Happy New Year!!

‎”2010 is almost history, 2011 is still a mystery, ring out the old and bring on the new, I am ready, how about you???” So much transpired in 2010 and much more awaits in the new year… We again, thank everyone for their support, good thoughts, kindness and prayers. You ALL are the BEST Gift we received in 2010!! While Mom’s had to undergo this misfortune, it brought us all closer and for that we are forever grateful… Friends and Family, a most precious gift… HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

November 05, 2010

Day 70… Monday Mom had her visit with Dr. Zane, the Surgeon who performed the colostomy. He formally ‘released’ her to full activity level which includes driving and resuming regular activities. “Yeeeeeee----aaaayyyyyyy!!!” Mom is still under weight, she’s lost 15 lbs and has to build up her endurance levels BUT life for Mom will be ‘somewhat’ back to normal … For a while anyway. :-/ She’s greatly looking forward to finally being able to visit our sister Barbara … She hasn’t been able to visit with her since August.

Dr. Zane also told Mom she’s been scheduled for the ‘next step’ which is Reconstructive surgery to disconnect the colostomy and ‘reconnect’ her colon to the healed colorectal area. Her surgery is scheduled for March 22, 2011… with recuperation time we’re looking at almost a year total in dealing with this entire episode, all resulting from a ‘routine’ colonoscopy procedure.

Mom wants you to know how VERY MUCH your prayers, good wishes and thoughts have meant to her… She’s loved your emails, cards and phone calls… You’ve made her feel so cared for, SO LOVED!!! She ‘Thanks You’ with all her heart and we do too!! ... xoxoxo

October 30, 2010

Wish Heaven had a phone so I could hear your voice again. I thought of you today, but that is nothing new. I thought about you yesterday, and days before that too. I think of you in silence, I often speak your name. All I have are memories and a picture in a frame. Your memory is a keepsake, from which I'll never part.......God has you in his arms, I have you in my heart! 6 years today... We Love & Miss you Dad... ♥

October 27, 2010

Day 61… Mom ‘celebrated’ Day #60 by finally feeling up to getting a mani/pedi at the Nail Salon. Photo courtesy of Andrea, who took it when Mom wasn’t looking! ;-)

While Mom’s healing and getting stronger this time has us experiencing various ‘de ja vu’ moments, like helping Mom with doing her laundry. Mom has a very ‘specific’ way she likes it done and supervises us while we do hers ‘just to make sure’ we’re doing it her way… (silent eye roll)… But, we do it!

Curiously, Sunday was my 3rd week of doing MY laundry ‘Mom’s Way’ just to see if there really was a difference… and wouldn’t you know it… my husband actually asked why the bed sheets I did on Saturday (my old way) DIDN’T come out smelling like or feeling as soft as the T-shirts I’d just done!!! :-P Once again… Mom knows best =D

Which is why when our Cousin John Ortiz sent us this email it made us laugh out loud and want to share a few ‘gems’ with you… So true, so true!!

Things I Owe My Mother
**************************************
1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE.
"If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."

2. My mother taught me RELIGION.
"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."

3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL.
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

4. My mother taught me LOGIC.
"Because I said so, that's why."

5. My mother taught me FORESIGHT.
"Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."

6. My mother taught me IRONY.
"Keep crying and I'll give you something to cry about."

7. My mother taught me the science of OSMOSIS.
"Shut your mouth and eat your supper."

8. My mother taught me CONTORTIONISM.
"Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!"

9. My mother taught me about WEATHER.
"This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."

10. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY.
"If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"

11. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE.
"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."

12. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.
"If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they're going to get stuck that way."

13. My mother taught me HUMOR.
"When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."

14. My mother taught me about my ROOTS.
"Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"

15. My mother taught me WISDOM.
"When you get to be my age, you'll understand."

Best of all…
16. My mother taught me about JUSTICE.
"One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you."

Ahhhhh….. So True, So True and Mom we hope we’ve turned out to be as good at being ‘Moms’ as You … Thanks John! =D

October 25, 2010

Day 59… We HAD to share this photo and text message we received from Andrea, who’s living with Mom during her recuperation….. As ‘background’ it must be noted that when Mom was 1st admitted to the Hospital on an emergency basis there was no preparation for what was to be an initial hospital stay of 23 days! When they released Mom to go home at Day 23 we discovered with irritation >:-( an infestation of gnats from fruit she had in her kitchen… Ugh!

Well then, Mom was back in the hospital at Day 30 and remained so until Day 45. Upon Mom’s return home… ‘The War on the Gnats’ began with earnest!!! >:-/ It was beginning to look like the Gnats were going to take over… Until today when we received a text message on our cell phones from Andrea (Mom’s granddaughter, Monica’s daughter) which said, “Brandon and I went out and got Grandma an electric racket for the gnats!”

Huh??? An electric racket for gnats??? HILARIOUS!!!!! =D Then we received another text message from Andrea…. “Team Grandma 10…. Gnats 0” Honestly, we couldn’t make this stuff up!!!

Hugs all around! xoxoxoxo

October 24, 2010

Day 58… Each day has Mom feeling stronger and stronger… Last week she went in to Dr. Zane’s office and they removed the staples from the abdominal incision. A total of 22!! This next week she’s hoping to feel up to getting a mani/pedi at the Nail Salon… She last had it done right before she ended up in the hospital and the nurses commented throughout her stay on “How pretty” the flowers on her toes looked! =D

Mom’s been doing well, trying to get used to lifestyle changes and finding her appetite again. She’s scheduled to see her surgeon, Dr. Zane again on November 1st. At that time they’ll be discussing what ‘the next step’ is going to be for Mom. She’s not yet been able to go see Barbara but Monica has and says Barbara looks good and is doing as well as can be expected… So right now, all is ‘status quo’ on the home front for now!

Mom has not yet been given the “Okay” to drive but she is feeling much better and is FINALLY feeling up to visitors and chatting on the phone again… So if you have the inclination or if you have the time please feel free to touch base with her sometime!!
The best number to reach her at these days is her home number (310) 635-2119.

We hope you are all doing well and once more we Thank You for all the love, prayers and support you’ve sent Mom and Barbara’s...

Hugs all around!! xoxoxo

October 11, 2010

Day 45… Woooo Hoooooo!!!!! Broke Mom outta’ the Big House and she’s HOME!! Like Kevin said, “Don’t look back and keep on running!” =D

When she was told she was being released she told them, “Ok. But I want to take a shower and shampoo before I leave because I want to be spiffy going home!” When I got there to pick her up I found her freshly shampooed, showered and eating lunch…. Helped her get dressed, picked up her meds then drove her home….

Though ‘Home’ she still has a long road ahead of her… still has a boatload of meds she has to take and now has to live life in a way no one would dream of in their worst nightmare!! Mom’s pretty feisty but we think the reality of ‘being home’ is weighing on her too… She’s feeling nauseated, suture site is giving her pain, discomfort and she only ate 2 bites of her dinner tonight.:-( She says she’ll try and eat more tomorrow….

It could be that the combination of being back home, regular eating and reality setting in is culminating in intestinal distress… It does for me when I stress out!!... “Normal!” ;-) Can’t fix that, just have to deal with it… Added problem is, no news on our sister Barbara… Mom may not say anything but that is probably adding to her stress level… Hoping tomorrow will be better… xoxoxo

October 10, 2010

Day 44… Yesterday they began the process of weaning Mom off her IV pain meds, which they totally discontinued about 6pm and took her off the ‘Nutrition’ IV as well. The only thing left is her IV antibiotic … YAY!! No more ‘IV Christmas Tree’! We’re hoping without the Nutritional IV she’ll have an increase in appetite. At this time we’re looking at bringing Mom home either Monday or Tuesday… Keeping fingers crossed!

