Still waiting.......
Mom had to go to the doctor's office yesterday as there were blood clots in her drain tube. Thankfully, there was someone at the office, Dr. Pratt's associate. Otherwise, there was no one else in the building. The doctor told my parents to come in and she would take a look at it. She met them at the door and took them back to an exam room to check out the tubing. There were a few clots in there. The doctor changed the tube and got the liquid flowing again. I think that the trip out wore out mom as she was extra tired the rest of the day. Sue and I also helped with a sponge bath and washed mom's hair later in the afternoon. A big day for Pauline.
Now it is back to waiting......
Sue is bringing Beckett and Brynn over this evening to see "Mama". I think that seeing them will be a boost as well. Not that Mom seems to need a boost, as she is doing rather well, but I think that seeing the kids will be a good thing for the healing process.
Now back to the waiting......
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Still Waiting
The doctor didn't call today. So, we are still waiting for the final lymph node biopsy results. Everytime the phone would ring at my parent's house today, we would all jump. But, it was not the phone call that we were waiting to have. Let's hope that no news is good news......
Thursday, January 28, 2010
"The Waiting is the Hardest Part"
The song, "The Waiting is the Hardest Part" by Tom Petty rings so true right now. There has been so many times of waiting for results during Mom's fight with breast cancer. She had her mammogram and had to wait to have the x-ray read, then go back to have the mammogram again and read again. Then, it was waiting to find out the results of the biopsy (5 days). The longest wait was the wait from the decision for the mastectomy until surgery day arrived. (That was about a 6 week wait.) Dad, Sue and I had to wait during the actual procedure. And now is the wait for the final pathology results. I'm tired of the waiting and just want to find out the results and know what we have to do next!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Now the recovery begins
Today was babysitting day. I babysat Beckett and Brynn while my sister had a doctor's appointment. It is story hour day for Beckett and he was pretty adamant to go, so how could I deny him?! So, while Sue left, I packed up the kids for the library. First was playtime in the children's area and then story hour (or story 30 minutes-trying having a story hour for 2-4 year olds). Brynn was sitting on my knee and Beckett was a part of the festivities. Afterwards was more playing, choosing books and then heading home to meet Sue.
Then, it was off to my parent's house to spend the day with them and help Mom, if and when she needed the help. A friend of mine stopped by for lunch to say hello to Mom and bring a get well goodie package. Mom did her exercises, started calling friends and family and took a well deserved long nap. She is doing surprising well for someone who had major surgery just 2 days ago. It really is amazing to see. Yes, she is in pain. And she is taking her pain medication as directed. (We were told by the doctors and nurses to take the pain medication as it really does help in the healing process. We've started a process where she takes the pain medication about 30 minutes before she does her exercises as this will help work with and through the pain.). These exercises are essential for her recovery and she has been very good in doing them. She has a set of 4 exercises to do until she gets the drain out and then another 4 exercises will be added to the routine. As she is gaining energy, then she can start walking a bit and get more active.
Tonight, Sue and I helped mom take a sponge bath as she can't shower until the drainage tube is out. This was the first time that Mom has seen her scar since the surgery. I won't lie, it isn't pretty right now and it is a shock to see. But, we know that the scar will go down and the swelling will settle down. We were making jokes about the surgery. Right at the moment when we were looking at the incision, Sue said, "Something is out of whack here". This really made us all crack up and made the situation much lighter. Mom didn't know if she wanted to stop laughing or cry. I told her to mourn her left breast if she wanted to, she had every right to do that. She said, "I don't really care about that" LOL! So, I guess that this is really a first step for Mom in her recovery from surgery. She's accepted the incision and the scar and the change and will move on from there.
Each day, she will get more mobile and have more energy to do things and be more social. She's a trooper!!
