Chemotherapy

Hello again!! I cannot begin to tell you all how much the prayers and encouragement have carried my family through this difficult time! I am sooo pleased to say that mom is doing sooo great right now. In fact, Dr. King said she is the best Whipple (which is the name of the surgery) he has seen in 10 years!! When we were at the doctor on Friday, her first question was when could she start lifting weights and working out with her trainer again...LOL! Afterall, it was her good condition that helped her heal so quickly. Though she is still in the midst of a long recovery, she is able to get out and do things she would normally do...not TOO much though! We have already started back with all the wedding planning, and she has been adamant about helping me with everything. She loves stuff like this, so I figured as long as it doesn't get too stressful she could do her MOB(mother of bride) thing! =) I believe I stated in an earlier blog that she would be starting chemo in a few months...well, I was wrong. She goes in this Tuesday(3/30) to get her portacath put in and starts chemo the next Tuesday(4/6). She will have 2 weeks on and 1 week off over a period of 3 months. This just means that she will have the chemo 2 weeks straight, then take a week off. This is good in case it makes her sick or fatigued. It is supposed to be a milder chemo that doesn't cause as many of the "typical" chemotherapy effects. I will try and keep the chemo news updated, but im sure she will be able to type out her own thoughts and updates about it all. Thanks again for all the prayers, letters, FOOD...everything!! Everyone has been so great to my family and we appreciate it all so much!!

"Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice" Philippians 4:4

Homeward bound

So we got news today that mom gets to go home tomorrow!!!! We are soo excited she gets to go home, but she will still be on the feeding tube =( I think her mood will brighten up once she's here...the hospital was just getting too gloomy. Some of her friends have been coming over to the house and making it all clean and lovely! She still has a long way to go with recovery and other treatments, but I do believe the worst is behind us. She still needs our prayers as she will be making some major life changes. Overall, she is doing so much better than anyone ever expected....except God. He knew all along ;) Since she will be home tomorrow, she will probably be able to write her own notes on this whole journey. I try to relay as much information as I can, but it's different when it comes from her personally. She is so amazing and im so glad she get's to be here to tell her story! Thanks for your prayers for her and our family! You will never know how much it has meant to us!

The Gray family

1 week post-op

Well, it has officially been 1 week since mom's surgery(well, it was actually yesterday ;) She is still having the same problems as the past few days, not keeping anything down. She had an x ray today to determine if her stomach was functioning properly, and it was! That is a good thing, but we still don't have a solution. They just said it would take time for it to start catching back up, but it will never be back to normal. This is one of the possible long-term effects of the surgery...hence the word LONG TERM! ;) We'll happily take it if it's long term! As this road to reality starts to set in, please keep her in your prayers. Pray her body adjusts quickly to the changes, and that she can resume as much normalcy as possible.

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

At a standstill

Well, things have been progressing so nicely until now. She is finally starting to show signs of having a Whipple. It's nothing that can't be fixed, just a little longer until she'll be able to eat properly. She has been on a liquid diet the past few days, but can't seem to keep anything down. She is getting an x ray tomorrow to see if the stomach is functioning properly in order to determine the next steps. Apparently this is one of the life-long effects of the surgery. Because of the resected pathway for food to follow, it will take a longer more complicated route to digestion. With all this being said, she is still moving forward. It was very unlikely that she would have absolutely no post-op complications, so we have sort of been expecting something. Other than this, she really is doing fine. I think the tiresome days and sleepless nights are starting to wear on her. Even with all this going on, she is still determined to make her rounds around the floor. Her strength is getting better because she is is walking several times a day....such a trooper! We just need to pray that she is able to keep fluids down and that she is not so nauseated. God is still getting the glory, and He's nowhere near done with this yet!!

A walking miracle

It's amazing how much more sleep patient's get on the regular floor as opposed to the ICU. The rooms get really quiet and dark and all you can hear is the sound of the IV pumps (which is actually kind of soothing until they start beeping). We use the same pumps at Methodist, so it was hard for me not to fix the problem and silence them myself (which I do admit I did a few times). Since mom slept better last night, she was up at the crack of dawn wanting to get up and walk. Yesterday she was able to walk around the nurses station 1 time, and this morning she walked around it 3 times! It's funny because it's like she has neighbors and she is just taking a stroll around the neighborhood, and everyone is so friendly and glad to see her out and about. She still has her J tube but is now on a liquid diet, so hopefully they will take the tube out soon. With all this progress, we are hoping to be out in a few days...probably Wednesday. Thanks for all the prayers, cards, flowers, and encouragement for her!! It means so much and has helped her recovery process! =)

recovering nicely

Sorry I have not been updated this as much lately. =( I went back to work today then stayed at the hospital for a while. Mom is still doing great! She got her NG tube taken out so that made all the difference in the world! They took out her epidural =( but gave her a PCA pump instead, so that should take care of most of the pain. She's getting well enough to where I think she likes when all the family goes to work so she can have some alone time. I can imagine that dad and I are annoying her b/c we are constantly asking her if she's ok or if she needs anything, haha. We did find out that she had some cancer cells in 3 of the 10 lymph nodes they took out....this only means she will definitely need chemo. We figured she probbaly would, so we were pretty prepared. Dr. King didn't seem to be too worried as long as she undergo's chemo, which she will be starting in about 2 months. Apparently this particular chemo drug doesn't have as many side effects as most of them. This is good so she can dance all night at the wedding ;) We are just praying that she continues to heal quickly so she can get back to her normal self. Many of you have asked about Memaw (mom's mother)...she doesn't really know whats going on, but we think it's better that way. That would be the one thing she remembers forever ;) Thank you again for the prayers...please keep them coming! Everyone has been so faithful to pray for her, and God is truly listening. We are all praying that HIS will be done...and it's amazing that this IS his will! He is the Master Healer!

Post-op day 2

Today is an even better day than yesterday! I spent last night with mom in the ICU, and she did so good all night. She slept a little better, and all her numbers looked good. She has been doing so well that they are moving her out of ICU! This is very exciting news! Dr. King said she should be walking by Friday....so soon after that I anticipate she will be going home. Again, thank you SO much for the prayers and thoughts!! We all really appreciate it and God is truly taking care of her...in the way we had prayed! This just goes to show how God answers prayers. The process if far from over, and she has a long way to go...but it's off to a good start, especially after the emergency surgery.

GOD IS SO GOOD!! =)