Mixed News on Day 9

I arrived at the hospital early this afternoon just as the physical therapist was coming in to take Cheryl for her only walk of the day. She was walking significantly faster than on previous days and at the PT's insistence she walked without holding on to the IV pole. We managed about 200 feet before she asked to return to the room. Unlike previous days where she sat up for an extended period after her walk, today she wanted to get straight back in bed complaining of being tired.

The edema in her legs and abdomen is worse than on previous days and she had to go back to the pressure cuffs on her lower legs. The support hose were removed because they feared she might have begun some oozing from her calves. As far as I could tell they is no sign of an open wound on either leg.

Between the fluid swelling and gas buildup in her abdomen, this was a very uncomfortable day. Every time one of the nursing or support staff came in she asked fro her Adavan (anti-anxiety med) and her pain pill. Her nurse Natasha noted that she would ask for pain meds and then fall back asleep from the Adavan so she delayed her until the pain became more intense. We had several episodes today where she was nearly incoherent from the combination.

Cheryl had several vistors that came by to brighten her day but none compared to the visit from Claire and Woody Reade. They were Cheryl's stand in parents in our wedding in Panama back in 1979. As we reminisced, I realized that I am now three years older than Woody was on that great day. They plan to spend a bit more time with Cheryl tomorrow and possibly Saturday before they head home.

Dr. Burke and a couple of residents came in to do rounds this afternoon around 6:30 and we had a bit of a chance to find out his prognosis of when she might be going home. Earlier, the transistion nurse came in and we got paperwork in order and signed for a walker just in case she is released some time between Friday and Sunday. After her afternoon exam and talking with her a bit, he said that she will definitely not be going home tomorrow but might possibly be up to a Saturday or Sunday departure.

They noted that she is having some difficulty getting a full breath and that her hemoglobin is back down to 9. The resident pulled out her chest x-ray report from overnight and pointed out that the radiologist says that she now has a pleural effusion under the left lung that is larger than the one she initally presented with in the right lung cavity. Dr. Burke will be prescribing something to reduce some of her fluid buildup. As he told us during the after surgery report, fluid buildup is a very common occurence in this type of diagnosis/surgery.

After he left the room, I caught him in the hall and asked about the biopsies from the tumors and tissue they had removed during the surgery. He told me that he had told Cheryl a couple of days ago, but she has no recollection of that visit. Both ovaries and all of the tumors from the pelvic region were positive for ovarian cancer. The spleen, which was initially diagnosed as surrounded but not involved, did in fact have a tumor larger than 2cm. He also said that they removed all of the pancreas except the neck and it too tested positive for cancer. Two of the four lymph nodes from the region of the spleen and pancreas were also positive. The tissue and the tumors from the diaphragm were also ovarian cancer. This all confirms the diagnosis of stage 4 ovarian cancer.

We talked a briefly about staging, prognosis and treatment plans but I'll wait until we have our formal appointment after her dicharge to fill in those blanks. I really appreciate the twelve hour days this man puts in week after week fighting this horrible disease and I know it must be extemly difficult stay upbeat on down days.

Cheryl is certainly a very sick lady. Please continue to pray for her strength to renew and for her to get up and walk and do her breathing treatments so she will be able to be discharged sooner than later.

I left the hospital with a stomach ache and slight fever and have come home and self-medicated so I won't be contagious tomorrow. Pray for me as well.