The Latest Scoop

For my blog readers, here's the scoop.  First, a little catching up.  My sister spent a few days with me after Christmas.  We had a grand time--a busy one, for me, but a grand time.  We walked on the beach, saw Dr. Shen, went to the zoo, saw the latest Harry Potter movie, went shopping at Stonestown, and saw The King's Speech.  I saw the New Year in and on Jan 2nd had Elaine and Mark and all the grandchildren over for dinner on the 2nd.  Monica and I hung out on the 4th.  On the 8th, two of the Brawlers and I played for a dinner the city put on for the fire victims.  All this while, I wasn't feeling particularly good, but not so particularly bad either.  Sunday, after church, I started feeling bad.  I took a nap in the afternoon, thinking it would go away--and, well, one of the pains did.  I fixed some tomato soup for dinner.  As the evening wore on, I got to feeling progressively worse.  I couldn't sleep so around 3 in the morning, I called the advice nurse, who suggested I go back to the hospital.  So I woke Glenn up, and we drove through the chilly night back to emergency.  I had a feeling that if I went, they would keep me again, so this time I packed up everything I thought I would need.  It took longer for them to see me.  I had the standard blood sucked and vitals taken.  Finally, the doctor came in and sent me for x-rays.  At some point, I sent Glenn home to get some sleep--he had worked until 11 that night.  Next on the agenda was a CT scan with IV contrast but not oral, and yes, they were going to keep me, they just needed to find a bed. 

It was almost noon when I was taken back to the 7th floor.  I had the same nurse I had last month.  The diagnosis this time was a partial small bowel obstruction.  While I'd been thinking an NG tube would be really dandy to suck the air out of my gut, I didn't have one this time.  Just NPO (which, strangely enough, stands for Nothing By Mouth) for a day.  Tuesday morning, I had a visit from one of the oncologists where I go for treatment.  He explained that it would be scar tissue causing the problem or it could be the cancer coming back.  So I had another CT scan with oral contrast this time.  The scan showed that the obstruction was better, but there is a lesion on my small intestine.  They recommended that I see a surgeon.  The oncologist had already talked to the Dr. Shen, who performed my surgery in 08.  He recommended a general surgeon.  AT 7 this morning, Dr. Bruce Allen, who did my first hernia repair and my second port, was standing by my bed, talking about options.  I could go home for a few days and come back for the surgery, or I could wait in the hospital.  I opted for coming home.  I have an Eastern Star meeting to run tomorrow night, bills to pay, and PNC interviews on Monday.  I talked with my oncologist this morning.  She explained what would probably happen.  She recommended the surgery, because she thinks it will help, and said I'm looking at more chemo--a third kind.

So now I'm home to take care of business.  My surgery is scheduled for the 20th at 11.  I'm to be at the surgery center at 10.  Elaine will spend the night on Wednesday and take me in.  If Glenn can rearrange his work schedule, he'll be there too.  I'm upset and feeling sorry for myself, but I'm also a tough old bird and will do what I have to do.

Keep praying.
xxooxx