Margaret knows there are several medical professionals among her friends who are watching her blog, and she thinks it's just a matter of time until someone asks "Exactly what did they do?"
Hence, she asked me to post the following "details" from her Northwestern Memorial Hospital discharge report. (If you are not a medical professional, I think you can skip this and you'll know just as much as if you read it.)
Pre-op Diagnosis: Pelvic/rectal and paraaortic masses, adenocarcinoma favoring ovarian primary on paraaortic mass biopsy
Post-op Diagnosis: Same
Procedure: Posterior exenteration (radical hysterectomy, radical proctectomy, bilateral salpingoophorectomy) with end-to-end reanastamosis of rectosigmoid colon, omentectomy, paraaortic mass resection, pelvic lymph node biopsies bilaterally, washings
The pathologist's analysis of the tissues removed had not been completed at the time of Margaret's discharge. Dr. Lurain explained that "it's a big specimen, and they want to get as much information as they can from it". I expect we will learn that information no later than Margaret's next appointment with Dr. Lurain on August 8.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
I'M BACK!
Well, I made it to the other side of surgery in pretty good shape (although 20 pounds heavier from all the fluid during surgery). And I'm ready to do all my own reporting, at least some of it anyway.
We came home yesterday afternoon. The trip seemed a little long, but we made it fine, and I actually feel well. In fact all my complaints today are of the petty variety. I've discovered I cannot take narcotic pain killers though. My dreams last night were in high speed, very vivid color, and woke me often. So enough of that.
I'll be taking advantage of my situation for all it's worth for a couple of weeks until Karl reminds me that my discharge papers said that I could do cooking, laundry, cleaning, etc. as long as I don't drive or lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk. I ask the doctor to strike out the part about being able to work, but no luck. Karl, Emily, and Jeanne are being wonderful, and I expect to put Marcia to work when she returns on Monday- so I'm well cared for.
I've been nearly overwhelmed by all the care, love, and concern from my wonderful friends and family members. Your prayers and positive thoughts certainly did the job as far as the surgery was concerned, and your cards, blog comments, calls, and emails have kept my spirits high. All this attention even kept me up when the hospital food threatened to sink me. It was the only bad part of my hospital experience, but it was truly bad - ugly, bland to the max, and best forgotten.
That's it for now. I'll post some info on the final surgery report later for those of you who might be interested in those details.
We came home yesterday afternoon. The trip seemed a little long, but we made it fine, and I actually feel well. In fact all my complaints today are of the petty variety. I've discovered I cannot take narcotic pain killers though. My dreams last night were in high speed, very vivid color, and woke me often. So enough of that.
I'll be taking advantage of my situation for all it's worth for a couple of weeks until Karl reminds me that my discharge papers said that I could do cooking, laundry, cleaning, etc. as long as I don't drive or lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk. I ask the doctor to strike out the part about being able to work, but no luck. Karl, Emily, and Jeanne are being wonderful, and I expect to put Marcia to work when she returns on Monday- so I'm well cared for.
I've been nearly overwhelmed by all the care, love, and concern from my wonderful friends and family members. Your prayers and positive thoughts certainly did the job as far as the surgery was concerned, and your cards, blog comments, calls, and emails have kept my spirits high. All this attention even kept me up when the hospital food threatened to sink me. It was the only bad part of my hospital experience, but it was truly bad - ugly, bland to the max, and best forgotten.
That's it for now. I'll post some info on the final surgery report later for those of you who might be interested in those details.
Friday, July 27, 2007
July 27 Update
Margaret’s progress on Thursday wasn’t as good as Wednesday. She didn’t feel very good, and she actually experienced small setbacks in some aspects of her recovery.
Nevertheless, she received a good evaluation from Dr. Lurain and his team during their morning rounds. And, throughout the day, she:
• took five walks,
• talked with callers on the phone,
• ate at least some of each meal, and
• enjoyed a very welcome and pleasant visit by Nancy King.
