From Here to Thair

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Guest blogger

Hi all, it's Bethany here - Lynne's sister and guest blogger. Lynne's a bit tired so I'm posting for her. Here's an update on her health. Couple weeks ago she wasn't breathing well so she went to the hospital ... turns out the tumor had grown and was pressing on her kidney, which impacted her oxygen levels. Then she got a nasty infection. After nearly two weeks she's back home and on antibiotics and a weekly chemo regimen. In other news, she's getting incredibly loving support. She reads every one of your messages so thank you for texts, emails, FB messages, voice mails and cards. Last weekend her parents, sister, brother and their families did the annual ovarian cancer walk in Minneapolis for "team Auntie Lynne."

And Mike is absolutely the best caretaker you could ever hope for - he juggles phone calls, appointments, multiple meds, temperature monitoring and prepping bags of nutrition that reach Lynne via a port in her chest - truly unbelievable.

Thursday, August 10, 2017

Much improved!

Much Improved!

9:53AM 8/10/17

Updateclick to collapse con

(Please forgive the weird formatting - I'm on my phone and tried to cut and paste from CarePages and I'm not going to try to sort it out - Sorry!)

I had my 2 week post-op appointment on Tuesday. I was so dehydrated and weak that I laid on the exam table to wait for the doc instead of sitting in a chair like a normal person. When the doc came in, he muttered his classic,

"Oh boy."

As in, this isn't good.

So: I'm healing well from surgery. Incision looks good and I have very little pain.

But he readmitted me to the hospital. For tests to rule out surgical complications (all is well there). For hydration and nutrients (which have dramatically improved how I feel). And, as long as I am here, they took the stent out. Right in my room: a simple procedure, but I was a big chicken and had some internal (and maybe external...) drama about it. My nurse stayed to watch the procedure and give me emotional support, and it was no big deal.

Since yesterday morning I haven't needed any anti-nausea medication and I've kept my clear liquids down! Today I "advance" to full liquids. Taking it slow. While I'm anxious to eat normally, I'm also nervous about eating solid food because it hasn't stayed down for weeks!

I'm getting IV nutrition in the hospital, and they plan to send me home with 2 weeks of overnight IV nutrition, just to help replenish me and get me ready for the next phase of treatment. Not sure what that is yet - I will keep you posted.

I will be here another day or so. I'll post a more interesting/thoughtful report once I'm not using my phone and have a real keyboard. For now, just the facts.

Thank you for praying for me!!!

Edit Update Delete Update

Books I'm Reading

37. “Thirteen Reasons Why” by Jay Asher. I picked up this book about teen suicide after working for eleven months with teens and young adults with eating disorders, which are intricately wrapped up with anxiety, depression, and self-harm. The author captures perfectly the voice of a self-centered teen girl. Her thirteen reasons for killing herself, associated with thirteen people, are mostly trivial. The point is that little things matter. The sad thing is that some of her reasons were because people who did try to help her didn’t try hard enough. She wanted everyone else to understand that, if she said she was fine five times, they needed to ask a sixth time. While I understand and appreciate the book’s message, I was also annoyed by her self-centered perspective.
36. “Proof of Heaven” by Mary Curran Hackett. This was on a bargain book table and sounded interesting. It’s about a young boy who is seriously ill. He accepts his fate, but his mom does not. The book is about her quest for a miracle cure, his quest to meet his father before he dies, wrestling with religion and belief, and finding love and understanding. It was an easy yet thought-provoking read. I enjoyed it.