More Progress

Yesterday Beth had her doctor's appointment at the City of Hope. The wife and I went up to Long Beach to babysit the triplets while Beth and Steve were gone. I'd spoken on the phone with Beth the day before and she didn't sound good. The fatigue was audible and her spirits were low, so I was preparing myself to see the worst. It turns out that wasn't necessary. She looked great! Apart from the pic line hanging from her arm, she looked as good as she did before the big surgery. Her energy seemed pretty good, and if not for a meltdown from one of the triplets I'm sure her spirits would have been good as well. After a few hours they returned and Beth plopped down on the couch. The trip had pretty much drained her, but she was able to sit and chat for a while. The doctors removed the pic line, which both Beth and Steve were excited about. Apparently, the pumps for the pic line are quite noisy, and if the line gets kinked or the battery is low an alarm will go off which makes for a long and sleepless night. Her incision is healing very well and is not giving her any trouble at all. Mostly, she is struggling with terrible fatigue and nausea.

Slow Going

Well, it's been a few days and Beth is finding the whole recovery process to be agonizingly slow. She's still eating and keeping everything down, but her energy is low. She just wants to feel normal, and because she doesn't she is very emotional. She has an appointment with Dr. Paz this coming Thursday. Hopefully between now and then her body will cooperate a little bit.

On the Road Again

I spoke with Beth a few minutes ago as she and Steve drove home from the hospital. It was great to hear her voice was back to normal. It seems the recovery is finally progressing. Yesterday she sat outside with Steve while he had lunch. This morning as Beth returned to her room from a test Steve sent a text to my parents saying, "She is hell on wheels about going home." The doctors gave her some new meds for anxiety and blood pressure, and told her that if the fluid became a problem again she could go to the City of Hope's 24-hour clinic to have it drained. They also said they'd like to see her start eating a bit, so on the way home they picked up a burrito. She ate about half the burrito, and was feeling good enough that she considered going to the kids' swim lesson later today. Steve put the kibosh on that one though.

Back on the Up and Up

I just got some encouraging news. Beth is looking good and feeling better. Earlier today her hemoglobin count was very low, so she received four units of blood. The nurse said that wasn't unusual for patients that receive chemotherapy. Apparently the chemo wreaks havoc on the red blood cells. Her color is back, and her face isn't puffy like it was. She's alert and able to hold a conversation. At one point she asked the nurse for something to eat. The doctor gave the o.k., so the nurse gave her crackers and a nutritional drink called Boost. Beth was able to keep it all down, and even felt good enough to go on two walks with Steve and two walks with Mom. She got a bit anxious and uncomfortable in the afternoon, so the nurse gave her a mild sedative.


For those keeping score at home, this is the fifth room for Beth at City of Hope. Ever the advocate, Steve let it be known to the nurse that he didn't want her moved all over creation like last time. The nurse didn't make any promises, but I'm sure she got the message.

Back in the Hospital

Before her surgery Beth was told that her recovery would be long and difficult, and that's proving to be true. After the nurse set up all the home equipment, she trained Steve to take over the nursing duties and said she would be coming back weekly to check on Beth. Meanwhile, Beth struggled to get comfortable while battling nausea and the pressure created by the excess fluid. She wasn't able to do much of anything except watch a little television. She managed to get one good night of sleep, but she tossed and turned the other nights. Yesterday evening Steve called the City of Hope's 24-hour nursing hotline because Beth's blood pressure and pulse shot up significantly. They instructed him to bring her to the hospital. After hanging up, the hospital called back a few minutes later and told Steve that Beth was in danger of having a stroke and instructed him to call 911 to get her to the nearest hospital. Me-Mom took the kids to get an ice cream, and once they had left Steve called 911. The paramedics arrived and agreed that Beth's blood pressure was high. In the emergency room the doctors did a scan and then removed three containers of fluid from her. They told Steve that they couldn't remove more because it would be too much of a shock to Beth's body. She needed to be admitted, and Steve decided that she should be taken to the City of Hope. Beth was driven by ambulance back to where she started. Steve stayed with her until about 4 a.m. and then made his way home so he could be there when the kids woke up. He'll be back at the hospital later this morning. I'll pass along more information as it comes in. Keep those positive thoughts and prayers coming.

