Skip to main content

update on my mom

I posted this over on facebook, but I know there are probably a few people out there who read this, but not facebook, so I’m copying it over to here as well.

 

okay, several people have asked what is going on with my mom. so here's the basic scoop. my mom as about 13 carcinoids on her liver (essentially, liver cancer). she has knows this for about 2 years. the course of action thus far, has been just to monitor them, as they are very slow growing, and treatment options are limited. lately, she has become very uncomfortable, and a ct scan revealed that her liver was very enlarged, and therefore pressing on her other organs. they determined that the best course of action would be to do a liver embolization, in which they basically cut off the blood supply to half of the liver at a time, in order to shrink the carcinoids. the did the first proceedure on wednesday, the 17th. (the second is roughly planned for a month later, depending on her recovery from this one.) the first couple of days were rough, as general pain, as well as severe nausea are the expected results. after that, she was told to expect more flu-like symptoms, high fever, chills, etc. apparently, messing with the liver is not something the body likes. when my dad and i went to visit her on saturday, we found her very aggitated, confused, and not at all herself. the nurses said she'd been like that when her medication wears off since the previous night. it was very disheartening and we were concerned, as we were not expecting it. my dad spoke with the doctor yesterday morning and he assured him that this was a normal reaction to the elevated liver enzymes (a result of the procedure), and that, according to her labs from the morning, they were starting to come down slightly, so we could expect gradual improvement. that was encouraging. yesterday, she was still aggitated, and they are mostly keeping her medicated (and therefore asleep) to help her rest and heal. my dad was planning to go back this morning, and i imagine i'll go in at some point today. her regular doctor was scheduled to be in this morning, and so my dad was hoping to be there at the same time as him, so he could talk to him. labs were going to be done again today, so hopefully there is more improvement with the numbers on the liver enzymes. but they had expected her to remain in the hospital at least though wednesday.

i'm so thankful to everyone for their prayers, kind words, and support for me and my family right now. it's a tough time for us, but we're hopeful that once she pulls through this part of it, she'll be okay and on the road to recovery, and hopefully be able to head home soon. please continue to pray for her. i will update soon on her status.

Comments

Post a Comment

all comments are moderated. unkind comments will be deleted.

you may like...

beef stew recipe

another taken from the betty crocker cookbook, but i mess with this one so refer to the disclaimer … 1 tbsp olive oil 1 clove of garlic, pressed (or some good shakes of garlic powder) 1 lb. stew beef 3 cups of hot water (I probably use closer to 3.5 or 4) 1/2 tsp salt 1/8 tsp pepper 3 medium carrots, cut in thick coins 2 stalks celery, cut into 1/2 inch pieces 1-2 medium potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces 1 small onion, chopped 1/4 tsp salt 1 bay leaf *optional: 1/2 bell pepper of your choice; 1 turnip; 1/2 tsp browning sauce (whatever that is) 1/2 cup cold water 2 tbsp all-purpose flour heat oil in large pot. cook beef and garlic in oil about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown. add hot water, 1/2 tsp salt and the pepper. heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. cover and simmer 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until beef is almost tender. stir in remaining ingredients except cold water and flour. cover and simmer
Post a Comment
read more »

tater tot casserole recipe

i realized i forgot to post this last week when we had it.  i actually like it a little better than the hash brown one, but both are good.  it’s VERY similar. once again, this is something i’ve made so many times that i just kind of wing it now, although i do have the recipe that kate sent to me after she made it for my family when micah was born. i like to keep the recipe because it has some little ‘britishisms’ throughout, just like kate! ;-) who, by the way, rocks, having called to check up on me the other evening when she saw that the power in our area was out AGAIN!  thanks kate, smooch smooch! but now i’m getting distracted… big surprise. here goes. you will need: 1 lb or so ground beef (or ground turkey) 1 chopped onion a bunch of veggies (kate’s recipe calls for a ‘tin’ of mixed veggies, but i use fresh carrots & celery if i’ve got’em, frozen beans, peas, corn, whatever).  maybe 2-3 cups. 1 can (or tin) of cream of something soup (i use celery usually
2 comments
read more »

it just keeps getting better...

so obviously, from my earlier post, the dinner-making portion of my day was a little less than spectacular.  oh, that was just the beginning. dave worked late today. after dinner, i ran a bath for the younger 2 and in the process of getting them from the dining room to the bathroom, micah knocked the container of cheerios off the table and they dumped ALL OVER the floor.  i scooped up what i could and threw it back in the container, then, mindful that the water was still running in the tub and i didn't want to flood the bathroom, i herded the kids into the bathroom and dumped them into the tub. i went back into the dining room and proceeded to sweep up the mound of cheerios that was left on the floor, all the while keeping an ear open for both voices and giggles in the bathroom (as long as you can hear them, their heads are above water, right?).  that took all of about 2 minutes. i looked in on them (both happy as could be) and discovered that both of my younger, happy ch
4 comments
read more »

does home ec even exist anymore?

my last post got me thinking about how i somehow missed 'learning' all of those things which are essential in running a successful home. i'm wondering who dropped the ball on this (because, i can't possibly take responsibility for my own shortcomings here). i guess traditionally, one learns these things from their parents. i suppose i did learn a lot of my domestic skills at home. for example, the husband is supposed to eat the leftovers in the fridge. when making a bed, the 'top' of the top sheet goes down so that when you fold the edge over the blanket, the 'top' side is then up. why this matters when you are just going to cover the whole thing with a pillow and comforter is totally beyond me. but that's how you do it. so yes, my mother taught me how to iron, do laundry, clean a toilet, etc. my dad taught me how to plant a garden, mow a lawn, appreciate baseball, etc. and then there's home ec. do people still take home ec? i took it
4 comments
read more »

for my not-so-american friends

i didn't have an actual roll w/ the green plaid on it, but i found a refill and an empty roll in my junk drawer (yeah, i know, that should tell me something).  but even the empty one says 'scotch' on it.  there you go!  SCOTCH TAPE!
8 comments
read more »