Yesterday’s dinner she FINALLY got her mashed potatoes!! =D The ONE thing (besides ice chips) she’s been actually craving and she finally got her wish…. We were all there when her dinner arrived and her eyes sparkled! Then she chased us home so she could eat her mashed potatoes and gravy… S-L-O-W-L-Y savoring each bite ;-)

We’ve been saving ALL the emails you’ve sent us wishing her well and sharing your thoughts. We ‘copied & pasted’ them onto a Word Document and printed them out for her…. She now has a binder with 14 pages of them!!! Thank you, Thank YOU, THANK YOU!!!! Yesterday we gave her the collection for her to read through, now that she’s feeling better and we will continue to add your messages as they come in… Oh my goodness!! Your kindness, well wishes and love flowed through your messages and right into her heart … she loves reading them! You ALL mean so much to her…. You ALL mean so much to us!! Stay in touch… xoxoxo!

October 8, 2010

Day 42… Hard to believe Mom’s 42 days into this ordeal! These few days have been ‘days of healing’. They moved Mom to another room down the hall… All the jack hammering, pounding, sledge hammering and drilling right next to her room where they were doing hospital renovation work was just too much! When Mom’s Nurse helped her shower the pounding sounded like it was directly behind the shower stall… probably was :-/

They began introducing Mom to ‘food’ on Day 40. They gave her 4oz Apple Juice to sip for breakfast, lunch and then dinner… Day 41 brought her breakfast of jello, lunch of tea, jello and clear chicken broth. Dinner was ‘ditto’ except chicken broth was beef broth this time and instead of jello, it was Italian Lemon Ice :-) When Mom saw Dr. Zane on Day 41 he told her she was his ‘Star patient’ and could be sending her home Saturday (10/09)… WHAT??? We wouldn’t have time to clean out her fridge!! =D When we mentioned as much to Mom she said cleaning out her fridge is not a problem she’s concerned with… She said she’s afraid of the food in there now, this will be ‘starting over’ nutritionally! The food on the clear diet she just ate a little of everything because she’s ‘testing the waters’ and Doc told her to go easy and not think she has to eat everything they serve… While she nibbled I once again, looked over her ‘Foods to Avoid’ list. I saw beer listed but not wine… When I mentioned that to her she said, “You just noticed that? I noticed right away and Margaritas aren’t on there either!” ;-)

Today, Day 42 Mom was walking her morning lap when she ran into Dr. Zane… He asked, “What’d you have for breakfast?” she replied, “Yummy jello” He said, “Oh no. We have to have you eating real food! I’m putting you on a regular diet.” When they brought Mom her lunch it was a Chicken Caesar Salad… Mom said, “It’s big enough to feed a family of four!” Then for dinner they gave her a plate of chicken pasta with broccoli… Note > As you may have guessed, broccoli was on BOTH the Odor and Gas list. We just looked at each other… Hmmmmmmm :-/

As you can imagine, 42 days of not eating and Mom’s stomach has shrunk… 6 pasta noodles, 1/8 of a dinner roll, 3 bites of salad, 1/2 cup of milk, a few bites of her melon cup and Mom was FULL!! We’re a little nervous about tomorrow… We don’t think sending her home tomorrow is a good thing. She’s yet to be trained on caring for the colostomy on her own and today’s really the only day she’s had ‘real food’… Not sure how she’ll react to it.

We’ll see what Day 43 brings, but in Mom’s best interest we’re hoping they’ll give her 48 hours to see how her body reacts to the introduction of food…. We’ll be in touch! :-)

October 5, 2010

Day 39 ... I walked into Mom's room about 12:30pm where I found her sitting in her chair dozing... she soon woke and told me she'd been sitting up since 10am. I could see the Upper GI tube had been removed and she informed me they'd removed the epidural pain control device as well, changing her to a 'clicker' type hand-held device. She said she'd been visited by the Ostomy Nurse who'd left her 'homework' to do which consisted of an easy to follow manual and practice device. While her Nurse was getting Mom ready to go for a walk, I glanced through her manual. The section on 'foods to avoid' caught my eye... it listed foods which have the greatest potential for causing gas or intensifying smell... Hmmmmmmm I told Mom I might need a copy of this passage, it could be useful around my house! =D

Mom happily told me of her earlier visit from Dr. Zane, "He told me I was progressing ahead of schedule!" She also said she'd told Dr. Zane her 'secret name' for Dr. Haas... She said, "He laughed out loud and told me I got it right on the nose! But then I asked him not to tell Dr. Haas because I didn't want to hurt his feelings... Then he chuckled and told me not to worry but we'd talk more later" ;-) Then, with the help of her Nurse, Mom walked almost all the way up one side of the hall and back! That's our Mom!!

After her lap, the Nurse got her situated back in bed and we got to work... Repeated some of what we did yesterday and added overhead lifts, chest presses and rotator cuff conditioning. Now Mom has her 'workout bag' with her 2 lb Fitness ball, her Air-ball and Therapeutic band. Her Nurse commented, "I've never, ever seen a patient with their own Personal Trainer on this floor!" :-) Mom's determined to get stronger, both Monica and Jeanette told me how she showed them her exercises when they came in.... :-/ I just hope when I go in tomorrow she's not sore! I distinctly remember telling her, "Take it slow... baby steps, exercise common sense first!" We'll see, we'll see...

Mom also mentioned how she'd like to have her cell phone nearby... So the time had come to update her on Barbara's situation. Haven't blogged on this before now, but while Mom was in surgery last Friday we received a phone call from the Glendale Memorial Hospital Patient Facilitator looking for Mom because they were preparing Barbara for medical transport to another facility. They told us Glendale Memorial Hospital was a Short Term Acute Care Facility and Barbara's current medical condition warranted a Long Term Acute Care Facility. They said her convalescent facility was not capable of the level of care she needed at this time and they were preparing her for transport to a long term acute care facility located in Monrovia, CA. All they were waiting for was Mom's consent and Medical Authorization. We explained how Mom was undergoing major surgery at the moment of their call and they accepted our 'familial consent' in the meanwhile... Status as of today, Barbara's transport is currently 'on hold' because her fever had spiked the day before. Today her temperature has been normal all day and they were waiting for her doctor to come in.

Sooooooooo with Mom stronger, coming along nicely so far and now wanting her cell phone back it was time to bring her up to date... Mom was misty eyed but I told her, "Mom, we can't have you stressing over this and going two steps back for every step forward... We've got our Logistical Team in place and everything will be handled. You've got to allow us to be your Logistical Team when it comes to Barbara right now and you need to focus on getting stronger and healthier" She said, "You're right and the Long Term Acute Care Facility in Monrovia is where Barbara needs to be... and I need to focus on getting healthy!"

Just when you think Mom might 'fall apart' she surprises you and becomes a Supreme example of strength, determination and focus ... She is a gift!! xoxoxo...

October 4, 2010

Day 38, Post-OP Day 3... Fred saw Mom this morning and when he walked in he was surprised to see her sitting in a chair. He greeted her and she told him she was, "Pissed off!!" She told him she's starting to feel pain, plus all the tubes and things she's just MAD at the whole situation >:-( ... She told him she feels too weak to get up and move around. WELL Helllloooooo... Mom needs to realize it's been over a week since she's walked and she hasn't eaten anything either!

When I got there this afternoon Mom was sound asleep even though there was a construction crew drilling and jack hammering going on next to her room! =D When she woke she saw me and told me they'd gotten her up and she walked to the Nurses Station desk across from her room, about 20 steps. She said she felt so wobbly, weak and the exertion exhausted her... She said, "Just look at those other patients out there in the hallway... They're almost sprinting!" :-/ I wouldn't call it sprinting but I heard the frustration in her voice, she knew she needed to get strong but didn't know how.... BINGO!! That's when she noticed the Fitness ball I brought with me ;-) I told her if she was willing, I was able and we'd get started on working her leg muscles to strengthen them for the job of supporting her while walking. She said, "Yes. I miss shopping!"