Then, it was off to my parent's house to spend the day with them and help Mom, if and when she needed the help. A friend of mine stopped by for lunch to say hello to Mom and bring a get well goodie package. Mom did her exercises, started calling friends and family and took a well deserved long nap. She is doing surprising well for someone who had major surgery just 2 days ago. It really is amazing to see. Yes, she is in pain. And she is taking her pain medication as directed. (We were told by the doctors and nurses to take the pain medication as it really does help in the healing process. We've started a process where she takes the pain medication about 30 minutes before she does her exercises as this will help work with and through the pain.). These exercises are essential for her recovery and she has been very good in doing them. She has a set of 4 exercises to do until she gets the drain out and then another 4 exercises will be added to the routine. As she is gaining energy, then she can start walking a bit and get more active.
Tonight, Sue and I helped mom take a sponge bath as she can't shower until the drainage tube is out. This was the first time that Mom has seen her scar since the surgery. I won't lie, it isn't pretty right now and it is a shock to see. But, we know that the scar will go down and the swelling will settle down. We were making jokes about the surgery. Right at the moment when we were looking at the incision, Sue said, "Something is out of whack here". This really made us all crack up and made the situation much lighter. Mom didn't know if she wanted to stop laughing or cry. I told her to mourn her left breast if she wanted to, she had every right to do that. She said, "I don't really care about that" LOL! So, I guess that this is really a first step for Mom in her recovery from surgery. She's accepted the incision and the scar and the change and will move on from there.
Each day, she will get more mobile and have more energy to do things and be more social. She's a trooper!!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Home from the hospital
Mom is hopefully now sleeping (more than likely very uncomfortably) in her own bed at home as I type this.
She was released from the hospital around 4:30 this afternoon. We weren't quite sure if she was going to be released, due to her low sodium count, but the count came back up this morning and Dr. Pratt gave the permission to be released this afternoon after lunch. As the day went on, I could see Mom gathering more strength. I got to the hospital after 10:30am. We chatted about the doctor's visit early in the morning and then I let her relax and sleep a bit. Dad got there about an hour later. Mom woke up and the nurse got her up. Mom's release was contingent on how well she did with her lunch. Well, she ate everything! After lunch, Melissa, one of the breast nurses in Dr. Pratt's group stopped by for a pep talk. Then, Mom and I took a walk around the hospital module that she was in, Mom did her exercises and then she napped before she was officially released. She had a busy afternoon! I wasn't at Mom and Dad's house when she got home (I had to work at my part time job at Steinmart, which luckily is across the street from Mom and Dad's house). Sue was there for a few hours after Mom and Dad got home. I stopped by after work and we drained her drainage tube and I read all of her release paperwork. I'll find out tomorrow how her first night sleeping in her bed went for her. She didn't look too comfortable, but I am leaving it up to her to decide how she wants to sleep. I'm very glad that she is home and now can focus on recovery from the surgery. She has been amazing strong throughout this whole thing. I just hope that continues. I know that she will have her bad times and she has every right to have them.
Dad is a bit of a worry right now. Sue and I have given him multiple talks about being positive and as supportive as possible towards mom. I know that he wants to be, but he gets frustrated easily especially when he thinks that he should be helping her and she wants to do something on her own. This is going to be a constant battle for Sue and I and one that I hope doesn't sap the energy out of us. Mom doesn't need negativity right now, she needs positive reinforcements. I talked to Dad about going to a family and spousal support group and he wanted to go, it is getting him the information and calling ahead to get him in the group, which is the next step.
We get the final pathology reports either Thursday or Friday. If they come back negative for cancer, then I can officially do a "happy dance". Until then, I can't let myself do that. Once we get the test results, then we move on to the next step of the treatment and more doctor's visits.
Tomorrow is babysitting Beckett and Brynn and then off to babysit Mom and Dad. ;-). My bed is calling me again.