Finally at Home

Last night while dealing with her discomfort, Beth decided she wanted to come home. The ride home was the longest she'd been upright since before the surgery, and completely wiped her out. At the moment she's in her own bed with an iced tea, waiting for some medical equipment to arrive. A nurse will be there to get everything set up for her and to hook up her nutrition bag.

Earlier in the day the lab results came back for the fluid that was drained from Beth's abdomen. The fluid was not lymphatic, and it was determined to be the fluid your body produces when trauma occurs. Draining the fluid only prompts the body to produce more, so she'll just have to wait it out. Hopefully, being at home will speed up the process.

A Lot of Fluid

There was a lot of activity yesterday at the City of Hope. Beth has been dealing with a lot of discomfort due to the swelling in her abdomen. In the morning the doctors scheduled a CT scan to get a better idea of what was going on inside of her. While she waited they removed her IV and put in a PIC line to give her nourishment. They took her for the scan and realized just how much fluid she was dealing with. On the scale it amounts to about an extra 50 pounds. They were a little surprised by the amount, and one of the doctors said she'd thought Beth just had a pear-shaped body. Beth was wheeled back to her room where they performed a procedure to aspirate some of the fluid from her abdomen. They drained about a liter and a half and took it to be analyzed. Those results should be in today. Afterward Beth was resting more comfortably.

Good News, Bad News

The old cliche makes an appearance. Dr. Paz visited today with both the good and the bad news. The good news is that of the 50-plus lymph nodes removed during the surgery only two were cancerous. The bad news is that the area the lymph nodes were taken from is continuing to ooze fluid. According to the doctor this is normal, but Beth will remain in the hospital until at least Friday. Her IV is being put back in and will be her only source of nourishment for about a month. Even though the eating and drinking has been suspended, Beth continues to take her daily walks to help her body remove the excess fluid. Fortunately, these walks are the only way she will see more of the facilities, as it appears the hospital room tour has ended.

Jumping the Gun

Unfortunately, we jumped the gun a bit. Beth will be staying in the hospital longer than previously thought. There is fluid buildup in her abdomen that is causing some discomfort and some breathing issues. The buildup is significant enough that the kids asked if mommy was pregnant. The doctors reassured her that this is normal considering the trauma her body has been through. Her goals for today are to keep the pain under control, go for 4 walks, and eat something. Everyone keep those positive thoughts coming.

Room #4 and a Visit From the Kids

By the time this is all said and done Beth will be able to write a guide book for future City of Hope patients. It seems they are intent on showing her every room in the hospital. After the last move she found herself in a one bed shack, but thanks to the nurse in charge she was moved (yet again) to something a little more spacious. The new room is big enough to accommodate both visitors and hospital staff, which makes it easier on everyone. And with the removal of some tubes, one from her nose and the other from her neck, Beth was feeling up to a visit from the kids this morning. Being the curious souls that they are, the kids had many questions about the remaining tubes and medical devices, and they wanted to touch everything. They also wanted to crawl into bed with mommy like at the hospital in Long Beach, but couldn't because of her incision. Apart from that, it didn't take long for them to get comfortable. It was a nice visit and everyone was happy.

After the kids left Beth took a little nap to rest up for her afternoon activity. One of the nurses informed her that she needed to do some "significant walking" to get her fluids moving. She still hasn't had any food or anything to drink, and won't until the doctors are satisfied that her stomach has healed. Two different nurses have given their opinion on when Beth may be discharged. The first thought it would be the middle of this coming week, while the second thought it would be Tuesday. Of course only the doctors know for sure, but the time is drawing near. At the very least they have the opportunity to move her three or four more times. Anyone want to make a bet?