
Monday, July 14, 2014
The Weekend
Mom had a friend in town for the weekend and she was able to go home for a few days. They mostly laid low, just watching TV, talking and napping. Mom had Tammy drive around town and she showed her some things. After two hours, mom said that she was beat!
Overall, mom is making great strides and hitting milestones. This morning, she already walked to the end of my street and back (which is actually a decent hill!). She is learning how to deal with not doing the level of activity that she is used to.
I have a favor to ask of the community. Mom has an appointment in Salt Lake tomorrow (Tuesday) at noon, which should end around 1. I need to be in SLC later in the day so I'd rather not drive down, back up, then back down, then back up. Is there anyone that would be willing to pick up mom around 1 in North Salt Lake and bring her back to my house? That would be a huge help.
Thanks everyone!
Overall, mom is making great strides and hitting milestones. This morning, she already walked to the end of my street and back (which is actually a decent hill!). She is learning how to deal with not doing the level of activity that she is used to.
I have a favor to ask of the community. Mom has an appointment in Salt Lake tomorrow (Tuesday) at noon, which should end around 1. I need to be in SLC later in the day so I'd rather not drive down, back up, then back down, then back up. Is there anyone that would be willing to pick up mom around 1 in North Salt Lake and bring her back to my house? That would be a huge help.
Thanks everyone!
Friday, July 11, 2014
Friday Update
Mom had an ok night, it's getting harder for her to find comfortable positions and she is feeling a bit sore from not really doing anything.
She is still struggling a little with the vicious medication cycle - take nausea meds so she can eat so she can take the pain meds so she can get a little nauseous. She is napping still quite a bit but doing better and better at eating - a whole piece of pizza (a healthy one with veggies of course!) last night.
So far the wound vac is doing great and she is still on the up and up. Let's keep up the healing!
Appointment next week to close up the wound and come up with a chemo plan, stay tuned for that!
She is still struggling a little with the vicious medication cycle - take nausea meds so she can eat so she can take the pain meds so she can get a little nauseous. She is napping still quite a bit but doing better and better at eating - a whole piece of pizza (a healthy one with veggies of course!) last night.
So far the wound vac is doing great and she is still on the up and up. Let's keep up the healing!
Appointment next week to close up the wound and come up with a chemo plan, stay tuned for that!
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Thursday Update
Just got here to the hospital again and it's good cause mom had an interesting morning. She has a lot of anxiety about getting the wound redressed and managing pain through that. She was able to take a shower which she said made her feel remarkably better. But after the shower, the wound care people came in and poked around some more. She said that she feels a lot of anxiety about them messing around with it so she is concerned about making sure that she takes pain meds at the right time before they come to do so.
But, the good news is that they put her on what is called a wound vac. It's a magical machine that basically sucks the bad infection out and puts in the antibiotics and she doesn't have to do any more dressing changes (and neither do I!). They are currently getting her packed up to head home!
Keep your prayers up that mom continues to heal and recover over the weekend. She has a dear friend coming to visit and she is really excited about that. Plus, it'll give me a little bit of a break to spend time with my kiddos.
I want to say again how much I appreciate everyone who has offered to help and has done things to help. Everything from phone calls and texts (sorry if I don't respond, I do what I can), meals, support and prayers. It really means a lot to us as a whole family.
More update later!
But, the good news is that they put her on what is called a wound vac. It's a magical machine that basically sucks the bad infection out and puts in the antibiotics and she doesn't have to do any more dressing changes (and neither do I!). They are currently getting her packed up to head home!
Keep your prayers up that mom continues to heal and recover over the weekend. She has a dear friend coming to visit and she is really excited about that. Plus, it'll give me a little bit of a break to spend time with my kiddos.
I want to say again how much I appreciate everyone who has offered to help and has done things to help. Everything from phone calls and texts (sorry if I don't respond, I do what I can), meals, support and prayers. It really means a lot to us as a whole family.
More update later!
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Wednesday Update
I just got here to the hospital about an hour ago and mom was taking a quick nap. She said she is feeling good and even walked around a bit. She is even off of her IV already too! There is still tightness in her belly, obviously, but overall she said that she is feeling much better.