When her Nurse came in to take her vitals everything was great, her temperature was slightly elevated at 99 but her Nurse said, "That means you need to be moving around more and using the Spirometer." The Spirometer is a respiratory device patients use to blow into... She's supposed to this 10 times each hour. I asked her Nurse if it would be okay if I helped Mom exercise her leg muscles, she said, "No problem, that would be great!" ... So we began!

We added on to her ABC exercises, with some Glute squeezes, Knee presses, Leg lifts, Leg extensions and foot rolls with the 2 lb Fit ball. All these exercises we did with her in bed... Baby steps, baby steps... Tomorrow we'll try and see how she does exercising while sitting in her chair. Her color is good and she really does look great. She's experiencing more pain now because as her Nurse explained, "You're moving around and getting up now, the epidural is no longer enough." So they've added a non-narcotic pain injection to her regimen to aid in alleviating the increased pain.

Post-OP Day 3 and signs are that Mom's gastrointestinal tract is 'rebooting' which is a good sign and I know she's curious to see what Post-OP Day 4 is going to bring... We are too! xoxoxo...

October 3, 2010

Day 37... Post-OP Day 2 and Mom is doing well. They moved her to the Surgical Floor and Dr. Zane OK'd Ice Chips... HURRAY!! He told her the procedure went well and they also removed 3 feet of small intestine... We knew this but didn't want to say anything until Mom was told. When they opened her up, they found a lot of scar tissue from her previous 3 C-Sections (Monica, Barbara & Jeanette) plus her Hysterectomy. The scar tissue had adhered to her small intestine which blocked access to the colon (aka > large intestine). Dr. Zane told us after her surgery and told Mom today, "Don't worry about the 3 feet of small intestine we removed... You'll never miss it!" We teased Mom about her 'tummy tuck' and She gave us the stink-eye! =D Because of this procedure she's had a additional drainage tube through her nose, down her throat and into the small intestinal area. They'll keep the nose tube in until what goes in the collection receptacle is reviewed by surgical pathology. Mom told Dr. Zane what 'Dr. Eeyore' said about her abdominal area being "a mess"... He chuckled and said, "It was a mess but we cleaned it up!"

Later on the Nurses got her up and standing! They are still giving her blood transfusions as her count is 8.1 and should be 10. She's no longer attached to the cardiac monitor or the leg pumps and sooner rather than later they'll have her up and walking laps around the hall :-) The Surgical Floor is where other Post-OP patients are and Mom has already observed, "The others here on this floor with me are always out in the hallways walking around like I'm going to!" ... Any bets on how long before she gets to know everyone and their 'stories' too??? =D Mom really looks good and she says she's even starting to think about food again... a good sign! Tomorrow we'll start another day and with it move closer toward recovery.... Thank you for all your email responses! We save them all in an email file for her to read once she's home and back on her laptop! ;-) xoxoxo...

Ocotber 2, 2010

Day 36... Day 1 Post-OP we found Mom in good spirits. They have her on a epidural IV drip for pain which releases her pain med on a regular basis and she's been doing very well on it... They even had her sitting up on the edge of her bed for 45 minutes and proudly informed us she did her 'ABC workout'. As Dr. Zane was in Santa Barbara lecturing at a Medical Conference his assistant, Dr. Haas (can't remember his last name) came in to check on Mom. Where Dr. Zane is upbeat and positive energy, Dr. Haas is not.... His opening line to Mom was, "Well we opened you up and there was quite a mess in there..." Mom told us later, she 'silently' refers to him as 'Dr. Eeyore'... Eeyore is a character from Winnie the Pooh, the gloom and doom donkey =D She says she'll just wait and see what Dr. Zane has to say....

Her hemoglobin was low so they gave her a couple of pints of blood yesterday... but still NO ice chips! She had the nurse write down on the white board in her room, under 'Comments to the Doctor'... "Can I have Ice Chips!" She said 'Dr. Eeyore' told her she could but never wrote it down and "Those nurses won't do ANYTHING unless the Doctors write it down!" Overall her 1st day Post-OP we think she did really well... We'll see how we find her Day 2 Post-OP and let you know...

As for Barbara, Nursing staff states right now there's no change in status. However, the results of the culture they did on the fluid in her lungs came in positive for the antibiotic treatment they have her on, which means her doctors are on the right track.... We've got calls in to her doctors for status updates and are still waiting reply.

More later xoxoxo...

October 1, 2010

Day 35... Our day began with the three of us plus Andrea, attending 8am mass with the staff and children of St. Philomena School, Kindergarten through 8th grade, all of us with the intention of Mom's recovery. Afterwards, at Mom's suggestion ;-) we had breakfast together then decided to go straight over to Mom at the hospital. We found Mom in pretty good spirits! She said, "I sat up, washed my face, brushed my teeth and hair so I would look presentable." She looked beautiful!! We spent our time with her waiting until they came to transport her... We were surprised when our cousin Ray walked in, Mom exclaimed, "Ray! You came... my very first Godchild" Then noting the time, Mom had us pray with her, the prayer of Mother Luisita... All too soon, the transport nurses arrived with the gurney to take Mom down to Surgery.

We all were allowed to go down with Mom and once they put her in the Pre-OP area, we were taken to the Family Surgical Waiting area. We were then given instructions on how their system works... We were given a pager disc (like the kind they give you at the Outback restaurant) which we could take with us throughout the hospital grounds, including the cafeteria on the other side of the hospital campus. Whenever they needed to contact us they would page us, if we were not close by we could call on a hospital phone to find out what was needed of us. Then they showed us the 'Status Screen' in the waiting room area. Now this was pretty cool!! Each patient as they check-in for surgery is given a Patient ID number. Status is color coded as well as stated... We found Mom on the screen. She was Green status 'Pre-Op' with surgery scheduled at 1432 (military for 2:32pm) then we settled down (approximately 1:15pm) for the long wait ahead. There for the duration we had each other plus Andrea, Ray, our Uncle Manuel and Aunt Violetta. We were told her daughters would be allowed in one at a time before they took her into surgery.

When the pager went off, we jumped! Anxiety rushing in as we knew we were at count zero. Jeanette went in first, then myself, then Monica... It was quick, she was ready, she was 'prepped' and she was scared... When I walked in and saw her she had tears running down her face, I wiped them, blessed her asked her if she was scared. She nodded 'yes', I kissed her and told her, "That's ok Mom, it's normal and normal can't be fixed... but your body can and that's what Dr. Zane's going to do now" I told her we'd see her soon in just a few short hours and returned to the Waiting Area.... Later I went in to use the restroom and saw my face in the mirror. I came out and said, "WELL! Now I know why Mom was crying... She probably took one look at how AWFUL I looked and freaked!!" =-O

We were surprised and joined later in the waiting area by Mom's cousin Robert and his wife Lupe.... Robert and his siblings were raised by our Grandmother, Mom and Uncle Manuel consider him a 'brother'. We waited and waited and waited... The status screen we watched and watched and watched. We watched as her status changed from Green 'Pre-OP', to Lavender 'In-Transport' and finally Light Blue 'In-OR' at 1442 (2:42pm)... and the waiting continued...

Dr. Zane had estimated 2 hours for the procedure and a little over an hour in, our Cousin Ray's wife, Maryann walked in with chicken salads from Chipolte and bottles of water!! Along with food, she gave us love, hugs and support, then left after a short while to visit with her sister who it turns out lives nearby! Shortly after, Fred arrived with Megan to join us and we continued to wait and wait and wait...

