Bouncing Off the Walls

Mom has been in the hospital in Utah for the last few days, and is currently finishing up a first class stay in ICU where she has been treated to some interesting imaginary people, some very funny statements, and lots of time with her family.

It all started about a week ago when she went in to have some new tumor mass removed. The new mass had been discovered about a week prior to coming to the hospital and she had scheduled surgery for a day last week. During that surgery, the doctors determined that the tumor was entrenched well enough that it was not going to come out, so they stitched her back up and let her go to recovery.

In the mean time, the single stint that has been serving one of Mom's kidneys had been causing increasingly more trouble. During the surgery recovery time, an infection which had been running for several days progressed to a serious infection that made it into her blood, which is making life even more interesting for mom. Her heart rate has crept up again and is holding steady at just under the speed of sound, and her blood pressure keeps bouncing off the floor, which has made for some interesting experiences. A day ago she was starting to see things that weren't there and through the night she had very pleasant visits with several inanimate things in her room.

The doctors are trying to treat the infection while still managing all the other competing concerns, so it feels a little like bouncing around off of several walls. Treat one problem and one of the others starts to be a nuisance. But things look like they are stabilizing now and hopes are that mom will be back in the general population soon, although we're certain she will miss one of the more friendly chairs and a curtain in her room, who she has become close friends with.

One is Better Than Two, at Least in This Case

Hi Everyone,

One stent is better than two; that's where Mom is right now. In fact, it made such a difference to have one stent removed that Mom went to church for the first time in two months and went to Jess' house for dinner and games. It was a glorious day! There was a lining of tumor on the left ureter that seemed to be obstructing things, so the stent will stay in place until the doctor feels Mom has a clean bill of health.

Mom continues to pursue alternate methods of fighting the cancer. She is doing a program provided by The Gifts of Nature as well as essential oils and is relying heavily on information from a great book, Cancer Made Simple by Connie Boucher. She feels very strongly that at least at this point, chemotherapy isn't the answer. She will continue to monitor her health and go in for checkups.

Thank you to all of you for your prayers. There is tremendous power in those. We love you.

Road to Recovery

It's been a little while since our last update on how Mom is doing, and for the most part things are just moving along as they should. She is recovering from the surgery, albeit with some new creeks and pangs, but still recovering. Aunt Janet and others have provides some fantastic information on a variety of treatments and helps, a number of which Mom has tried and found success with. She has found a great homeopathic physician in Idaho Falls who has helped her identify some of the things that were causing her more disturbing symptoms. I haven't talked to her about specifics, but her strength and steadiness seem much better now.
Today Mom joined the family for a Memorial Day barbecue at Code and Bart's home, following a day of moving Heather into her new home in Idaho Falls (Mom wisely did not participate in that part of the day's activities. ;) Heather is all moved into a great home that fits her family just right. New paint and carpet have made the home, which isn't that old to begin with, look like a brand new place. It will be just perfect for her and the kids.
Mom did also keep an appointment with the doctor to undergo the necessary genetic counseling so that she could sign the informed consent form and have the BRCA genetic testing done. Her blood work has been sent to the lab and we expect the receive the results any day. Once we do, and if the results confirm that she is a carrier of BRCA 1 or 2 (and everyone expects the results to come back positive), the kids will probably undergo testing as well. The Hunstman Center, which did the original study with the family to identify the presence of BRCA1 (was there any BRCA2 found in the family?) is running out of funding for that particular study, so whatever kids can get tested there, then it will be up to individuals to have the testing done through private labs. Apparently there are several labs now that can perform the test and insurance will frequently assist in the cost. Knowing which version of the gene mutation is being looked for also helps to keep the testing costs down because it allows them to only look at the DNA region of interest.
Mom and the kids did a great job decorating Dad's grave for today. We all miss him and look forward to being with him again someday. May we all remember our incredible heritage today.

