As of tonight, Mom can't enjoy anything but her bowel clean-out fluid, which for those of you who have had a colonoscopy, know isn't the tastiest beverage this world has to offer. The past week has gotten progressively more challenging secondary to what we're assuming is the continuing growth of her ovary. Mom says the only thing she can really compare it to is being pregnant! She can't button her pants, she has to eat very small frequent meals if she can tolerate even that, and is feeling very ready to get this ovary and co. out! Despite the discomfort, her spirits are in excellent shape. Mom's arrived at a place of understanding and is at peace with the plan.
I blog tonight from work- my last shift for the next two weeks! And Gwennie arrives home for 3 weeks in just a few days. Amazing how this has turned in to a positive opportunity for us all to be home together.
I'll make sure to update the blog as soon as possible on Monday. We report at 5:30am, so I am hoping to have something good to post by mid-afternoon.
As soon as we're needing resources, we'll reach out to Susan Eastman to coordinate, our Helping Hands superstar! Thanks to all of you who've reached out with endless love and support.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Monday, November 10, 2008
FYI: Blog Post Alerts
Coco made a good point in a comment- there is a way for readers to get email notifications of when I post on this blog if you're interested. Here is what I found under frequently asked questions:
How do I notify people of updates to my blog?
We’ve got a few suggestions:
Use the BlogSend feature to email folks when you update your blog.
Get your friends hooked on feeds and give them the feed of your blog.
Feedburner also has a Subscribe via Email widget you can add to your blog after burning your feed.
Blogarithm is a service that will let your friends and family subscribe to your blog and be notified by email when you have new content.
Blog Alert will send your family and friends daily email notifications when there are new posts to your blog. They don't need an account. They just need to enter your feed URL and their email address.
Hope this is helpful!
How do I notify people of updates to my blog?
We’ve got a few suggestions:
Use the BlogSend feature to email folks when you update your blog.
Get your friends hooked on feeds and give them the feed of your blog.
Feedburner also has a Subscribe via Email widget you can add to your blog after burning your feed.
Blogarithm is a service that will let your friends and family subscribe to your blog and be notified by email when you have new content.
Blog Alert will send your family and friends daily email notifications when there are new posts to your blog. They don't need an account. They just need to enter your feed URL and their email address.
Hope this is helpful!
Endometrial Polyp = Clean
I received the following in an email from Mom this morning:
Good news so far. The endometrial biopsy showed no signs of cancer. Also no signs of hyperdysplasia (abnormal cells). So that’s a good start. They will biopsy the entire kit’n’kaboodle during surgery for further, more comprehensive results. Meanwhile, my belly is round and hard. I look like Alfred Hitchcock.
As we say in our house, we're preparing for the worst and hoping for the best- but this is very promising. Even if the ovary is cancerous, it doesn't necessarily mean it has spread. Frankly, I was more worried about this polyp than the ovary in some ways, so hooray!
Good news so far. The endometrial biopsy showed no signs of cancer. Also no signs of hyperdysplasia (abnormal cells). So that’s a good start. They will biopsy the entire kit’n’kaboodle during surgery for further, more comprehensive results. Meanwhile, my belly is round and hard. I look like Alfred Hitchcock.
As we say in our house, we're preparing for the worst and hoping for the best- but this is very promising. Even if the ovary is cancerous, it doesn't necessarily mean it has spread. Frankly, I was more worried about this polyp than the ovary in some ways, so hooray!
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Filling in the Blanks
It is so wonderful to hear from everyone again! I've gotten so many thoughtful emails, and tons of questions that I hope I've been able to address adequately. One many of you have in common is, "how is her new house?" A few entries back in early spring, Mom had bought a lovely little farm house and was ready to start her life happier and healthier than ever, but alas, she had to sell the house just as quickly as she bought it. Many factors came in to play, but primarily the sale on the larger house fell through and shortly after the market got nasty. It seemed a smarter decision to sell the new house to the family she out-bid before her savings got nasty! It broke all our hearts to think we wouldn't spend this Thanksgiving in that fantastic barn, but it's now occupied by a sweet family, and Mom isn't faced with keeping up a barn home right now. In a way, it all worked out for the best.
As I understand it, Mom will revisit down-sizing from her current home once she's on stronger and healthier ground. If anyone knows a family looking for a great house in Avon, send them our way!
Good news that is sure to make Mom's recovery swift! Gwennie has arranged to complete the next few weeks of her semester in Montreal on-line so she can spend some time at home. Poor thing was only home for a week last winter, and her cheeks were double in size thanks to her wisdom teeth extraction. We're looking so forward to teaming up on the nursing responsibilities, and the best part is- she can FINALLY drive!!!
As I understand it, Mom will revisit down-sizing from her current home once she's on stronger and healthier ground. If anyone knows a family looking for a great house in Avon, send them our way!
Good news that is sure to make Mom's recovery swift! Gwennie has arranged to complete the next few weeks of her semester in Montreal on-line so she can spend some time at home. Poor thing was only home for a week last winter, and her cheeks were double in size thanks to her wisdom teeth extraction. We're looking so forward to teaming up on the nursing responsibilities, and the best part is- she can FINALLY drive!!!
Thursday, November 6, 2008
November 17, Here We Come!
Mom's scheduled for first thing, Monday Nov. 17. To use her words, she's not entirely thrilled about the whole thing, but happy they're doing it on the earlier side. In true form, Coco and I will make the early morning trek with Mom to the hospital, and then spend all day Christmas shopping at Crate & Barrel.
We have to do something to keep our minds sane.
Once we have a better sense of what resources we need to recruit, we'll let everyone know!
We have to do something to keep our minds sane.
