My Mom is a statistical anomaly. She beat breast cancer. She beat ovarian cancer. Several weeks ago she was diagnosed with gallbladder cancer. What are the chances she could beat three different primary cancers? Pretty slim...But cancer doesn't stand a chance!
My parents are always very good at being respectful when I sleep during the daytime. I knew something was wrong when my dear husband awoke me in the middle of my sleep. He said that my dad had called and that he was taking my mom to the emergency room. My dad voluntarily going to the hospital is like a child voluntarily going to time out. I knew something was wrong. Before I even spoke to him I pulled on some clothes and headed out the door.
By the time I got to the ER, they had already run quite a few tests. Her physician came in to discuss the results. She stated that my mother's lipase level was greater than 20,000. That was the highest that she had ever seen in her career. Not something you really want to hear a physician's say. She said that my mother's CT scan results were serious. Her pancreas was very inflamed and very angry. She explained that my mother was very sick.
My mom spent nine days in the hospital, with me her side for many of them. My darling husband and wonderful children were so supportive in allowing me to be at my mother's bedside. We had several bumps in the road, including a middle of the night CT looking for blood clots, a trip to the ICU related to SVT (Superventricular Tachacardia) that was unconvertible (did not respond to treatment). Her recovery wasn't fast, but typical for a serious pancreatitis. I am very proud of her that she heeded everybody's warnings and took it very easy for many weeks after discharge. The follow up CT scan revealed that the tumor was still there, and needed to come out. Surgery was planned.
I didn't have a feeling one way or the other regarding whether this was going to be a good or a bad outcome. I had several dreams that my mom didn't even make it out of surgery. Luckily, I was able to get off work and be with my family before, during and after surgery. My incredible sister flew out to be with us for the weekend. I was so impressed with my moms attitude as she headed into surgery. She was so calm facing something potentially so serious. As the surgeons had explained the week before, the surgery could be a simple gall bladder removal (laparoscopic cholecystectomy), or if the during surgery pathology and exploration looked worse than expected, it could be a multi hour exploratory and liver dissection surgery. He couldn't tell for certain what he was going to find. 45 minutes into the surgery we got word that the gallbladder was out and pathology was pending. I think those 15 minutes were the longest of this entire ordeal. Knowing that our life could change drastically with the knowledge they were gaining at that exact moment was a little daunting.
As the surgeon came out of the operating room, I could tell by the look on his face it wasn't good news. He said that her belly looked good and that he was very surprised but the tumor was cancerous! Luckily, all she had to have done was a simple gall bladder removal through four small puncture holes, and that her recovery from this surgery should be swift. Butt the long term effects of having gallbladder cancer would be yet to be seen. As he explained, this type of cancer was very aggressive and very invasive. Only time will tell if she has escaped any metastasis. From all accounts it looked as though he had gotten it all and the cancer was contained in the gallbladder! Praise God!
We had to wait quite awhile for her to recover from the anesthesia, then it was change of shift on the post operative floor we were being moved to, then they accidentally gave her room away to another patient. When we finally got to my mom's hospital room, there was one of the most brilliant, vibrant rainbows I have ever seen right outside her window. It made the wait very worthwhile. I posed the question to my father: what do you think this rainbow symbolizes given the storm our family just weathered?
It has been more than a month since surgery, and she is making a swift recovery. She finally has her color back, some spunk and she is starting to feel like her old self (in my opinion). Her follow up appointment with her surgeon ended with smiles and hugs. He said he doesn't want to see her back for at least a year. All of the pathology came back clean, and from all accounts, at this time it appears that my mother is cancer free once again. Praise God!
The medical oncologist that will be following her did not have such a optimistic outlook. It was his suggestion that she do some chemo, or chemo and radiation to try to kill what could possible have been left behind. After a lot of discussion, lots of prayer and some great direction from the Lord, my mom has decided to forgo further treatment and be under heavy surveillance for the time being. What tests and schedule that will take the form of is yet to be seen, but hopefully the radiologists will get board with all of the clean reports!
My parents are always very good at being respectful when I sleep during the daytime. I knew something was wrong when my dear husband awoke me in the middle of my sleep. He said that my dad had called and that he was taking my mom to the emergency room. My dad voluntarily going to the hospital is like a child voluntarily going to time out. I knew something was wrong. Before I even spoke to him I pulled on some clothes and headed out the door.
By the time I got to the ER, they had already run quite a few tests. Her physician came in to discuss the results. She stated that my mother's lipase level was greater than 20,000. That was the highest that she had ever seen in her career. Not something you really want to hear a physician's say. She said that my mother's CT scan results were serious. Her pancreas was very inflamed and very angry. She explained that my mother was very sick.
