Phinally, photos as promised...

Hey all,
Had some cake and ice cream for Joe's b-day topped off with a pain pill, mmmm. Then Joe got Guitar Hero for his b-day so we've been rockin' out; mom's held her rocking to the recliner. But I found my camera and uploaded the photos from the week including Dr. Yum... so without further adieu...

This is Dr. Moore the lefty surgeon who got rid of the tumor for us... now you see why it was worth going to North Seattle. How far am I willing to go to get a cute guy to touch my butt...



This is the anesthesiologist, he asked what my drink of preference was and said the pre- anesthesia would feel like a well-blended Bailey's and hot cocoa... whoo hoo!

That's the last thing I remember... then it was party time.








Feeling no pain just before going in or just after coming out, I never know if I'm coming or going, but that is TMI... I think this is post-op recovery. Hang 10/ILY to my peeps!

<-- ice chips, the delicacy of the day for Wed-Fri.
The anxious parents: they start by waiting for you for 9 months and end up waiting for you for the rest of your life, they look OK for the week they have had. Still exhibiting a sense of humor, that's what makes my family rock!










Sunday 6/8 - 4 days post-op, she looks pretty good for a chick who had her insides all whacked to heck.



I may not have as much to post for a few days, but you'll hear from me after the meeting on Thursday. Peace out! Blessings and much love to all!

Michelle ;-P

Home Again and in my Own Bed!

I'm home... It's 5:00 Saturday and I arrived here about 3 p.m. My parents chauffeured me home and Dan and the boys had the pizza boxes and empty pop cans all cleaned up. Actually, the place is spotless and germ-free - they had a housekeeper come do a bang-up job. Here's a recap of what has happened since Wednesday.

Wednesday 6/4 - Surgery day. Dan and I dropped the boys at school, he dropped me off with Ms. Hayes my newlywed sister and she drove me to Seattle. I was weak and zoned out most of the drive. We checked in at 10:00 and I was never so glad to get an IV. Met the surgeon and Anesthesiologist (photo will be posted tomorrow), rolled into surgery at 12:30. Surgery was completed by 3:30 p.m. 12 inches of my colon was removed and resectioned, the tumor and all damaged tissue was sent to pathology, the my appendix was also removed. The appendix should lie down in the pelvic area, mine was up near my liver and would have been serious if I ever had appendicitis mostly because ER crew might not have looked for it there. So it was removed as a precautionary step - added 5 minutes to the procedure.

I was in recovery and spoke to the boys at 4:30 to tell them all was well. Family left about 9:00 and I went to sleep. At 10:30, I was awakened with the sensation of no feeling in my legs. I could move my toes, but numb from buttocks to ankles from the epidural delivering my pain meds. Asked for an anesthesia consult and finally got one at 2:30 a.m. My main reason for panic was that my paternal grandfather was a paraplegic from a bad epidural. So there was understandable panic. Removed epidural the next day at 12 and legs were back to normal in 5 minutes. Didn't sleep much the first night.

Thursday - Second day passed some gas and got only ice chips, slept A LOT in the afternoon and evening. Boys and Dan visited Thursday night for about 1/2 hour just to reassure them that Mom was fine.

Friday - got out and walked around today, took a shower, ate some liquid diet (green jello), I may get out of here Saturday.

Saturday - EGGS for breakfast, baked potato for lunch and watched Pretty Woman until discharged at 2:00 p.m.

The oncology/surgery ward at Northwest in fairly small and the surgeon would make me his last stop for the night before taking off - hitting his star patient last. We'd shoot the breeze and check all the vitals and assess what I needed to do tomorrow to be out Saturday. I realized Friday that only 3 of us on the floor were ambulatory and heading toward discharge, the rest were very ill folks. I haven't been able to pray for myself, but found it easy to pray for others I saw there. Besides, I knew how many were praying on my behalf, and how much it helped us.

The BRA chicks visited late Friday night, Aunt Pam and Uncle Rick Friday evening and Mom and Dad daily - MANY THANKS, I had ample time to rest and recuperate. Mom got the fun jobs like helping me shower and dress.

Many thanks to all who pitched in while I was away - the boys look none the worse for wear and Dan is a bit ragged but did well on his own. I'll be on a "toddler diet" for several weeks, no driving while I'm on pain meds, no housework for a month and only light exercise. There are more foods that I CAN have than those I cannot - no high fiber, raw veggies, nuts, popcorn, etc. lots of soft/mild digested food. Officially, a mechanical soft food diet.

More insightful musings tomorrow in retrospect of this whole adventure...
Peace and blessings,
Michelle

zzzz...*snork*wha?

Oh crack. I forgot to post for two days, Mom is going to KILL me when she gets home. Snap.

Anywho, she is doing fine. We went to see her on...Thursday, was it? Yeah, because Thursday was color day...But yeah, she couldn't eat until she farted. We found that if you used them in different ways, you'd only need about half as much stuff as you do now in a hospital room.

Actually, Mom had gotten a surgical marker. She drew what is apparently her signature (;-P) on my right hand. I, who couldn't see it right, thought she meant a different one(,:P), which I drew on my left.

The next day, I get up, go to the bathroom, and there are little purple colons and capital P's all over my face. Lesson learned.

But yeah, Mom is fine. We had to clean up the house yesterday as she is getting home today, and the cleaner will be here in a few hours to do the rest.

Joe Chemo

TUESDAY - this time tomorrow I'll be heavily medicated

Wow, it's Tuesday. Scary, anxious, nervous, wondering what I have forgotten to do... to pass the time and keep my mind of my delectable liquid diet, I've been doing laundry and sorting my underwear drawers. Hey, it's something we never do and it's mindless. Finally got rid of some of those creepies and the ones that you always bury at the bottom of the drawer and only wear on laundry day.
And now, a word to my tumor - you, yes, you, I know you are there and your time is limited. When you are evicted, take any and all of your friends with you. I don't want to see, hear or feel any residual effects from you ever again. I am going to make several healthy changes to make my body a less susceptible host for you. You stay away from my friends, my family and my kids. You have taken enough from us already and I'm through with you. I have in the past and will continue to contribute to research to eliminate you. In the past I sent $ and participated in walks as an insurance policy thinking, "If I walk, write a check, etc., I'll never have to deal with cancer first-hand." So much for that plan.
Yesterday, I was in a funk of what if's I don't even want to enumerate. I had to keep telling myself 95% of what you worry about never happens; it's the 5% you never even think of that blows you out of the water. The positive, strong armored exterior is slipping a bit. It's time to trust someone else to make it right, and I have a hard time relinquishing control and not knowing what comes next. This is the trial of faith. It's still there but there are certain parts of certain prayers I'm struggling with "thy will", "now and at the hour..."
Joe shared at church that he would prefer I not have surgery. Some people were really concerned about this and alerted me. We had a chat about the ramifications of having and not having surgery. What he meant is that he wishes there was an easier way to get rid of this for me - like cutting a really big fart. Me too!
I also had a chat with Nick last night. He seems to be distancing himself from us and I was concerned. His main point was "you'll be closer and not gone as long as when you went to Australia, but I won't get any cool gifts when you get back." True. Just a wiped-out mom for a few weeks.
Dan is harder. We'll chat tonight and tomorrow. He sees me as strong and independent and gets flustered when that image conflicts with his reality. But there are some things that have to be covered, just in case.
OK, back to business. Off to get a relaxation massage and then home to begin pre-surgical processes. Enjoy chewable solid food on my behalf, but don't tell me about it... one more cup of chicken broth and I'll cluck.
Peace, blessings and pray that we hear "we got it all".
Michelle ;-P