She was released from the hospital around 4:30 this afternoon. We weren't quite sure if she was going to be released, due to her low sodium count, but the count came back up this morning and Dr. Pratt gave the permission to be released this afternoon after lunch. As the day went on, I could see Mom gathering more strength. I got to the hospital after 10:30am. We chatted about the doctor's visit early in the morning and then I let her relax and sleep a bit. Dad got there about an hour later. Mom woke up and the nurse got her up. Mom's release was contingent on how well she did with her lunch. Well, she ate everything! After lunch, Melissa, one of the breast nurses in Dr. Pratt's group stopped by for a pep talk. Then, Mom and I took a walk around the hospital module that she was in, Mom did her exercises and then she napped before she was officially released. She had a busy afternoon! I wasn't at Mom and Dad's house when she got home (I had to work at my part time job at Steinmart, which luckily is across the street from Mom and Dad's house). Sue was there for a few hours after Mom and Dad got home. I stopped by after work and we drained her drainage tube and I read all of her release paperwork. I'll find out tomorrow how her first night sleeping in her bed went for her. She didn't look too comfortable, but I am leaving it up to her to decide how she wants to sleep. I'm very glad that she is home and now can focus on recovery from the surgery. She has been amazing strong throughout this whole thing. I just hope that continues. I know that she will have her bad times and she has every right to have them.
Dad is a bit of a worry right now. Sue and I have given him multiple talks about being positive and as supportive as possible towards mom. I know that he wants to be, but he gets frustrated easily especially when he thinks that he should be helping her and she wants to do something on her own. This is going to be a constant battle for Sue and I and one that I hope doesn't sap the energy out of us. Mom doesn't need negativity right now, she needs positive reinforcements. I talked to Dad about going to a family and spousal support group and he wanted to go, it is getting him the information and calling ahead to get him in the group, which is the next step.
We get the final pathology reports either Thursday or Friday. If they come back negative for cancer, then I can officially do a "happy dance". Until then, I can't let myself do that. Once we get the test results, then we move on to the next step of the treatment and more doctor's visits.
Tomorrow is babysitting Beckett and Brynn and then off to babysit Mom and Dad. ;-). My bed is calling me again.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Surgery Day
I'm exhausted! What an incredibly long day it has been. My bed is calling me very loudly, especially since I didn't get much sleep at all last night-a mixture of nervous stomach and a brain that wouldn't shut off. So, I am hoping for a good night's sleep tonight. We were at the hospital at 7am this morning and I got home at 9:30pm. Today was filled with lots of sitting around in waiting rooms, eating cafeteria food, waiting around some more and then sitting with Mom.
Enough about me........Pauline did great in her surgery! :-) That is the happy news. The surgery went well. The sentinal lymph node frozen cross section biopsy came back negative for cancer! That was the news that I was waiting and wanting to hear. Now, we wait for the detailed pathology report on the 2 lymph nodes that were removed. We should get that report back by the end of the week. Once we get those results, then we go on to the next step in the process. (hormone therapy if the cancer didn't spread or chemotherapy/radiation therapy if it did). The doctor did say that she didn't see anything abnormal in the size of the tumor. It didn't grow in the month since the diagnosis. She didn't see any surprises during the surgery, so that is another very good thing. On a non-surgerical side, mom's sodium level was really low before the surgery and she had to be pumped up with saline solution sooner than they thought. She almost didn't have the surgery because it was low. But, it creeped up a bit in time for surgery. Dr. Pratt is keeping an eye on that and if it is still low tomorrow, then Mom will stay in the hospital one more day. She will have to discuss with her primary physician about changing a blood pressure medication, which could be reducing her sodium level. (another thing to follow up on). But, all in all, Mom did great and she is now on the road to recovery. She's obviously in ALOT of pain. But, pain medicine is a good thing!
We made it through Step 2....now we wait for the pathology test results. Then it will be on to Step 3.