Heart, Version 2

Mom went to visit the cardiologist again today to check on the progress of the heart fibrilation that has been causing her weakness and tiredness. They performed an EKG that showed heart atrial fibrillation again, and the cardiologist is concerned that there may be some blood pooling in some chambers of the heart that increases the risk of blood clots forming within the heart that can travel to other parts of the body.
The scheduled a transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE), which is a procedure in which a probe is placed down the throat because the esophagus lies just behind the heart and provides a clearer image of the heart than a normal sonogram or EKG can. The probe uses ultrasound to examine the heart, and the images will show the actual shape and motion of various chambers of the heart and show the blood flow through each of the chambers. Pretty amazing technology that makes diagnosing heart problems much easier and more exact.
The medication that Mom has been taking is supposed to keep the heart rhythm more regular, but it has not worked as well as anticipated, so Mom may need to go in for another heart "reset," called a cardioversion. Cardioversion is the shock treatment for the heart in which a brief low dose electric shock through pads on her chest and back is used to reset the electrical timing of the heartbeat. There is no discomfort during the procedure and she will be awake. Where the pads were connected to her skin the skin may feel slightly sore, like a mild sunburn for a day or two after the procedure, but it is considered a safe and very low-risk procedure.
Other than those pesky heart problems (and the doctors were sure to reiterate the fact that hearts are tough to live without :) ), Mom's recovery is progressing, albeit a little more slowly than normal due to the additional issues. It has now been a little over three weeks since the surgery and normal recovery time for the the of surgery she underwent can be as long as six weeks assuming no complications. She has found great use for several of the essential oils that she has tried, especially for controlling nausea and allowing her to rest peacefully.
Her home ward is still bringing in dinners every night and her good home teacher has been taking great care of the yard and outside of the house. She is in great hands and has had so many friends and acquaintances call and come to visit that her days have been very full.
Taylor has been a slacker at getting Mom's internet connection set up, so she hasn't been able to send or receive email since her surgery. We're hopeful that will be up and running in the next few days, although it may take Mom a few days after that to sort through all the messages that have come through. The upside of all that is that Mom can't see what we're posting in the blog either, so we can write whatever we want. :)
Love to all and deepest thanks for all the good love and care being sent to Mom.

Goreman, What a Name for a Doctor!

Mom is relieved today because she thinks they may have identified the source of tiredness, discomfort, and shakiness that she has been experiencing for the last several days. Her heart is apparently the culprit.
Mom went to an appointment this morning with Dr. Goreman, a cardiologist, to try to determine the cause of Mom's sustained high heart rate and irregular heart rhythm. After doing another exam and performing a fresh EKG on her heart, Dr. Goreman determined that Mom's heart has reverted to the irregular rhythm that it was manifesting while she was in the hospital. He has now doubled her dose of Amniodarone to help regulate the heartbeat, but that medication also comes with somewhat significant risks of liver or lung damage.
He also prescribed Digoxin, which is used to help treat the atrial flutter as a supplement to the Amniodarone. They will watch what the heart is doing for another week or so and then make the decision about whether to do another heart shock to get it back in rhythm again. Apparently, it is not uncommon to need to do the shock procedure two or even three times for the results to stick.

Stage Right

Mom's visit with the oncologist today was very enlightening and even a little encouraging. Dr. Shull went through the pathology report very thoroughly, line by line and explained to mom what each thing meant, then told her that based on all that was found in surgery and all that was in the pathology report, he would classify the tumor as a stage IIc, not a stage III. We had mis-read the report, thinking that it stated the tumor stage when it actually did not. A stage II tumor means that it is confined to the pelvic region. It is classified as a IIc because the cell wash results came back positive, which means there are cancerous cells that are floating in the abdominal fluid which circulates all about the abdominal cavity, which increases the possibility of tumors forming in other parts of the abdomen. If macroscopic tumors had been found in the abdominal region, the tumor would have been classified as a stage IIIc.
Dr. Shull went over some of the available conventional treatment options, so Mom has more information to work with, but she is still considering all options for treatment and will continue to gather info. She will not need to make any decisions about treatment for at least a couple more weeks to give her body enough time to heal from the surgery.

A Little R & R

Rest and recuperation, that is. Mom has been recovering very well and her doctors and nurses have all been impressed with how well she is able to get around and how cheery she continues to be, even when in pain. Each day she gets a little better, and we expect to have her back playing badminton in another few days. :)
The kids have been trading off time at Mom's house to help with meals, answering doorbells, general straightening, etc., but Mom will soon be to the point where she will be fine taking care of herself, although she still appreciates visits to keep any loneliness and boredom at bay. Tonight will be her first night on her own since the surgery.
Mother's Day is coming up this Sunday. A perfect time to have been reminded again what spectacular mothers we have all been blessed with.

