End of a Nightmare...

FABULOUS NEWS!! Mom was released from the hospital this afternoon and is now home… Monica had the honor of chauffeuring her, then Jeanette and I visited with her this evening. While she is taking it easy, we were surprised to find her on top of a step stool looking for something in her kitchen cupboard! She is getting around s-l-o-w-l-y but looks SO MUCH better than the last experience of coming home… YAY!!

While she’s slowly reintroducing food into her diet, the doctor informed her she has NO diet restrictions. Jeanette asked, “What about seeds and nuts?” Dr. Zane said, “No restrictions.” Jeanette asked, “What about tomatoes, strawberries and spicy foods?” Dr. Zane said, “No restrictions!” Apparently, in becoming ‘closely acquainted’ with her colon (up close and personal), Dr. Zane found no evidence of diverticulosis. So Mom is now looking forward to all culinary delights with a sparkle in her eye! She still has abdominal staples which will be removed on April 6th and she sees the surgeon for her post op visit on April 18th so it looks like we’re in the homestretch and finally coming out of this nightmare…

Once again, we hope each and every one of you knows how much you mean to us and how grateful we are for all the well wishes, good thoughts and prayers you’ve sent Mom’s way throughout this ordeal… We wish you Blessings, we wish you Love, we look forward to the next time we see you under ‘Happy’ circumstances!!

Love and Hugs!

cRaZy, Wild Dreams...

Three days into recovery and it’s been slow going… Mom’s having difficulty speaking because of a drain they have going through her nose, down her throat and into her stomach to relieve the upper GI tract of bile and/or gas in order to facilitate the healing of her upper and lower GI tract. Her throat is really, really sore and it’s hard for her to talk.

They’ve had her sitting up in a chair and walking the entire corridor… It took longer to unhook, detangle all the wires and tubes than it did to walk all around!! Then she has this unwieldy IV ‘xmas tree’ apparatus of machines she has to push around… Mom’s feisty this time around though! When the nurse said, “You’re supposed to use and hold onto the IV tree to help stabilize you while you walk.” Mom retorted, “You try pushing this heavy thing!” The nurse did try and had trouble moving it… So there was Mom, holding onto Monica for support and the nurse pushing the unwieldy IV tree up and around the 3rd floor!! Afterward Mom apologized to her nurse for ‘snapping’ at her but that thing IS HEAVY!

Tomorrow (Saturday 03/26) they are supposed to start removing all the tubes and probably begin introducing food. Mom has not had anything to eat since Monday (03/21) and then it was only ‘clear liquids’.

When I got there this morning (Friday 03/25) Mom was dozing… about half an hour later she woke and said her night was okay. Her throat still hurts and they’re giving her Cepecol lozenges to suck on for relief. Then she asked me, “Do you know anything about the roses from David? I think Jeanette took them.” I said, “No Mom. I don’t know anything about that, I’ll text Jeanette and ask” … then Mom said, “Jeanette was here earlier and she was checking Greg’s teeth” … At that point I started thinking this might be the result of pain meds and no food!!

Jeanette replied to my text message with, “HUH? I haven’t been by yet today and I don’t know about any roses!” :-D Yep! I think, definitely the drugs… While Mom slept I spoke with her nurse. Her nurse said, “No, no roses have been delivered and no one’s been here earlier.” She confirmed my theory that this may be due to the Benedryl injection they gave her for the rash from the medical tape, combined with the pain meds… Nurse said she’d keep an eye on her!

This evening, Mom was in good spirits and looking forward to having all the tubes removed and eating again. She says the medical staff all comment on how tiny she is… She tells them, “If you weren’t being fed you’d be tiny too!” Then she told us, “I think I’ll ask for another Benedryl injection around midnight… It helped me sleep good!” OH BOY!! Let the cRaZy wild dreams begin…

The Final Chapter begins....

Finally beginning what we hope is the final chapter in the ‘Colonoscopy Drama’!

Mom’s reconstructive surgery went well… Dr. Zane (her surgeon) said there was much less scar tissue than he’d anticipated and she’ll be in the hospital for 5 to 10 days.

The three of us escorted Mom to the hospital yesterday. We waited while they prepped her and then allowed us to visit with her in pre-op… When I went in Mom looked good and relaxed. I told her, “Y’know the last time it was just myself, Monica & Jeanette with you and this time Barbara’s with us too.” Mom smiled and said, “I know. The girl who came to get me in the Waiting Room said, ‘Hello! Follow me, I’ll show you the way… I’m Barbara’”

I went and saw Mom today about noon… ROUGH night! She was still in a LOT of pain and hadn’t slept much all night. When I got there her nurse was trying to find another vein for the IV line because the one she had was no longer working and her veins keep rolling. Success this time!! However, they may have to consider a ‘central line’ in her neck or chest area if they have to change it out again. Her nurse said they need to control her pain before they consider getting her up… they gave her a morphine injection and I left her dozing…

When Monica arrived around 3:30pm she said Mom was more comfortable, dozing in and out, her vitals were good and her temperature was 98.2.

Jeanette got there after work and said the nurse had just helped Mom sit in a chair about 6:20pm. Said it was a little rough but she did it! She said Mom was pressing the ‘pain med button’ every 10 minutes. Around 7:45pm Mom was back in bed and they had to give her medication to off set the nausea she was feeling… Sitting up in the chair brought on the nauseous feeling. The nurse told Mom she will get her up tomorrow for a walk and said it was really good that she sat up in the chair tonight.

Dr. Zane said recovery would be very painful in the beginning and it looks like he was right again! Hopefully every day will be better and soon she’ll feel up to talking on the phone and/or receiving visitors… Thank you so much for your prayers and support! Hopefully tomorrow will be a little easier than today….

Barbara... Rest in Peace

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pr_c902O4ro

No Life is ‘insignificant’ no matter how long or short the time period they touch us, we are enriched by their life force & gifts they leave with us. Barbara taught us Patience & Compassion. Because of her, we grew into women who try to keep Open Minds & Open Hearts & the BEST ‘Character Gift’ our sister left us are Acceptance & Unconditional Love. Celebrate! Be at Peace & Dance Barbara, Dance!


Thank you SO MUCH for all your kind thoughts and prayers… we are stronger, enveloped in the comfort of your love and good wishes… We are blessed to have you in our corner and your presence in our lives… We take comfort in knowing Barbara’s pain is gone, she’s now unlocked from her earthly disabilities and FINALLY FREE…. Love to you all!!

I'm Free
Don't grieve for me now, I'm free
I followed the path life had for me
I fought the battle with all my might
I would never leave here without a fight

I could not stay another day
To laugh, to love, to work or play
Tasks left undone must stay that way
I've found that peace at close of day

If parting has left a void,
Then fill it with remembered joy
A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss
Ah yes, these things I too will miss

Be not burdened with times of sorrow
I wish you the sunshine of tomorrow
My life's been full, I've savored much
Good friends, good times, a loved one's touch

Perhaps my time seemed all too brief
Don't lengthen it now with undue grief
Lift up your hearts and share with me
Celebrate my life because now I'm free

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!