Dr. Lurain told us in the evening that he continues to be pleased with Margaret's progress and, “depending on how everything looks in the morning”, he most likely will let her go home on Friday. Margaret and I both are hoping that happens.
Nevertheless, she received a good evaluation from Dr. Lurain and his team during their morning rounds. And, throughout the day, she:
• took five walks,
• talked with callers on the phone,
• ate at least some of each meal, and
• enjoyed a very welcome and pleasant visit by Nancy King.
Dr. Lurain told us in the evening that he continues to be pleased with Margaret's progress and, “depending on how everything looks in the morning”, he most likely will let her go home on Friday. Margaret and I both are hoping that happens.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
July 26 Update
Margaret had a very good recovery day yesterday.
When I first saw her at 11 a.m., she was off all her IVs and she not only was out of bed but also had already taken three walks. She had received a good evaluation from Dr. Lurain and his team during their morning rounds.
Through the day she:
• took four more walks,
• sat up in a chair much of the time,
• ate three solid-food meals, and
• talked with people who called her on the telephone.
In the afternoon, Joe Kernan came to visit for about an hour. Joe’s ability to light up a room worked even amidst the inherent gloom of a hospital, and his visit gave Margaret (and me) a great lift.
In the evening, Dr. Lurain’s partner told us that if Margaret’s recovery continues to progress as it has to date and she gets over “just a couple more hurdles”, she may be able to go home “by the weekend”. A good ending to a good day!
When I first saw her at 11 a.m., she was off all her IVs and she not only was out of bed but also had already taken three walks. She had received a good evaluation from Dr. Lurain and his team during their morning rounds.
Through the day she:
• took four more walks,
• sat up in a chair much of the time,
• ate three solid-food meals, and
• talked with people who called her on the telephone.
In the afternoon, Joe Kernan came to visit for about an hour. Joe’s ability to light up a room worked even amidst the inherent gloom of a hospital, and his visit gave Margaret (and me) a great lift.
In the evening, Dr. Lurain’s partner told us that if Margaret’s recovery continues to progress as it has to date and she gets over “just a couple more hurdles”, she may be able to go home “by the weekend”. A good ending to a good day!
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
July 25 Update
Margaret’s recovery progressed very nicely yesterday.
When I first saw her at 11 a.m., she already was better than when she came from the Recovery Room on Monday night but still in pretty weak condition—asleep most of the time, nauseated while awake (couldn’t keep down a cup of clear broth), etc.
However, after a visit by Dr. Lurain during which he ordered the pain medication IV removed and an anti-nausea medication administered, everything steadily improved for the remainder of the day. By the time I left at the 8:30 p.m. close of visiting hours, she had:
• climbed out of and back into bed without my help several times,
• taken four walks,
• eaten a solid-food dinner,
• talked on the phone with Sam,
• asked me to fetch her hairbrush and cosmetics kit,
• was about to start listening to an audio book,
• told me to bring her a cup of Starbucks when I come to visit this morning.
During Dr. Lurain’s visit, Margaret asked him whether her surgery had provided a good lesson plan for his teaching on Monday. He said, yes, it had given him an excellent opportunity to instruct his students on the importance of formulating a strategy for the surgery before starting to cut. The strategy in her surgery was his “remove the tumor and affected organs all in one piece”, which I mentioned yesterday.
By the way, Dr. Lurain and his students are very impressive people. In addition to morning rounds as a group, Lurain and each of his students on the case separately visited Margaret during the day. All of them are very pleasant and informative but also focused on their work. They are professional in both manner and appearance—no slobbing around in scrubs and running shoes. No “business casual” either. Dr. Lurain looks like he stepped off a page of the Brooks Brothers catalog in his button-down Oxford shirt and Rep-striped tie, and his students (maybe because he requires them to) obviously emulate his style. Mr. Chizek would have loved these people!
Many thanks for your emails and blog comments. I will be reading them to Margaret when I see her a little while from now.
Marc, special thanks for getting Frank Hoffman on the job.