Pathology Report

Mom had an appointment with Dr. Robison yesterday in which he reviewed with her the results of the pathology report on the tumor. Mom had them make a copy of the report to take home, but I don't have it in front of me, so there may be things that I miss or get completely wrong.
The tumor was identified as a probable ovarian carcenoma. It was confirmed to have been about 12 cm in diameter. The lymph nodes that were extracted tested positive for malignancy, as did the cell wash that was performed during the surgery (a cell wash is a sampling of the fluids that circulate in the abdominal cavity). The tumor was classified as a poorly differentiated "clear cell" tumor, which Dr. Robison indicated was one of the more aggressive tumor types. The size of the tumor, involvement of the lymph nodes, and results of the surrounding tissue testing for malignancy led to the cancer being identified as stage 3 of 3, which means it is in the third sub-stage of stage three cancer (i.e. Stage IIIc). There is a lot of information on the net that describes how this determination is made.
Mom has been recovering well and is up and walking for longer periods of time. In fact, she showered, and did all the necessary walking to get to the doctor, wait in the doctor's office, and visit with the doctor before returning home again. A record for life since surgery!
She has an appointment with Dr. Schoel (sp?), the oncologist, next Monday morning at 8:45 am. Dr. Robison told Mom to expect a recommendation of treatment that would involve chemotherapy, radiation, or both. Mom is going to listen to her own heart very carefully about what treatment path to take, and is very open to a variety of treatment types that have the potential to put the cancer in remission without inducing severe suffering and loss of quality of life.

Heading Home

Mom is going home today! She will be discharged sometime early this evening and heading back to home base. Ade is staying over again tonight, so she'll get some good time with Mom tonight at home. We're planning to have someone at Mom's house to help with meals and other things full time for the next couple of days until mom regains enough strength to get around a little better. Right now, the journey to the bathroom and back is a journey of epic proportions. :) Mom really is doing great and none of us have been able to coax a complaint out of her yet. We're looking forward to getting to spend some good time with her over the next days and weeks.

A Shocking Experience

The heart doctor felt that they needed to find a way to get Mom's heart rate back down to a normal range before she goes home. They took Mom in to get a ultrasound on her heart to make sure there wasn't any pooling of blood in her heart. After finding all well there they have now taken her to shock the heart to see if that will reset things. She was put to sleep for the procedure but they say when she wakes up she will probably experience some pain. This may postpone her check out date but we have not heard yet.

A Light-Hearted Visit from Susan and Bisel

It always lifts Mom's spirits to get visits from those that she loves, and she is especially happy to get visits from her sisters and their families. Today, Susan and Bisel made the drive from Logan to come and see Mom, and we had a great visit with them. They both always bring a smile wherever they go, and it was fun to sit and chew the fat for a couple hours. We learned that Aunt Susan has very few baby pictures of herself that she knows of (and one that she was pretty sure is of her is apparently disputed as not being her :) ). We also got to hear some good catch-up stories about their kids and how they are doing. Audrey, we'll understand if you want to start packing heat after your experience at the gas station!

Flowered and Showered

Mom was able to get her first shower in several days today. I didn't think she was really smelling that bad, but she certainly enjoyed getting clean and fresh again. :)
Her room is quickly becoming flower central, with buds and well wishes from lots of friends, family, and others that want to show Mom how special she is to them. Here she is, modeling the new spring look, entitled "Flowered and Showered."

What's Black and Blue and Red All Over?

So a funny thing happened on the way to surgery last Monday. As they were prepping Mom to take her down to the 2nd floor for surgery, they needed to start an IV. There was a nurse intern on hand and they asked Mom if it would be OK if he started the IV for her, to which mom asked "Is he really good. Do you think he'll do a good job?" Well, I haven't met a nurse yet that would say something like "Heck no, I wouldn't even trust him to give my cat an enema," so she responded with something like "he's really good. It will be fine." The poor nurse intern was shaking and nervous, so we all excused ourselves before he started working with any live needles. Needless to say, that didn't turn out so well. Mom ended up with a golf ball sized bolus of blood pooling in her left forearm, and no IV.
What was even funnier, though, was that we then took her down to surgery where one of the more senior nurses gave her a poke in the other forearm in hopes of starting the IV, with the same result! A big ball of pooled blood immediately popped up. So we pulled in the big guns. The nurse anesthetist that was going to be putting mom under for the surgery was good enough to come and start the IV. Slick as slick.

Now, several days later, all those IV misses and other pokes for blood sampling have Mom looking like someone who belongs in a battered women's shelter. If you look close in the pictures, you can see the honking big bruises on her arms.

