If you read my last post, you know I was at the hospital headed for surgery. The surgery went well with no complications. The pelvic mass was a cyst and there is no evidence of cancer. The other mass was attached to my stomach, and was completely removed. No evidence of cancer around the GIST tumor. However, because of its' size and the fact that these tumors have a tendency to turn into cancer, I will have to be monitored and possibly take some medicine for a while.
Recovery has been a bit slow. I thought I was headed home on Thursday. I was slowly eating again after no food for a week. They removed a small portion of my stomach, and it has caused a bit of a problem in keeping any food down. So, it's Christmas Eve and I'm still here at the hospital. Today was a good day. I think they've got the meds figured out and my body is starting to work as it should. If all goes well, I should be able to go home tomorrow. I know it will be a slow recovery, but I'll be happy to be at home with DH and my fur "boys".
Thank you for all your kind words, well wishes and prayers. I think they worked!!
Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas.
Karen
Quiltluver - I love to look at beautiful quilts!
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Life is Tough Sometimes
It's been a while since I've posted, partly because I just didn't feel like posting. Perhaps there was a bit of depression with my brother's death. Then, it was a pretty busy year at work as our company changed hands (again) and we had some major work to do from the acquisition. Then, life got in the way. This is not a quilty or fun post, and it goes from bad to worse, so if you want to skip the rest of this post, I understand. I do feel as if I've made many blog friends however, and felt I needed to update my friends on what is happening.
In September, my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. I've kind of taken charge of the situation, making sure that I try to make it to the important Dr. appointments and that she is not alone for chemo treatments. I had no idea the kind of time and effort that goes into cancer treatment. My mom had a short set of radiation treatments, 3 chemo treatments, and many more consultations and blood draws than I can count. Her health was compromised with lung disease to begin with. The pain that drove her to seek medical attention has mostly subsided, so I think the treatment has been effective. We are hoping that 2-3 more chemo treatments will do the trick and then it will be a watch and wait situation. She and my father did manage to make a trip to Florida at Thanksgiving time to see her grandson graduate from firefighter school, and to meet her new great grandson. They had a good time, so I'm glad she got to do that.
Fast forward to this week. I was having lunch on Wednesday and felt really full after I ate. As the day wore on, I got more uncomfortable, and I certainly didn't feel like eating dinner. After an uncomfortable night, I had my DH take me to the emergency room. After several tests, it was determined that I have a rather large tumor pressing on my stomach. I haven't been able to eat anything since Wednesday and it is rather painful. The tumor could be benign or malignant. Rather than delay things with additional testing when the outcome is that I'll have to have the tumor removed anyway, it was decided to go ahead and schedule surgery to remove it. In addition, I also have an enlarged ovary that they want to check at the same time. They won't know anything about these 2 masses until the surgery is done. So, tomorrow I will be in surgery. I will try to update my friends on the outcome when I feel well enough to do so. I've delegated care of my mom over to my siblings as I have to take care of myself now. DH has been a big help and a great comfort.
So, that's why you haven't heard a lot from me this year. Prayers right now would be helpful and appreciated. Thank you to all my blog friends. I feel like I've gotten to know many of you through your blogs and facebook, and I really appreciate all of my friends.
Take care,
Karen
In September, my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. I've kind of taken charge of the situation, making sure that I try to make it to the important Dr. appointments and that she is not alone for chemo treatments. I had no idea the kind of time and effort that goes into cancer treatment. My mom had a short set of radiation treatments, 3 chemo treatments, and many more consultations and blood draws than I can count. Her health was compromised with lung disease to begin with. The pain that drove her to seek medical attention has mostly subsided, so I think the treatment has been effective. We are hoping that 2-3 more chemo treatments will do the trick and then it will be a watch and wait situation. She and my father did manage to make a trip to Florida at Thanksgiving time to see her grandson graduate from firefighter school, and to meet her new great grandson. They had a good time, so I'm glad she got to do that.