The doctor said she could go home as early as tomorrow! But we'll see, I'm not going to plan anything either way until we know for sure. The doctor said that he is having a meeting with some other doctors about her case on Monday to come up with a longer term plan for her chemo. There is still no pathology back yet. She will go back on Tuesday to get put back together.
Again, thanks to everyone for offering to help in so many ways, I really appreciate it. I might need some random things later (like a driver) this week, but will put the call out when I need it.
Cheers~
Meg
The doctor said she could go home as early as tomorrow! But we'll see, I'm not going to plan anything either way until we know for sure. The doctor said that he is having a meeting with some other doctors about her case on Monday to come up with a longer term plan for her chemo. There is still no pathology back yet. She will go back on Tuesday to get put back together.
Again, thanks to everyone for offering to help in so many ways, I really appreciate it. I might need some random things later (like a driver) this week, but will put the call out when I need it.
Cheers~
Meg
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Already Better
It was quite a quick turn around for mom. Two doctors that work with her surgeon came in and took out about 3/4 of the staples and opened the incision back up. They determined that she had an infection quite large but still sort of on the surface. They irrigated it and then packed it with sterile wet gauze. They actually left it open like that and covered it up with some tape. It was quite crazy.
They had trouble getting in the IV for fluids because she was a bit dehydrated, but four people later, they got it in and got her pumping on fluids. They also gave her some oral pain meds, anti nausea and antibiotics. Only 2 hours after we got here, she was able to eat more than she has in a week. She ate an entire bowl of rice and some watermelon. She just got up to go to the bathroom and said "I can't believe how much better I feel!". She is wide awake and doing great now. Just flushing out the infection made a big difference.
She'll likely be here till at least Friday would be my guess, so they can make sure the infection is gone and then reclose the wound. She requested no visitors this time so that she can heal and keep as clean as possible. Thank you everyone for well wishes and prayers to stay healthy. I'll keep everyone updated as much as I can in the next few days.
They had trouble getting in the IV for fluids because she was a bit dehydrated, but four people later, they got it in and got her pumping on fluids. They also gave her some oral pain meds, anti nausea and antibiotics. Only 2 hours after we got here, she was able to eat more than she has in a week. She ate an entire bowl of rice and some watermelon. She just got up to go to the bathroom and said "I can't believe how much better I feel!". She is wide awake and doing great now. Just flushing out the infection made a big difference.
She'll likely be here till at least Friday would be my guess, so they can make sure the infection is gone and then reclose the wound. She requested no visitors this time so that she can heal and keep as clean as possible. Thank you everyone for well wishes and prayers to stay healthy. I'll keep everyone updated as much as I can in the next few days.
She's Back
Well, it was a nice 22 hours at home, but here we are, back at LDS, now in room 601. Mom had a decent night but declined very quickly this afternoon. From ok to not being able to stay awake, eat anything or drink anything, and started a little drainage from her incision site along with some redness. Her temp also went up to 100.5 and she started throwing up. I put in a few phone calls to her doctor, the hospital and my friend, the doctor, to figure out what we should do. Eventually, I got a call back that said to bring her back to LDS so her doc can see her.
She was a trooper for the drive and is here in the room, resting, while they poke and prod and figure out what's going on. Sounds as if they are going to remove some staples to figure out what is going on at the site of irritation.
Please pray for mom as she goes over this first speed bump to her recovery. Obviously, any assistance requested for this week is on hold as of now.
Thank you!
Meg
She was a trooper for the drive and is here in the room, resting, while they poke and prod and figure out what's going on. Sounds as if they are going to remove some staples to figure out what is going on at the site of irritation.
Please pray for mom as she goes over this first speed bump to her recovery. Obviously, any assistance requested for this week is on hold as of now.
Thank you!
Meg
Day 1 Home - A little hard
This is the first day at home. Mom said that the night went ok, she got pretty uncomfortable at times, but slept alright. She has been sleepy all day from meds which have also made her a little nauseous. We called the doctor just now and left a message to just check in and make sure she is alright from those things. Hopefully he isn't worried about that. Could just be the side affects from meds and blood thinners. Because she is feeling this way, she isn't eating as much as I'd like her to, and I'm constantly on her about drinking water. She probably feels like I'm being overbearing!
Thank you again to everyone that have brought meals and offered help. Stay tuned for more later.