A Good but Speedy Heart

Mom had a relatively restful night last night in the hospital. The pain medication seems to be doing its job and allowing her to rest and recover.
Her heart has been racing along at about 130-140 beats per minute for at least the last several days, and at first everyone just thought it was due to the pain and stress that her body was under, but even now after the surgery when the pain is well managed, her heart is still speeding in a construction zone where the fines double. The doctors haven't yet figured out what is causing it but they are trying a few things to see if they can identify the source of the problem. The current thinking is that the problem originates in her thyroid gland, so they are diagnosing and attempting treatment along that path. Today was the earliest possible day she could have gone home from the hospital, but she is still feeling pretty fragile, and until they get this racing heart under control, she will probably stay there. Tomorrow will be the earliest she will come home.
Mom has had a steady stream of visits from friends, family, and co-workers, and has really enjoyed having people that she loves come for visits. Her room is starting to fill up with flowers and get-well wishes and she is getting to see just how much she means to so many people she has met and gotten to know. Thanks to everyone for your continued thoughts (and actions!) and prayers.

Visit with Dr. Robison This Afternoon

Dr. Robison (Gynecologist and surgeon who paired up with Dr. Ericson to perform the surgery last night) came in for rounds this afternoon and visited with Mom about the results of the surgery. He explained what he could about the nature of the tumor and Mom asked for as much detail as possible about what he found and what to expect. Dr. Robison indicated that the tumor was of a more aggressive variety, and it was one that was difficult to treat. We won't know until sometime next week what the true nature of the tumor is (i.e. where it originated, how aggressive it is, etc.), but Dr. Robison did not lead anyone to believe that complete extraction or full treatment of the tumor was very likely.
Mom is going to rest up tonight, on a much improved pain management regimen. She is doing really great and is excellent spirits, still keeping us in stitches and still seems to enjoy having all of her nut-case family around. :) She sends her love and thanks for all the prayers, fasting, and faith that have been exercised in her behalf over the last few days. Every time we tell her about how many people love her and are thinking of her, she says "Well, I love them," and you can see in her eyes that that is the absolute truth.

First Night After Surgery

Mom came out of surgery very well last night and had us in stitches with her slurred speech and semi-intelligible conversation. We had a great time sharing stories and walking down memory lane a little. Aunt Janet and Aunt Susan kept us all laughing most of the day, and they stayed until Mom was safely out of surgery and had had a chance to talk with them a little.
It sounds like Mom was able to rest some last night and is settling in for a couple more days in the hospital. The pain is not under full control yet, so rest is sporadic at best right now, but Mom has been in good spirits, positive as ever. The doctor will be in this morning to talk to Mom about the results of the surgery and to talk about what the next steps are.

Initial Surgery Report from Dr. Robison

Mom is out of surgery. The tumor was the size they had expected, it didn't involve any other vital major organs. It involved one overy but they took both out. It had grown up to the bladder but did not look like it had penatrated into the bladder. They did a frozen sample biopsy and got a preliminary report back that indicates that it is a strongly non-differentiated tumor. (A more advanced stage of tumor.) The tumor had grown down and involved the pelvic wall which can not be completely extracted. The did an optimal bulk removal, which means they removed all piece of the tumor more than 2 centimeters in diameter. There are pieces of the tumor that could not be removed embedded in the pelvic wall. The doctor didn't feel like the tumor acted or looked like ovarian cancer. He wasn't sure where the cancer came from. He said the biopsy indicated that it is an agressive fast growing tumor (not confirmed until next week when the full biopsy report is done.)

She will be in the hospital for 2-3 days. No bodily funtions will be affected for now. The doctor was worried that the cancer was more advanced than they would have liked to have seen it, before catching it.

She is still in recovery. Will let you know how she is feeling when she wakes up. Love you all.

Still in Surgery

They took her at 5:00 but she didn't get into surgery until almost 6:00 so she still has not come out as of 7:30 p.m. Will let you know when I hear.

In Surgery

Mom seemed to be in good spirits today and enjoyed a nice blessing from Taylor and Eddie. She had a good crowd showing support and love. She went into surgery around 5:00 p.m. I just talked to Taylor and they have not heard any update as of 6:05 p.m. He does have his cell so if anyone wants to visit with him you are welcome. I will post an update as soon as I get one. Thanks for your prayers and fasting today! We love you!

