Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Tuesday

It's me!



Blogger on iPad ain't easy. Anyway, just a quick update to say that I'm doing well. I had a swallow test/X-rays this morning and everything looks great. My new connections aren't leaking and didn't shrink while healing. I'm on a clear liquid diet today and will hopefully be home by Sunday for my birthday.

Moving right along...Dr. Mann declared me a superstar today. Duh. This bullcrap isn't going to ruin my birthday. Milkshakes for everyone!!!

Monday, May 19, 2014

little update

Just a quick update to let you know that Jenny was able to move out of the ICU over the weekend. She was so stable that they removed several monitors and lines Friday morning, then Saturday she was able to do some walking (just incredible to me!) and was moved to a regular floor.

So that's where things currently stand--holding steady and progressing in all the right ways. We hope that she will continue to be free of complications or infection and, as a result, her hospital stay can be quite a bit shorter than anticipated post-surgery.



Friday, May 16, 2014

surgery update

It was a difficult surgery--over seven hours--but the tumor is out.

They also had to remove her entire stomach, spleen, a small portion of the liver, and approx. 60% of her pancreas. The surgeon said her body won't even notice the spleen and piece of the liver being gone. The pancreas is a bit trickier as it is the one most likely to cause any post-op problems/infections. As for the stomach--did you know you can live just fine without it? I don't know all the technicalities, but essentially part of your small intestine becomes your "new," smaller stomach. This adjustment will probably entail the longest part of her surgery recovery, as her body has to get accustomed to the new set-up.


She is in the ICU for a few days, and then will remain in the hospital for a few weeks after that. Though it will be a tough road, we have every reason to believe she will make a complete recovery from the surgery. She is already exceeding expectations by being taken off the ventilator before the end of the first day.


So what about the cancer? The tumor was very large. It was also filled with over two liters (!) of blood. There was simply no possible way for them to maneuver around it and remove it without some bleeding into the abdomen. Obviously that creates some concern in terms of the long term prognosis. Still, we won't know anything until they get labwork back and know more about the tumor itself. It is fairly certain that she will go back on the Gleevac/imatinib--probably for several years--in order to guard against any relapse.


It's a lot to process, I know. However, I have to say that today we are feeling simply relieved that the surgery is over, that the tumor is out, and that there is no remaining sign of disease in her body. There are still some unknowns, yes, but Jenny is strong. It will be okay.

We will keep praying for strength and peace, and with gratitude for all of your love and support. We just can't say thank you enough.

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

the latest

Hey all, this is Jenny's sister, Leigh, posting today. Some of you have heard the latest, but for those who have not, let me give a quick update.

The CT Jenny had right after her last post did show that the tumor had bled again, but was not actively bleeding at that point. Still, she continued feeling so poorly that they ended up doing another CT last Wednesday (5/7). While at the clinic for that scan, she was feeling so much pain and nausea--and bloodwork showed her hematocrit had dropped from 30 to 25 in less than 24 hours--that they decided to admit her to the hospital immediately, where she stayed until Monday morning.

So, where are we now?

The scan showed that the tumor has, in fact, been hemorrhaging again, and they believe it is now larger than when she was originally diagnosed (approximately 21 cm now). Clearly the drugs are not working, and they cannot let this cycle of bleeding continue on like it has. And so they have scheduled her for surgery this Thursday.

We are feeling positive about this course of action. It must come out. She is otherwise perfectly healthy and should be able to sustain the surgery well. And her surgeon is one of the best--whenever someone at the hospital would find out who her surgeon is, the automatic response was always a quick nod of the head and, "That's who I would want if I were in your place."

That said, of course we are praying like crazy! We are praying for the surgeons, that they will be able to remove the tumor in one piece, and that it will not be connected to or require the removal of any other organs. We are praying for peace and comfort and strength. We hope that you will pray with us, too.

I know she is so appreciative--our whole family is--of all of the prayers and positive thoughts and well wishes that have been pouring in since the beginning. I keep telling her she has the most amazing friends, and she really does. 

We will do our best to post an update on Thursday as soon as we are able.