Cell phone coverage was non-existent in the waiting area, I had to go outside the hospital to call, check or send messages... Frustrating because we have a 'Text Team' we send Status messages to and they in turn send out the word. This wasn't able to happen in the waiting area, everyone knew when Mom's surgery began and like us they were waiting, waiting, waiting... When we hit the 3 hour Surgery mark our stress levels began elevating again... We would watch that Status Screen and note the changes in status of other patients but no status change on Mom. It was like watching Fantasy Football and seeing status change on everyone else's Team and yours doesn't move :-/ .... So we waited and waited and waited...

6pm, I had just stepped out about to text the 'no change' status when Jeanette signaled to me to come in! Dr. Zane was there and we were being taken into a Family Conference Room... Dr. Zane said, "She's doing fine. We found the injury in the Sigmoid Colon area... The area of infection and bacteria was very well contained and smaller than we originally thought. It looked like the scar tissue from her previous c-sections and hysterectomy helped to keep the bacteria contained rather than spreading all over. However, as we discussed on Monday in opening this area I am unleashing the bacteria. We cleared and cleaned as best we could, put a new drain in and gave her a colostomy which will be temporary while the sigmoid area of the colon heals and becomes healthy tissue once again. The next 3-4 days are critical... It's so tight inside the abdominal area that even though we cleaned as best we could, bacteria is microscopic and can get in all the nooks and crannies. In the next 3-4 days we'll know how she's reacting to the 'beast' unleashed inside of her." He told us she was in Recovery now and we would be able to see her in a couple of hours...

Shortly thereafter, Uncle Manuel, Violetta, Robert and Lupe left and we continued to wait.... Finally around 10pm last night we were told 1 daughter could go in. I found Mom awake, her color was good though she was in extreme pain, they had given her an epidural along with the pain injections. She was hoarse, complaining of her mouth being really dry and asking the nurse if she would give her ice chips. The nurse said, "I have to check doctors orders to see if we can give you ice chips." Mom hoarsely replied, "I know my body, I can handle ice chips... Lori, go bring me some ice chips" I hesitated and the nurse said, "Here it is, doctor's orders state NOTHING by mouth at this time... No ice chips." I said, "Mom they want and need your gastrointestinal tract to rest, your body is just waking up from trauma." She said, "I know but I need ice chips... It's late you've been here so long." I told her, "So have you Mom, so have you" she replied, "Send in Ray so he can go home... he has a long drive"

So I went out, Monica went in next and I warned her about the ice chips... When Monica came out, Jeanette went in. Monica said, "She wants Ray in next, she said he needs to get on the road he has a long drive home...";-) Then Monica said, "She had one eye on the nurse and turning towards me she said 'Get the spoon in your bag and go to the cafeteria and bring me ice chips!'" When Jeanette came out, Ray went in and we asked Jeanette if she tried to get her to give her ice chips. Jeanette said, "No. She never even asked." Wweeelllll Helloooooo..... We all know Jeanette is the 'Mom-Gestapo' and Mom didn't even try that futile route =D A good sign, her feistiness is clearly evident!! After Ray, Andrea, Kevin and Fred went in, it was time for Mom to rest ... We knew she would finally rest when she knew we were on our way home to rest as well....

Long day, long road ahead and we'll travel it with her and with you, one day at a time... Thank you, God bless you and we pray Day 36 goes well!!

September 30, 2010

Day 34... Update on Mom's scheduled surgery. We were notified today that the time of surgery has been rescheduled for tomorrow Friday, 10/01 at 2:30pm and Mom will be picked up for transport from her hospital room to Surgery between 12:30 and 1pm. Yesterday afternoon during my visit with Mom, she was visited by and introduced to her Ostomy Nurse, Nancy who said, "I'm here to look at your tummy and mark the area for Dr. Zane where the ostomy should go. I'll also be checking on you after your surgery on Friday and training you on the care of your ostomy area." Mom's eyes grew huge... though she remained silent it was apparent the 'reality' that her life was soon to alter dramatically was sinking in. We just looked at one another and held hands while Nurse Nancy did her job...

Earlier that day, Dr. Zane visited with Mom and said he was going to order her catheter removed because he wanted her "up and about". When Monica and Jeanette arrived later, Mom's catheter had indeed been removed BUT with Mom attached to the Cardiac Monitor on the right side of her bed, attached to the IV lines on the left side of her bed PLUS her legs wrapped up and attached to a circulation pump at the foot of her bed... HOW THE HECK WAS SHE SUPPOSED TO GET "UP & AROUND"?!?! =D

Today when I saw her the leg circulation devices had been removed so Mom was able to sit up and dangle her legs off the side of the bed... I had her 'writing ABC's' in the air with her feet to stimulate her leg muscles... my clients will appreciate this :-) ... She asked me, "Capital, lower case, print or script?" to which I answered, "All of the above. Do a different set each time you sit up." Then she made a face at me! She did do it though, one set on each foot... She chose to print. Afterward she said, "Whew! Now I'm tired." She sat up for a total of 45 minutes, did her 'workout' set then laid down to rest...

We're counting hours now until they take her in for surgery... We understand after surgery she may be 'sicker' than she's been this whole time. The doctors have explained the 'war' her body will be undertaking once the infection is no longer 'contained'. We hope and pray she is strong enough for the battle she'll soon be waging!! We'll be with her before they take her and we'll stay until Dr. Zane finishes his task and we can see her... We hope with his skill, your prayers and God's intervention all will go well...

September 28, 2010

Day 32... Dr. Zane notified Mom today that her Colorectal Resection surgery is scheduled for this Friday, 10/01/10 at 1pm. We are feeling good about this because this is part of Dr. Zane's regular Surgical schedule and like an athlete's 'Game Day' we're hoping he'll be 'pumped and focused' for the task at hand... Also we'll have ended the 'nightmare month' of September (Yeah, superstitious but... :-/) AND it's 1st Friday, the student body of St. Philomena School will be at 1st Friday Mass and hopefully will have Mom in their collective thoughts and prayers.

Today Mom is in good spirits overall... No Fever, her blood pressure good at 128/76, her blood sugar not so good at 177 but this is due to the IV Vitamin Supplement she's on. Mom is such a character! When she heard what her blood sugar level was she told her Nurse, "OK. That means you need to give me 5cc's of Insulin" Which got a chuckle out of her Nurse :o) ... she's so funny! When I got there after work she was sleeping... 20 minutes later she woke, saw me and said, "I was dreaming.... I dreamed Fred was parked and behind the wheel of a fancy sports car and Barbara was in the passenger seat... He was taking her for a spin!" Then she asked, "Lori, what day is this?" I told her, "Mom, today is Tuesday September 28th" She said, "Oh my! I missed Mary's (Niece) birthday on the 17th... Joey's (Godson/Nephew) birthday was on the 26th and today is JoAnn's (Goddaughter) birthday!! So much going on.... Lori, please let them know I didn't forget!" I promised her I would let you know... She cares and loves all of you so much!!

Three days and counting.... Mom is okay with the Colorectal Resection surgery she is about to undergo. Her words, "I'm just looking on getting better and this is just a step toward that end." As we've said before, Mom is a 'Gentlewoman' but do not mistake her gentleness for lack of strength... She is the Strongest Woman we know... She is our example, our mentor and most of all our Hero!

