Girl Parts Gone Bad!

Stronger and stronger! Started Physical Therapy exercises late last week and practice every day, along with one to two full walks of the neighborhood each day. Life is getting back to normal with company all gone home now and Craig going off to jobs regularly. And last evening I did my first flight of stairs!  So I am looking forward to this week and the first part of next week being EXCELLENT.

Chemo starts up again next week on Wednesday, May 23 and continues weekly for nine sessions. Last time I had to take a week off because my white blood cells fell below a safe level. With that in mind, we are hoping that I can finish 9 sessions of chemo in 10 weeks – being done by the end of July.

After that the doctors do some more tests, we get some new scores and then, WHOOPEE!

Having a lovely recovery! Slow, but steady. Each day I try to lengthen my neighborhood walk to the ‘next’ driveway. Stairways are still off limits and sometimes I need to rest, but otherwise life is pretty fine.  And we have had visitors! A god-daughter! My sister-in-law from Michigan! And day visits with our Vermont sister-inlaw, Craig’s brother AND our nephew with his 5 month old baby boy!  Life is pretty grand!

Tomorrow we meet back with my Oncologist to plot out the weeks ahead. Our guess is that chemotherapy will resume in a couple  weeks and run through the end of July. Until we get official word, however, we know nothing.

I have been enjoying getting my brain back. Suddenly I find myself reading for pleasure and finishing books. My attention span was too short for this just weeks ago. Hard to give that up again, but that and my hair can return once the chemo has been completed so let’s get on with it!

We had a great visit with the surgeon today.  She removed the staples and replaced them with steri-strips.  The incision looks great (I predict it will be a very thin white line scar) with no swelling or sign of infection.  The bruising has changed from blues to mostly yellow-green (progress in the ol’ bruising rainbow).

We also received the pathology report!  (We were warned that it might take two weeks, but it was ready for us in just one week.)  The Official Diagnosis is now Cancer of the Fallopian Tube.  They found the ignition site (I speak the language of tracing a fire back to it’s source) in the right tube, next to the largest tumor they took out (all of 5 millimeters in size).  So while they’ll continue to treat it as Ovarian, we’ll know technically that it ain’t.

They also found some microscopic cancer cells in the omentum and in the tiny bit of liquid they sopped up.  She removed some nodules from the small intestine that tested as non-cancerous.  And there were other dead cancer cells that had been killed by the chemo.

Bottom line, except for getting a miraculous verdict of “golly, nothing here”, this is the best news we could have gotten at this point.  The hope is that surgery removed many of the potentially drug-resistent cancer cells (the ones that cause recurrence), but just in case, we’re gonna carpet bomb them again with another round of chemo.  But in these weeks in between, she is working on healing the incision, increasing her overall strength (adding physical therapy here at home), and continuing the alternative treatments.

Hot-tubbing can be resumed on May 23!  That was the VERY best news of the day.  (She loves reading your comments!)

I’ve been sporting 21 stainless steel staples marching down my abdominal. Probably enough to set off an airport metal detector! Today they are supposed to come out. No more ‘body jewelry’!  Will let you know how that turns out. Craig, Beth are going. First time for Beth to see the hospital and my surgeon.

After all those quick posts on Wednesday, there has been a dearth of postings since then, and I have received comments to that effect.  The problem is, of course, that it’s boring!  When healing from major surgery, boring is exactly what you want, but for those around the healing party, zzzzzzzzzzz……

I arrived Saturday mid-day.  I learned the routine from Sarahjoy, and then took her to the bus stop.  And that’s about it!  Visitors have been pleasant distractions, I’m grateful for the internet.  But we’re just hangin’ out.  Tammi is walking and eating and visiting and napping, and seems completely content.  We’re looking forward to the expected warmer weather coming this week.

I’ll update if anything, and I mean ANYthing, happens.  LOL 

2:30 pm Tammi was discharged and now is back home in Middlebury!

I just spoke to Sarahjoy and Tammi at the hospital (Sarahjoy has been able to stay overnite with Tammi in her hospital room). The room is like a dorm room at college, the nurses rolled in two deluxe recline lounge chairs, they recline completely so Sarahjoy can sleep in one. They have the ability to keep the room door closed and there is almost no outside noise and they have a fancy menu like a nice restaurant and additional vegetarian menu and they just call anytime and order food off the menu and it get it delivered right to your lap. Wait ’til they discover the reduction in service when they get back home! Tammi had a great night’s sleep, her hearing has returned to normal. She took a long walk to the end of her floor to see the great view from the sixth floor lounge. When Dr. Everett saw her this morning she indicated if she keeps improving she probably can be discharged late this afternoon, so we can hope that will happen.

It’s been a heck of a day for the Goddards we love.  Tammi is doing well (if by “well” you understand that she is exceeding everyone’s expectations and such).  (insert eye-roll here)  She has a little hearing loss in one ear this morning, but Craig addresses that down below.

But Craig learned this morning of the sudden death of his friend and work partner, Roger, and it’s a tough blow.  Our boy needs a massage and a vacation.  I am heading up on Saturday for a full week, ostensibly to care for Anne, but I have a feeling it will be Craig who needs the extra lovin’ most.

From Craig:

“I’m at the hospital with Tammi now. A resident looked in her ears and thinks there is some fluid, possibly from the sinus while she was laying down under anesthesia.  She thinks she can hear better so hope that is improving. I asked when we would have the pathology report on Tam’s tissue that was removed during surgery. The answer is 1-2 weeks and this will probably be presented at her follow-up visit with the surgeon. Her pain is low enough that they have removed the pain pump will now just give oral pain medications. They have also removed her catheter and said if she continues to improve, they may let her go home tomorrow (Friday) afternoon. Her mood and spirit are good.”

“I feel great!! Wednesday April 25, 2012 is getting to be one of my favorite dates.”

From Craig:

“I just spoke with doctor Everett by phone from the operating room, she said “good news everything looks great in here” no evidence of cancer implants, she has examined the liver and believes it is ok! My understanding is the news is very good, she said she is not going to have to do a lot more. [this was during surgery]

[After surgery] “I just finished talking with Tammi’s surgeon, the operation is done and Tam should be awake in an hour or so. It was an optimal debulking (meaning there is no visible cancer left), the best possible outcome! The surgeon said that if she hadn’t known that Tammi had cancer she would not have guessed that she did when they opened her abdominal cavity (must be the Cantron). (You’ll have to ask Beth about that!) SO WE ARE THANKFUL TO GOD AND ALL WHO PRAYED FOR US. I will give a further update after we see Tam in the recovery room.” —Craig