A Blessed Thanksgiving it Was

I haven't written an update lately as much hasn't changed other than my mother's recovery improving. She seems to be doing better everyday. She will be getting the rest of her stitches out this Friday. Every now and then she does have head pain around the area of the surgery but it also only has been a little over two weeks from surgery. The results from Pathology are in but we're waiting for them to be written up as the pathologist was gone due to the holiday and needs to catch up. We are all anxious to get my mother into see the Oncologist but we can't even make the appointment until we have the results in hand. Now that my mother has come this far she wants to know the next hurdles to jump over. Her head is looking good and she's able to fix her hair so it covers most of the stitches which makes her happy. She still has a little swelling on that side but compared to what the Doctor told us was going to happen it's nothing. There was a chance she could have lost her hearing or eye sight and so far so good.

Thanksgiving was great. We were all able to celebrate it together this last Saturday. Mom was happy to help with some of the cooking and of course she insisted on making the rolls even if Jana bought some. It was great to see mom laughing so hard she was in tears at one point. All thirty some of us didn't stick around too long as she did become tired towards the end. We gathered, ate, cleaned up and were on our way within 3 hours or so. This week is full of Therapy sessions and Dr. appointments and once we know what lies ahead I will be sure to let everyone know. Thank you so much for all of the cards, gifts, thoughts and most all prayers. Truly has helped carry us all through this.

November 22

Mom had her post operation appointment today with her Neurologist. Everything went well but need a bit more time before her sutures can come out as they still need a bit more time to heal. Still nothing from pathology. Something that should have taken a few days to get back is taking much longer. They said that they are waiting for Mayo Clinic to send the results but the Neurologist checks for the results multiple times during the day and still nothing. They think we may have stumped them. Not too sure what that exactly means but before she can meet with the Oncologist we need to have received the results from Mayo. We know that her future will be filled with chemo and radiation of some degree but not knowing the exact plan of attack or full prognosis is like a large anvil waiting to drop on all of us. As soon as we hear something they will move forward quickly to get her into the Oncologist but until then we sit and wait.

Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.  

~Mother Teresa

November 20th

Talking to my mother on the phone has been becoming easier. She seems to be able to put things together more clearly and answers the phone with enthusiasm. The phone conversations do not last very long as she still becomes tired quickly or I'm just that boring:) Either way she's doing great. She had been feeling quit nauseous but that seems to have gone away a little bit. Hopefully this will now improve her appetite. She's not eating much but she also is not running around like she used to. My mom did say that she is regaining muscle and feeling in her left leg in which she pretty much lost when she had the tumor on skull. This helps her become more active because before she had a hard time walking around. Dad took her for a drive around yesterday and she really liked that she has been able to get out of the house.


Monday my mom will have a post operation appointment with her Neurosurgeon. Hopefully we will receive the results from pathology. I would love to think no news is good news but unfortunately that can't be the case seeing she has the two tumors. We're basically waiting to find the primary source. Then on Tuesday she has another speech therapy session.


We are all pretty nervous for Monday's appointment. It's difficult to cling on with hope and strength after overcoming a large hurdle such as surgery when you know that the fight has just begun. So last night as I was thinking this all through when I remembered a little prayer that has been a part of our family's dinner prayer since we, Bastar kids were little. One Sunday morning when all five of us were still little my sister came to my dad and said for Sunday school she had to come up with a small prayer to share. I'm sure the morning was crazy with kids trying to find lost shoes and such. My dad looking around taking in the chaos came up with;

"Thank you Lord for another day and with your help we'll make it all the way"

Many people have asked me exactly what the add-on prayer means. Until last night was I able to place a true meaning to it. To be thankful for each and every day we have our family members near and friends close enough to tell them, " I love you" and together as a family we will get through anything as long as we keep God near to us.