Thank you again to everyone that have brought meals and offered help. Stay tuned for more later.
Monday, July 7, 2014
Home
It took a bit of time but mom finally got discharged. The surgeon was actually able to come chat with her about 3pm and agreed she could go home and to remind her of a couple of things she should do - walk, eat, drink lots of water and do her breathing exercises.
She was very anxious to get out, but I was probably more! We got her meds and got her in the car. She snoozed a bit in the car on the way home which is good because the jostling hurt her a little. I forgot to take a picture of her leaving the hospital or even at home!
She had a couple of visitors, which I forgot to take pictures with! Her office coworkers came over and gave her a beautiful blanket and another friend visited after.
We had an absolutely delicious meal, thanks to my friend Annie, and mom was pretty tired and went to bed.
Let's all pray that she has a restful first night at home!
Till tomorrow~
She was very anxious to get out, but I was probably more! We got her meds and got her in the car. She snoozed a bit in the car on the way home which is good because the jostling hurt her a little. I forgot to take a picture of her leaving the hospital or even at home!
She had a couple of visitors, which I forgot to take pictures with! Her office coworkers came over and gave her a beautiful blanket and another friend visited after.
We had an absolutely delicious meal, thanks to my friend Annie, and mom was pretty tired and went to bed.
Let's all pray that she has a restful first night at home!
Till tomorrow~
Sprung
Looks like mom has been sprung from this joint! We are heading out soon and back to my house for a few days.
She had met good milestones and is doing good. She is managing pain well and working on her movement and being comfortable.
Step 1 is done! On to the rest of her recovery at home and then step 2 - chemo.
She had met good milestones and is doing good. She is managing pain well and working on her movement and being comfortable.
Step 1 is done! On to the rest of her recovery at home and then step 2 - chemo.
Monday Update
Just got the hospital this morning and mom is doing great. She said that her night went really well, she had to work at it but it was good. She is still feeling a bit distended still but they gave her some meds as I walked in to help with that. The hope is to get her home today if possible, still to be determined. She is walking good and moving around a lot which is great.
I'll let you all know if she is headed home today or not, but let's hope!
Thank you all who have offered help and meals! It's a huge help to us as an entire family and we appreciate it so very much!
I'll let you all know if she is headed home today or not, but let's hope!
Thank you all who have offered help and meals! It's a huge help to us as an entire family and we appreciate it so very much!
Sunday, July 6, 2014
Improvements
We got to the hospital at about 11:30 this morning, which is a good thing cause mom had a rough night and needed the morning to sleep and rest. She had a bit of air in her belly and it was very uncomfortable for her. But when we got here she was finishing up a nap and feeling pretty good. We went for a little walk, which she did without assistance. She also mentioned that the physical therapist came by and took her to go up and down stairs!
The doctor came by (not her surgeon but the resident) and said she will likely go home tomorrow. She will be coming to my house for a few days/week to have more care.
For those that have offered help, I could use a few things. I would love a meal tomorrow night for dinner. I'll be here at the hospital helping with getting mom out of the hospital and then setting her up at home. Would be nice to not have to worry about a meal.
I will be at work on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and it would be great if we could have a few people to come over and make mom lunch and check on her during the day. Just one person a day for an hour or two would be fantastic.
Thanks everyone for your offering to help and checking in on mom!
The doctor came by (not her surgeon but the resident) and said she will likely go home tomorrow. She will be coming to my house for a few days/week to have more care.
For those that have offered help, I could use a few things. I would love a meal tomorrow night for dinner. I'll be here at the hospital helping with getting mom out of the hospital and then setting her up at home. Would be nice to not have to worry about a meal.
I will be at work on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and it would be great if we could have a few people to come over and make mom lunch and check on her during the day. Just one person a day for an hour or two would be fantastic.
Thanks everyone for your offering to help and checking in on mom!
Saturday, July 5, 2014
More Visitors and Walking
Mom got lots of visitors today. She's been such a trooper, awake almost the whole day, removing more and more tubes. She's only got one left actually, only fluids to stay hydrated. This is a huge step towards her recovery and improvement.
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
Mom is doing great today! Though it started out uncertain, she has made huge progress today with removing lots of her meds and tubes and many, many walks.
Thanks everyone for the visits and texts and calls and flowers and well wishes!