Enough about me........Pauline did great in her surgery! :-) That is the happy news. The surgery went well. The sentinal lymph node frozen cross section biopsy came back negative for cancer! That was the news that I was waiting and wanting to hear. Now, we wait for the detailed pathology report on the 2 lymph nodes that were removed. We should get that report back by the end of the week. Once we get those results, then we go on to the next step in the process. (hormone therapy if the cancer didn't spread or chemotherapy/radiation therapy if it did). The doctor did say that she didn't see anything abnormal in the size of the tumor. It didn't grow in the month since the diagnosis. She didn't see any surprises during the surgery, so that is another very good thing. On a non-surgerical side, mom's sodium level was really low before the surgery and she had to be pumped up with saline solution sooner than they thought. She almost didn't have the surgery because it was low. But, it creeped up a bit in time for surgery. Dr. Pratt is keeping an eye on that and if it is still low tomorrow, then Mom will stay in the hospital one more day. She will have to discuss with her primary physician about changing a blood pressure medication, which could be reducing her sodium level. (another thing to follow up on). But, all in all, Mom did great and she is now on the road to recovery. She's obviously in ALOT of pain. But, pain medicine is a good thing!
We made it through Step 2....now we wait for the pathology test results. Then it will be on to Step 3.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Night before Surgery
It's the night before Mom's surgery and all through the house....oops wrong story!
Actually, the night before surgery equals nerves and nervous stomach. I will be heading to bed soon, trying my best to sleep and turn off the thoughts going through my mind. 5am is going to get here very quickly.
Mom has to be at the hospital to be admitted at 7am. At 7:30am, she heads down to the radiation department to get the dye injected for the sentinal lymph node biopsy. Mom's actual mastectomy is at 9am. So, once she is out of radiology, then we will sit in the surgical waiting room until they are ready to prep her for surgery. Once she is prepped and ready to go, Dr. Pratt will inject another dye at surgery time as well. This is to find the lymph nodes, so a few can be removed for a biopsy. The lymph nodes will be taken to pathology during the surgery. They will be determined to be negative for cancer or positive for cancer. They will let Dr. Pratt know. If they are negative for cancer, then Dr. Pratt will not have to go back to remove any more lymph nodes. If they are positive for cancer, then Dr. Pratt will go back in and remove any where up to 19 (depends on the person) lymph nodes. I'm keeping fingers, toes, eyes, everything crossed that there isn't cancer in the lymph nodes. The surgery should take up to 3 hours. When Mom wakes up, she should be in her own room, that will be her's for the night.
Tonight was extra hugs and kisses from Beckett and Brynn. Beckett asked Mom where her "boo boo" was. We told him that it was inside right now. I have told him that he can give gentle hugs to Mama, because she will have a "boo boo". Sue says that Beckett will be going through Mama and Papa withdrawls for the next few weeks until Mom is ready to have him visit. I'm sure that he will be.
Sue purchased a "farewell" card for Mom's left breast and brought some cake! Now that is a great way to get the positive and funny vibes going!
Tomorrow is going to be a very long day......
Actually, the night before surgery equals nerves and nervous stomach. I will be heading to bed soon, trying my best to sleep and turn off the thoughts going through my mind. 5am is going to get here very quickly.
Mom has to be at the hospital to be admitted at 7am. At 7:30am, she heads down to the radiation department to get the dye injected for the sentinal lymph node biopsy. Mom's actual mastectomy is at 9am. So, once she is out of radiology, then we will sit in the surgical waiting room until they are ready to prep her for surgery. Once she is prepped and ready to go, Dr. Pratt will inject another dye at surgery time as well. This is to find the lymph nodes, so a few can be removed for a biopsy. The lymph nodes will be taken to pathology during the surgery. They will be determined to be negative for cancer or positive for cancer. They will let Dr. Pratt know. If they are negative for cancer, then Dr. Pratt will not have to go back to remove any more lymph nodes. If they are positive for cancer, then Dr. Pratt will go back in and remove any where up to 19 (depends on the person) lymph nodes. I'm keeping fingers, toes, eyes, everything crossed that there isn't cancer in the lymph nodes. The surgery should take up to 3 hours. When Mom wakes up, she should be in her own room, that will be her's for the night.
Tonight was extra hugs and kisses from Beckett and Brynn. Beckett asked Mom where her "boo boo" was. We told him that it was inside right now. I have told him that he can give gentle hugs to Mama, because she will have a "boo boo". Sue says that Beckett will be going through Mama and Papa withdrawls for the next few weeks until Mom is ready to have him visit. I'm sure that he will be.
