A VERY GOOD day - home tomorrow?

A 2-lap of the floor walk, upgrade to solid food diet (Turkey sandwich for dinner) and all tubes (IV and catheter) removed.  The day started with a visit to radiology to get her port re-installed for chemo - very smooth procedure.  The doctor visited early evening and indicted that all things point to a discharge tomorrow (Thursday).   A bottle of sparkling cider and two plastic champagne flutes to usher in 2009!

A little nutrition and a short walk

She had a liquid meal this evening, some chicken broth and a couple bites of jello.  Then she had a sponge bath and walked the floor (one lap).  Her parents are heading this way tomorrow for a visit, then my parents come in on Friday.   Appreciate all the responses from all of you - it really lifts her spirits.

A restless night for her

She had a somewhat restless night, lots of abdominal pain as you can imagine.  She mentioned to the nurse about 5 am that she's somewhat panicked to fall asleep that she might stop breathing - the nurse assured her that with the oxygen and all the monitors she was hooked up to that they would know if she stopped breathing and there really was no reason to fear.  After that she was able to get a good stretch of sleep.  She's very much herself this morning and already making plans to sit up today and maybe even attempt to walk a bit.  

She's in recovery

I just s/w Dr. Janciek - he felt good about what he was able to accomplish and mentioned he'd like to get her on chemo in the next couple weeks so we can begin to get ahead of the disease and get her back on the road to remission.  He expects she'll be in the hospital until Friday (Jan 2) - more to follow as she recovers.

She's off to the OR

It's 4:27 pm local time and they just took her off to surgery.  Dr. Janicek told us she's his second and LAST patient of the day and he's in NO HURRY to get home tonight - he intends to spend as much time as needed to clean things up.  I'll post an update later tonight after I speak with him.

Round 2 - DING DING!

Hi guys! It's the morning of my surgery and things have gone a lot smoother this time around, I have no doubt that the same will be said about the surgery and recovery. I feel really good and a lot stronger emotionally - thanks for all the prayers and positive energy you're sending my way - don't forget to pray for Dr. Janicek and his staff as well! I'll be at Scottsdale Healthcare - Shea likely until Friday (link to hospital). Jerry will update the blog later today from the hospital - so check for updates!

There's more work to be done....

Family & Friends. Last Thursday we were caught off-guard by the news of some abnormal blood results we received. Angie was scheduled for her six month follow up with Dr. Janicek's nurse (Kelly), but instead we were re-directed to a lab for a PET scan. The procedure went off without a hitch, the difficult part was having to wait a week to meet with the doctor to view the results. In typical Angie style, she put her game face on and just "lived life" during this period of uncertainty. We even attended the holiday party for my work last Saturday, which I was concerned that she may be challenged to "hold it together" as so many people approached her commenting on how good she looked. Without skipping a beat - she was herself and we enjoyed the party. Leading up to today has been a little awkward, this morning it was very difficult for us to focus on anything. Her appointment was scheduled for 1:30, in typical Dr, Janicek fashion he was about an hour and 15 minutes behind - so we didn't get to see him until almost 3. He brought us over to his computer to show us the PET SCAN, a very detailed view inside Angie's body. The test itself involves a "nuclear sugar" that allows the doctor to see cancerous cells as they react to the sugar. There is a lower section of her bowel that stood out as an area of concern. While this was not the news we wanted to hear, the doctor IS encouraged that it's localized to one area - there's no indication of any other areas that are of concern. We asked about the possibility of treating it with chemo, but Dr. Janicek was convinced that the best way to insure ultimate success is to go back in and cut out that section of the bowel. We agreed and Angie is currently scheduled for surgery on December 29 at 2:30 pm local time. I can't say enough about the strength and courage I witnessed first-hand. While there were tears, she was almost more concerned that Dr. Janicek was feeling bad that the first attempt did not do the job. He joked about how he felt like "The Grinch". What Angie and I discussed on our way home was how amazing he really is. There's a quiet confidence about him that even as he was delivering this news that you know he did not want to deliver, we were both in a place where we felt complete trust in his care. She will follow up the surgery with another round of chemo, Dr. Janicek commented that this treatment routine would be different from the last and will be easier on her system...he even mentioned NO HAIR LOSS! At times like these we are reminded just how NOT IN CONTROL we really are and that there's a plan for us all and it's how we choose to deal with these rough times that really defines us. We are truly grateful that we have a Lord and Savior whose birth we get to celebrate this time of year. We wish you all a Merry Christmas and ask for your continued prayers. We're looking forward to 2009!