September 27, 2010

Day 31... We met with Mom's Surgeon earlier this evening, Robert E. Zane, M.D. After meeting with him we feel better (if you can call it that) about the next part of the journey we are about to embark upon... Now, preceding our meeting Mom was visited the night before by her good friend Corrine and Fr. Bill from St. Philomena Parish. She received the anointing of the sick and took communion, a VERY SMALL piece as she's not supposed to eat or drink ANYTHING!! :-] Earlier today the Sisters from St. Philomena School visited with her, sang and prayed with her. They brought her a HUGE poster signed by all the 8th graders and informed her that Carmelites have been notified of Mom's situation all across the United States... The power of prayer at work! :-)

Sooooooo that brings us to tonight, our meeting with Dr. Zane and this is the basic rundown to our questions:

When will surgery take place? He's hoping to schedule Mom's surgery for this Wednesday 9/29, however we won't know for sure until tomorrow (9/28). If not Wednesday then Sunday 10/03. He has a lecture he's giving at a Medical Conference in Santa Barbara on Saturday, but will return to do it on Sunday if need be. Right now the leak is contained, the pocket of infection is the same size and not draining well which is why we have no other option than to do the surgery. Dr. Zane's main worry after surgery is what mother nature has so far contained, he will have to unleash... Hopefully not bad but unknown. How Mom's body deals with all of this and the risk of sepsis is a part of the laws of nature.

How long will Mom's surgery be? About 2 hours

Is a Colostomy a 'for sure' thing? Yes, but only temporary. If everything goes well with little to no complications, Mom is looking at 6 months before living life back to normal.

Is Mom strong enough to undergo this procedure? Yes, right now she is... If she were to spike fever or show deterioration then surgery would happen immediately. Right now we're trying to clear out as much as possible in the intestinal area.

How big will the incision be and where? Approximately 4-5 inches and will use her existing C-Section scar.

How soon after surgery will they get Mom up and walking around? Right away, the sooner the better. Movement and ambulation is key to recovery.

How long in the hospital after surgery? We're looking at 10 days if all goes perfect. We won't let her go until she's eating food and able to care for herself.

After speaking with Dr. Zane we are feeling better. Along with Internet research and hearing personal recommendations from Physician friends of ours, we appreciated the time he took to meet with us, answer all our questions and gave us visual details of the procedure involved. Though we learned he is only one of two physician/surgeons who would undertake this procedure, he was very humble about his accomplishments but confident in the task at hand.

Now we wait to hear when Mom's surgical procedure will be scheduled and in the words of Dr. Zane, "Once the job is done, it's your Mom's strength and Mother Nature" ... and to quote Jeanette's husband Fred, "May God be with you Doctor, in guiding your hands" ... Amen.

September 26, 2010 (part 2)

Day 30, 1pm... The surgeon came in to see Mom and told us they'll be proceeding with the colon dissection surgery. Surgery is being scheduled for this Wednesday... not sure of what time yet. Tomorrow they're inserting a PICC line once again and her surgeon wants to meet with us tomorrow 6pm. For right now her vitals are all good and we'll see what he has to say to us tomorrow evening....

We'll update you when we know more...

September 26, 2010

Day 30... Wow... We're a month in and where do we begin.... While Mom was in the ER Friday night they did another CT Scan which showed the end of her abdominal drain was now 'kinked'. The surgeon spoke with us and said the decision was made to remove that drain and insert a 'bigger' drain, then wait and see how it goes for a couple of days. If no more draining then he'll have to go in, surgically remove the bad section of colon and reattach the 'good' ends. The surgeon made it sound like this surgery will eventually have to occur but they ideally would like Mom healthier and as much of the 'bad stuff' drained out because to go in now he would be "unleashing a beast", meaning the risk would be high for the infection to spread throughout her abdominal cavity.

We waited while they took Mom to do the 'drain switch-out' and we were told afterward that everything supposedly went well. They have Mom in a room and in an area they call the Step Down Unit. This is where they have patients that are a 'step down' from ICU level but still require higher monitoring. We were told she'll probably be in the hospital at least 5 days... Her room has a phone she can call out on but receives no calls in at this time and Jeanette has her cell phone. The Step Down Unit also has limited visitors allowed and ask that no flowers be brought into the ward. Mom is back on IV, no food or drink as they're trying to rest and clear out the colon, she's on a urinal catheter and diaper... Please understand why right now visits are not recommended. This morning her Nurse said she's doing better, sleeping now as they have her on morphine. Sadly, she also informed us there is not much coming out of the drain... If this continues, then surgery will likely occur sooner rather than later.

In speaking with the main surgeon Mom has a very long road ahead of her... :-( By the time the infection is handled, the colon resection done, colostomy bag in place, colon healing time, then removal of the colostomy bag and reconnection of the intestinal track with the repaired colon, the surgeon estimates it will be 6 months possibly more before Mom will have her 'life back to normal'.

We know that with all that's happened to Mom from a 'routine colonoscopy' has a lot of you thinking, "Is it worth it?"... Quite honestly that is for you to decide with your physician and in consideration of your health history. This is a link which for those of us who are not familiar with the all the options for colorectal cancer screening and the measure of risk involved (see web link on this page), which may help answer some of those questions or at least offer you a good starting point of discussion with your medical care provider.

As for our sister Barbara, yesterday we found her sleeping soundly. We spoke with the Nurses station to update them on Mom's situation and give our cell numbers for contact. Her Nurse said, she's currently sedated, no fever, just needs rest and is doing MUCH better! She has not had a seizure since Wednesday and her seizure meds are now back at her doctor's recommended level. We heard her cough a couple of times but she seems to be breathing a lot easier.

We thought we were seeing light at the end of this long tunnel, but sadly at this point we feel like we're in more of a maze with all the twists and turns we come up against.... Please continue sending your good wishes, thoughts and prayers... You will never know how much you all mean to us! xoxoxo

September 25, 2010

Day 29... Not the best scenario..... Barbara underwent a procedure yesterday morning where they put a tube through her nose and into her lungs to drain them. Normally a 'routine' procedure but in Barbara's condition, considered 'Risky'. We met with the doctor who performed the procedure before and after... He said her right lung was filled with fluid, her left lung the two lower lobes were filled. More fluid than they'd anticipated, they removed most of it and now waiting for the culture results which will take about a week. Nothing we can do now but wait and her doctors hope her lungs don't fill up again....

As for Mom, as strong as she can be things take a toll... Yesterday her temp started spiking and last night Jeanette and Monica took her to Emergency where it was decided to admit her... As of 7:50am today, she was still in the ER waiting transport into a room. She will be in room 2068, but they said it would be an hour or so until they had her in and settled. As of right now Jeanette has Mom's cell phone so we're not able to speak with her however, I spoke with the Nurse who cared for her through the night and he said they've got her on fluids, her BP was good this morning but her Heart Rate is still up at 105 but lower than it was last night... Her fever spiked at 103.5 but as of 7:40am it was 99.1.

Not sure what today is going to bring us but it's going to be a looooooooonngg one!

September 22, 2010

At this point we've lost track of the days.... I know on the 28th it will be a month since this ordeal began. Mom is now able to shower, for which she is truly GRATEFUL!! On the other hand, we're a bit concerned because she's lost more weight and not really eating much... The doctors want her drinking 5 Boost nutritional drinks a day. Since coming home she's drank on average 1 1/2... not good. :-/ To the point where we've noticed she'll get 'shaky' in the evening.... We told her yesterday she needs to ingest what the doctors want her to take in, she needs the nutrients! Told her, "Mom, you can sip a Boost drink throughout the day or wind up with an IV back in your arm!" With Andrea, Monica, Jeanette and I 'encouraging' her, she did better today and managed to finish 3 and a 4th one went with her to bed... better! As Andrea told me, "She was not happy when we tried making her drink them. We told her tomorrow she HAS to drink all 5." However, she seemed a bit livelier today... I (Lori) got to her house about 11:30am earlier today and she was 'supervising' Andrea on doing the laundry.... Then she had me folding it!! :-P Like Kevin told me, "Somebody's gotta do it!" :-/

We understand it doesn't help having Barbara in the hospital during this time and she's naturally very worried.... We think this whole situation also now has her angry! She's now feeling anger along with the frustration of this whole stupid situation >:-(

Barbara's status is 'stabilized'... Compounded with the pneumonia is the fact that upon arriving in the ER they did blood work on her and concluded her seizure medication levels were too high. Regardless that her regular physician had her stabilized on the dosage, the medical staff at Glendale Memorial decided to lower it considerably which resulted in her having several long Grand Mal seizures... In frustration we can't help but ask ourselves, "Why are you fooling with her seizure medication without consulting her primary physician?!?!? She was taken in for pneumonia NOT seizure disorder!!"

