Need six more states to join us in our prayer requests and we will have someone from every state!!! Thursday we will want to be rocking the heavens with prayer for strength, courage, healing and acceptance. Tell all your friends and have them tell their friends....somebody has to know someone in the remaining states...have them log on to the guest book!
Come on Alaska, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Wyoming join us in prayer!
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Saturday 11/8
Mike here for the speedy quick update. Lisa's home and running around like her ol' self. She's a hoot, let me tell you.
I took Lisa for her PET scan and bone marrow biopsy on Thursday and that went well enough. On Thursday Linda and I took Lisa back to Mott to talk to her surgeon. The surgery is going to begin on 11/13, at 9:30 AM, and is scheduled for 12 hours. They may not need the entire 12 hours but as the surgeon explained, we're expecting a long, delicate and difficult surgery.
The tumor they are going after is definitely smaller than when originally diagnosed, probably won't fill a cup he said, but it has intertwined itself with many blood vessels, arteries, and veins that supply blood to the the organs in her abdomen. After listening to him explain the surgery, I understand the most difficult task to be detaching the tumor from the very delicate blood vessels. Damaging the blood vessels could/would compromise the organs they supply.
That's pretty much it. With that knowledge and the knowledge of Maranda's procedure, we had a lot to absorb this week. We're taking each day as it comes and living in the moment. Thanks for all the prayers and support. Mark your calendars for the 13th to send extra prayers and positive energy to Lisa and the medial team.
I took Lisa for her PET scan and bone marrow biopsy on Thursday and that went well enough. On Thursday Linda and I took Lisa back to Mott to talk to her surgeon. The surgery is going to begin on 11/13, at 9:30 AM, and is scheduled for 12 hours. They may not need the entire 12 hours but as the surgeon explained, we're expecting a long, delicate and difficult surgery.
The tumor they are going after is definitely smaller than when originally diagnosed, probably won't fill a cup he said, but it has intertwined itself with many blood vessels, arteries, and veins that supply blood to the the organs in her abdomen. After listening to him explain the surgery, I understand the most difficult task to be detaching the tumor from the very delicate blood vessels. Damaging the blood vessels could/would compromise the organs they supply.
That's pretty much it. With that knowledge and the knowledge of Maranda's procedure, we had a lot to absorb this week. We're taking each day as it comes and living in the moment. Thanks for all the prayers and support. Mark your calendars for the 13th to send extra prayers and positive energy to Lisa and the medial team.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Yeah...Lisa went home Wed night
Just to let everyone know, docs released Lisa last night. Apparently we had overstayed our welcome!! It's amazing how quickly they discharge you when you let your kid run up and down the halls willy-nilly. Just kidding!!!
Her counts were high enough and she was eating so they said we could go home and sleep in our own beds...yeah!! It's a good thing too because Lisa was astute enough to point out Tuesday night when we went to bed that..."Hey, you said if I ate, we could go home". Indeed I did, so I told her to keep eating, she did, and we got to home.
She goes back to hospital today as outpatient for her PET Scan and bone marrow biopsy. She should be home by this evening and then we go tommorrow to meet with her surgeons.
Her counts were high enough and she was eating so they said we could go home and sleep in our own beds...yeah!! It's a good thing too because Lisa was astute enough to point out Tuesday night when we went to bed that..."Hey, you said if I ate, we could go home". Indeed I did, so I told her to keep eating, she did, and we got to home.
She goes back to hospital today as outpatient for her PET Scan and bone marrow biopsy. She should be home by this evening and then we go tommorrow to meet with her surgeons.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Update on Lisa and Maranda's Appt
Lisa woke up this morning and with a bit of bribing, threats and force I convinced her to eat. She took 5 bites of oatmeal that I forced on her and than later ate a pancake on her own.
Once breakfast was done, we got some bummer news...they put Lisa on isolation. Apparently her loose stools (gross) could be some type of virus that would put the other kids on chemo at risk. Hmm....perhaps the stool softener the docs prescribed the other day just to be safe is the culprit. Anyway, they are running tests on the samples (ewwwwwwww!!) and should know in 24 hours whether she is a threat to the low-immunity kids. That means we can walk the halls and even go outside...but she can't go to the playroom or touch anything sick kids might also touch until we know what's causing the condition. Fun. I guess this is good practice for the week of isolation we'll be up against with the radiation.