Fast forward to this week. I was having lunch on Wednesday and felt really full after I ate. As the day wore on, I got more uncomfortable, and I certainly didn't feel like eating dinner. After an uncomfortable night, I had my DH take me to the emergency room. After several tests, it was determined that I have a rather large tumor pressing on my stomach. I haven't been able to eat anything since Wednesday and it is rather painful. The tumor could be benign or malignant. Rather than delay things with additional testing when the outcome is that I'll have to have the tumor removed anyway, it was decided to go ahead and schedule surgery to remove it. In addition, I also have an enlarged ovary that they want to check at the same time. They won't know anything about these 2 masses until the surgery is done. So, tomorrow I will be in surgery. I will try to update my friends on the outcome when I feel well enough to do so. I've delegated care of my mom over to my siblings as I have to take care of myself now. DH has been a big help and a great comfort.
So, that's why you haven't heard a lot from me this year. Prayers right now would be helpful and appreciated. Thank you to all my blog friends. I feel like I've gotten to know many of you through your blogs and facebook, and I really appreciate all of my friends.
Take care,
Karen
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Happy Easter!
It’s been a while since I fell off the face of the earth. I haven’t felt like blogging or anything else for some time. Work has been consuming my life for the past several months since the company I worked for changed hands. I’m starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and the good news is that so far, I still have a job. That is always a concern when your company changes owners, something I’ve been through 4 times already with this company.
Had a bit of a scare a few months ago with DH, who ended up in the hospital for a few days with chest pains and shortness of breath. After 2 urgent care visits, 2 ambulance rides, 2 emergency room visits, admittance to 2 hospitals, and many tests, it was determined that he had a 30% blockage in one artery. The doctors were not concerned about the blockage. The doctors felt that the chest pains were the result of a prolonged flu virus, and that his heart muscle had some stiffness due to sleep apnea. I finally convinced him that if the flu can put him in that kind of tailspin, then perhaps it was time to start getting a flu shot (which he got). Using his CPAP machine for the sleep apnea is another struggle he is trying to work through.
I did manage to get to some quilt shows over the last few weekends. I’ve got pics, but they are still on my camera so I’ll get those unloaded for a later post. But here’s a pic that always brings a smile to my face as it looks like my cat Lumpy, who lived with us for over 16 years until we had to put her down 5 years ago this month.
It has been a long winter, and spring is having a hard time settling in. I am grateful that we’ve managed to avoid those tornadoes that seem to be popping up across the south and mid west. I feel bad for those areas that have been hit hard over and over again with bad weather. I did enjoy the beautiful, sunny day we had yesterday (finally!). I’ve been missing my brother and his family as we have a quiet Easter at home today.
I’m saw this awesome performance the other night, which I thought was appropriate for this day. She has such a powerful voice, and I love the guitar playing by Vince Gill.
And last, but not least, I saw this on Facebook today and had to share this with you.
Had a bit of a scare a few months ago with DH, who ended up in the hospital for a few days with chest pains and shortness of breath. After 2 urgent care visits, 2 ambulance rides, 2 emergency room visits, admittance to 2 hospitals, and many tests, it was determined that he had a 30% blockage in one artery. The doctors were not concerned about the blockage. The doctors felt that the chest pains were the result of a prolonged flu virus, and that his heart muscle had some stiffness due to sleep apnea. I finally convinced him that if the flu can put him in that kind of tailspin, then perhaps it was time to start getting a flu shot (which he got). Using his CPAP machine for the sleep apnea is another struggle he is trying to work through.
I did manage to get to some quilt shows over the last few weekends. I’ve got pics, but they are still on my camera so I’ll get those unloaded for a later post. But here’s a pic that always brings a smile to my face as it looks like my cat Lumpy, who lived with us for over 16 years until we had to put her down 5 years ago this month.
It has been a long winter, and spring is having a hard time settling in. I am grateful that we’ve managed to avoid those tornadoes that seem to be popping up across the south and mid west. I feel bad for those areas that have been hit hard over and over again with bad weather. I did enjoy the beautiful, sunny day we had yesterday (finally!). I’ve been missing my brother and his family as we have a quiet Easter at home today.
I’m saw this awesome performance the other night, which I thought was appropriate for this day. She has such a powerful voice, and I love the guitar playing by Vince Gill.
And last, but not least, I saw this on Facebook today and had to share this with you.
All I need to know I learned from the Easter Bunny!
• Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
• Everyone needs a friend who is all ears.
• There's no such thing as too much candy.
• All work & no play can make you a basket case.
• A cute tail attracts a lot of attention.
• Everyone's entitled to a bad hare day.
• Let happy thoughts multiply like rabbits.
• Some body parts should be floppy.
• Happy Easter everyone!
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