Mom had her surgery to remove the tumor mass from her tongue. The surgery was successful and they were able to remove the whole tumor plus a few extra spots further down her tongue they discovered. They also went into her neck and removed 20 lymph nodes. Yesterday we found out one of the twenty lymph nodes is positive for cancer cells. Mom will start radiation next month. Hopefully, the radiation will zap all the cancer cells and we can be done with this. She is still in a lot of pain as her tongue and neck incision heals. She is beginning to talk more normally and is finally able to eat solid foods. Her doctor is impressed with how well she is able to maneuver her tongue with how much of it they had to take. She feels and talks a little better each day.
Uncle Roger has been moved from the ICU into a rehab center. The other night he called my dad the first time in over a month. My dad was ecstatic to get a call from him. He is still healing from his tracheotomy and having a difficult time eating and talking. He ate two full, real food meals yesterday! He will have to spend 3-6 more weeks in the rehab center. Hopefully after that he will be able to go home. He seems in good spirits and is anxious to get home.
As my dear Emily says, "Such is life."
the journal of a nature-loving, country-living Montana mama raising two tiny humans, vegetables, goats and chickens |:| yearning to slow time while freezing our precious life with photos & words |:| striving to live slowly, wholly, honestly and gracefully while chasing wildlife, chickens, rainbows and dreams |:| "We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand – and melting like a snowflake.” ~Marie B. Ray
Friday, February 19, 2010
Sara & Ellie's Weekend Trip
Sara and Ellie came up for the long weekend to visit mom after her surgery. It was a quick trip. The girls had a blast together. Addison isn't too sure about having to share all her stuff with Ellie, but they seem to work it out and have a fun time together. We got together with Cori and Kaidyn to celebrate Kaidyn's 3rd Birthday. The three of them are great, life long friends. I love that we all had girls that can grow up together and continue the next generation of adventures!
Addison and Ellie love their Papa. They follow him everywhere and never let him out of their sight! It is really sweet.
Addison and Ellie love their Papa. They follow him everywhere and never let him out of their sight! It is really sweet.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Addi at the Bowl
Addi had a huge milestone today! She clicked into some skis and hit the slopes at Snowbowl! As a native Missoulian, skiing Snowbowl is a must and at only 2 years and 3 months she has gotten a good start on the tradition. My good friends Scott and Jackie Gingras were in town and decided to take their almost 4 year old up to Snowbowl for his first ski day and I decided Addi and I would join them. She was a little apprehensive at first and I had to be extra goofy and excited to get her to get the ski boots on. Snapping into the skiis took a little more coaxing for both the kids. They decided they needed to take a food break and then try again. After hot chocolate and a giant brownie they were ready to go for it. And they both did! Owen the brave went first and loved it. He giggled the whole way down! Addi decided it looked pretty fun. She stepped into her skiis (I had to force her a little!) and she grabbed onto the robe tow and was ready to go! We took several runs with her between my legs on the bunny hill. I don't think she is quite strong enough to do it herself yet. After we returned the skiis she was saying, "more, skis, mommy." She is already to go again! I was so proud of her. She was obviously nervous and little scared but she tried anyway and ended up loving it!
Friday, February 5, 2010
Health Issues
My mom is having surgery next Tuesday to remove the cancer growth on her tongue. Last summer she had a similar growth on her tongue and after a few months it went away. She attributed it to the medication she was taking for her RA which causes weird things to happen to your tongue. Well, the growth returned a few months ago. After the pain became to much to handle she went in and it was biopsied. It came back as cancer. After a upper body scan the doctor say it is isolated on her tongue and should be able to be completely removed with surgery. It is a scary time and I just hope surgery is the end of it. She remains calms and optimistic, more than I can say for Sara and I!
