Under Construction...AGAIN!!

Since I am working on a wedding website....this will be under construction again for awhile...just trying to make it easier so u all dont have to check email, facebook, my blog and yet a wedding website...See you all soon :) Pam

2 weeks since surgery update!!

HI Everyone!! Just wanted to say hi and give a quick update. I can't believe its been just a little over 2 weeks already. I think the first week went fast and I was pretty much out of it. That first week of being home was pretty miserable compared to now. I am very happy with my progress with the exception of a few things. I do have more energy now and more will to do things. I am getting around quicker and have started to take walks around the block. When I was discharged, everything hurt so it was hard to pinpoint just where exactly. My abdomen was swollen like I was 3 months pregnant and it was numb. Now, where the actual incision is hurts less and its more positional pain. The pulling and tearing feeling have lessened. But, I noticed my stomach still hurts pretty bad and is still numb and it was really confusing me. I started to worry the other night. The swelling has come down. Now, I appear 1 month pregnant. Ha ha. But, I was worried there is fluid or blood or something there; maybe from the drain. I remembered that they deflated my lung and I had a pleural effusion but I thought that would have been gone by now. I had my first follow up today. My primary imformed me that my lung and my rib was resected to access my kidney in the right spot!!!!! I was like....what? I guess I did not realize that. It totally makes sense now. The nerves were all cut so the numbness will take a long time to go away and also the inflammation in my abdomen (below my last rib) will take at least 2 more weeks. It hurts to take deep breathes. I had a chest xray because there are a few crackles in my bases. Gross....I am still doing my IS and breathing exercises for petes sake.....

Overall, I think I am ok and the chest xray will be compared with the previous one. Just wanted to update you all. Thank you for your continued support, prayers, thoughts and love :)

Picture of all your thoughts, prayers, and love.

Pam wanted me to take this picture earlier today at her parents house (right before she came to our house for the first time since the surgery). She wanted me to upload the picture so you can all see some of the flowers and cards we have received from so many of you (we couldn't fit them all in 1 picture---sorry)......THANK YOU!!!!

I know Pam really appreciates them all and it is a daily reminder of all the great friends we are blessed to have in our lives.

Mid week update!!

Rule # 1, Don't drop the soap in the shower!! You can imagine the humor in that!!

Just an update, that I am feeling better yet. Today is probably the best day so far. I can feel the muscles really pulling hard inside as I know the healing process is underway. I am sleeping better and I feel I am moving around a little faster which is great!

Thanks for the constant support and thoughts and prayers....they are all working!!!! Love you all :)

A week ago today.....

It was just about now that I was under the knife a week ago. The time went fast. I guess because most of last week I was totally out of it. The preop/OR experience was a good one. The doctors and nurses all introduced themselves as they were rolling me in. I could hear one nurse asking Dr. Pasciak if he brought the films from Good Sam, I was thinking, "what....you dont have the films??" But, he said he could pull them up on the screen. I also find it interesting that you meet with and work with people(or nurses) for hours and all you get to see is their eyes. The first thing they did was put in the epidural. I felt drunk as he was doing it. The anesthesia doctor (cant spell ologist) began asking me questions about the marathons, etc.. which I thought was nice. I dont know how he knew I did that stuff. Then, as I looked around at all the overhead machines and zillion utensils, knifes, etc...I thought and verbally announced that I watch too much Grey's anatomy. I do remember also saying, "please save the foley and the NG till I am out!!!" I did not need an NG. Well, before they gave me the final juice...they all began looking over me and I asked for Honeymoon places to dream about....it was agreed before I closed my lids that Italy was the place. I think I asked for donations from each of them :)

Waking up in the recovery area was not pleasant. I dont know if they had me hanging from my left arm from the ceiling or what. That was painful and then everyone looking at me and then when the Dr. came and I was kinda in and out and hearing the word, "cancer"....I started to cry. But, then I heard, that it was early and a partial nephrectomy and I remember saying, "YES!!!". I just wanted to save some part of my kidney if possible. Its been since then that everyone keeps telling me how lucky I am. I understand what means now.