When I first saw her at 11 a.m., she already was better than when she came from the Recovery Room on Monday night but still in pretty weak condition—asleep most of the time, nauseated while awake (couldn’t keep down a cup of clear broth), etc.
However, after a visit by Dr. Lurain during which he ordered the pain medication IV removed and an anti-nausea medication administered, everything steadily improved for the remainder of the day. By the time I left at the 8:30 p.m. close of visiting hours, she had:
• climbed out of and back into bed without my help several times,
• taken four walks,
• eaten a solid-food dinner,
• talked on the phone with Sam,
• asked me to fetch her hairbrush and cosmetics kit,
• was about to start listening to an audio book,
• told me to bring her a cup of Starbucks when I come to visit this morning.
During Dr. Lurain’s visit, Margaret asked him whether her surgery had provided a good lesson plan for his teaching on Monday. He said, yes, it had given him an excellent opportunity to instruct his students on the importance of formulating a strategy for the surgery before starting to cut. The strategy in her surgery was his “remove the tumor and affected organs all in one piece”, which I mentioned yesterday.
By the way, Dr. Lurain and his students are very impressive people. In addition to morning rounds as a group, Lurain and each of his students on the case separately visited Margaret during the day. All of them are very pleasant and informative but also focused on their work. They are professional in both manner and appearance—no slobbing around in scrubs and running shoes. No “business casual” either. Dr. Lurain looks like he stepped off a page of the Brooks Brothers catalog in his button-down Oxford shirt and Rep-striped tie, and his students (maybe because he requires them to) obviously emulate his style. Mr. Chizek would have loved these people!
Many thanks for your emails and blog comments. I will be reading them to Margaret when I see her a little while from now.
Marc, special thanks for getting Frank Hoffman on the job.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
July 24 Morning Update
Margaret’s surgery, which began at 2 p.m., was completed at about 8:30 p.m. yesterday. She was in the Recovery Room for about 3 hours before being brought to her room in Northwestern Memorial’s Prentice Women’s Pavilion.
Her surgeon, Dr. John Lurain, reported the following to me:
1) He removed the large tumor in her pelvic area and the organs it was touching “all in one piece”. (That is, he detached her uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, and a section of her colon and then lifted out all the organs and the tumor at the same time.) He said he did it this way in order to assure that no pieces of the tumor were left in her body.
2) He removed other tissues in her pelvic area (lymph nodes, a layer of tissue that covers the intestines, and a layer of tissue that surrounds the bladder) that may have been diseased.
3) He visual examined other organs (liver, etc.) and found no evidence of disease in them.
4) He was able to re-connect her colon after removal of the section containing part of the tumor; so she did not need a colostomy (something she was worried about).
5) Margaret’s vital signs were strong throughout the surgery.
6) There is no visible cancer remaining in her body; but there are microscopic cancer cells that will have to be treated with chemotherapy.
7) The surgery achieved all its goals, and the focus now will be on getting Margaret through recovery from it—“This was a big surgery”.
I wasn’t able to talk much with Margaret last night because she couldn’t stay awake (it was, of course, way past her bedtime). She did say “I feel like I’ve been run over by a truck”, and she gave me a thumbs-up sign when I told her she did not have a colostomy. Then she went into a sound sleep.
Because NMH is a teaching hospital and doctors make patient rounds with their students in the morning, visiting hours do not begin until 11 a.m. CDT. So, I will see Margaret about half an hour from now.
Many thanks for your thoughts, prayers, and support. Margaret and I feel very blessed to have friends like you.
Her surgeon, Dr. John Lurain, reported the following to me:
1) He removed the large tumor in her pelvic area and the organs it was touching “all in one piece”. (That is, he detached her uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, and a section of her colon and then lifted out all the organs and the tumor at the same time.) He said he did it this way in order to assure that no pieces of the tumor were left in her body.
2) He removed other tissues in her pelvic area (lymph nodes, a layer of tissue that covers the intestines, and a layer of tissue that surrounds the bladder) that may have been diseased.
