Making ourselves at home

I am trying to make our hotel our home for the next week. However, I was a little disappointed since I was expecting something else. (Our friend, Liz, had spoiled us with a 2 bedroom, handicap accessible suite the last time we stayed in a hotel in the San Jose area.) That’s not to say that this place (Homewood Suites) is bad since we get hot breakfasts and dinner (M-Th) and it does have a separate bedroom where my sister can sleep.

Last night was rough as she needs help with everything. So every few hours, we’re up, going to the bathroom, eating, trying to get comfortable, deciding what medications can/should be taken. Please pray that she can get the good rest that she needs to recovery sufficiently by Saturday to fly home. Please pray that I get sufficient rest so that I don’t get sick. Also, pray for my back since I’m not used to hauling her up and down.

~Posted by Linda, sister

Looking Better

I didn’t get the chance to update last night because Brian and I stayed the night in the hospital.  Jane woke up early on Friday morning and was disoriented.  She was looking for me and tried to have the nurse give me a call.  When the nurse wouldn’t call she thought there was a conspiracy to keep her in the hospital.  I figured that it would be best if I stayed, that way when she would wake up she would see me.

Who Knows What is Going on?

I was little frustrated yesterday. Jane had to fast in order to get her PET scan.  She woke up hungry and kept asking for food.  They finally came and got Jane at about 11:00 AM and she did not return to the room until almost 4:00 PM.  When she returned she was really hungry!  The nurse refused to give her any food because the doctor had to release to eat. Jane couldn”t understand why she couldn’t eat.  I had to keep reminding her that the doctor had to release her.

The doctor released her to eat about 4:00 PM, but he nurse was in the middle of changing wings and forgot to tell us.  The oncoming nurse came flying in Jane’s room about 5:00 PM apologizing and helped us to get Jane some food.

After we got Jane settled, I asked the nurse when I would get a chance to talk to the doctor.  She kind of looked at me like I was crazy and told me the doctor would probably not be in to see Jane.  I was in disbelief, I told her that I had only see the doctor the day of the surgery and it would be nice to get an update from him.  I also told her that I it would like the results of the PET scan, because it was Friday and the doctor would most likely not be in on Saturday.  Again, she looked at me like I was crazy.

After a little encouragement, she told me she would call the doctor and see if they would stop by and discuss the results of the PET scan with us.  She came back a few minutes later and said the doctor “might” stop in between 8:30 PM and 9:00 PM.   To no one’s surprise the doctor did not show.

Preliminary Results

The doctor (Intern or assistant to the surgeon) finally showed up at about 6:30 AM.  She did a quick assessment of Jane and said she was doing good. Then she told us that she would remove the drain tube from Jane’s head and redress her incision later this afternoon.  I ask her about the PET scan and she told us that only a preliminary read had been done and it looked like there might be active metastisis in the shoulder blade area and possibly in the swollen lymph-node on her neck.  The good, this is what could be causing her arm pain.  The bad, it could be active cancer.    Either way, we won’t get the results until Monday.  For now is just getting strong enough to get back to Hawaii.  Once there we will discuss this with our oncologist.

 

Discharge?

We are still not sure if Jane will be discharged today, the physical therapist and the occupational therapist will need to assess Jane.  If they feel that she is mobile enough and that she can take care of herself (with assistance), she will be discharged.  I’m thinking discharge, but it all depends on how Jane is feeling when the PT/OT show up.

Pastor Brian's Shenanigans

Toad: Caught In The Act

Gabriel saw the picture of Jane with the white bandage on her head and said that she looked like Toad from Mario.  I did a quick search and sure enough she looks like Toad.  We (Brian, Jane and I) laughed about this. I stepped out of the room for one minute, when I return this is what I found!

 

Toad

Jane really wanted to capture the moment for the boys.

Toad

 

Prayer

Pray for Jane’s hand, the pain continues to cause discomfort and keeps her awake.  The pain medicine doesn’t work on her arm.  Pray she continue to heal quickly and for the results of the PET scan, for quick action from our doctors upon our return.  Pray for her rest and for Linda’s fight.  Pray that we all get some sleep tonight, as Brian and I will fly back tomorrow.  Pray for Linda as she takes over Jane’s care and transition to the hotel.  The main things is just to pray!

 

Road to Recovery

I saw Jane first thing this morning.  She was looking great.  Her attitude was strong and she wanted to do everything by herself.

The Brain

Jane was a little confused this morning.  She kept mixing up time and places.  She was struggling hard to try to grasp on to reality.  I believe that it is a mixture of the drugs/pain medication and the surgery.  She kept forgetting things that I would tell her in conversation and was very persistant.

ICU

Jane was moved from ICU about 4:30 this afternoon.  Her room is on the end of the wing and has large windows on two sides.  Visiting hours are from 8:30 Am to 7:oo PM.  She is recieving visitors, but she may or may not be lucid and awake.