Today is a better day yet. I can sleep the entire time inbetween pain medicines now and no more nausea. I just get dizzy right after I take the medicine and usually lay down till that passes. I think I can take a shower by myself today and also I think I may have some visitors!!! Yeah....Thats the best part. The incision looks ok. Bruised and a steri strip fell off. I occasionally get weird pulls and shooting pains but I know its all part of it and there were 3 layers of muscles to go through....ewe!!!

I hope you are all saving your weekly stories for me. I think I will get to making calls today and over the next couple of days. Anyone watch the Bachelorette last night??? GO ED!!!! I knwo the whole thing is ridiculous...but I love watching it !!!! Drama Drama.....

FIRST DAY AT HOME..SUNDAY

Hello everyone! I have been home almost a full day now. There has been some adjusting but nothing beats your own shower, bed and comfort of being surrounded by your own things. My first shower was amazing, beyond what anyone could ever imagine....I did not want to get out. And in case anyone wants to know, baby oil does work well for adhesive tape. I was going to go with Vinegar next but the oil worked and it smells pretty too. I am pretty much on a tight schedule here of sleep for 3 hours, bathroom, eat, take medicines and then back to bed again. The morning continues to be the hardest but I will beat that this week!!! Still a bit nauseas when getting in and out of bed. My appetite stinks but Ryan helped that by bringing me Mcdonalds ice cream about and hour ago. I think its going to be nothing but movies and mags tonight. Thanks again for your continued support and prayers and thoughts...I feel them!!!!

Saturday Escape...

HI everyone!! Its Saturday...time to ship out!! I was not sure until later this afternoon if I was to go home or not. I had a great nurse who recommended switching to a different pain regime. The urologist and my primary care said it would really be up to me and my pain control if I was to go home today or not. I tried this new pain medication and it made a world of difference. By 1015, I was opening the blinds and washing my dirty face and brushing my teeth. I took a walk in the hall and decided...today must be the day!!!! Not to mention that Bears tickets were going on sale at noon...just kidding, being the hospital didn't stop that....got one game, Dec 13th...of course Bears vs Packers.... Anyway, the nurse just took out my drain and I ordered dinner and my pain meds here in a little bit and then I will be leaving with my entourage of flowers at 645 pm.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU MY BLOG FRIENDS AND FAMILY.....I CANT WAIT TO SEE YOU ALL (WHEN MY HAIR IS WASHED :) AND GIVE YOU EACH HUGS (LIGHT ONES) AND TELL YOU ALL ABOUT WHAT ITS LIKE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BED....NOW I KNOW WHY PEOPLE WRITE BOOKS ABOUT THIS STUFF...DEFINATELY HAD A VISITOR TO MY WINDOW ONE NIGHT...A BLUE AD GREEN BUTTERFLY..... I WONDER WHO THAT WAS :) LOVE YOU ALL, PAMPERS

Friday Finale

This morning was a little bit rough getting started for the day. All the doctors came and decided it would be best to go home on Saturday.

I had my first solid food today and I am slowing down on the IV pain medicines. My heart monitor is coming off in a few minutes.

Tomorrow the drain comes out and hopefully a break free for me!!!!!

Anyone interested in going out in downtown Naperville tonight???? Maybe I can get Ryan to create a diversion and spring me free for a couple hours.

Thanks again for your continued support and prayers. I can't wait to talk to each and every one of you once I am at home. I can't drive for at least 3 weeks so everyone, come on over.

Thursday Evening Update

(Pam's words below)........

It's me. It's finally me.

Who would have thought taking a walk in the hallway would be the biggest accomplishment of the day? Today I feel the reality of this whole thing has finally kicked in and most importantly I see sunnier days ahead.

Things I did today:
*Went to the bathroom by myself for the first time
*Had something other than clear liquids
*Combed my hair
*Got to play with the dog who came for pet therapy. Burton jumped on my bed with me.
*Read some magazines
*Walked in the hall 3 times.

What a busy day!!!!