Tracy came to visit this morning
Suzy and Diane came to visit
Mom had a crew as we went for a walk all the way to the end of the hallway that you can see here.
Anne and Tom Gompert visited
Reed and Nora visited Lala
Carol also came to visit
Mom is doing great today! Though it started out uncertain, she has made huge progress today with removing lots of her meds and tubes and many, many walks.
Thanks everyone for the visits and texts and calls and flowers and well wishes!
All is ok
The Doc saw mom and said it's only a large gas bubble. And she just has to walk and chew some gum to relieve the pressure. She is doing pretty good actually other than being a little uncomfortable. She walked right before we got here and was sitting in the chair!
We brought the kids down to see mom today and they were expecting to see her in the bed so Nora was confused as to why she wasn't in it! Nora has been "taking care of Lala because she is sick". She was bringing her snacks.
.JPG)
We brought the kids down to see mom today and they were expecting to see her in the bed so Nora was confused as to why she wasn't in it! Nora has been "taking care of Lala because she is sick". She was bringing her snacks.
Prayers Needed
Hey everyone!
I know it's early on a Saturday morning but I wondered and hoping that people are reading this morning. Some prayers are needed for mom right now. Yesterday a little lump showed up on her belly and by this morning it's fairly large and uncomfortable. She has tried a few meds and walking but it's a bit distended. Not sure what's going on, they are calling the doctor about it now. Please pray that she has no infections and that there are no major complications.
I'm headed there soon this morning and will let you know when I hear anything at all. Here is Gordo and I visiting yesterday.
.JPG)
I know it's early on a Saturday morning but I wondered and hoping that people are reading this morning. Some prayers are needed for mom right now. Yesterday a little lump showed up on her belly and by this morning it's fairly large and uncomfortable. She has tried a few meds and walking but it's a bit distended. Not sure what's going on, they are calling the doctor about it now. Please pray that she has no infections and that there are no major complications.
I'm headed there soon this morning and will let you know when I hear anything at all. Here is Gordo and I visiting yesterday.
Friday, July 4, 2014
Walking
Mom went for a few walks while we've been here for the afternoon. The first time she walked to the other side of the hall, the second time, she made it down the hall. She did awesome!
.JPG)
Good job Mom!!!
Good job Mom!!!
Fourth of July
Mom said she slept most of the morning, which she needed after a slightly restless night. Gordon and I (and the rest of the family) spent the morning running a 10k and 5k and watching the Huntsville parade. She appreciated some time alone but welcomed some visitors early afternoon.
Anita and Terri came to visit and chat with mom.
.JPG)
More flowers and a better picture for you
We had to document this impressive tree of meds that mom is on.
.JPG)
Mom said she walked a few more times this morning, which is great! Go mom!
Thursday, July 3, 2014
Teal and Peach
Though we are still waiting for confirmation of exact types of the cancer(s) that mom has, it's almost certain that she has both uterine and ovarian cancer. I did some research - Teal is the color of ovarian cancer awareness and September is the month for both. Peach is the color for uterine cancer awareness.
Let's support mom with teal and peach! Paint your toenails teal or peach, wear teal or peach as much as you can, get a teal or peach bracelet, whatever you can think of!
Visitors and Flowers
Today has been busy for mom. Most of the time she is sleeping or napping, but in between, she welcomed a few visitors, but that has been about as much as she could handle. My brother, Gordon, and his girlfriend, Leigha, came to support and be with mom. We stopped and got her a purple orchid (purple is her favorite color and orchid her favorite flower) in a teal colored pot. Teal is the color of Ovarian Cancer Awareness. A little while later, mom's friends that were visiting Utah stopped by to encourage her before they left to head back home. She was starting to fade a bit after that visit, but she mustered the strength to stand and walk! She made it to the doorway of her room which is awesome! That pretty much put her out and she is now on some more pain meds to sleep off all the hard work.
.JPG)
Well, a few hours rest now for mom before we try eating a bit more food. Gordon, Leigha and I will grab some dinner while she rests.
Thanks again to everyone who has sent me texts and emails to encourage and support me. It means a lot to know that the team is big and always there for each other.
