Last I wrote I was getting ready to head to Mayo to meet Mom and Dad for some appointments for Mom. To say it was an amazing experience is an understatement...2 days of appointments with some great doctors and results. Confidence that they could reach these tumors in her liver with the ablation process and zap them. Reassurance that there wasn't other cancer that could be seen. And doctors who assured us there are so many options for Mom and SO MUCH HOPE! A big THANK YOU LORD for all of this. It was a whirlwind of 2 days of appointments and tests and lots of things to keep straight in our minds...it takes a team to keep track of it all. They said they could get her in Monday for the ablation surgery. So off I went home to Waukee and Mom and Dad to Eden Prairie....
A short weekend at home, filled with basketball, a sick Drew and organizing to leave again for me. Scott juggled his week as needed as well. What a GUY! And off I went again on Sunday afternoon to meet Mom and Dad at the hotel Sunday night.
Monday morning surgery was EARLY and I don't think any of us slept much the night before. I am going to copy and paste in the Caring Bridge updates into this blog...
Monday...
It has been a long day. We arrived at the hospital at 5:30 am. Mom did not get to her room until 4:30 pm. A long day for her.
The good news is that the Dr feels confident he treated these lesions or tumors in her liver. We knew there were 2 he was going after and thanks to his diligence he searched high and low while he was in there and did find one more small one. He zapped it as well. In his words he left the liver without seeing any remaining disease. We loved hearing that.
During the procedure she did have some bleeding near the liver site which we knew was highly possible. They wanted to be sure it wasn't anything major so they added in an extra procedure of an angiogram through her leg. They checked all of her arteries and found them all lovely.
So due to her "bonus" surgery she ended up under anesthesia for a pretty long time. They also added in some blood and platelets while she was out to be sure she would be strong when she awoke. Her body was needing a little bit of a boost.
She is awake now, sort of, and we are doing our best to treat her as a queen. Feeding her delicacies like jello, crushed ice and applesauce.
We are grateful for all of your prayers. We feel really good about today. We will be here for a couple of days while we get mom rested and healed. Thank you for caring so much.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday...
I did not post on Caring Bridge on Tuesday. It was more of the same of Monday. Mom not feeling well. Trying to wean from oxygen with no help. The finding fluid in her lungs from a chest X-ray earning us more hospital time.
Dad and I spent the day with mom, talking with doctors and trying to find some food that tastes decent. You would think at Mayo clinic their cafeteria would be stellar...not so much.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday...
I'm writing again from the 5th floor of St. Mary's hospital in Rochester, we have a great view of snow, and our hotel. We are still here, we are on a roll of "bonus" issues that keep us here.
Mom has added in a little fluid in her lungs and some oxygen needs that are earning her extra nights in room 300. Nothing major but just enough to keep us here. We are grateful for close monitoring by the Mayo staff and discovering these things before we leave.
She is smiling and mostly listening to what is asked of her. Dad is doing well too. He may have had a good nap today in the waiting room. A well deserved nap, and I may have photo proof of that as well.
I need to share a neat story from today. Dad came up in the elevator earlier today and saw a sign for a bake sale on the ground floor that was a benefit for a young woman with cancer. He told me about it and I headed down to check it out. It was in the basement of the hospital. Not subway level but basement. It was being held by the custodial staff of mayo. The girl is the daughter of one of the staff electricians here. And his peers baked all sorts of things to help raise money for his daughter who has been fighting cancer. There were about 10 custodial workers manning the tables in one of their storage rooms. It touched my heart. These are the kinds of people that work in this wonderful place. Caring, loving, help your friend kind of people. Taking time to bake and sell items for a coworkers daughter. Dad had to go down after I came back. It was something you couldn't miss being a part of and it put a smile on our face.
Know we are feeling your prayers. We appreciate them so very much. Keep praying for healing. The procedure we came here for is showing stellar results on all scans. And a special thanks for those of you who are helping out with my people at home...I married well.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday....
We are all back in our nests. I'm back in Waukee and Mom and Dad are pulling into Eden Prairie right about now. Mom was released from the hospital around 4 yesterday.
Mom and Dad opted to spend the night in a hotel to be sure they were well rested before heading home. 3 nights in a hospital bed for Mom and Dad in a hospital roll away makes for some tired out people. 53 years of marriage and Dad sleeps right by Mom's bed. There's a lot of beauty in that to me...holding hands across the beds all night long. That's love.
Thank you for praying. We will have some follow up appointments later this month and will let you know when we find any news out. We are grateful for a successful surgery and for all of the people at mayo.
God has heard all of our prayers and we are so thankful.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Before I left Thursday Dad went and got me a gift in one of the gift shops. It was ALL I could do not to break down into a pile of tears as he shared it with me. He told me, before I opened it, that it was was to represent how I encircle Mom and him in love, prayers and care all the time. After what had been nearly a week of Mayo appointments, surgeries and procedures this was how he honored me. How blessed am I to have THIS man as my Dad? He gets it. He completely gets it. I continue to tell him he does NOT need to thank me, that I will always be there to advocate for both of them, that I am the ONE that owes them. Yet, he wrote me beautiful words in a card and topped it off with this necklace. I will always treasure it, and him and Mom.
I came back home on Thursday night! So good to be home. The house was clean, the laundry done...I don't know how Scott does it all while working his job too. I am so grateful to him for ALL he does so that I can be with Mom and Dad when I need to be. He GETS it...he GETS me. He told one of the boys this week that one of the reasons I go to be with Grandma is I make her feel safe and loved. He is the one who makes me feel safe and loved. I KNOW that when I am gone he will do whatever he needs to to make home work without me. He NEVER ever complains about me being gone, never asks me to come home, never tells me anything other than I am RIGHT WHERE I NEED TO BE and to STAY AS LONG AS I NEED to. It matters who you marry and times like this I love him more and more and more for letting me do what I need to do. We are teaching our boys so much about life, love and honor through all of this...
