Out of ICU

Mom was able to get up and walk a couple more times today. Around 7 pm they moved her out of ICU to the 10th floor. Still, visitors are limited to two at a time and no one under the age of 14 can be there. She does have a more quiet room with places for us to stay the night to help take care of her. She continues to improve and her voice is getting stronger.

day by day

Mom's blood pressure is a little better this morning. She didn't get a lot of sleep last night because she could hear a video loop from next door running all night. The physical therapist came in and had her sit up. She also took her on a walk twice around the floor. The therapist was surprised at the fast pace mom kept. They told us she would be moving up to the 10th floor by about 4 pm. She'll have a private room and a place for visitors to sleep if they want.

The healing begins

Mom's breathing tube came out first thing this morning. She would only stay awake for a few minutes at a time and was not able to speak because her throat was raw. Throughout the day she improved little by little. By afternoon she was able to sit up in a chair, and even got up and walked around a bit. It was exhausting but she was able to do it. She has lots of tubes and wires so she can't just get up at will and walk around, but eventually she will be able to. By this evening she was able to stay awake for longer periods of time and could speak a bit, just a whisper, but she could tell us what she needed. Her blood pressure is a bit elevated tonight and she is experiencing some pain in her stomach. She let us know it hurts to laugh which, if you know our family, it's really difficult to be together and not be laughing. She'll be spending another night in intensive care but we expect her to be moved to a regular room tomorrow.

Out of surgery

We arrived at the hospital @ 7 am with surgery to begin at 8:30. We were informed that they typically run late. About 9:00 am after several pokes and prods she was ready to be taken up to the operating room. Surgery did not in fact start until about 10 am. The nice thing about this hospital is that we received a call in the waiting room every hour updating us on the progress. Finally, about 5:00 p.m. the surgeon came and escorted us up to the shock/trauma intensive care waiting room. He let us know everything went as well as expected. They removed the esophagus from the stomach up to the neck as well as the upper part of the stomach. He also took out the gall bladder and a tennis ball sized benign cyst near her stomach. He was able to get good parameters and saw no sign of cancer. The cancer has not spread which was really good news. The liver was a bit fried from the radiation, he took a biopsy it and there was no sign of cancer. Right now she has a breathing tube in as well as a feeding tube in her nose and in her stomach, plus several drains, one at her neck and one at her stomach. As she progresses, each of these will be removed. The feeding tube in her stomach will come out last, most likely a couple months down the road. They hope to get the breathing tube out by tomorrow. At this point she will be in intensive care for a day or two. She will hopefully move to a regular room tomorrow or the next day. Of course we appreciate your continued prayers in her behalf.
Val

Surgery Day!!

Night before surgery and all through the house...

This week has been a busy one. Mom knew family was coming so she spent most of the week baking and getting food ready for when everyone would be here. It seems kinda silly that the reason everyone is coming is because she's sick, and she is doing all the work, but she has had lots of energy and loving getting things ready for family to come. Saturday, Brad's family arrived in the early morning and Ed's family arrived in the late night. We went from having a fairly quiet house to a house full of grandkids playing and enjoying each other. Of course mom is in heaven having so much family here. If she had her way she would have all 45 of us staying here all together.
Dad gave her a beautiful blessing tonight which reassured us; all will be well. She needs to be at the hospital at 7 am. I'm not sure what time surgery will be, but it is supposed to be 4-6 hours long. She'll then be in intensive care for a few days then into a regular room for a week or so.
She is more than ready to get this part over with. She has has done a great job at getting her body prepared so she can move into this next phase of her recovery. Thank you again for all your prayers in her behalf.
Val

Surgery coming closer

I would like to thank all of you have been following my blog. I especially appreciate those of you have added your faith and prayers to our own. I have had a miraculous recovery from the chemo and radiation thanks to the answers to your prayers. I am now prepared for the surgery on Monday.
Many have asked if I am scared to have the surgery. I can honestly say that I am not. I know that the Lord has blessed me through this whole ordeal. I know that He will be there as I have this surgery. I have great confidence in the surgeon. I trust his knowledge and skill. All I have to do is sleep while he performs his magic with Heavenly Father's Help. I know that the healing process will take some time, but my body heals well.
I do appreciate all of you who keep me in your prayers, and I ask that you still remember me and Dr Ott especially on Monday. Thanks so much! I love you!!!!
Love Karen

Prayers are working

Mom was feeling much better on Monday so she did her water aerobics and worked in the yard all day with dad getting their garden planted. The problem was, she got a little chilled and by yesterday (Tuesday) she was feeling really sick. We should have known planting the garden wasn't the best idea since it snowed all night Monday and all day Tuesday. She spent most of the day in bed trying to do what she could to get better, i.e. eating lots of oranges and drinking lemon herb tea. This morning she said she feels great and doesn't feel any congestion. So, off to water aerobics she went. Although the oranges and lemon tea can do wonders, it really is nothing less than the prayers of her family and friends that have gotten her through this. Logically, her body should not be able to ward off sickness like it has but, she is being blessed to be able to have her body heal. So far, the surgery is going as planned on Monday morning. Please continue to keep her in your prayers, they truly do work miracles.