Monday Special Fast

Would everyone please hold a special fast for Mom on Monday (the day of her surgery), and continue to remember her in your personal and family prayers? Thanks to everyone for all the faith being exercised in Mom's behalf. It is making a difference.

This Weekend

Heather is going to camp out at Mom's house this weekend while her youngsters stay over at Cody and Bart's place. Mom initially thought that she would prefer to just rest alone at home, but later decided it would be nicer to have someone there with her. I think Heather is planning to stay until tomorrow night. Mom is feeling good, but not back to super-woman speed yet.

Back Home for the Weekend

Mom is up and running much better today and has been up and about. She will head home this afternoon and relax at home until the surgery Monday afternoon. She has some mild discomfort from the procedure yesterday, but is feeling much better than yesterday, so good that she doesn't feel like she will need any help this weekend.

Out of Surgery

Just talked to Taylor and Mom is out of surgery and doing much better. They were able to put in two stints and this seems to have relieved her pain substantially. She is awake and has gone off the pain killers for the time being. If she continues to do well she may get to go home for the weekend and then return for the surgery scheduled for Monday.

Taylor has his cell phone with him if you have any other questions. 801-787-2779.

We love you all!

Lots of Doctors

Lots of doctors have been in and out today and lots of tests have been done. The results of the CT scan are still unknown and it looks like we'll get a read on the results sometime tomorrow. Mom's pain is now much better managed and she is currently on an IV pump for pain meds.
Mom's heart rate has settled back down to normal without any medication or other treatment. Doctors believe it was high because of the high pain level that Mom was experiencing.
Dr. Robison (surgeon) will come in the morning. Dr. Ericson (cancer specialist, believe he is a specialist in lymph node cancer) will also visit tomorrow. Both will give further info about what to expect from the surgery.
No action on possible blood clots in lungs and there are indications that they are not present or are not a serious issue.
Dr. Call (Urologist) will place a stint in the ureter during a small surgery in the morning at 8 AM to relieve the blockage that has been causing severe pain. He will initially try to enter through the front, but depending on the placement of the tumor it may be necessary to go through the back which would be much more difficult and painful. The stint the will be in place for at least 2 months.
Mom will stay in the hospital until the tumor surgery happens, and following the tumor removal she will be in the hospital for about 2-3 more days before returning home. After that, doctors have told her to expect about 2-6 weeks for recovery after the tumor removal.
Blood tests so far indicate with high probability that the tumor is malignant.
Tumor removal surgery will be performed by Dr. Ericson and Dr. Robison, most likely next Monday afternoon, the 26th. The surgery will remove the tumor, both ovaries, the protective wall around the small intestine, and possibly one or more local lymph nodes. They will check the bowels for cancer presence and will perform a "cell wash".
Tumor measures 6 inches across in CT images and sonogram.
Mom is very concerned about the possibility of bowel involvement in the tumor and the need to have part or all of the bowel removed, which would have life-long consequences and she asks for prayers in her behalf that the tumor might be contained in a smaller region than what Dad's tumor was.
She is going to rest tonight and hopefully sleep and prepare for the stint placement in the morning. Jess is with her now but is going to go home tonight and let Mom rest on her own. With the pain under control, Mom is more open to having visitors, although we don't know yet how she will feel following her surgery in the morning.

Admitting to the hospital

Mom was admitted to the hospital this afternoon after getting the pain under control and after a bunch of tests to help narrow down the source of the problems. The top problems that are being addressed are:

1. Racing heart - Mom's pulse rate has been elevated for apparently several days and is a concern because she cannot undergo surgery until it is addressed. She has the option of treating it with medication or by undergoing a short procedure that would electronically pulse the heart. There is apparently a rhythm problem with the heart (which is a real shocker because mom has always had good rhythm :) ).

2. Possible clots in the lungs - one of the tests revealed possible clots in Mom's lungs. The CT scan that was done this afternoon will help confirm their presence, size, number, etc. These are a concern because they require treatment to ensure no clots move during or after surgery. We're not sure yet what the plan is to address this.

3. Severe abdominal pain and possible blockages - There are apparently some blockages of the ureter or bowels or both that are contributing to the severe pain that Mom is experiencing. A urologist is going to consult with Mom and a plan will be put together from there. There is a possibility of installing a shunt in the ureter if that is necessary.

Mom will stay in the hospital until things have stabilized more, possibly through to the time of the tumor removal surgery, which is currently anticipated to happen next Monday.

We don't have the results of the CT scan back yet.