Once we have a better sense of what resources we need to recruit, we'll let everyone know!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Mom's a Fruit
The title of my entry popped out during my conversation with Coco this afternoon when I desperately needed a laugh.
Mom went in for her 6 month post chemo CAT scan this morning, with an inkling that something might by array. Less than a week ago she paid a visit to her GYN because of some unusual post-menopausal symptoms (but I swear, she's only 47). She experienced excruciating pain and undesirable bleeding during her exam, and an ultrasound showed one ovary was double the size it should be (healthy ovaries are the size of a walnut). The day after her appointment, while I was on the phone with her, Susan Eastman showed up at her door, coffee in hand, and said, "What do we need to do!" Angel! They called St. Frannie's cancer center and made sure that they could see a gyneoncologist after seeing her kidney oncologist today.
Her oncologist who treated her after the ureter cancer, Dr. Donadio, is out on maternity leave, so she was met by a nurse practitioner and another oncologist in the practice. Turns out that the cyst is the size of a GRAPEFRUIT!
The next appointment was with Dr. Beth Nelson (who she loved immediately). She specializes in gynecological cancer, and she also reviewed the CAT scan. The ovary is enormous, there's no denying that, but she seemed positive about several things: it's very smooth and normal in shape, and it's easy to move and manipulate. The shape indicates that it could be just a fluid-filled benign cyst, and the mobility means it hasn't latched itself to anything. Additionally, the rate at which it's growing does not indicate cancer activity, more cyst-like behaviors. The CAT scan also indicated Mom has a tiny polyp on the wall of her uterus, so that was biopsied today, but cyst was left alone. Don't want to burst that bubble!
On to the plan: Dr. Nelson is going to communicate with Dr. Kennedy (Mom's tried and true kidney specialist) to coordinate a day where they can tag-team mom's belly! Because of the vast amount of scar tissue, Mom's history, and the fragile nature with which they'll have to remove the cyst, she wants to perform the surgery using da Vinci- a robot. She'd like Dr. Kennedy to place a stent in Lil' Lefty's ureter just to make sure that kidney has zero complications during surgery. Then, she'll try to remove the cyst via laprascope (less invasive) and biopsy it on the spot. Her next step will be directly based on what those instantaneous biopsy results read. Cancer? Well, the whole kit-and-caboodle might have to come out. Not cancer? She might be more conservative.
Nothing will be happening for about two weeks, given this cyst doesn't decide to burst itself. Mom needs to be off her medications and supplements for a minimum of 10 days, and then there's a matter of coordinating Dr. Kennedy and Dr. Nelson's schedule with Dr. da Vinci. They felt strongly that waiting a few weeks in order to use the very popular (very hard to book) robot would be the safest and most thorough option.
Mom's understandably overwhelmed right now, but is thankful to have some time to tie up loose ends before surgery. She and Coco are decompressing over a pot of tea right now in West Hartford.
I'll post when we have the date! In the meantime, send your good vibes and prayers Mom's way.
And if you haven't already today- VOTE!
Mom went in for her 6 month post chemo CAT scan this morning, with an inkling that something might by array. Less than a week ago she paid a visit to her GYN because of some unusual post-menopausal symptoms (but I swear, she's only 47). She experienced excruciating pain and undesirable bleeding during her exam, and an ultrasound showed one ovary was double the size it should be (healthy ovaries are the size of a walnut). The day after her appointment, while I was on the phone with her, Susan Eastman showed up at her door, coffee in hand, and said, "What do we need to do!" Angel! They called St. Frannie's cancer center and made sure that they could see a gyneoncologist after seeing her kidney oncologist today.
Her oncologist who treated her after the ureter cancer, Dr. Donadio, is out on maternity leave, so she was met by a nurse practitioner and another oncologist in the practice. Turns out that the cyst is the size of a GRAPEFRUIT!
The next appointment was with Dr. Beth Nelson (who she loved immediately). She specializes in gynecological cancer, and she also reviewed the CAT scan. The ovary is enormous, there's no denying that, but she seemed positive about several things: it's very smooth and normal in shape, and it's easy to move and manipulate. The shape indicates that it could be just a fluid-filled benign cyst, and the mobility means it hasn't latched itself to anything. Additionally, the rate at which it's growing does not indicate cancer activity, more cyst-like behaviors. The CAT scan also indicated Mom has a tiny polyp on the wall of her uterus, so that was biopsied today, but cyst was left alone. Don't want to burst that bubble!
On to the plan: Dr. Nelson is going to communicate with Dr. Kennedy (Mom's tried and true kidney specialist) to coordinate a day where they can tag-team mom's belly! Because of the vast amount of scar tissue, Mom's history, and the fragile nature with which they'll have to remove the cyst, she wants to perform the surgery using da Vinci- a robot. She'd like Dr. Kennedy to place a stent in Lil' Lefty's ureter just to make sure that kidney has zero complications during surgery. Then, she'll try to remove the cyst via laprascope (less invasive) and biopsy it on the spot. Her next step will be directly based on what those instantaneous biopsy results read. Cancer? Well, the whole kit-and-caboodle might have to come out. Not cancer? She might be more conservative.
Nothing will be happening for about two weeks, given this cyst doesn't decide to burst itself. Mom needs to be off her medications and supplements for a minimum of 10 days, and then there's a matter of coordinating Dr. Kennedy and Dr. Nelson's schedule with Dr. da Vinci. They felt strongly that waiting a few weeks in order to use the very popular (very hard to book) robot would be the safest and most thorough option.
Mom's understandably overwhelmed right now, but is thankful to have some time to tie up loose ends before surgery. She and Coco are decompressing over a pot of tea right now in West Hartford.
I'll post when we have the date! In the meantime, send your good vibes and prayers Mom's way.
And if you haven't already today- VOTE!
Friday, September 5, 2008
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