Recovery

Jane started off the day looking great, both of her eyes were open and were almost the same size.  Her left arm had very little pain (probably the really strong pain medication).  As the day progressed her head began to swell a little and her right eye began to get really swollen and started to turn black and blue.  The nusre told us this might happen and was pretty common.  The swelling could last two to three days.  Jane did get up out of bed and walked around the wing for about 5 minutes with the Physical Therapist, she did really well.

Due to the bandage on her head, she cannot wear earphones and was really bummed that she could not listen to the worship music on her iPod.  Tonight, I picked up an iHome with a remote control so she can listen to music.  She said that is what she need to get better quick.

I did not get a chance to talk to her doctor today as he was out sick.  I talked to one of his nurse and she said that we were really lucky that he didn’t get sick yesterday.  Otherwise, we would have had to wait a few days for Jane’s surgery.

Prayer

Pray for Jane to continue to recover quickly.  Pray that the swelling goes down quickly and continue to pray for the pain that has been pleaguing her left hand and arm would be removed from her.  Pray that her body get strong. Pray that she get the rest she needs and that her mind would be come crystal clear.   Pray for her PET scan tomorrow, that the doctors would be able to isolate the issue that is causing her left eye to droop and the pain in her left arm.

The End of a Long Day

ICU

The surgery is over and Jane is resting in ICU.  Pastor Brian, Mark and I got to spend about two hours with her this evening after the surgery.  She looked great!  I sent Gabriel and Samuel a picture of her in ICU.  Gabriel said that she looked like Toad from the Mario games, all she needed was red spots on her head wrap.

The Surgery

The Neurosurgeon said that the surgery went well and that he removed the dead portion of the brain that was causing the swelling,  He told us that the preliminary results were negative for cancer.  That means that the previous radiation treatments worked.

The Rest of The Week

Jane is scheduled for a brain  MRI tomorrow and will have PET scan on Friday to assess the rest of her body.  Linda will arrive on Saturday.  Jane should be released from the hospital on Saturday.

If you are in the area and want to visit Jane in the hospital, give me a call or send me an email to coordinate.  Jane said that she would really enjoy seeing people.

Prayer

Thanks for all the prayers and wishes.  Please let me ask you to continue to cover us in prayer.  We need for Jane to continue to recover quickly.  Pray against infection, pray that pain in her arm is gone and that she gets good rest.  Pray for her continued healing.

Again thanks for all your prayers, it makes a world of difference.

Closing

Just got word the the surgey went fine and they are starting to close.  I hope to see Jane in about 1 to 2 hours

Checking-in

We’ve checked Jane in at the hospital.  Dr. McDermott stopped in and drew on Jane’s forehead.  The anestisialogist stopped by and now the nurses are getting her set up with an IV.   She should be heading into surgery soon.  She is in good spirits and ready to go.

San Francisco

We arrived in S.F. yesterday about 3:00 Pm.  Our good friends Mark and Grace picked us up from the airport and have allow us to base out of their home.  They are family away from home!

UCSF Medical Center

UCSF is  spread all over downtown S.F.  We started our morning by heading up to China Basin for Jane’s MRI.  Once we arrived and fill out all the necessary paperwork, the technician told us that they were running way behind and that they could send us to UCSF at Parnassus and get us in right away.  This was good news, because we had to go to Parnassus to check-in with the hospital and meet with the doctor.

The technician gave us a voucher and called us a taxi.  The cab picked us up out front and we SPED off toward Parnassus.  The drivre had it down, he was swerving in and out of traffic, yelling at the guy that waited for the light to turn green before turning right and then honked at the guy in front of him that stop at a cross walk.  The whole time he was complaining about how bad the drivers were.  I think we broke the recorded for the time it took to get from one end of the city to the other.

Once at the hospital, Jane at a big breakfast.  It was good to see her appetite return, probably the steroids.  After she ate, we checked in at the hospital.  UCSF has been fantastic over the last few years that we have been coming.  Jane was a little disturbed by the lack of professionalism that she encountered this time.  It is really uncharacteristic of what we have come to expect. Once the initial check-in was completed, we met with the nurse, who was great, and got all the information for tomorrows surgery.

We had a little time after we finished checking-in before we had to see the surgeon, so we went across the street and ate lunch.

After Lunch we met with the Surgeon, Dr McDermott.  He reviewed Jane’s brain MRI from June and thebrain MRI from this morning, side-by-side.  After looking at them, he explained that the decadron (steroid) that Jane has been taking for the last few weeks has really helped the swelling to go down.  There were two spots that he compared for us.  The first was the big one with all the swelling and the second was a little smaller, but was fully encompassed by the swelling.  In the comparison both spots were noticeably smaller and he told us that area was just dead tissue.  Dr. McDermott told us that he would biopsy both spots, but he was pretty sure that they would both be negative for tumor/cancer. As far as the surgery goes, he said that would try to cut in the hairline and would sew the scalp back together, instead of stapling it.