Other than that, things are looking up. She ate both lunch and dinner and had her EKG and Echo cardiogram done. Doctors and I agreed to stop the morphine and only give it to her on demand...I don't think we used it at all today. We are just using magic mouthwash and anti-nausea meds as needed. She's definitely doing much better If all continues to go well, on Thursday, Lisa will get her scan and be released from the hospital afterwards. We will come back and meet with surgeon on Friday and then plan for surgery next week 11/13 as planned.
Lisa hung out with a med buddy while Mike and I took Maranda to her appt. with the neurosurgeon. He confirmed that the chiari malformation caused they syrinx (the cyst in her spinal column) and the pressure from this caused the scoliosis. The solution...surgery....which 9/10 times will fix the syrinx problem and arrest the scoliosis. So, I won't write my own emotions into this...I'll give you the facts as I understand them and let you form your own conclusions. The surgery takes 3-4 hours and these are the steps as described to us....
The surgery is performed under general anesthesia. An area of hair about 2 inches wide is shaved at the back of the head (Maranda will be able to keep the rest of her hair so it will probably cover up the shaving/incision spot). A straight incision is created from the occipital area at the back of the head to upper neck. Bone is removed at the base of the back of the skull and from the back part of the cervical one (C1) vertebrae.
They will then open up the dura, the outer covering of the brain, to assess the position of the cerebellar tonsils, the degree of crowding and the drainage path for spinal fluid. If necessary, the tips of the cerebellar tonsils are cauterized to create more room in the area, remove the crowding, and allow more normal flow of spinal fluid. A patch of tissue is then sewn to the edges of the open dura to enlarge the dural sac. The tissues are then closed with stitches and staples are used to close the skin.
After surgery, there will be a one-night stay in ICU for close observation. The area of the neck incision is generally stiff and sore (really sore!) after surgery. Pain medication is usually given with a patient-controlled infusion machine. Generally, you may sit in a chair by the following day and walk with assistance. The hospital stay is generally 2 to 3 days.
Risks of surgery include infection (1/100), leakage of spinal fluid (1/50) and neurological injury such as hemorrhage, brain damage or stroke (very unlikely).
So...that's the info we received today. It seems a bit unreal and much more frightening when I'm typing it than it was having the doctors explain it. They are so calm and matter-of-fact that they make it seem like this is a common, everyday occurrence. Doc says he does 25 of these surgeries a year...that doesn't seem like a whole lot. I pray that the doctors have the skills to match their confidence and that Maranda comes out of this surgery better than when she went in.
We are looking to coordinate Maranda's surgery with one of Lisa's stay...it's a little tough because Lisa's stays can very easily be thrown off. We are aiming to schedule Maranda's surgery for sometime in the first two weeks of December, hopefully to coincide with Lisa's radiation treatment....UGH!!
Once breakfast was done, we got some bummer news...they put Lisa on isolation. Apparently her loose stools (gross) could be some type of virus that would put the other kids on chemo at risk. Hmm....perhaps the stool softener the docs prescribed the other day just to be safe is the culprit. Anyway, they are running tests on the samples (ewwwwwwww!!) and should know in 24 hours whether she is a threat to the low-immunity kids. That means we can walk the halls and even go outside...but she can't go to the playroom or touch anything sick kids might also touch until we know what's causing the condition. Fun. I guess this is good practice for the week of isolation we'll be up against with the radiation.
Other than that, things are looking up. She ate both lunch and dinner and had her EKG and Echo cardiogram done. Doctors and I agreed to stop the morphine and only give it to her on demand...I don't think we used it at all today. We are just using magic mouthwash and anti-nausea meds as needed. She's definitely doing much better If all continues to go well, on Thursday, Lisa will get her scan and be released from the hospital afterwards. We will come back and meet with surgeon on Friday and then plan for surgery next week 11/13 as planned.
Lisa hung out with a med buddy while Mike and I took Maranda to her appt. with the neurosurgeon. He confirmed that the chiari malformation caused they syrinx (the cyst in her spinal column) and the pressure from this caused the scoliosis. The solution...surgery....which 9/10 times will fix the syrinx problem and arrest the scoliosis. So, I won't write my own emotions into this...I'll give you the facts as I understand them and let you form your own conclusions. The surgery takes 3-4 hours and these are the steps as described to us....