Oh and not to mention that I had a relaxing dinner. I with chicken broth and Ryan with Boston Market chicken.

Tomorrow is a new day. The drain might come out and the IV's might come off. If that goes well, I might be discharged tomorrow night. If not tomorrow night; then Sat. morning.

Again, each one of you has been on my mind and that has helped me do all the things I have done today.

See you all back here tomorrow.

Buenas noches,

Recovery - Day 2

As some of you may know; a couple of hours after the last post; Pam had some problems with pain control and nausea. The morphine was not co-operating with Pam. She suddenly had lots of severe pain. She felt like she had pins and needles sticking in her body all over. Also many parts of her body that weren't supposed to were getting numb, such as her face. It was a very rough night and most of the day today.

She ended up having them remove the epidural and switching to a different non-morphine med. This is working much better now. While she still has pain in the spot where the incision is; it has gone down to a 5 from a 9 or 10 on a scale of 1-10. Also, a pain in her chest that developed earlier today has gone away and the x-rays were negative thankfully. The numbness and nausea have gone away as well. This new medicine is making her extremely sleepy and she has been catching little cat naps most of the day.

Pam has now stood up and sat in a chair for the second time today. This time was easier than last time although this task really makes her tired even more.

She is now on a liquid diet as opposed to just ice.

Tomorrow morning could bring short walks as well as some solid food.

Thanks for everyone's continued support and prayers.

I am blessed!

I am back at the hospital and typing the below for Pam (her words)......


Thank you for all your kind words and prayers. I surely could not have done this without knowing each one of you was thinking of me today.

Look forward to seeing you all when I am outta here.

I will write more updates tomorrow.

P.S. Pam forgot to mention she is stealing ice from her ice pack and made me put her ear rings in. Imagine that!

Good night. Love you all.

Recovery

Pam is back in her room and is extremely tired. She will probably be sleeping the rest of the day/evening according to the nurses. She MIGHT start feeling better later tonight. Bill, Carol, and I have left for the day to allow her to get some good sleep.

I can only imagine how tough this is since Pam is the strongest person I know and she is on a lot of pain killers and had to ask for more. Not sure I could handle it. And not only can Pam handle the pain; she looks beautiful in doing it. Bill, Carol, and I are amazed at how great she looks as well as how well she has handled all of this.

For today she is on a strict 50 cc: an hour ice cube limit---no water or food yet.

She has her laptop with her in her room so she may start leaving the posts from here on out once she regains some strength....possibly later tonight.

Love you Pam and I will see you in the morning if not before that!!!!

SUCCESS.....Pam 1; Cancer 0!!!!!!

Great news from the Dr. even though it took an extra 1hr. 45 min.

Pam is in recovery now so it will be approx. 45 minutes or more before we can see her.

They were able to take only 1/3 of her kidney instead of all of it which is great news. This means that should something happen to her other kidney later in life; this one should basically be able to act on its own as well.

The mass that was removed was frozen and examined and it was def. cancer which was very against the odds due to her age and health etc. Due to the relatively small size due to early detection; she has a 95-97% recovery rate and a 1-3% chance of recurrence.

Now I know part of the reason Pam is such a good athlete (besides her will); her lung was 1 rib longer than the average so they had to move that out of the way during the procedure before moving it back and refilling it with oxygen. This is part of what led to the procedure taking a little longer.

Pam should be released in 3-5 days but we will keep you posted as we see her in her room. Until then; it is a small liquid only diet and rest for the rest of today. Tomorrow we will attempt food and short walking distances.

Thanks for everyone's well wishes and love today.

PAM WINS, CANCER LOSES!!!!!

Bill, Carol, and I will be in the cafeteria eating and relaxing until we can see her at which point we will update you more.

Love,
Ryan

Surgery "Closing"

Just got a phone call from the operating room that surgery is "closing" and that it won't be long at all at this point.

No other news yet but I would imagine we will have the doctor coming to keep us in the loop very shortly.

Check back very soon!!!!