It's frustrating all the way around.... However, as Jeanette pointed out, the fact that Mom is now showing anger at the whole situation may be an indicator that she's feeling stronger ... she's no longer listlessly weak. Physically weak granted, but her mind is going a mile-a-minute and as the days drag on she's showing signs of being good old fashioned.... pissed!!

An active, energetic individual by nature and physically healthy... She is now going through the frustration of having her life turned upside down because of the misfortune in becoming a 'statistic' of a proactive, routine colonoscopy gone wrong! Awwwwwww.... What're you gonna do?? Finally expressing the 'anger' is part of the recovery process we know, but wish we knew how long this 'healing' phase will be.

Oh!! Just to clear up misconceptions on Mom's abdominal drain .... It's located about 2-3 inches below her belly button. We learned some of you thought it was coming out of her rectal area!! Have to admit, she got a good laugh out of that when we told her! =D

Overall, we're all doing well. Just circling the wagons and getting things done... and still HUGELY Grateful for all your well wishes, good thoughts and prayers!!

September 20, 2010

Day 24... (sigh....) We're at the point of 'what else?' and afraid to verbalize it... Mom continues to 'manage' however... late last night we received a call from The Manor where our sister Barbara is, informing us she was being taken to emergency. They said she'd had a cough but it's worsened along with difficulty breathing... At 9:00am today the hospital told us they're keeping her, observing and treating her for pneumonia. So again, we wait and see. What is that saying about being given only what you can handle?? Hmmmmmmmmmm...... (deep breath) good thing we're made of 'strong stuff'!!

Thank you for your continued encouragement and prayers...

September 19, 2010 (part 2)

Well, Mom is finally home... The abdominal drain is still in place, she's very tired and weak but hopefully around her home surroundings she'll better relax and heal. The doctors still have her on a liquid diet for now and Kaiser should be calling tomorrow with her appointment with the Surgeon, who she's supposed to see in a week. There should be a Home Nurse coming in as well... We're hoping over the next few days she'll establish her household routine.

While we're rejoicing the fact that Mom's home at last, we all have to remember at this point she is trading hospital convalescence with home convalescence... a lateral trade really. Mom is in NO WAY recovered! This is 'wait and see' time while her body continues the process of clearing the smaller infection sites and containment of the larger site. Surgical repair is still a very real probability once containment has occurred and we don't even want to think at this point what will be involved then!

As for now, it remains 'a day at a time', she's making S-L-O-W progress but progress none the less and for that we are grateful and celebrate!!
We once again Thank You for your continued thoughts, your prayers and we will stay in touch!!

September 19, 2010

Day 23... Just received word that Mom is being released today! They will be removing the PICC Line but leaving the abdominal drain in place... Mom is nervous and scared about going home like this. They told her they'd check her in a week and schedule another CT Scan then.... Just found all this out so now we're sCrAmBliNg!!! Jeanette & Fred are leaving now to pick her up, Monica & I will meet them at Mom's house to set things up... Will update more later!

September 17, 2010

Day 21... Dare we say.... (whisper) "Light at the end of the tunnel!" Yesterday they took Mom off all the IV's and started her on an oral antibiotic. The prognosis is they will she how she does for a couple of days, no increased pain or fever is what they're hoping for and depending what another CT Scan shows, the good news is they may send her home.... Not so good is she may have to go home with the abdominal drain still in and a visiting nurse. Her surgeon would like her body to heal itself as much as possible before considering a surgical outcome. This morning I received a text from Mom saying, "Great night last night, going to the bathroom was easier. I'm free from the IV! Breakfast is still cream of wheat, pudding and juice. No change there :-/" Keeping fingers and toes crossed and prayers going that it REALLY is light we see at the end of this tunnel...

September 14, 2010

Day 18... Soooooo Tuesdays are my cRaZy work day... I start at 6am and usually go until 7:30pm. However, a lot of my clients are teachers and this being the 1st week of school, it comes with lots of client cancellations."Yay!" I think, I can run over and check on Mom, see how she's holding up....

I get to the hospital, walk onto the 4th floor and as I enter her wing I spot this little lady walking down the hall pushing her IV cart and I realize, it's Mom! She's surprised to see me (Lori) and happily informs me she's walking her 2nd set of double laps today and is so pleased I can join her!! So I walk along side her and (of course) she already knows all the staff and happily made introductions :-) Nice surprise, there's a number of St. Philomena (her home parish, the parochial school we attended back in the day and where she works now) alumni that are on staff at the hospital who recognized her and are making a special note to take good care of her. Mom is especially pleased that they started her on a 'regular' liquid diet today which now includes Cream of Wheat for breakfast, cream of 'whatever' soup (chicken or mushroom), pudding and tea... Mom did inform the dietician (St. Philomena alumni) that she does not like vanilla pudding and prefers chocolate... ah ha! Taken care of!!

Mom said she felt better today... she decided she felt good enough for a self-done sponge bath and although a LONG s-l-o-w process she did indeed feel fresher afterward. She admitted her motivation was Jeanette... Jeanette said, "Mom, you can take care of it or I will get it done on Friday." =D Thank God every day at this point, seems to give us the gift of improvement! Before I left to go back to work Mom whispered to me, "They may even send me home this weekend." ... Hmmmmmm, I said, "Now Mom, the Docs indicated 2 more weeks." to which she replied, "Well, I feel better and I'm just saying it could happen. ".... Hey, it's Mom! We don't doubt anything and just we'll wait and see...

She knows of everyone who is pulling for her, praying for her and wishing the best for her... She wants you to know how much she loves all of you...
We Do Too!!!

September 13, 2010

Day 17... Whew! Where do we begin.... They took Mom early this morning for another CT Scan, this time they did full torso area. Mom had a pleasant surprise when she discovered her nurse for today was Jennie, Nurse Jennie was one of Mom's 'Angels' in the wing they moved her from and is very familiar with Mom's case, so Mom was happy to see her this morning! Because she's still only allowed to have clear broth, jello, juice, water and tea they still have her on the clear nutritional 'cocktail' which seems to spike her glucose levels even though Mom is not diabetic. This means she's given an abdominal Insulin injection once a day along with everything else.

About 4pm Mom's new Hospitalist came by, introduced himself and went over the findings on the CT Scan... Dr. Cheung said along with a very large infection extending from the perforation site, there are multiple 'pockets' of infection which are smaller but throughout the entire colon... However, the CT Scan shows that the large infection area and the smaller areas ARE responding to the antibiotic treatment and it looks like it may take another 2 weeks in the hospital to get all the infectious matter to drain, hopefully eliminating most of the smaller 'pockets' and isolating the largest infection closer to the original site of perforation. Then it looks like a good possibility they may have to go in and surgically remove the 'bad' area of her colon and reattach the two healthier ends....

So as Mom says, "One day at a time..." Her spirits are good, those of you who know Mom know her attitude, "What else can I do? I hope for the best." Up until Dad passed away (it will be 6 years on 10/30) we always thought it was Dad that was the strong one... Since then we've seen and known our 'real' Mom...