November 18 more~

...but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:31

Today Jana took my mom to her speech therapy. My mom became discouraged during therapy. It made her realize how much she has lost or temporally lost. We see the leaps and bounds she is making but for her it's frustrating and she's not seeing it. Just like any part of the body after surgery the brain needs time to heal. It has only been ONE WEEK today. She will be going to therapy 3 times a week and I pray that she stays patient and is soon able to notice the progress. My mother has been cooped up in the house for a while (before and after surgery) and now that she is strong enough and can leave the house my dad can drive her around maybe helping her feel less shut-in. My mom needs all the encouragement she can get right now as she's feeling helpless and frustrated to remember the simple things.

After therapy Jana took her shopping and for some lunch which she loved. She was tired from the therapy session but still wanted to get some shopping done. The next therapy sessions will be in the morning so it might help her as she won't be so tired already. Still no news from pathology on her tumor hopefully by early next week we'll have some kind of news so we can move forward with the rest of the procedures that are needed.

As the rest of the family take turns helping out with mom and dad right now I'm feeling a bit out of it because of not living close. So hopefully I can capture and correctly recite what is told to me by the rest of the family from their days with mom. Mom gave us 5 children each our own duties prior to her going in for surgery. When it came to my turn my mom said that I get anything that can be done by computer, so hence "the blog". 

November 18th

For those of you that just read this via e-mail and don't visit the site I thought I would copy and paste the comments left by other family members that give updates on mom. Here is what Jana said yesterday. I will let everyone know how today's therapy session goes today:


I called out to Mom and Dad's today. Someone answered the phone, I wasn't sure who it was,but I said I was just calling to check to see how mom was doing. Suprisingly the person on the other end of the phone, said this is Mom. I have never felt so happy to hear her answer the phone before, and I was very happy about our 5min conversation. She did very well talking, and answering questions. This woman never seizes to amaze me. I am so proud of her, and even more proud to call her my Mom. Tomorrow I will spend the day with her, and take her to speech therapy. As soon as I have any news as to the pathology report, I will let Jessi know, so she can update the blog, also I will let her know about our day. I LOVE YOU MOM!!! love, Jana

November 17th

In case you didn't read the comments from the previous post I have posted here what Amanda (Jayson's oldest) day was like with mom...

Grandma did great today. I went over to take care of her at 8 this morning.. When I got there she was eating breakfast. I asked her how she was feeling and if she was getting around okay.. she replied "yeah, I feel okay.. But i don't feel like I could go roll around in some dirt" It was hard not to laugh but I held it in..
From the report that Josi gave me yesterday she seems to be making great improvements and strides.. She was up and moving around a few times today, she seems to be having an easier time finding words that she wants to say now, but still gets frustrated if she loses her train of thought.. She ate breakfast and lunch while I was there and was very excited that she got to take a shower today. I can also tell that she is excited to get her stitches out as that was another one of our "hot topics" for the day. Her temperature was great and she remembered the year she was born. I would say she's recovering quickly and making great improvement! Im really proud of her strength and bravery and can't wait until she gets a little bit stronger so that I can take Jadyn out to see her.

I was able to talk with my mom today and she did okay on the telephone. She has had some visitors in which she talked about and was happy to have some company. My mom will be going to her first speech therapy session tomorrow and we think it will help her fully jump this speech hurdle. Jenni will be going out to my parents house today to spend the day with them as we need to keep up on her temp, neurological testing, among other things. Please keep her in your prayers and thoughts as she finds the strength to improve each day. 

She's home!

She's home. She's home and hopefully resting. They got home and as soon as she got in the house she ran to unpack her clothing and everything else. She then started cleaning and doing the dishes. Once again Josi needed to remind her that if she didn't "cool it" they would take her back to the hospital and she then sat down for a bit. Family members will be staying with her during the day and Jayson is basically in their backyard if needed at night. Something pretty cool that came from all of this is that my mother has forgotten that she smokes. My dad has posted signs on the doors to tell anyone that comes over that the house is smoke free. So far so good. Praying that the up coming days include only recovery for her and no set-backs.

