Surgery Success! Posted by Elton

Jessica's surgery landed on Wed, September 28th and I couldn't have asked for a better birthday present.  She went into the OR at noon and at 2:45pm, I received a call from our surgeon (I say "our" because I had him perform on me once before) to tell me that the surgery went well without any complications.  The larger of the tumor was near a blood vessel that is very complicated and risky to remove but he managed to get it all out.  The second one was a little difficult for him to identify with the naked eye which tissue was malignant but he told me they use some kind of computer imaging during the procedure and was confident that he got it out too (which was confirmed by a CT scan this morning).  Jess remained in a standard holding recovery area for about 6 hours post surgery and is closed to people who are not patients and doctors.  Luckily our wonderful family doctor, Dr. Hutchinson got to see her and texted me the news that we were all concerned about - "saw her and able to talk well".  Knowing that the tumors were removed successfully without impairing her speech was a sigh of relief.  Seeing her at 8pm couldn't come soon enough.  I was expecting to see part of her head shaved and bandages wrapped around her head with blood on it and to my amazement, there was none.  She was very tired and drugged up by pain killers so I couldn't speak to her.  And with painkillers comes the side effects of nausea which is always the BIG problem for her - even with her last surgery.   She toughed it out as she normally does and by tonight, she was acting more or less like her old self.  Words can't express how grateful and thankful I am of her recovery in less than 24 hours!  Thank you Dr. Heran!

Having said that, there isn't much time to celebrate.  We need to get Jess at full strength again and get her on to the next treatment for her third brain tumor and the others in her body.  Thank you for all the supportive prayers, thoughts, e-mails and texts we have received in the last 3 days!  It's been a roller coaster of emotions with having the surgery postponed but at the end, it was all worth it!

Surgery Postponed for Wednesday

After being back at the hospital for 12 hours, we found out that the surgery will be postponed. They were trying to fit me to the schedule which is based on the number of traumas that come in. So I am back at home tonight in time to tuck the kids in bed and we'll try again tomorrow. No idea what time will be set or anything. Maybe this is a bit easier for me now since the time has gotten me to collect myself and regroup.

Gonna catch some shows on the tube now!

J

Starting Over Again

How things can totally change around in a few days? Wednesday night while Elt was prepping dinner, I literally lost my ability to speak. I wanted to ask Elt where the salmon was but all I could do was stare at him blankly. He didn't understand why I wasn't responding. I couldn't even move my lips. Finally I uttered the words, "Where's the pajamas?" I was confused and I went over to wetch some t.v. Half an hour later, Elt was calling us for dinner and I stood over Aidan to tell him to go to the table. Again, I couldn't say a thing. I was thinking, "Is this really happening? Why can't I can't open my mouth?" Getting more and more concerned, Elt moved me over the couch and that's when I had a seizure in my face. We called the ambulance and I was admitted into RCH.

At the hospital, I was put in a CT scan of my head and was told that I had 3 brain tumours. 2 were operatible and the other was too dangerous. The next day, after a full body CT and a MRI of my head, they told me I had cancer in my lungs as well. The only good news is that my bone scan came back clear. Fast forward to today, I was given a weekend pass to come home so I can rest and my bed could be saved until I go back in tonight to prep for surgery Monday.

On top of all the drama, the night we came home, Liam was to RCH to do tests on his breathing. He's had similar problems before but really couldn't have happened at a worse time. He is doing much better now.

The surgery will be 2 hours long and apparently, not too painful compared to my reconstruction. I will be in recovery for 6 hours afterwards. I prefer to not have visitors for the first two days and even then, except family. I will be expected to stay the hospital 3-5 days depending on how I do.

Please refer to the blog for more information as the constant bombardment of questions is exhausting to Elt. We really just need to focus on moment-by-moment decisions. Currently Elt and I am on a raw veggie diet so there's no need for food. It's just a another form of combat on my side and has proven time and time and again that diet can make a big difference. I am also looking into some alternative ways to use the effectively of the chemo which works in conjunction with BCCA.

There are no words to explain how I feel but I'm trying my best. It comes in waves. I don't know what treatment protocols are ahead but I'm just going to focus on the surgery. Thank you for all your continual support, prayers, and positive energy. This will be the long haul and we're going to need all the strength we can to get through this.

Love, J