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?

The Latest

I apologize for the late update, but the wife and I took the triplets to the beach for a day of fun and sun. Apart from a broken beach umbrella and a broken beach chair, everything went well, but it does make me appreciate the great job Beth and Steve do day in and day out.

While we were doing that, Beth was continuing to make progress. She was moved once again. One of the nurses made an offhand remark that patients moved to that area of the hospital are getting ready to go home. None of the doctors have said anything about it, but it could be considered an encouraging sign. During the move Beth walked from her bed to the bed used to transport her, and she's able to get up and walk to the restroom when she needs to. Her epidural catheter came out, but the anesthesiologist decided not to put it back in. The new pain meds make her drowsy, but the nausea and dry heaves from the chemo are under control. Her eyes are still slightly puffy, but her color is better. Some signs of normalcy are starting to appear as well. Beth watched some Oprah and told Steve she wanted her cell phone. Overall, it was another good day.

If you haven't already, please make a comment in the Words of Encouragement post. I know Beth would love to hear from you. Thanks to those that have commented thus far.

Ahead of Schedule

All the positive thoughts and prayers are working. Beth is doing very well and is ahead of schedule. Mom and Dad were in the ICU this morning as Beth's doctors stopped in to monitor her. They were very happy with the results of the surgery and said that it puts her in a good position for her recovery and upcoming rounds of chemo. My wife and I visited later on in the day, and were pleased to see that Beth was conscious and lucid. She was experiencing nausea and dry heaves from the chemo. It was revealed by the doctors that she had received a chemo infusion before the chemo wash during surgery. Not only was it causing the nausea, but also some swelling around her eyes. Her ICU nurse came in while we were there and drew some blood to run her blood gasses. They were once again pleased with the results, and it was decided that she would be moved out of ICU ahead of schedule. Originally the doctors had prepared Beth and Steve for a 3 to 5 day stay in ICU. Leave it to Beth to do things her own way... At this point they are waiting for a bed to open up.

Words of Encouragement

Last night Steve mentioned how Beth would enjoy looking back on the posts to see what was happening while she was in surgery and the ICU. That gave me an idea, and I'd like to recruit all of you to give Beth a nice gift. I know it's a hassle to create an account so you can post a comment, so with password in hand I've opened up the comments to include anyone that would like to say a few words. No account necessary. For those of you that are technologically challenged, instructions are included below. Even though there is an option to post anonymously, I ask that you include your name so that Beth can see just how many of you are supporting her.

Comment Instructions:
1. At the bottom right side of the post click on the comments link. It will have a number followed by the word comments and looks like this: 0 comments
2. Type your comments in the space provided under "Leave your comment."
3. Choose your identity. If you have an account, you can log in. If not, select "Name/URL" and type your name. Don't worry about the URL, just leave it blank.
4. Click "PUBLISH YOUR COMMENT" and you're done.