November 15th

Looks like she may go home today. The medical staff took blood again and will run tests to see if all of her levels are where they should be and if so they will release her today. She is very excited to go home but Jayson and Josi did warn her that if she didn't rest enough at home she would be back at the hospital. Her speech and over all cognitive thinking is still off. The Dr. is having her go to a speech pathologist to help her with her speech and her confusion should go away once the nerve endings heal. The Dr. said she should be back to normal very quickly. We're still waiting for the results to come back for the tumor from pathology. Therefore she will not meet with the Oncologist today and will meet once those are received.

November 14

Well, the head wrap and bandages are off of her head completely. She still is improving over all but still is having a hard time completing her sentences. Instead of searching for words to say she fills in with words that really have no meaning at all. Defiantly keeping conversation interesting. Josi sent me a photo on my phone in which it looks like she striking a pose, too funny as she's a complete goof. Still no idea of the date she's going to get to go home yet. My mom thinks she's going home tomorrow but the charts still have no discharge date on them. The Oncologist most likely will be stopping in tomorrow and we're hoping to hear more on the pathology of the tumor.
Mom has climbed a huge mountain quickly but still has so much more that needs to be accomplished. Please keep those prayers coming and keep us in your thoughts tomorrow as we intend to hear more from the Oncologist.

November 13th

Everyday seems to get a bit better. This morning my mother was moved from a moderate ICU unit to a room where she doesn't need as much monitoring. They medical staff conduct a neurological test on her every 2 hours so last night she wasn't able to get a full nights rest even though she most likely would have slept through. We are able to visit with her but usually no more than 15 minutes at a time as she then gets sleepy and we make sure she then sleeps. The Neurosurgeon came in this morning to check on her and was surprised on her progress to recovery. Her bandages should be coming off tomorrow in which she is excited about and she is off of many monitoring machines. We are thinking that they are going to discharge mom on tuesday of this week. Home in time for Thanksgiving.
Matt came to pick me up to take me home today so Matt and the kids were able to visit with mom for a few minutes and last night some of Jayson's girls came up to visit and Jenni's oldest son Robert has also been at the hospital. Her face lights up when she sees her grandchildren walk in the room. Although we keep the activity low and quite the joy she gets when she sees the kids is simply priceless and definitely feeds her soul.
Please continue to pray as my mother still has a very long road in front of her. Once she has fully recovered from her surgery she will need to do chemo and radiation. Praying for continuing strength...

November 12th

She's back! Well at least almost back. She had a rough night of confusion as she was trying to figure out what happened to her and where she was. The Doctors had her on large amounts of pain medications which was helping her pain but was making her very tired and out of it. This morning and throughout the day she got a lot of rest and slept well as we made sure her room stayed dark, calm and quiet. This evening she was up and very alert and her communication was where it as prior to surgery. We are keeping her environment with very low stimulation so she can heal and get the rest needed. Over all she is doing good and eating, drinking and sleeping as she should. Keep those prayers coming.

Last night as I stood at the foot of my moms bed I quietly prayed over her. I stood there while she slept and I watched the machines attached to her keeping rhythm with each breath, I felt exhausted physically and mentally. Then I thought about all of the sleepless nights she has had as a mother and wife praying over each of her five children and husband. Even being a mother myself I think she has me beat. She gives me and many others so much strength. Today, Aunt Pat (moms sister) had asked each of us children to describe my mother in one word and the words that were said were strength and perseverance.

Once again I would like to thank everyone for keeping my mother in your thoughts and prayers. The five of us have been able to be with my mother and father constantly but only because we have the greatest support in our own homes. Our spouses and children have pulled together to keep each one of our homes running as smoothly as possiable. Each of us have crazy busy lives and each of our families have done great working together as a team to help out.