Sue purchased a "farewell" card for Mom's left breast and brought some cake! Now that is a great way to get the positive and funny vibes going!
Tomorrow is going to be a very long day......
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Perspective
I have been watching the footage from the earthquake disaster in Haiti for the past 11 days. There have been times when I can't turn away from the stories and other times that I just have to turn the channel or turn off the tv. Last night I watched "Hope for Haiti", the all start telethon raising money to help Haiti. This disaster puts life in perspective. My life might not be the best right now, but it will never compare to the destruction of Haiti.
Friday, January 22, 2010
An Unexpected World-Welcome
Welcome to "Off My Chest". I decided to write a blog about being a breast cancer "co-survivor" as a release for me as the "co-survivor" and as a way to pass along information about my Mom's battle with breast cancer. Breast cancer has touched my life via a good friend, Barra Terrigno. But, I never thought that my direct family would be affected. My mom's family history did not include breast cancer or any cancer for that matter. They all have issues with their heart and diabetes. So, this came as a shock.
You are wondering, who am I talking about? Who has breast cancer? Well, let me give you a little background info. My mom, Pauline Lamb, was diagnosed with breast cancer on December 15, 2009 after she had her yearly mammogram. This was 12 days after her 69th birthday. She had the mammogram and was called back because something was found on the x-ray on her left breast and they wanted to take future tests. She went back for another mammogram as well as an ultrasound and the tumor was found. She did not (and has not)been able to feel the tumor. The next day, she went for a biopsy to see if the tumor was cancerous. She found out 5 days (her biopsy was on a Thursday) later that it was cancerous. She has a 1.5 inch tumor in her left breast. A meeting with the surgeon was made for two days later.
After the initial shock, anger, crying, hugging and worry moments passed, we settled down to fight this. We meaning Mom, Dad (Herb Lamb), my sister (Susan Broadwater), and I. This is a family fight. Before the surgeon's consultation, I started my research. I went to the Susan G. Komen site and poured over all the information that I could find. I printed out questions, information pages, etc to give to mom and for me to take to the consultation. Thank goodness for this site. I felt a bit better (as much as one can be expected after having a loved one be diagnosed with cancer) after reading the information. Or at least I felt informed and not as "lost". Mom, Dad and I went to see the surgeon, Dr. Deborah Pratt, at the Fairview Hospital Moll Cancer Center on Thursday, December 17, 2009. Dr. Pratt comes highly recommended by my mom's primary care doctor and many of the people that we have talked to about the diagnosis. I came to the meeting armed with questions, but Dr. Pratt walked through everything very thoroughly. She didn't tell mom what to do, but gave her the option on her initial treatment. Mom decided on the spot to have a simple mastectomy on her left breast. She felt that just to take the whole breast would be the best option and the best way for the cancer not to come back again. Dr. Pratt informed us about how she would do a biopsy on the lymph nodes to see if the cancer had spread. She told us that there is a 50% chance that the cancer had spread. So, now we keep our fingers crossed and hope that it hasn't. The surgery was scheduled for January 25th, 2010.
Step one was done-being diagnosed and making the decision on the initial treatment. Step two is the surgery itself. We'll get to that Monday. We had a pre-surgery meeting with the head surgical nurse, Paula on Wednesday, January 20, 2010. She walked Mom, Sue and I through everything that will happen before the surgery, during and then after and what Mom will need to do once she got home during her recovery. Today, Mom and I visited a store that caters to breast cancer survivors to get a few post-surgical bras for mom. This will be the first of many visits to this store, I am sure.
The last month has been a whirl, especially for my mom. She has been doing everything, but sit and wallow. I'm so proud of her for that. She has gone to "The Gathering Place" in Westlake for a consultation and Reiki treatments. I have a feeling that she is going to be going her for other treatments and support as well. She has been working with her Chiropractor on immune system boosting exercises and therapies to get her body set for the surgery. This doctor has been a godsend for her. She has been spending time with her girlfriends and with family (especially her grandson, Beckett and granddaughter, Brynn). Plus, she's been reading the information that she has picked up on breast cancer along the way. She is fighting and that is so very important.