After looking at all the images, Dr. McDermott examined Jane.  He did a very extensive job looking at her left arm and was concerned and puzzled by her pain and lack of diagnosis.  He said that he would order a PET scan once the surgery was completed and Jane was resting in the hospital.  He was concerned that there could be a tumor somewhere in the shoulder or neck that could be causing the pain.  Knowing that Dr. McDermott is determined to discover the origin of her 24/7 pain made Jane very happy.

Pastor Brian

My good friend and dive partner, Pastor Brian, arrived at the hospital just after we finished the doctors appointment.  He will be here with us during the surgery and for the rest of the week, give us spiritual and emo support.

Surgery

Tomorrow, Jane will check in around 12:20 PM and surgery is schedule to start at 2:20 PM.  Dr. McDermott told us that the surgery will last about 3 to 3.5 hours.  She should be out of surgery and in recovery by 6:00 PM.

Prayer

Continue to pray for Jane’s healing,  the doctors skill and for the surgery tomorrow. Pray for the boys, who are staying at home with “The AWESOME Auntie Liz.” Pray for Jane’s mom, as she is really concerned.  Pray and bless Mark and Grace for the wonderful hospitality that they have afforded us.

I will try to update the blog throughout the day tomorrow.

Thanks for you prayers and support!

San Francisco

We had a good flight to San Francisco. Jane said that she was very comfortable and it was one of the best flight in a long time.

We are staying at our friends Mark and Grace. They live in S.F. and continue to be great supporters.

Jane is resting now and we should have an early start tomorrow.

In the morning Jane will get an MRI and a Prepare meeting (pre-consult) early afternoon, and we will meeting with the doctor in the afternoon.

The surgery is schedule for Wednesday at 2:20 PM.

Please pray for Jane’s MRI tomorrow morning, that she would be at peace and able to lay comfortably on the table. Pray for the Doctor’s wisdom and skill. And, pray for Jane’s health.

I will update with details tomorrow.

Swelling

The results of Jane’s last MRI (June 24th) were a mixed bag.  The MRI showed no new tumors and two existing tumors that grew a little.  The big problem is swelling that is persistent around one of the growing tumors. 

The Swelling

The swelling around the tumber is so extensive it has cause the brain to shift slightly and is putting pressure on the brain.  The swelling can cause headaches and all sorts of other side effects, left untreated it could be deadly. 

Treatment

In the past we have been able to attack the tumors with radiation and the swelling with steroids.  On our last trip to  UCSF, Dr. Sneed, the Radiation Oncologist,  told us that we might want to consider brain surgery.  After careful consideration we decided to stay with the radiation and steroids.  The treatment was not as effective as we had hoped and the swelling has increased. 

To deal with the tumor and to ease the swelling, Dr. Sneed has again recommended brain surgery. This time we are in full agreement.  The risk from surgery is low and benefits are high.  We are now thinking of this as a “No Brainer” (pun intended).  One of the biggest benefits is that after the surgery, the tumor will  be gone and the swelling should go down quickly, reducing the time that Jane will need to be on steroids. 

We have scheduled surgery at the end of this month.  Jane and I will flight to S.F. on a Monday, meet with the doctors/surgeons on Tuesday and she will have surgery on Wednesday.  This type of surgery usually requires a 3 day hospital stay.  That means that Jane could be released on Friday or the following Monday.  Jane’s sister will come to S.F on the weekend to take care of Jane until she is ready to come back the following week.

Other Things

Jane’s  continues to have back spasms daily, usually in the afternoon or evening.  Jane also has a pinched nerve that causes numbness in her left hand and sends shocking pain down her left arm.  Muscle relaxers seem to be helping the back pain and we are working with a doctor who specializes in dealing with pain to manage the pinched nerve. 

The constant pain in her left arm keeps her awake at night or will wake her up in the middle of the night.  The boys and I massage her hand and arm many times in the day and night to help relieve the pain.   As you can imagine the constant pain has really taken a toll on Jane.

 

Prayer

Pray for Jane’s health, she need to be health get the surgery.  Pray for our flights (the cost is crazy, because of the short notice and summer).  Pray for the pinched nerve and back spasms, dealing with one thing is hard enough, but the compounding effects of these conditions need to be eliminated.  Pray for Jane’s spirit and for the boys.  Pray for Samuel, he has taken on a lot helping with Jane during the days.  Gabriel has a summer job and I am working, leaving Samuel at home to watch over Jane.  Both boys do a great job taking care of their mom, I am so proud of them!

Thank you for always praying for us!