November 11th update from surgery

Around 1:30 this afternoon the hospital called us and told us that my mother was almost done in surgery and to come back to the hospital. We rushed back and the Neurosurgeon came out to talk to all of us. He had said that the surgery was very difficult and that the tumor actually calcified or was basically turning into bone.  The surgery took a full five hours to complete but through it all mom was doing great. When they woke her up she new her name and she could tell them where she was. The doctor stated that she would need to keep her head wrap on for a few days and the stitches would be able to come out in about 4 weeks or so. During this time we will then meet with Oncologists to figure out the next steps to fighting the other tumors in her body. Before they are able to start radiation the wound from today's surgery needs to heal properly. So we help her heal now so she can start fighting again.
Right now she is slowly recovering and right now she is broken. She is only allowed 1-2 visitors at a time and needs to stay in a dark and quiet room. She's hooked up to many different devices to keep constantly monitoring her condition. She is trying to talk to us but the heavy medication that she is on is making it very difficult. She has some swelling on her face but otherwise looks okay. Tonight Jenni is staying with mom in her room while dad and he rest of us stay in the hotel and catch up on sleep.
We are all holding up well or as well as can be. It's great to still be so close to one and another that in times such as this we can come together and still laugh much more than cry, doing a fair amount of both. Also super thankful for the awesome friends and extended family we are blessed with that find ways to reach out and help even if they're miles, states away. THANK YOU !!

November 11th 11am update

The nurse called to update us. They are working diligently but we were informed that the removal of  this tumor is a challenge. The Doctors are working hard and are determined to succeed. Over all mom is doing great. We'll keep you updated.

November 11th Surgery

We were able to visit with mom this morning before she went off to surgery. She had a lot of pain but over all she seemed in good spirits. They took her off to surgery about 7:30 am and around 9am they had called us to let us know that they had gotten all of her lines in and they were proceeding into remove the tumor. Jayson, Josi, Jana, Dad and myself Jess are down the road staying at the hotel and the doctor has given us a phone that they will be calling us on from the operating room to give us updates all day. Jenni will be here this afternoon to join us. We are very thankful to have eachother to hang out with all day and in the comforts of a hotel near by.
To give you an idea of how strong the spirit of my mother is even in her weakest moments when we walked into the hospital last night she offered me home made cookies that she made so that we would have something to eat while she was having surgery. She then offered me a better seat and was worried about me and my hip that I just had surgery on. When I convinced her that I was better off standing instead she then reminded my dad that they brought me a toy that my youngest must have left at our house. She then went onto the other kids and making sure everyone was okay. I was simply in awe on how she was about to have a very serious surgery and yet she never once verbally expressed her fears of surgery or even talked about herself once. This morning when she was in extreme pain she felt horrible for being too short with one of the nurses. She was literally in tears because she felt so badly and wanted one of us to find the nurse so she could apologize before surgery. I am amazed in the spirit of this one strong woman I call mommy.

Dear God,
Thank you for blessing us with the greatest mother and father and thank you for keeping us a strong family even in the darkest times. We ask you to please guide the surgeons and medical staff throughout today while they work on my mother. Give them courage and strength along with the comfort of your presence to help them retrieve all of the tumor. Hold onto my mother and give her body the strength to make it through surgery. We also ask you to keep our father strong as he is faced with feeling helpless to his wife right now.
Amen

Nov 10 update

Some of us kids and dad were able to visit with mom tonight. She was in good spirits and looked really good and was eating dinner when we arrived at the hospital. Towards the end of the visit she started feeling some pain and became tired.

The Dr. that will be doing her surgery tmorrow came in to do a review of what will be taking place. He said the surgery will take the full 8 hours and he said that if he gets to  point where he needs to stop due to bleeding or the tumor not wanting to release he will stop and he will schedule anothe surgery to remove the remaining amount. He warned us that after the surgery she will need much peace and quiet and to keep visitation at a low.

Although many of you may feel helpless not being abe to help right now please understand that your prayers speaks volumes. Knowing we have your support carries all of us through each minute, hour and days.

Thank you

Update Nov 10th

Just got the phone call that my mom is out of the first stages of her surgery. The doctors were able to stop the blood flow to the tumor through 90% of the vessels feeding the tumor. She is in recovery but needs to stay completely still for a solid three hours to allow the particles that they injected into the vessels to hold in place. There were only a few small blood vessels that they could not reach. This is very good news as this will allow there not to be too much blood loss tomorrow. Please keep the prayers coming as this is just a small step to what's needs to take place tomorrow.