Mom was the strength that held us all together, Mom was the strength that took care of Barbara and Dad... and now again, Mom is the strength and the positive attitude that will carry her through this... and all of us along with her... She's our example, she's our hero... WE Love You Mom!

September 12, 2010

Day 16... Another loooooooong day ... not so great is there's some 'leakage' at the drain site and no one seems to know why but on the good side, they moved Mom tonight to a private room. It's bigger and she has her own bathroom. She's in a completely different area of the hospital now and she was sad to leave those who have now become friendly familiar faces to her... They were all sad to see her go too! The evening staff all came out as they put her on the gurney to say good-bye and wish her well, they said "We hate to see the good patients get transferred!" So now Mom will have a whole new set of people to familiarize her self with and if you know Mom, you know she'll soon learn all their life stories too!!

The Hospitalist's hope was to be able to take her off the IV antibiotic today to see how she does without it for a couple of days but she spiked a fever and with the drain 'leaking' he opted not to stop it at this time. Tomorrow the surgeon has her scheduled for another CT Scan to check and see how things are progressing internally... When we know, you'll know! She still has her cell phone with her and her direct hospital phone line. When we left her shortly before 10pm, she was resting quietly... We hope for a restful night.

September 10, 2010 (part 2)

Evening Day 14... Finally got to the hospital about 1pm but Mom's room was closed off with a scary 'STOP!' sign on her door declaring 'Patient undergoing medical procedure. Contact Nurse's station'. I found out they were inserting a PICC Line to use for her IV meds and nutrition from here on out, rather than poking her arm over and over... When the procedure was complete, Xray taken for position verification and I finally went in she was a bit perturbed. She said, "The technician inserting the PICC Line asked me if I was on steroids! When I said 'NO' she said 'Oh, because your veins are brittle." If anyone out there knows what is meant by 'Brittle Veins' please inform us because we're not understanding this.... Mom's never been on steroids... At least not since her body building days... just kidding!

Spent a quiet afternoon sitting with Mom and reading... Her favorite soap opera, 'General Hospital' comes on at 2pm so her invisible 'Do Not Disturb' sign goes up until 3pm ;-)... They checked her blood sugar level and it was elevated at 167 so they again gave her an injection of Insulin. She's back on the IV Nutritional Cocktail along with a diet of clear liquids consisting of Jello, apple juice and tea... The jello is sugar free and when I gave her the tea she asked me for the sugar packet to sweeten it... I said, "Mom! Your blood sugar is elevated, I don't think you're supposed to have sugar." She said, "Just a pinch won't hurt". That's when we realized the hospital staff had removed her stash of sugar packets! She gave SUCH a scowl... I think she's feeling better :-)

About 4:15pm when Jeanette arrived they still hadn't connected her IV to the PICC Line and just as we were wondering why, they came in and said it wasn't in correctly. They took her to radiology to re-insert the whole thing! Turns out the original one wasn't long enough, so they had to re-do the whole procedure. This time everything went well and they connected her up to the brand new PICC and removed her IV.

Before leaving, her Hospitalist Doc came in and gave us the following run down... Their hopes are that the infection will shrink down and contain near the area of the original tear. His concern is that her antibiotic is not available in oral form, only intravenously. He plans on discontinuing it on Sunday and see how she responds over the following two days. Another CT Scan will probably be done on Monday to see how much the infection has decreased... At that time, Doctors will meet and decide whether removing the drain is warranted or if they should send her home with it for follow up later. If they send her home with it, then there's a very real possibility that 3 to 4 weeks later as the infection is contained to the original tear site at the sigmoid, they will have to go in and surgically remove the 'bad' part of her colon and reattach the two 'healthy' end pieces.

Bottom line... Mom will remain in the hospital into next week. At this point we just take one day at a time... It's the best we can do. Mom seems to be getting a bit of her spunkiness back, which is a very good thing! Your continued thoughts and prayers are very much welcomed and appreciated....

September 10, 2010

Day 14


Mom met this morning with her 'main Docs', the Hospitalist and Surgeon... Surgeon told her he's trying to avoid surgery at all costs because once he opens her up the infection will spread and then runs the risk of her having a colostomy bag. He told her, "Be patient!" They're trying to clear this thing on it's own without reverting to drastic measures... They will do another CT Scan in a couple of days and hope for the best possible result with the possibility of removing the drain.

Mom says she no longer has the severe gas pains which were the result of the infectious matter stuck inside her. She's currently experiencing only soreness at the sight of the drain. They 'ok'd' her to eat a soft, liquid diet, they want her to continue to rest, get up and walk as much as she can and be patient while nature and medicine take it's course.

Her cell phone is working now (310-612-8197) if you want to send a text message, they do lift her spirits ... her direct hospital line is 310-517-2215. However, with the liquid diet it makes for frequent trips to the bathroom!! So please understand if she doesn't answer ... As for visiting her, she asks that you please understand that with being in the hospital this long and now with the intestinal drain she REALLY doesn't feel presentable. Technology being what it is today, your text messages and email messages are reaching her ... She is SO appreciative of all the love and support from you all!!

September 9, 2010

Day 13... Whew!!! Another long day, BUT (We're hesitant here...) it looks like good news. A bit of 'touch & go' at the start of the procedure.... Monica was with Mom when they took her in, then the Nurse came out and said the technician did not want to do the procedure because they saw "a hole in the colon and numerous infected pockets"... WTF!!! Monica was left helpless, wondering what the heck was going on when moments later the Nurse came out again, running after her down the hall and told her, "We've contacted the doctor and we're told to proceed with the procedure as directed." They ended up putting in a larger drain than anticipated because the area of infection was larger than originally thought.

Current status, Mom has been resting.... some discomfort from the intestinal drain in her lower abdominal area HOWEVER, the bloating is now gone and the severe cramping is gone. While we were there Mom slept the deepest we've seen her sleep since this whole ordeal began!! We're keeping our fingers crossed and hope we get 'Great News' when the doctors see her in the morning....

Mom is aware of all the love, prayers, concern and well wishes from ALL of you.... We share it all with her and words can NOT express how much your prayers mean to us all and how much your well wishes are helping in her recovery.... Bless you all!!

Once we speak with and get updated from her Doctors we'll update again... Our Thanks and Love to all of you!

September 8, 2010

Day 12!! Long day.... Long night.... Just got back from the hospital where we all met with Mom's Medical Doctor (the Hospitalist) and this is the latest rundown... The 3rd CT Scan shows that the area of infection resulting from the original tear is a lot larger than they thought. That area of infection has formed a 'pocket' which creates air in the intestinal tract causing the pain and bloating. The IV antibiotic is doing it's job, hence the reason Mom has not been running a fever... however a large 'pus pocket' remains. The Doctors working Mom's case met, discussed and collectively feel the best scenario going forward is to try draining the pocket of infection.

She will be undergoing this procedure tomorrow. The procedure entails putting her under 'twighlight' sedation, putting her into the CT Scanner, try to pinpoint the 'pus pocket' area and insert a hollow needle to pierce it. Once they determine through the use of the CT Scan that they're in the right area, they will insert a 'pig tail' drain. Best case scenario the 'pus pocket' will drain clear within 24 hrs --- Possible scenario they will send her home with the drain in place, visiting Nurse care and check the status of the 'pus pocket' in a week or two via another CT Scan ---- If drain is still draining after a month, she will have to prepare as she did for the original colonoscopy procedure, 'clean out' and they will surgically remove the 'bad' area of the large intestine and connect the two 'healthy' ends.... Can you see our eyes rolling, heads shaking and voices screaming AAAAAAaaaaaaarrrrrrggggghhhhhhh!!!!!!!!