The surgery is performed under general anesthesia. An area of hair about 2 inches wide is shaved at the back of the head (Maranda will be able to keep the rest of her hair so it will probably cover up the shaving/incision spot). A straight incision is created from the occipital area at the back of the head to upper neck. Bone is removed at the base of the back of the skull and from the back part of the cervical one (C1) vertebrae.
They will then open up the dura, the outer covering of the brain, to assess the position of the cerebellar tonsils, the degree of crowding and the drainage path for spinal fluid. If necessary, the tips of the cerebellar tonsils are cauterized to create more room in the area, remove the crowding, and allow more normal flow of spinal fluid. A patch of tissue is then sewn to the edges of the open dura to enlarge the dural sac. The tissues are then closed with stitches and staples are used to close the skin.
After surgery, there will be a one-night stay in ICU for close observation. The area of the neck incision is generally stiff and sore (really sore!) after surgery. Pain medication is usually given with a patient-controlled infusion machine. Generally, you may sit in a chair by the following day and walk with assistance. The hospital stay is generally 2 to 3 days.
Risks of surgery include infection (1/100), leakage of spinal fluid (1/50) and neurological injury such as hemorrhage, brain damage or stroke (very unlikely).
So...that's the info we received today. It seems a bit unreal and much more frightening when I'm typing it than it was having the doctors explain it. They are so calm and matter-of-fact that they make it seem like this is a common, everyday occurrence. Doc says he does 25 of these surgeries a year...that doesn't seem like a whole lot. I pray that the doctors have the skills to match their confidence and that Maranda comes out of this surgery better than when she went in.
We are looking to coordinate Maranda's surgery with one of Lisa's stay...it's a little tough because Lisa's stays can very easily be thrown off. We are aiming to schedule Maranda's surgery for sometime in the first two weeks of December, hopefully to coincide with Lisa's radiation treatment....UGH!!
Monday, November 3, 2008
Still here
We're still at Motts. Can't go home until Lisa's bloodcounts go up and she can eat. She's still on Morphine and she hasn't eaten since Thursday. Even so, she still is up and around and looks better each day.
Her scan for tomorrow was cancelled because of the low blood counts. At this point, the test and surgery are each being bumped out a week.
Maranda is scheduled to see neurosurgeon tomorrow....I'm prepare to hear the words surgery and in-patient....other than that I'm not sure what to expect.
Lisa G. and Clifford helped make the day more bearable today. Mike was supposed to come relieve me tonight, but Thomas got sick and had to come home for school so Mike did sick duty at home...ugh!
So, tomorrow's another day...I pray that Lisa starts eating, her pain subsides and that the news on Maranda is bearable and has an easy, straightforward plan of action!
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Thank you visitors!
Lisa and I had a pizza party on Sat with Grandma and Grandpa Y., Aunt Sam, Jacob and Alex. Today, Aunt Delphine and Uncle Gerald came by and kept us company. And the Holowicki family stopped by and played until early evening. It was nice to have visitors and definitely made the time go by quicker and the day much more pleasant.
Lisa is getting around, but she's not at her normal speed. The "mouth" sores run throughout her GI tract and she is in pain, hasn't eaten for three days and still hard to understand when she talks. She is on a low dose of continuous morphine and when the pain gets really bad we merely press a button to give her an additional dose.
As Mike stated, her counts are still low and until those come back up and she can eat we will be at Motts. There is a chance this can bump her scans out as well as the surgery date....it's just a waiting game until she gets back up to speed.
It's also a bit frightening because this is still the "easy" part of her treatment. Phase II is going to be much more aggressive as we try to beat this cancer. So, we just keep taking it day by day and we pray.
It's Sunday and we're still at Mott's
Mike here - Looks like we'll be here through Tuesday now. Lisa's white blood cell count is still low, and because of the mouth sores she's still not eating or drinking. That said she's still pretty much herself, albeit a throttled back version.
She is due for a PET Scan on Tuesday, but that will only happen if the all the blood counts are back where they should be. Thanks for checking in.
She is due for a PET Scan on Tuesday, but that will only happen if the all the blood counts are back where they should be. Thanks for checking in.
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