November 10th ~prayer

Dear Lord,

I ask that you watch over my mother today as she enters the first stages of her surgery. Hold onto her and give her body the strength that is needed to carry her through surgery and recovery. We ask that you guide the skilled hands of each Physician working on her today and tomorrow and remind them that not only is she a patient  but she is also a daughter, sister, wife, mother, aunt, grandmother, great grandmother and friend to many. I asks you to also hold our family in your palms and carry us as we are all finding it difficult to walk on our own. Please give a sense of your presence in peace and strength.

Amen

November 8th

Just a quick note to all. Please do not feel that because we have set this blog up that you can not reach out to my mother via telephone. We have set this blog up as an information center to keep all in the loop as we climb this mountain together but please don't feel as though you can not call as well. You can call her, send  letters, send e-mails or write comments and we will be sure all is given to Peggy.

November 7th

Today was a day to rejoice and be thankful for family. Today was a day that most of the family went to church together with my mother. Afterwards a private prayer session for my mother and family was given by Pastor Susan to gather in prayer for the upcoming surgeries this next week. Then everyone went out to my parent's house to decorate the entire house for Christmas. As I said before my mother LOVES Christmas and we knew it would bring a bit of sunshine upon her to have her family help her decorate the house and get the lights up. Although I, Jess could not be there in person I was definitely there in spirit.

Wednesday November 10th at 8 am Peggy will have the artery that is feeding the tumor taken care of via embolization. The Doctor will be entering through her femoral artery and working his way up to the artery in her skull. They will then cut off the blood supply to the tumor while keeping her artery in full working order and in a healthy state. She will stay overnight after this procedure and keeping completely still.

Thursday November 11th at 8 am my mother will have surgery to remove the tumor on her skull. This procedure can take up to 8 hours or more to do. She will then be closely monitored for the next few days at the hospital.

Here is the hospital's information. I will be updating this blog site as much as possible throughout the day. There will be family members with her at all times as we plan to stay near the hospital during her stay. We ask for you to keep my mother in constant prayer as well as our entire family as we climb this mountain set before us.

Theda Clark Medical Center

130 Second Street Neenah, WI 54956 (920) 729-3100/(800) 236-3122

October 28th MRI MRA CT scan

Last Thursday, Oct. 28th my mother had the multiple tests done that were ordered and it was a very tiring day for her. Her Neurosurgeon had left on vacation on Friday morning and played phone tag back and forth with us trying to give us the results. He had talked with mom on Friday but she couldn't understand much of what he was saying to her. Finally he had reached Jana on Saturday afternoon and was able to share with her what the tests found.

The MRA test found that the tumor on her skull is indeed being fed by a main artery. This means that she needs to go in a day prior to her main surgery and have the blood supply to the tumor cauterized.  This will help with blood loss during surgery.

The CT scan did not show any other tumors on any other bones through out her body.

The MRI scan did unfortunately revile that there are two separate tumors else where. She has one on her liver and another on her spleen.

We have not talked to her Dr. in regards to when those tumors will be removed. Right now his main focus is to remove the tumor on her skull. What we think will happen is that next week the Neurosurgeon will remove the tumor on her skull and she will recover from that and then at a later date they will do surgery to remove the other two tumors following up with chemo.

Mom is still trying to stay in good spirits and said she is ready to do whatever it takes to get rid of the cancer. She has temporarily lost most of her hearing on her left side and it's difficult for her to open her jaw. She has some difficulty walking because loss of balance and some weakness in her left leg.

With everything going on with her health some of her main concerns she talks about is making sure she has Christmas presents bought for her grandchildren. Not too sure any of the grandchildren worry about receiving their gifts from grandma this year but if anybody knows my mother she is defiantly Mrs. Christmas and nothing will get in her way of making sure her grandchildren have something from her to open on Christmas. Just a true testament of her strong will.

Please pray that my mom finds an increasing inner strength each new day and a presence of God's peace.
She is the Lord's true servant and would give up anything for anyone else before herself. Often it is hard for her to accept help when she'd rather be the one offering the help.