Ahem... enough venting.... This 'drain procedure' sounds simple enough but we asked, "What are the possible issues with this procedure?" We were told basically the same as the original colonoscopy, possibility of another tear, rupture or bleeding --- Hmmmmmmmmmm...... BUT we have no other choice.

SOOOOOOO we think positive, hope for the BEST and pray, Pray, PRAY!!!

We were not given a definite time Mom will be undergoing this procedure tomorrow, the earliest would be 8am. Again, we Thank You for your good thoughts, positive energy and prayers for Mom... I hope our next email will be filled with Great News!

September 7, 2010

Day 11... Light at the end of the tunnel???? It looks like there's a 'good chance' Mom may be home by tomorrow afternoon.... Keep fingers crossed and prayers going! She's off the IV and on a bland diet... her main source of pain now is 'gas-related' as her digestive system reacts to the introduction of food.... As Kev told her, "It's okay Mom, just let 'er loose!!" (...imagine with a Jersey accent :-/) however, it's not that simple. Tonight they did another CT Scan the results of which we should have in the morning and we're keeping our fingers crossed and prayers going that the results will be positive and we'll be able to take her home!!! When we know you'll know.... We promise!!

September 5, 2010

Day 9... And the healing process continues... As for leaving the hospital, that possibility was voiced by the Surgeon. Her Medical Doctor says, "No way!" Mom's still on an IV drip of nutrients, antibiotics and pain meds. The nutrient 'cocktail' they have her on spikes her blood sugar levels so they give her an injection of insulin in the morning.... AAAAAaaaarrrrrgggghhhh!!! The FRUSTRATION of it all!! Okay, enough venting.... SO, at this point until she's off the IV 'cocktail' and is literally able to 'stomach' food and necessary meds we have no real idea of when she'll be released.

Thank you all again, for your continued prayers, well wishes and positive thoughts... Words can not express how grateful we are! <3

September 3, 2010

Day 7... The latest news is they're talking about possibly releasing Mom tomorrow.... She's slowly feeling better but is still on IV pain meds and antibiotics. They've increased her diet to include pudding, cream based soups and coffee. Quite honestly, Mom wants to go home... She says she can rest, eat a modified diet and walk her laps more comfortably at home amongst her 'stuff'. So at this point we wait and we see what the doctors say in the morning... Keep fingers crossed and positive thoughts flowing because she REALLY would rather be home!

Thank you SO MUCH for all your prayers, positive thoughts and well wishes .... We'll let you know if they let her go!

September 2, 2010

Day 6... Thank you everyone for your positive thoughts and well wishes! Mom is aware that with diverticulosis, going forward she's will have to stay away from seeds, like sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds or any other kinds of seeds. It is also not recommended to have tomatoes because of the seeds. Strawberries, blueberries, and all those other berry fruits are out of the question, as well as popcorn.
In diverticulosis, the diverticuli or the little pockets along the intestine, will accumulate the seeds and inflammation sets in.

That said, her issues right now are not due to what she ate but rather the initial tear caused by the colonoscopy procedure. The problem now is that the seepage from the tear and the naturally occurring bacteria have now caused a secondary infection in one of the diverticuli. The doctors have told her the initial tear is fusing however this secondary infection is adding to her problem. They will continue to watch and see if the infection clears on its own... If not, they may have to try to drain it with a syringe procedure.

Today they began allowing her intake of water, apple juice, tea and jello... She's only taken in very little of this because besides being in pain she's afraid of eating! They've also put her on a nutritional IV solution of minerals and vitamins... Unfortunately this spiked her blood sugar levels and she had to be given an insulin injection. Mom's very good about getting up out of bed and walking as much and as far as possible within the halls of the hospital. Though painful, she's been told walking is beneficial to recovery and she's been fastidious in doing all she can to physically encourage the healing process.

I understand you may want to see her, but quite honestly she tires easily, saving her energy for her hallway laps ;-) If you wish to visit, please do but realize visits of short duration are best and the least draining on her... If you do make the trek to Kaiser Permanente Harbor City take advantage of the cool weather near the coast and visit Ports O'Call or explore Redondo, Hermosa or Manhattan Beach areas! You can also cross the bridges into Long Beach and explore all the south facing beach cities have to offer too!

I share everyone's positive messages and well wishes with her which she greatly appreciates!! She keeps the hospital phone (310-517-2215) and her cell phone close by (310-612-8197). She enjoys receiving text messages of well wishes and love... Contact from those close to her heart (YOU! ) is what's important, whether it be face to face or by phone or text message... Love, prayers and positive energy flows through no matter the venue! :-)

September 1, 2010

Day 5... Long day... Long week... It seems like Mom is slowly improving... Thank God!! The head surgeon came to check on her today and ordered a 2nd CT Scan which was done earlier today. As of tonight 10pm we still have not heard anything about the results... This is Mom's 5th day without food or drink, although this morning they started her on an IV drip enhanced with vitamins and minerals. Like she says, "It's a helluva way to lose those last 10 pounds!" Hopefully we'll hear about the results of the CT Scan in the morning... It should tell us if Mom's body is healing as everyone is hoping, thus avoiding surgical repair. I'll let you all know when we know... In the meantime, Mom wants you to know how much she appreciates everyones good thoughts and prayers! I've been sharing your emails with her and she wants you to know how special and loved you make her feel.... THANK YOU!!

August 30, 2010

Saw Mom earlier today... Pretty much status quo. She said the Assistant Surgeon came in to see her as well as the doctor who performed the colonoscopy. He asked Mom what she ate during the rest of the day after the procedure. She told him, "Toast, applesauce, a banana, a small bowl of spaghetti...", he said, "Oh! It was probably because you ate meat." Huh???? Mom said, "If there were restrictions on eating why wasn't anything said to me? Here I've avoided doing this thing all this time and at my doctors insistence I do it and this happens! "

Later, while I was still with her a Nutritionist stopped by. The Nutritionist said she was asked to come in by the doctor (which one????) because Mom's albumin levels were coming up low. Mom asked, "What does that mean?" Nutritionist replied, "It's usually caused from not eating enough protein and doctor is concerned you may have poor eating habits" .... WTF?!?!? She continued, since Mom was there for "intestinal problems" she may not be eating right. We quickly informed her she had been fasting in preparation for the colonoscopy procedure and was still restricted to no food or drink because of the ensuing complications!! She said, "Oh!" and left the room.... Mom said, "They think I'm some senior citizen who can't care for herself!" I told her, "Don't worry Mom, they'll probably get you signed up for Meals on Wheels!"

Mom's Nurse came in shortly after and Mom told her what happened... Her Nurse laughed and said, "She didn't know you're here because we messed up, not you!" =D

Mom's pain level is about the same but when I left she was resting easy....

August 29, 2010

Some of you may know and to others this may be new news but Mom is in the hospital. She under went a routine colonoscopy on Friday, was pleased at how easy the procedure went... however, as can occur with a small percentage of those that undergo this procedure, she developed complications. Saturday morning she began having severe lower abdominal pains. As the morning progressed they got worse and she drove herself to the emergency room at Kaiser Permanente Harbor City (I know, I know! ). Thankfully they performed a CT Scan right away and discovered a tear in the sigmoid area of the colon, resulting from the colonoscopy procedure. They immediately hospitalized her.

Currently her vitals are good, they have her on an antibiotic IV, dilaudid for pain, no food or drink. The doctors are hoping she'll heal naturally and thus avoid having to be surgically repaired. She'll be in the hospital at least until Wednesday, she's in pain, her spirits are good but she's very tired. I'll keep you updated as she progresses and ask you to please keep her in your prayers!