One week to go!

Mom has just one more week before surgery. She has been doing all she can to boost her health and strength to be ready. Yesterday, however, she started coming down with a cold. This is a concern because she will need to be really healthy before surgery. She will call her doctor tomorrow and see if there is anything she can do. She is not supposed to take any medications a week prior to surgery including things like advil and tylenol. Hopefully it will pass quickly and she will be able to have the surgery as scheduled.

Living regular life

Mom has been doing so well we hardly remember she's sick these days. She's been actively going to the gym, shopping and getting her projects ready for the hospital. We can tell if she's not taking the time for a nap because she is thoroughly worn out by the end of the day. She still struggles a bit with eating. However, she is able to eat bigger portions these days so we are not as worried about her calorie intake. Less than 2 weeks to go before the surgery and all is going as planned.

Getting Stronger

Mom's scope on Thursday went well. Dr. Ott said he wouldn't have to do another one before surgery. He was able to open things up a little more so mom has been able to eat better; in fact, she has not thrown up since then. She continues to improve in strength and in her ability to eat. She goes to the gym most every day to do senior aerobics or water aerobics. At first, dad was a little worried about her in the pool because she had been so weak; he decided to do the class with her. He had such a hard time keeping up with her he's decided she can do it on her own. :) I'm sure she will continue to heal and gain strength over the next few weeks so she will be ready for surgery.

Test Results lead to more tests

Mom had a full day of appointments today. First visit was to see Dr. Ott, the surgeon. He went over the PET scan from last week. Again he said the tumor looks like it has shrunk and most everything looks good for surgery. He did notice a cyst near her stomach about the size of a tennis ball. According to him, it's probably been there for years. He also looked up the results of her heart test. There were a few things to be concerned about. The heart wall on one side of the heart was thicker than normal which means it didn't expand as much as the other side. Basically, one side had more pressure than the other which was a concern. He said as far as the cancer goes, he could schedule the surgery, but he wanted a cardiologist to OK it first. That would mean more tests. Thankfully, his front office lady was able to get her right in to a cardiologist today.
So, mom filled out the new patient paperwork for the new doctor, then while she was waiting for them to get the tests ready, she went down to see Dr. Whisenant (the oncologist).
Dr. Whisenant was pretty happy with the PET scan results. Mom had fared very well. He said most patients loose about 15 pounds during the chemo and radiation treatments, but she had been able to maintain her weight through it all. He said her best bet to beat this whole thing will be the surgery. He said best case scenario will be that the cancer will be gone so there won't be a chance of it's return.
We then went back to the cardiologist's office where they did a bunch of tests to make sure mom's heart was strong enough for surgery. Basically he said her heart is strong and even above average in some cases. So, it's all a go.
Mom is scheduled for surgery, Monday March 29. She has a couple other scopes/tests to do before then, but as far as the Doctors tell us, she should be ready by then. Dr Ott said the surgery will entail removing her esophagus and part of her stomach and then forming a new esophagus with her stomach. They will also remove her gall bladder and the cyst.
We thank you for your continued prayers in her behalf. They truly do work miracles.
Val

News from the surgeon

Mom spoke with Dr. Ott (the surgeon) this morning. He reviewed the PET scan and said it all looks good. The tumor has shrunk to the point they will be able to do surgery. He likes to wait for 5 or 6 weeks from the time she finished radiation. So we are looking at another 3 or 4 weeks before she goes to the hospital. All in all, things look good and are still progressing. I think waiting is a good thing. This will allow mom to regain her strength and really have her body ready to withstand such an intrusive operation.

Preparing for the next few weeks.

Mom has been spending her time preparing some projects so they will be ready for her to work on while she's in the hospital after her surgery. She figures she'll just be sitting there and it will be boring if she doesn't have anything to do. This isn't the first time she's done this. Twenty years ago she had to spend a week in the hospital while they were regulating some heart medication. She took her sewing machine to the hospital and got most of her Christmas projects done.
I'm not sure she'll really be up to doing any projects after this major surgery but she wants to be prepared just in case. :)
Mom had her PET scan today. Afterward her doctor called and asked her to go in for an electro-cardiogram before her appointment next week. He didn't really mention why, but I'm sure he'll let us know when we go to her appointment on
Tuesday. Mom thinks they may have noticed her leaky heart valve on the scan.
Mom is still struggling to eat. It's hard to remember she can't just eat anything she wants anywhere she is. Eating out in crowded and loud places is really difficult. Also, complicated foods are a struggle. She never imagined eating would be such a struggle and it's disappointing that she's not well enough to eat a normal meal. I'm sure it will come in time.

Each day better than the next

Mom seems to be getting better every day. Her energy level and ability to eat improves every minute. Yesterday she said it was the best she's felt since she's been home. Today she was able to go to water aerobics at the gym plus a plethora of other errands and activities. She's able to eat regular meals and has been able to add foods back into her diet that she hasn't been able to eat in months. Of course, she still has to take time to rest, but she is doing great!.