3) He visual examined other organs (liver, etc.) and found no evidence of disease in them.
4) He was able to re-connect her colon after removal of the section containing part of the tumor; so she did not need a colostomy (something she was worried about).
5) Margaret’s vital signs were strong throughout the surgery.
6) There is no visible cancer remaining in her body; but there are microscopic cancer cells that will have to be treated with chemotherapy.
7) The surgery achieved all its goals, and the focus now will be on getting Margaret through recovery from it—“This was a big surgery”.
I wasn’t able to talk much with Margaret last night because she couldn’t stay awake (it was, of course, way past her bedtime). She did say “I feel like I’ve been run over by a truck”, and she gave me a thumbs-up sign when I told her she did not have a colostomy. Then she went into a sound sleep.
Because NMH is a teaching hospital and doctors make patient rounds with their students in the morning, visiting hours do not begin until 11 a.m. CDT. So, I will see Margaret about half an hour from now.
Many thanks for your thoughts, prayers, and support. Margaret and I feel very blessed to have friends like you.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Monday's the Big Day
Tomorrow at 2:00 PM, I will have surgery. Karl and I met with Dr. Lurain on Friday, and he confirmed that I have a large tumor in the right lower abdominal area and it has grown into the colon. He cannot tell from all the tests exactly where it started, but the important thing is that he will remove it. He also confirmed that he will do a complete hysterectomy, and bowel resection as well as tumor removal.
All this will take place at Prentice Women's Hospital (part of Northwestern Memorial Hospital) in Chicago. If I'm lucky I'll have a view of Lake Michigan which should help my recovery. Just looking at that beautiful body of water and all the people enjoying it and the lakeshore parks is bound to make me feel better.
Dr. Lurain said that if all goes well, I should be released to come home on Friday, July 27. While I'm there Karl will be staying at a nearby hotel and will update the blog daily. He will also continue to give me the strong support he has from the beginning.
So I'm asking all my dear family and friends to double up on prayers, thoughts, positive energy, chi, and whatever else you can send my way between 2:00 and 6:00 tomorrow ensuring that all will go as well as it can.
To put myself in the best possible frame of mind for this less than pleasant esperience, I went yesterday with Marcia (my best friend-for those who don't know) to Chicago for a day of fun. This bus trip had been organized by the local alumnae club of Saint Mary's College to see a wonderful production of "Wicked". (Bought last March and nonrefundable, so being Tom Burns's daughter I had to go.) The weather was perfect, we had a delicious lunch, did a little shopping, and saw the show. It was great entertainment and lots of laughs. Just what I needed.
So now I'll say all my prayers and be as ready as I can be. Thank you all for what you have done for me, and I'll be in touch when I can from the "other side" of this experience.
All this will take place at Prentice Women's Hospital (part of Northwestern Memorial Hospital) in Chicago. If I'm lucky I'll have a view of Lake Michigan which should help my recovery. Just looking at that beautiful body of water and all the people enjoying it and the lakeshore parks is bound to make me feel better.
Dr. Lurain said that if all goes well, I should be released to come home on Friday, July 27. While I'm there Karl will be staying at a nearby hotel and will update the blog daily. He will also continue to give me the strong support he has from the beginning.
So I'm asking all my dear family and friends to double up on prayers, thoughts, positive energy, chi, and whatever else you can send my way between 2:00 and 6:00 tomorrow ensuring that all will go as well as it can.
To put myself in the best possible frame of mind for this less than pleasant esperience, I went yesterday with Marcia (my best friend-for those who don't know) to Chicago for a day of fun. This bus trip had been organized by the local alumnae club of Saint Mary's College to see a wonderful production of "Wicked". (Bought last March and nonrefundable, so being Tom Burns's daughter I had to go.) The weather was perfect, we had a delicious lunch, did a little shopping, and saw the show. It was great entertainment and lots of laughs. Just what I needed.
So now I'll say all my prayers and be as ready as I can be. Thank you all for what you have done for me, and I'll be in touch when I can from the "other side" of this experience.
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