It is good to be home....
A short weekend at home, filled with basketball, a sick Drew and organizing to leave again for me. Scott juggled his week as needed as well. What a GUY! And off I went again on Sunday afternoon to meet Mom and Dad at the hotel Sunday night.
Monday morning surgery was EARLY and I don't think any of us slept much the night before. I am going to copy and paste in the Caring Bridge updates into this blog...
Monday...
It has been a long day. We arrived at the hospital at 5:30 am. Mom did not get to her room until 4:30 pm. A long day for her.
The good news is that the Dr feels confident he treated these lesions or tumors in her liver. We knew there were 2 he was going after and thanks to his diligence he searched high and low while he was in there and did find one more small one. He zapped it as well. In his words he left the liver without seeing any remaining disease. We loved hearing that.
During the procedure she did have some bleeding near the liver site which we knew was highly possible. They wanted to be sure it wasn't anything major so they added in an extra procedure of an angiogram through her leg. They checked all of her arteries and found them all lovely.
So due to her "bonus" surgery she ended up under anesthesia for a pretty long time. They also added in some blood and platelets while she was out to be sure she would be strong when she awoke. Her body was needing a little bit of a boost.
She is awake now, sort of, and we are doing our best to treat her as a queen. Feeding her delicacies like jello, crushed ice and applesauce.
We are grateful for all of your prayers. We feel really good about today. We will be here for a couple of days while we get mom rested and healed. Thank you for caring so much.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday...
I did not post on Caring Bridge on Tuesday. It was more of the same of Monday. Mom not feeling well. Trying to wean from oxygen with no help. The finding fluid in her lungs from a chest X-ray earning us more hospital time.
Dad and I spent the day with mom, talking with doctors and trying to find some food that tastes decent. You would think at Mayo clinic their cafeteria would be stellar...not so much.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday...
I'm writing again from the 5th floor of St. Mary's hospital in Rochester, we have a great view of snow, and our hotel. We are still here, we are on a roll of "bonus" issues that keep us here.
Mom has added in a little fluid in her lungs and some oxygen needs that are earning her extra nights in room 300. Nothing major but just enough to keep us here. We are grateful for close monitoring by the Mayo staff and discovering these things before we leave.
She is smiling and mostly listening to what is asked of her. Dad is doing well too. He may have had a good nap today in the waiting room. A well deserved nap, and I may have photo proof of that as well.
I need to share a neat story from today. Dad came up in the elevator earlier today and saw a sign for a bake sale on the ground floor that was a benefit for a young woman with cancer. He told me about it and I headed down to check it out. It was in the basement of the hospital. Not subway level but basement. It was being held by the custodial staff of mayo. The girl is the daughter of one of the staff electricians here. And his peers baked all sorts of things to help raise money for his daughter who has been fighting cancer. There were about 10 custodial workers manning the tables in one of their storage rooms. It touched my heart. These are the kinds of people that work in this wonderful place. Caring, loving, help your friend kind of people. Taking time to bake and sell items for a coworkers daughter. Dad had to go down after I came back. It was something you couldn't miss being a part of and it put a smile on our face.
Know we are feeling your prayers. We appreciate them so very much. Keep praying for healing. The procedure we came here for is showing stellar results on all scans. And a special thanks for those of you who are helping out with my people at home...I married well.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday....
We are all back in our nests. I'm back in Waukee and Mom and Dad are pulling into Eden Prairie right about now. Mom was released from the hospital around 4 yesterday.
Mom and Dad opted to spend the night in a hotel to be sure they were well rested before heading home. 3 nights in a hospital bed for Mom and Dad in a hospital roll away makes for some tired out people. 53 years of marriage and Dad sleeps right by Mom's bed. There's a lot of beauty in that to me...holding hands across the beds all night long. That's love.
Thank you for praying. We will have some follow up appointments later this month and will let you know when we find any news out. We are grateful for a successful surgery and for all of the people at mayo.
God has heard all of our prayers and we are so thankful.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Before I left Thursday Dad went and got me a gift in one of the gift shops. It was ALL I could do not to break down into a pile of tears as he shared it with me. He told me, before I opened it, that it was was to represent how I encircle Mom and him in love, prayers and care all the time. After what had been nearly a week of Mayo appointments, surgeries and procedures this was how he honored me. How blessed am I to have THIS man as my Dad? He gets it. He completely gets it. I continue to tell him he does NOT need to thank me, that I will always be there to advocate for both of them, that I am the ONE that owes them. Yet, he wrote me beautiful words in a card and topped it off with this necklace. I will always treasure it, and him and Mom.
I came back home on Thursday night! So good to be home. The house was clean, the laundry done...I don't know how Scott does it all while working his job too. I am so grateful to him for ALL he does so that I can be with Mom and Dad when I need to be. He GETS it...he GETS me. He told one of the boys this week that one of the reasons I go to be with Grandma is I make her feel safe and loved. He is the one who makes me feel safe and loved. I KNOW that when I am gone he will do whatever he needs to to make home work without me. He NEVER ever complains about me being gone, never asks me to come home, never tells me anything other than I am RIGHT WHERE I NEED TO BE and to STAY AS LONG AS I NEED to. It matters who you marry and times like this I love him more and more and more for letting me do what I need to do. We are teaching our boys so much about life, love and honor through all of this...
It is good to be home....
No comments:
Post a Comment