My mom spent nine days in the hospital, with me her side for many of them. My darling husband and wonderful children were so supportive in allowing me to be at my mother's bedside. We had several bumps in the road, including a middle of the night CT looking for blood clots, a trip to the ICU related to SVT (Superventricular Tachacardia) that was unconvertible (did not respond to treatment). Her recovery wasn't fast, but typical for a serious pancreatitis. I am very proud of her that she heeded everybody's warnings and took it very easy for many weeks after discharge. The follow up CT scan revealed that the tumor was still there, and needed to come out. Surgery was planned.
I didn't have a feeling one way or the other regarding whether this was going to be a good or a bad outcome. I had several dreams that my mom didn't even make it out of surgery. Luckily, I was able to get off work and be with my family before, during and after surgery. My incredible sister flew out to be with us for the weekend. I was so impressed with my moms attitude as she headed into surgery. She was so calm facing something potentially so serious. As the surgeons had explained the week before, the surgery could be a simple gall bladder removal (laparoscopic cholecystectomy), or if the during surgery pathology and exploration looked worse than expected, it could be a multi hour exploratory and liver dissection surgery. He couldn't tell for certain what he was going to find. 45 minutes into the surgery we got word that the gallbladder was out and pathology was pending. I think those 15 minutes were the longest of this entire ordeal. Knowing that our life could change drastically with the knowledge they were gaining at that exact moment was a little daunting.
As the surgeon came out of the operating room, I could tell by the look on his face it wasn't good news. He said that her belly looked good and that he was very surprised but the tumor was cancerous! Luckily, all she had to have done was a simple gall bladder removal through four small puncture holes, and that her recovery from this surgery should be swift. Butt the long term effects of having gallbladder cancer would be yet to be seen. As he explained, this type of cancer was very aggressive and very invasive. Only time will tell if she has escaped any metastasis. From all accounts it looked as though he had gotten it all and the cancer was contained in the gallbladder! Praise God!
We had to wait quite awhile for her to recover from the anesthesia, then it was change of shift on the post operative floor we were being moved to, then they accidentally gave her room away to another patient. When we finally got to my mom's hospital room, there was one of the most brilliant, vibrant rainbows I have ever seen right outside her window. It made the wait very worthwhile. I posed the question to my father: what do you think this rainbow symbolizes given the storm our family just weathered?
It has been more than a month since surgery, and she is making a swift recovery. She finally has her color back, some spunk and she is starting to feel like her old self (in my opinion). Her follow up appointment with her surgeon ended with smiles and hugs. He said he doesn't want to see her back for at least a year. All of the pathology came back clean, and from all accounts, at this time it appears that my mother is cancer free once again. Praise God!
The medical oncologist that will be following her did not have such a optimistic outlook. It was his suggestion that she do some chemo, or chemo and radiation to try to kill what could possible have been left behind. After a lot of discussion, lots of prayer and some great direction from the Lord, my mom has decided to forgo further treatment and be under heavy surveillance for the time being. What tests and schedule that will take the form of is yet to be seen, but hopefully the radiologists will get board with all of the clean reports!
How does one woman handle such adversity in life with such strength, presence and grace. I don't have all the answers but from what I do know, I am trying to emulate in my own life. She has such an amazing and beautiful presence, it's hard to believe that God does not have favorites. Mom I love you and I am so proud of the woman that you are. Thank you for fighting so hard when I was 11 and you beat breast cancer.
Thank you for showing me what grace looks like. Thank you for battling ovarian cancer, and being so strong and beautiful in my wedding. I have wonderful memories of wedding planning while enduring chemo treatments. I filled out my nursing school application as you recover in the hospital from having your hysterectomy because that situation finally convinced me that nursing was my calling in life. When looking back through pictures Heath mentioned that he had forgotten that you were still going through chemo and had no hair under that beautiful wig.
Thank you pulling the strength out once more to fight through this, so that you may watch your grandchildren grow up. I am so excited to have you living so close and look forward to the multiple new memories that we will be making in the near future.
I love you mom. Thank you for being such a great role model for me to aspire to be. I appreciate
everything you have taught me, everything you have given me, all my natural gifts and all my learned talents. I thank you for being such a great Grammie, and loving your grandchildren. Thank you for being a constant in my life, and I pray I can someday be half the woman you are.
Thank you for showing me what grace looks like. Thank you for battling ovarian cancer, and being so strong and beautiful in my wedding. I have wonderful memories of wedding planning while enduring chemo treatments. I filled out my nursing school application as you recover in the hospital from having your hysterectomy because that situation finally convinced me that nursing was my calling in life. When looking back through pictures Heath mentioned that he had forgotten that you were still going through chemo and had no hair under that beautiful wig.
Thank you pulling the strength out once more to fight through this, so that you may watch your grandchildren grow up. I am so excited to have you living so close and look forward to the multiple new memories that we will be making in the near future.
I love you mom. Thank you for being such a great role model for me to aspire to be. I appreciate
everything you have taught me, everything you have given me, all my natural gifts and all my learned talents. I thank you for being such a great Grammie, and loving your grandchildren. Thank you for being a constant in my life, and I pray I can someday be half the woman you are.
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