We kicked Cancer’s ass

By we, I mean… the doctors of course :). Okay, so here is the long story for those of you who care to read it…

A few months ago mom went in to the gyno for… you know… women stuff… They did the normal check ups and stuff and were concerned with how thick her endometrium lining was. They did a biopsy and told her they wouldn’t have the results for a few weeks. Mom didn’t think cancer would be a possibility. It doesn’t run in her side of the family, and, I mean… wouldn’t you know if you had cancer? Well, less than 2 days later the doctor called and wanted mom to talk to him in the office. He broke the news to her that she did indeed have cancer (endometrial). Shock. There are no specialists in Idaho, so mom was told she would have to go to Salt Lake City to the Huntsman Cancer Institute. Well, surgery was scheduled, and we started making plans to spend a week or so in Salt Lake. My sister Kim was also able to come to town from California for a week. SO… surgery happened. And let me tell you, my mom is HILARIOUS on pain killers and anesthesia… Kim and I were laughing so hard at some of the things she said and did. Mom sang to the nurses and yelled at us and said weird things. It was great! But, she was in a lot of pain that first night… They found out her catheter wasn’t working properly, so her poor bladder was filling up to the brim. Once they got that fixed, she still had pain but it wasn’t as severe. She was in the hospital from Tuesday until Saturday. Her blood sugars were high and she wasn’t eating much, so they kept her a day longer than planned. Well, Kim had to fly back on Sunday so she could go back to work. Mom and I decided to stay in Salt Lake because she was supposed to get her stitches out on the 15th (tomorrow). Well, Monday morning at 3:00 AM mom started bleeding REALLY bad. She had been weeping out of a part of her incision for part of the day, but nothing serious… then 3 am hits and it is crazy bleeding. So, I rushed her to the University of Utah Emergency Room. It wasn’t infected or anything, it just had some pockets that needed to drain. So, the doc took 3 staples out (she has 31) and packed the wound with gauze and covered it. He showed me how to do this procedure, as I have to do it twice daily at least. Well, the bleeding continued to be pretty severe. Yesterday (Wednesday) we were running out of packing gauze and such, so mom called the Dr. and they suggested she come in. We went in at 4:30 PM and the nurses irrigated it and repacked it. They said it wasn’t infected, but there was NO way she would be able to have her staples out tomorrow. They said she could have her general doctor at home take them out, and we could head back to Idaho. The doctor came in and told us the pathology was back and that it was good news! The cancer was stage 1A (the “best” stage). It had not grown and they got it all in surgery! In the hospital they told us they removed a mass off her bladder, and luckily pathology came back that it wasn’t cancer, just a cyst type thing. So it was great news! We have to irrigate and pack her wound twice a day still… and hopefully she can get her staples out NEXT Friday.

We got up early this morning and drove home. It was a long drive for mom and she is tired and weak, but it is great to be home. I’m going to stay at my mom’s for a few days until she gets a little stronger. I am so glad everything went well!! It is nice to be back home and to the familiar. I was getting sick of driving 30 minutes just to go to the Walgreens! We are hoping the bleeding stops soon and we won’t have to pack it for much longer.

I feel like I took 4 years of nursing school in just a few days. I didn’t think I would be strong enough (mentally/emotionally) to pack her wound and deal with the blood and all that… but it isn’t too bad now.

So, I think that’s all in a nut shell. I guess… I don’t know, it feels like there should be more! :) Thanks for all your prayers and good vibes and thoughts and cheers! Pictures to come soon :)

The 70’s are calling!

Kim and I were really hungry and really tired last night after a long day at the hospital with mom… so we decided to just find somewhere close to eat. Neither of us are familiar with Salt Lake, so we just drove down State Street until we saw something… well, we saw a Coachman’s and Kim remembered eating there with my aunt once… so we parked and walked in. I about died! The old cigarette dispensers had candy in them… and everything was 70’s, even the music! And it was full of old people! We thought we walked into a retirement home!! But the food was good and we got a lot of it! We both ordered fish and chips… but first they brought out soup, then salad, then the fish and chips, then ice cream! It was crazy! And cheap too… WELL, we were finished so they brought us the check… and as we walked to the counter to pay I saw a sign that said, “No debit or credit cards”. Uh oh. The waitress said they only accepted cash or checks…. WHAT! Well, lucky for me I had thrown my check book in my back. I usually don’t carry it!! Anyway, we paid and all was well… but it was the funniest place ever! But it was only $25 for both of us to eat, which included the drink and everything!

Kim’s glasses

Last night mom, Kim, and I went swimming. The water was pretty cold, but it was fun getting in and swimming around. There was a couple in the pool that was making out the whole time… but it was all good. Kim had set her glasses down, and a big oaf of a guy stepped on them!!!

They were broken pretty dang bad!! We called Wal-Mart (oh, good old wally world!) Luckily they were open until 8:00 PM and we were able to drive there and get them fixed. She has prisms in her glasses, so they were a pain, and she’ll definitely need new glasses soon… but they are fixed!!

On the way back to the hotel we wanted to go to Zupas to get mom some soup. Kim’s GPS took us to a cemetery!!! It was hilarious! But we made it, and had the most amazing soup and sandwiches for dinner!

Baby Titus Lopez

I’m going to try to highlight all of the Salt Lake stuff we’ve been doing… but I’m going to dedicate a blog to Titus Lopez. He is my newest 2nd cousin, and he is absolutely darling! He was born May 25th and was 6 pounds 15 ounces. He is a tiny little squirt! The internet at the hotel kind of sucks, so here are a few for you to enjoy now.

Look at that tiny foot! His little pinkies were so dang tiny. I didn’t want to give him back!!! Congrats Carrie!