Till later~
Ben and Beth Fulton stopped by for a few minutes
Gordon and Leigha are here for a few days
Hard to see, but beautiful flowers from awesome people. Thank you everyone for sending them, she absolutely loves them and it truly does cheer her up.
Well, a few hours rest now for mom before we try eating a bit more food. Gordon, Leigha and I will grab some dinner while she rests.
Thanks again to everyone who has sent me texts and emails to encourage and support me. It means a lot to know that the team is big and always there for each other.
Till later~
Standing
Mom was snoozing when I arrived this morning. The doctor showed up shortly after and woke her. He said that she is looking good and encouraged her to get up and moving, that would get her out of the hospital quicker. He restated how the surgery went to her and said that pathology will take several days to a week or so to get back.
She ended up getting up and standing for about a minute, she did a great job moving herself around. The nurse was actually impressed with her ability to do it. She's beat up pretty good but toughed it out. They will do it again in a few hours.
Thank you to a few people who came to visit this morning before I arrived, she loved the quick visit. Thank you also to all the people who have sent flowers and well wishes, she thrives on that stuff right now.
I'm off to pick up my brother from the airport, more updates later!
She ended up getting up and standing for about a minute, she did a great job moving herself around. The nurse was actually impressed with her ability to do it. She's beat up pretty good but toughed it out. They will do it again in a few hours.
Thank you to a few people who came to visit this morning before I arrived, she loved the quick visit. Thank you also to all the people who have sent flowers and well wishes, she thrives on that stuff right now.
I'm off to pick up my brother from the airport, more updates later!
The Morning After
Though I haven't seen mom yet this morning, she texted that she is feeling pretty miserable - to be expected. If you'd like to visit today, please text me or send me an email - foggmeg@gmail.com. I will see how she is feeling at that time for visitors.
Certainly, Friday will be a slow day due to the holiday and the weekend is probably more open for people, so I imagine those will be better days to visit.
I'll update again when I see her in a few hours. Keep her in your thoughts and prayers this morning as she is starting to feel beat up (literally her internal organs were pushed around quite a bit yesterday), in pain and sore. Pray also for the results as they are being processed, that the cancers come back as typical and treatable as possible, or even that they are nothing at all! Pray for her nurses and doctors to be compassionate and helpful today.
Thanks everyone!
Certainly, Friday will be a slow day due to the holiday and the weekend is probably more open for people, so I imagine those will be better days to visit.
I'll update again when I see her in a few hours. Keep her in your thoughts and prayers this morning as she is starting to feel beat up (literally her internal organs were pushed around quite a bit yesterday), in pain and sore. Pray also for the results as they are being processed, that the cancers come back as typical and treatable as possible, or even that they are nothing at all! Pray for her nurses and doctors to be compassionate and helpful today.
Thanks everyone!
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Recovering
Mom is such a rock star. She is already out of recovery and into her own room. She was awake when they rolled her in and she was very interactive. Her only complaint was that her shoulder hurt which is from the removal of part of her diaphragm. Otherwise she has no pain right now. She only wanted some water, she was very thirsty. She wanted to know every single thing the doctor told me, but I'm sure she won't remember anything I told her.
She is quietly sleeping and resting now. She was so incredibly thankful for the news I gave her and feels so good about it. She already looks thinner!
Mom is at LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City, room 611. She would love visitors if you are local. Please let me know if you are interested and I can help arrange it.
Thanks again to everyone for being on the Team!
She is quietly sleeping and resting now. She was so incredibly thankful for the news I gave her and feels so good about it. She already looks thinner!
Mom is at LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City, room 611. She would love visitors if you are local. Please let me know if you are interested and I can help arrange it.
Thanks again to everyone for being on the Team!
Just out!
I just finished talking with the surgeon. What a painful waiting but it was worth the time because he spent a long time making sure that all of it was gone! I will try to remember as much as possible.
She had a tumor in her uterus that he said was a good 15 to 20 times larger than they usually are. It was massive he said. He thinks that is a stage 1A cancer, which is really barely even a cancer. He took the entire uterus out. There was also a super huge, disgusting (his words) tumor around her ovaries that he thinks is stage 3C. There was a large part of it that was fluid and the rest was thick. He took 100% of that tumor out. That one spread around a bit to other areas. They took the surface off of her liver, which he said bled quite a bit and he called in another surgeon to help him fix that. Now that is all gone too! Because of the location of the cancer on her liver, he had to literally pull it out. Because of that, he found a spot on her diaphragm, so he took out part of her diaphragm. He took lymph nodes that were close to her heart out. There seemed to be no other floating spots. There was some shifting of things because of all this tumor, so she should feel so much better when she recovers. The Evil Baby is gone!
