Thursday, May 30, 2013

Tomorrow, Tomorrow

Thursday May 30, 2013

Well, Mom's brain surgery has been scheduled for tomorrow morning.

She and Dad will get to the hospital early for a MRI prior to surgery, and the surgery will immediately follow.

I will update tomorrow as things progress.

Please continue to pray for healing and strength through this process.  Tomorrow begins a long journey of treatments and ultimate healing for her.

Keep an eye out for new posts and share with others looking to keep updated on her status.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Let Her Heart Rest

Wednesday May 22, 2013

Well, Mom is home.  She and Dad stepped in the door yesterday morning.  There were no other episodes with her heart and no reoccurance of arythmia.

To be cautious, the cardiologist has recommended that we postpone Mom's brain surgery until next week.

Her heart needs rest.

This is completely understandable, although we were anxious to get as much of the poison out of her brain as possible - as soon as possible.  We, Mom especially, have been awaiting Friday's surgery for three weeks, preparing both physically and emotionally.

But you just can't mess with the heart.

So, we will wait, and she will rest.

I have a correction to my last post as well.  The MRI that she will have just prior to surgery will take place in Novi, where she is having her brain surgery.  I was mistaken when I wrote that she would have the MRI locally, and then have to drive to Novi for surgery.  My apologies.

So, we don't have a definite day or time of the surgery at this point.  Dad was going to call and set that up.

When she got home, he said she was a little "wobbly" and "light headed", which I suppose is to be expected.

I talked with her on the phone for a few (I was on speaker), and she sounded SO much better!  Chipper and happy to be home.  This was all good to me.

Tomorrow, I will be bringing some meals over that were made by some of my friends (and friends of Dad & Di) that will feed them while she is recovering.  Every little bit helps to lighten the load on Dad or friends who are caretaking while she is in recovery at home.  I am incredibly thankful to all of my/our friends and family for their support, prayers and meals.  My heart aches as I think of the long journey we have yet to endure - and I want to do everything for them. 

But I can't.

And it's amazing to me how people - families, friends, acquaintances, communities - pull together to support one another.

So, let's keep it up!  Thank you again, and I'll let you all know when her surgery is next scheduled for and we'll continue to pray that she stays healthy and stable enough to get there this time!

Monday, May 20, 2013

One Day at a Time - An Update On Mom

Monday May 20, 2013

Just got an update from Dad:

"Di is still in the hospital for another 24 for observation.  They now are fairly confident that a vessel spasmed causing the arythmia.  She feels fine, but 48 hours is the time frame of possible reoccurance in this situation.

We now have to report to the (local) hospital on Friday morning at 5:00 am for a MRI prior to surgery.  We still don't know if her surgery will be postponed or not.  The local hospital is talking to the surgeons' office with details.  The local hospital is also taking measures to avoid potponement of Friday's surgery."

Dad is doing such a great job!!  He is informing immediate family of the latest details, and I am enforming everyone else through this outlet.

If you're just getting caught up, you can read the updates on Mom (Dianne) from the beginning.  In Order:

Never Give Up The Fight

It's The Calm

Hope Renewed

A Bump In The Road

It's been just over 3 weeks since we first found out, and what a whirlwind it's been!

I will continue to keep you all updated as things develop.

Our family cannot thank you enough for your continued support and prayers - and we need them to continue!

Sunday, May 19, 2013

A Bump In the Road

Ah, Sunday... We had an entire day planned with fun things outside with the girls, a little grocery shopping, maybe some ice cream after dinner...

But something happened.

I got a phone call from my dad around 9:30 in the morning.

Mom (Dianne) had a heart attack this morning.

My knees almost buckled as he proceeded to tell me the few details he could muster.  He said they were still in the ER, and he didn't have many answers yet.

I immediately made arrangements for the girls to head to their Bumpa & Gwi Gwi's for a few hours.  I called both of my brothers to let them know what had happened, and we left for the hospital.

This time seemed different.  My dad seemed a little more "out of it", like he needed me.

When we got to the hospital, I gave hugs and surveyed her well-being.  She seemed ok.  She was unable to move, they were making her lie still until they determined it was okay for her to move or sit up.

I started asking questions.  This is what happened:

Last night she had been suffering from some pretty severe joint pain.  Severe enough that it brought her to tears.  She took some pain meds and went to bed.  When she woke this morning, her knees were still in a lot of pain.

They were drinking coffee this morning and throwing the frisbee for the dog.  Suddenly, Mom said that her chest was starting to hurt.  It got to the point that Dad felt the need to have her checked out by an EMT, so he called their neighbor, who is a firefighter for their city.  When he didn't answer, dad left to go over to his house.  As he walked out the front door, his neighbor was also, coming toward dad's house.  Dad explained what was going on, and the neighbor immediately called it in as a Priority 1. 