I am one of my mom's "co-survivors". Mom has taken to calling me "her foundation". It's a daunting task, which is one of the reasons that started this blog. It will allow me to release my feelings on everything going on with her. I know that there will be good and bad and probably even worse days, but I know that we can make it through it. She WILL make it through this.
I'm new to the blogging world, so bare with me. I could be rambling on and on or I could be short an sweet. Any help along the way, would be greatly appreciated!
You are wondering, who am I talking about? Who has breast cancer? Well, let me give you a little background info. My mom, Pauline Lamb, was diagnosed with breast cancer on December 15, 2009 after she had her yearly mammogram. This was 12 days after her 69th birthday. She had the mammogram and was called back because something was found on the x-ray on her left breast and they wanted to take future tests. She went back for another mammogram as well as an ultrasound and the tumor was found. She did not (and has not)been able to feel the tumor. The next day, she went for a biopsy to see if the tumor was cancerous. She found out 5 days (her biopsy was on a Thursday) later that it was cancerous. She has a 1.5 inch tumor in her left breast. A meeting with the surgeon was made for two days later.
After the initial shock, anger, crying, hugging and worry moments passed, we settled down to fight this. We meaning Mom, Dad (Herb Lamb), my sister (Susan Broadwater), and I. This is a family fight. Before the surgeon's consultation, I started my research. I went to the Susan G. Komen site and poured over all the information that I could find. I printed out questions, information pages, etc to give to mom and for me to take to the consultation. Thank goodness for this site. I felt a bit better (as much as one can be expected after having a loved one be diagnosed with cancer) after reading the information. Or at least I felt informed and not as "lost". Mom, Dad and I went to see the surgeon, Dr. Deborah Pratt, at the Fairview Hospital Moll Cancer Center on Thursday, December 17, 2009. Dr. Pratt comes highly recommended by my mom's primary care doctor and many of the people that we have talked to about the diagnosis. I came to the meeting armed with questions, but Dr. Pratt walked through everything very thoroughly. She didn't tell mom what to do, but gave her the option on her initial treatment. Mom decided on the spot to have a simple mastectomy on her left breast. She felt that just to take the whole breast would be the best option and the best way for the cancer not to come back again. Dr. Pratt informed us about how she would do a biopsy on the lymph nodes to see if the cancer had spread. She told us that there is a 50% chance that the cancer had spread. So, now we keep our fingers crossed and hope that it hasn't. The surgery was scheduled for January 25th, 2010.
Step one was done-being diagnosed and making the decision on the initial treatment. Step two is the surgery itself. We'll get to that Monday. We had a pre-surgery meeting with the head surgical nurse, Paula on Wednesday, January 20, 2010. She walked Mom, Sue and I through everything that will happen before the surgery, during and then after and what Mom will need to do once she got home during her recovery. Today, Mom and I visited a store that caters to breast cancer survivors to get a few post-surgical bras for mom. This will be the first of many visits to this store, I am sure.
The last month has been a whirl, especially for my mom. She has been doing everything, but sit and wallow. I'm so proud of her for that. She has gone to "The Gathering Place" in Westlake for a consultation and Reiki treatments. I have a feeling that she is going to be going her for other treatments and support as well. She has been working with her Chiropractor on immune system boosting exercises and therapies to get her body set for the surgery. This doctor has been a godsend for her. She has been spending time with her girlfriends and with family (especially her grandson, Beckett and granddaughter, Brynn). Plus, she's been reading the information that she has picked up on breast cancer along the way. She is fighting and that is so very important.
I am one of my mom's "co-survivors". Mom has taken to calling me "her foundation". It's a daunting task, which is one of the reasons that started this blog. It will allow me to release my feelings on everything going on with her. I know that there will be good and bad and probably even worse days, but I know that we can make it through it. She WILL make it through this.
I'm new to the blogging world, so bare with me. I could be rambling on and on or I could be short an sweet. Any help along the way, would be greatly appreciated!
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