P.S. Just before that; I got off the phone with one of our top wedding reception spots and they will continue to hold the date for us. Date and location to come in the future (from Pam).

Surgery Update....."Going Well"

Sitting in the waiting room and Bill and Carol are reading (Carol is determined to finish her cat book and Bill is reading tech magazines).

Just got an update that there was a phone call from OR Suite 14 (the operating room). "It will take a while longer but everything is going well so far." The receptionist that took the call didn't have any further details such as if they are still taking 2/3 of the kidney or the whole kidney out.

P.S. Edwards has a really nice cafeteria and surgery waiting area!!! On a side note; I think you have to have a PHD just to work the fancy coffee/hot chocoate machine. It is pretty full in the waiting area right now.

See you all again soon.

Successful Pre-Op....Surgery begins!

Pam had an early morning and was up at 4 so we could be here at the hospital by 5:30. She is done with Pre-op stuff and has been very calm and relaxed and in good spirits so far.

Bill and Carol arrived before 7 and are doing well also.

Pam just went in to surgery a half hour ago and Bill, Carol and I are in the cafeteria having breakfast and coffee.

Stay tuned as we should know more in 2.5 hours as the plan is still to try and remove 2/3 of the kidney at this point, although they said it will be tough and we may have to end up removing the whole kidney.

Thanks to everyone (Pam's friends and my friends as well) who sent cards, emails, phone calls, and Facebook messages yesterday and last night. We are truley blessed to have so many caring friends and relatives and such a large support network.

See you all again in a few hours.

Surgery update....

HI Everyone....It's been a really long time since I last wrote on the blog. There have been some exciting things over the past few months and also some little bumps in the road. By now, I know most of you know about the surgery I am about to undergoe tomorrow. I appreciate the long emails, phone calls, text messages, cards, thoughts, prayers...the list is endless. I thought that the blog would be the best way to keep you all updated on a regular basis. Ryan will update it tomorrow or today when you read this and when I can keep my eyes open long enough, I will update this too. Thank you again for all your support. I welcome you to join me on this journey. It sure does help knowing you are all there for me and my family. Love you guys!!

Under Construction

Hello, this site will be under construction until further notice.....I am sure you are really disappointed........ :) See you all soon!!!!!

I turned 31!!!

Some of you might remember I started this blog a year ago on my 30th bday....I have enjoyed doing it, but know I have slacked a bit. Its so hard to keep up with facebook and all the others...I do truelly enjoy all of yours. As this new year falls upon me, I promise to be better and keep you all in the loop of my 31st year.

My bday cake from my friend Megan

At Jenny's 30th on Saturday the 24th
Amy, Marina, myself, Jenny and Kristin

Lots of Winter Fun!!

Again, I have been a bit slow with the blog....but I have put some pictures from the past 3 weeks or so. Lots of fun stuff!!! The most recent was the BRRR BRRRRR BEARS GAME!!!!!!!! It happened to be the actual day of Ryan and I's first date 3 years AGO!!!!!! Yep, so I decided to surprise him with tickets since its out rivals!!! Bears vs Packers. You all know the outcome...sorry Ry guy, but you owed us a win!!!

Smiling as we put on our layers!!!

Next was the ISU girls Christmas party. I so look forward to this every year!!! Ryan offered his house to us so we hung out there. Every year we do white elephant. I will let Becky put her white elephant on her blog.....thanks Kristy, that was the laugh of a lifetime!!! And we miss you Heather and Sarah!!!!!

Before that I had my highschool xmas get together in which we have started the tradition of going to Biaggi's. Of course, it will never be the same without our Lisa. We miss you!!!!

And before that was Roo's birthday!!! That is my nickname for Marina. I created that when we lived together when we both first moved to the city. Carol and Ted offered their house for a birthday acknowledgement of Marina turning 30!!!!! It was really fun and below is before she blew out the candles.

And lastly was Ryan and I's annual ice skating at Millenium. It has become a tradition now and also Santa has joined us 2 years in a row!!!! No falls for me, but times 2 for Ryan. We tried some acrobatics as can see in the pics.