When the EMT crew showed up, they checked her out and determined she needed to be taken to the hospital.  They put her in the ambulance, my dad followed, and off they were.

She had just had an EKG this past Tuesday in preparation for her tumor surgery, and was completely cleared for surgery.

But on the way to hospital, she went into v-tach (Ventricular tachycardia - rapid heartbeat) and had to be shocked.

When they got to the hospital, she had many tests.  Of course, my dad was swift about letting them know about her brain tumor, and the upcoming surgery.  That obviously changed their course of treatment for the heart attack.

Initially, they were thinking her brain surgery would have to be postponed, that she would need stints placed in or near her heart and that she had major heart issues that have been overlooked.

However, all of the tests came back normal... boring.

No blockages, no stints, NOTHING.

They feel it was maybe some plaque that had broken loose, got stuck, and passed through.  They're not really sure, because nothing showed up in the tests, but they feel there was a blockage at some point that passed.

We thought maybe the stress on her body from the tumor had contributed to her heart attack.

Either way, they admitted her for the night.  She will be in the hospital until tomorrow.

At this point, we were told no stints are necessary, no heart surgery, Asprin for medication as she can't be on any blood thinners, and her surgery is still on for Friday.

She's a little cranky - understandably, tired and really ready to go home.

We could really use your prayers at this time.  We are hoping for no more hiccups before her tumor surgery.  Please pray for a smooth week.  Please pray for healing and peace for her.

Please pray that my dad continues to be her rock.  Please also pray that he is able to balance this situation, his full time job, the added responsibilities at home - and that he is blessed with the help that he needs right when he needs it.

I thank you for your thoughts and prayers sincerely - we couldn't get through this without them.

This week will be crazy, long, calm, short, whatever... it will just be.  Friday is such a big day - we just want to get her to that point.  Then we will hopefully have more answers, and hopefully have more of an understanding of what we're dealing with.

I'll keep you posted.  And I'll put this post up a couple of times so that everyone who needs or wants to see it can - no matter what time of day it is.

Till next time...

Friday, May 3, 2013

Hope Renewed

Thursday May 2, 2013

I got a rare early morning phone call today.  Mom called "just to hear my sweet voice".  It was 7:20 am.  Of course I answered the phone thinking something was wrong.

But nothing was wrong.

She was sitting outside, playing frisbee with their dog, watching the sun come up, and thinking...  Just thinking.

She didn't want to miss the moment to tell me how much she loves me.  And she wanted to tell me how proud of me she is for coming as far as I have recently.

The call got emotional at one point, but I tried to divert.  I knew she had an important appointment this morning with a potential Neurosurgeon that would handle her case.  I wanted to keep her spirits up.

She and Dad went to Southfield, MI today to meet with a Neurosurgeon, Dr. Ryan Barrett.

They. Love. Him.

A-typical of Neurosurgeons, he had a great bedisde manner, he was comforting, supportive, positive and patient.  I say a-typical because Neurosurgeons are brainiacs.  Perfectionists. Egotistical. Dry. Unemotional.

Not this guy.

Her surgery is scheduled for Friday May 24th in Novi, MI at Providence Park Hospital.  She will spend 2-3 days there post-op.  They were told there is little pain with this surgery post-op as well.  They will shave her hair just in the spot of the incision.  He will remove a piece of the skull, and remove what he can of the tumor.

They got some answers today FINALLY!

They were told for sure it is cancer.  We still don't know what type of cancer.  This "thing" now has a name...  Something, something, something Blastoma.  You might laugh, but I am getting this information from my dad, who is riding this roller coaster blindly.  I'm sure that the overwhelming amount of information they received was incredible.  The only word he remembered was Blastoma.

The cancer does not appear to have metastasised.  It appears to be primary.  I learned what this means just today.  To be primary means (I think) that this "tumor" is singular.  This is the one source of cancer in her body.  There isn't another "primary" cell or tumor that has grown to this spot.  The surgeon did agree that this tumor has been there for some time.

Before he can tell the stage of cancer, or the type, he has to get into her brain.  He needs to biopsy.  There's obviously only one way to biopsy a tumor in the brain (at least in this case)... and that's the surgery.

Dr. Barrett showed them the crucial parts of the brain that you don't want a tumor (as if you could choose), and where her tumor is is not there.  He explained that it is in a place that is fairly easy to get to.  Although hers is not in the "crucial" part of the brain, it is still inside her brain, not on it.  So the surgery will be tricky.