A few days after learning my mom had cancer my uncle Roger (my dad's little brother) had a massive heart attack and for the past three weeks has been in a Phoenix hospital unconscious and on a breathing machine. He had open heart surgery to replace a heart valve, had a pace maker put in and had a tracheotomy. His liver and kidneys are very weak, not to mention his heart. He is slowly starting to come out of being unconscious. If he wakes up ok he will have months of rehabilitation. He is only in his early 50s. My dad and him are very close and it obvisoulsy has been a scary, difficult time not knowing what is happening to him. His son is there with him, but getting us constant updates has been hard. He has been in the ICU since he went to the hospital and has been unable to have visitors (not that he would know anyone was there). Hopefully we can go down very soon and see him and help in his recovery.
A few days after learning my mom had cancer my uncle Roger (my dad's little brother) had a massive heart attack and for the past three weeks has been in a Phoenix hospital unconscious and on a breathing machine. He had open heart surgery to replace a heart valve, had a pace maker put in and had a tracheotomy. His liver and kidneys are very weak, not to mention his heart. He is slowly starting to come out of being unconscious. If he wakes up ok he will have months of rehabilitation. He is only in his early 50s. My dad and him are very close and it obvisoulsy has been a scary, difficult time not knowing what is happening to him. His son is there with him, but getting us constant updates has been hard. He has been in the ICU since he went to the hospital and has been unable to have visitors (not that he would know anyone was there). Hopefully we can go down very soon and see him and help in his recovery.
Addison Jo - 2 years 3 months
Addison grows up a little more each day. Toddler-hood is a wonderful adventure and challenge at the same time! She has a major two year old attitude and tests her limits constantly. She talks on the phone to cousin Ellie and uses her shoulder to hold the phone so her hands are free to color! She is potty-trained! An amazing accomplishment! She wear panties all day long and goes to the bathroom a lot of times all by herself. She loves having tea parties and dressing up. When she has a princess dress on she has to have a "crown" also! Her babies are her favorite toys still. She is all girl. She does not like her hands to be dirty, she does not like bugs or spiders and she changes her clothes literally 7 times a day (she calls it "all-dressed"). That does not include changing her jammies 3 times before she goes to bed! I pointed out a spider on the ceiling and she got all nervous and wouldn't stop watching him crawl around, shrieking, "oh, no, spider." When Papa came home she said, "Papa, spider, get it!" Papa got him in a paper towel and put him outside! Each morning and after she brushes her teeth she puts on my lip stick and says, "See, I pretty." The other day she went to ballet class with Kaidyn. She got all dressed in her tu-tu and got new ballet slippers, but she did not want to participate with the girls., Maybe in a few months she will want to try again! She loves to sing and does so as well as I do! She signs the Happy Birthday song and Twinkle Twinkle little star!
She is loving living with Papa. Every morning she wakes up and the first thing is "Where, Papa go?" Almost every night she helps Papa reload bullets! She is good helper with whatever Papa is doing. She is like a little puppy following him everywhere! They share toast every morning and play video games together, have tea parties and picnics. Papa even babysits her dolls when Addi has to go to "work"!!!
The other morning she said, "Papa go work, Daddy go work." I said, "Yes." She said, "Why?" I said, "To get money." She said, "Oh." Then she got all serious and looked at me and said, "You work?" Hahaha!! I about died!
She is loving living with Papa. Every morning she wakes up and the first thing is "Where, Papa go?" Almost every night she helps Papa reload bullets! She is good helper with whatever Papa is doing. She is like a little puppy following him everywhere! They share toast every morning and play video games together, have tea parties and picnics. Papa even babysits her dolls when Addi has to go to "work"!!!
The other morning she said, "Papa go work, Daddy go work." I said, "Yes." She said, "Why?" I said, "To get money." She said, "Oh." Then she got all serious and looked at me and said, "You work?" Hahaha!! I about died!
A day in the snow
Last Saturday we had a fun day up in the snow hiking and shooting guns with our favorite people, Dave and Em. We got both our truck and Dave and Em's rig stuck in the deep snow! It made for a fun adventure! We had our pack of 6 dogs with us; Dave and Em's 2 pits, our lab and 2 pugs and Dylan's parents dog, Rocky! We all had a blast!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)