He said that her cure rate is really good and that she will be here with us for quite some time, years to come. Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts and support today. I couldn't have done it without you all!
She will be here for 4-5 days but he wants her up and going quickly. She will be quite sore but will have zero - ZERO!!!! - effects from the surgery today, all things will heal to normal state.
She will still do chemo but she is already a rock star in my eyes. Stay tuned for update when I see her within the hour and I'll get a room number for anyone that wants to visit in the coming days.
Love to all!
Meg
She had a tumor in her uterus that he said was a good 15 to 20 times larger than they usually are. It was massive he said. He thinks that is a stage 1A cancer, which is really barely even a cancer. He took the entire uterus out. There was also a super huge, disgusting (his words) tumor around her ovaries that he thinks is stage 3C. There was a large part of it that was fluid and the rest was thick. He took 100% of that tumor out. That one spread around a bit to other areas. They took the surface off of her liver, which he said bled quite a bit and he called in another surgeon to help him fix that. Now that is all gone too! Because of the location of the cancer on her liver, he had to literally pull it out. Because of that, he found a spot on her diaphragm, so he took out part of her diaphragm. He took lymph nodes that were close to her heart out. There seemed to be no other floating spots. There was some shifting of things because of all this tumor, so she should feel so much better when she recovers. The Evil Baby is gone!
He said that her cure rate is really good and that she will be here with us for quite some time, years to come. Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts and support today. I couldn't have done it without you all!
She will be here for 4-5 days but he wants her up and going quickly. She will be quite sore but will have zero - ZERO!!!! - effects from the surgery today, all things will heal to normal state.
She will still do chemo but she is already a rock star in my eyes. Stay tuned for update when I see her within the hour and I'll get a room number for anyone that wants to visit in the coming days.
Love to all!
Meg
She's In
They rolled mom into the OR at 12:15pm today, July 2nd. She was in good spirits and ready to go. We had a few good laughs before she went in, mostly laughing about the ridiculous outfit she was wearing. The pants were meant for a 400 pound dude and she had tights under it.
Dr. Dodsen said that they would do about 45 minutes of pain management prep then start. He said that he could take 3-6 hours depending on what he finds.
Prayers that he gets it all, it goes quickly and there aren't any surprises. Will update when she is out!
The Start
To start off this blog, I'll give a quick update on how everything went down. A few months ago, Mom was feeling some heaviness in her abdomen but didn't think a lot about it. A few weeks ago, it started to get very uncomfortable and a little painful. Most importantly, it was affecting activities that she enjoys such as hiking. Three weeks ago, she saw a general doctor who referred her to a gynecologist. After an ultrasound, it was evident that there were some tumors. A biopsy confirmed that the tumor in the uterus was cancerous. A visit with the oncologist yesterday (July 1st) yielded the decision to do immediate surgery.
She has a tumor in the uterus which will be removed via a hysterectomy. She has a tumor around her ovaries which will also be removed. That tumor is big and mean. It has spawned evil baby cancers that have floated around other areas of her abdomen. Including possible infection of the liver and lymph nodes. The surgeon is taking all of that out.
Next step will be chemo after she recovers from surgery.
The end of this blog will be, I mean WILL BE, called "The Cure". And called nothing else.
Please join me in being her team. We need to rally around her and do whatever it takes to help her WIN. Beat this thing. Team Lolly!
She has a tumor in the uterus which will be removed via a hysterectomy. She has a tumor around her ovaries which will also be removed. That tumor is big and mean. It has spawned evil baby cancers that have floated around other areas of her abdomen. Including possible infection of the liver and lymph nodes. The surgeon is taking all of that out.
Next step will be chemo after she recovers from surgery.
The end of this blog will be, I mean WILL BE, called "The Cure". And called nothing else.
Please join me in being her team. We need to rally around her and do whatever it takes to help her WIN. Beat this thing. Team Lolly!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)