They feel they can remove "most of it".  Chemo and radiation are a sure thing after the surgery and that can be done by Oncology in Grand Rapids.

They were told that the outlook "looks good".

The deficits after the surgery are unknown.  She may be left with the deficits she has now - forgetfulness, loss of balance, disorientation, and some lack of eyesight / focus.  She may be left worse off.  It is unsure and too soon to tell.  So many things are unknown at this point.  But in the spirit of "one step at a time", at least now we have a surgeon that we trust, and is seemingly optimistic.

I received a message today from Di's best friend of 40-some years.  She lives on the East side of the state, and met with them before the appointment.  The night before the appointment, a story aired on their local news about this particular surgeon.  Read the story here: http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/cancer-treatment-saves-local-womans-life

It is the story of a woman who was treated by Dr. Barrett and "he saved her life".  She is "doing great and full of life again".  Mom's friend saw this as a sign.  And our hope is renewed every time we see these signs!

I was speaking with my dad this evening, and he expressed how amazing the outpouring of love and support has been.  They are humbled by the phone calls, texts, emails, Facebook messages, cards... you name it!  He was almost in tears as he expressed his gratitude for everything.  So, thank you.  As a team, as a family and as a community, we will carry them through this.

They were given the option to have the surgery as soon as next week. Mom said heck no! On May 11, they will be celebrating 23 years of marriage! Mom wants to wait the three weeks to give her some time to live and enjoy her family and friends. And they were told it's not an emergency. Obviously the sooner the better that we get that disease out of her, but a few weeks won't make much of a difference.

I will update with more information as it comes, but until her surgery I feel there won't be much more medical information to update.  But I will write about how she is doing, her demeanor, and how she's getting along.  Thank you for reading, and thank you for all of the support!  Keep it coming - it's still going to be a long road!

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

It's The Calm


I talked to Mom today.  She seemed in good spirits.  When I called she had some visitors that were just leaving.  She told me that they were all having a laugh at her expense because she keeps doing "stupid stuff", as she put it.  She said she keeps going into the wrong room of the house.  She tells stories about people she's talked to and doesn't remember if she was face to face or on the phone with them.  She can't type, she can't text, she can't spell.  She can't be alone.

She didn't once mention dying.  That's an improvement from when she first received the news.

It was nice to hear her laughing.  Even if it was at her own expense. 

Tomorrow she and Dad have an appointment with a Neurosurgeon.  I don't know his name, but I know that they are in the process of making sure they have the right Neurosurgeon before they proceed.  They've already seen one, and they didn't feel right.  They have a pretty good idea about the one they're seeing tomorrow, so hopefully we will have some more answers after that.

We still don't know what kind of cancer it is, or, as my dad put it, "if this 'thing' has a name".  We don't have a prognosis; we are just clinging to hope & faith at this early point in the game.

One thing mom said tonight was how much better she feels after getting so much rest.  She has been napping at her leisure, and getting pretty good sleep at night.  She feels more clarity than just a few days ago.

As far as Dad is concerned... well, he's just... Dad.  Being the rock for her, all the while trying to be the communicator to all of the concerned friends and family.  He's juggling a full time job, the normal household duties, phone calls, arrangements, appointments, dates, times, and everything else that's just "day-to-day".  I'll tell you what, I don't know how he does it.  He is seemingly juggling everything quite well, but asking for help when it gets to be too much.

We are taking things one day at a time.  One appointment at a time.  One phone call at a time.  One moment at a time.  It helps no one if we are all so overwhelmed and fall apart.  I'm trying to keep the information I have to give at bay, so as not to overload him.  I sent him 2 emails and one text today with names of highly recommended Neurosurgeons and Oncologists. 

The response I got back? 

"I'm starting to feel information overload". 

My response?

"Ok". 

My bad.  Sometimes I get so eager to help, as I guess most people would, that I forget what else he has on his plate. 

Once she gets established with a Neurosurgeon, and we set a date for surgery, or whatever comes next, then we can move on to the next task.

This is all new to all of us.  We are all just learning how to deal with something of this magnitude.  We have no idea what's around the next corner, but even though we don't know what to expect, we'll still be ready to face it.  What other choice is there?

I feel this is the calm before the storm.  And things are pretty chaotic right now.  Anyone who's been through this exact thing knows from their own experience what lies ahead.  Of course, every case is different, but the process is similar.

I cannot put into words the meaning of all of the prayers and thoughtful words of support from everyone - at least everyone in my world.  I cannot imagine the outpouring in their world.  Thank you so much for reading, passing the word along, praying, making meals, calling, checking in... you name it.  THANK YOU.

I will hopefully have an update tomorrow with the outcome of their appointment. 

Hopefully we can prepare for the next step.