New Quarters

I was up to see Judy tonight.  She has been moved to a private room.  Now she will have more peace and quiet.  She filled her bag with gas again tonight.  The nurse was listening to her stomach and said there is lots of action there so hopefully things will continue to get moving.  She was also encouraged to eat.  So far, she has been ignoring the yummy broth, Jello cubes, and juice that are on her meal trays.  No appetite whatsoever.  Brushing her teeth still makes her throw up.  She continues to retain fluid.  The compression stockings will help to lower the swelling in her legs.

July 31

I was up at noon today.  Judy filled her bag today - with gas.  Still waiting for the solids to go through or, as we say in camping parlance, "the black tank" still needs to be emptied.  Judy is still a bit puffy from the fluid retention.  I helped her to brush her teeth and do the mouth wash and she threw up again.  She is having her dressings changed now.  The plastic surgeons are pleased with the progess being made.  Judy is a trooper.  She will have to be because I think she will be restricted to the air bed until after the long weekend.  She still has compression stockings on and she has to exercise her toes.  They are removing the epidural today so she will have one less hose running out of her arms.

July 30

Judy was doing better today because she did not have gas pains.  She threw up once, but it was because she was brushing her teeth.  For those of you who have seen Judy brush her teeth, you will know that she also brushes her tonsils so... no surprise.  Her bowels have still not awakened so if things don't get moving, she may need the NG tube inserted.  Today, she was actually laying on her right side.  That's amazing because the main incision is on her right side.  The fact that she can rest on her left or her right side is encouraging because she is going to be laying down until at least Friday.  Judy is retaining a bit of fluid so her face is puffy, her fingers look like sausages, and she has guns.  In spite of all that, she looks beautiful.  The staff in obs are amazing.  Judy says this is the quietest obs she has been in so she is getting much needed rest.  Again, no visitors, please until I get the green light from Judy.

Thank you to all the angels of mercy who have invited me for a meal or a beverage.  I am well cared for.  The dog continues to be good company too - even at 1:30 in the morning.

July 29

I was up to see Judy earlier in the day.  Her intestines haven't reactivated so she is having severe gas pains and burping up bile.  They may have to insert an NG tube to give her some relief.  She is very tired.  The blood pressure situation has improved greatly.  Still nowhere near being able to have company.
Mary and Morgan left today for Grand Prairie and will return on Friday so it is just me and the dog for the week.
I am going to hop on my bike now and head up to the hospital for a short visit.  If there is anything different to report, I will include the info in tomorrow's post.

The Day After Surgery

I was up to see Judy twice today.  She is progressing well.  Morphine is doing the trick in keeping her comfortable.  Her blood pressure was a bit low, but that situation is improving.  She is in a specially designed air bed and will be on her back for the next 6 days.  During that time, she will be in the obs ward. The plastic surgeon was in today to check on her progress and he is pleased with the progress. She is very tired, of course, and is in no shape to have visitors other than family at this stage.

Later Friday Night

I just got home from the hospital.  Judy was still in recovery because her blood pressure was a bit low.  Looks like they got that straightened out.  She was on her way up to obs when I left.  Judy looks quite good considering the long operation she had today.  Her arms were asleep so Mary and I had to do some massaging for her.  She has an epidural in and a morphine pump.

She is going to have a rough stretch ahead because she has to stay on her back for several days.

She has three drains hooked up to drain fluid from her abdomen and other areas that were invaded.

In true Judy fashion, she is firing questions at the staff left and right and staying informed.

She's doing well, but pray that she will have comfort and rest.

Good night.

Good News ... Finally

Well, Judy's surgery just ended at about 8:30 p.m.  Ten and a half hours on the operating table.  I had the chance to talk to the surgeon, Dr. Kanthan.  He was very pleased with how everything went.  Everything is as follows:
1. Removal of uterus and ovaries.
2. Creation of ostomy in a location where Judy will be able to wear the kinds of clothes she likes to wear.
3. Moving the stomach muscle into the space created by the operation.
4.  Installation of a mesh on her abdomen to limit possibility of hernia.
5.  Removal of the cancerous tumor.  The surgeon said the tumor was quite small (20-25 mm).  Dr. Kanthan felt quite good about the removal of the tumor.
6.  Removal of 3 lowest vertebrae.

There were no surprises.  Because of the length of the operation, Judy did require a transfusion, but this is quite normal.

I am going back up at 10:00 a.m. tonight to see her.  Mary will also be there.

It's times like this that God's love abounds.  I have received so many emails, texts, and phone calls offering encouragement and concern.  A cup of coffee, a meal, and a laugh or cry here and there - they all come in God's perfect timing.  Everyone has a different way of demonstrating grace and they are all good.

We are so blessed to have loving friends and family.

I may post another message later this evening.

July 25

We received word today that Haley and Dustin got to Costa Rica safely.

Judy had an appointment with the gynecological oncologist yesterday and a decision was made to remove the uterus and the ovaries as well as the other things being removed and moved.  Judy will definitely have fewer body parts to worry about.

She also met with the stoma nurse and a decision was made regarding the location of her stoma.

Judy is getting in her last visits and phone calls before the surgery.

One thing I forgot to mention was: Judy's surgery will be at Royal University Hospital.  She found out last Thursday when she went to the pre-op appointment at St. Paul's Hospital.  We are actually quite relieved - not that St. Paul's is a bad hospital.  Judy is quite familiar with RUH and many of the caregivers there.  For me, it is an easy 20 minute bike ride to RUH from home.

People ask Judy if she is scared.  The answer is no.  She says she is in very good hands.  Our biggest concern is the painful recovery ahead.  There is no avoiding that.  We know Judy is well-prayed for and the love we feel from friends and family is a like a warm blanket that brings us comfort that is so real we can feel the effects of that love.

People also ask, "What can we do to help."  The answer, from my point of view, is: just be our friend and do as the Spirit leads you.

July 19

We have been in Saskatoon this week for Judy's appointments and to celebrate our Anniversary.  Judy and I went to the plastic surgeon appt. on Tuesday.  The surgeons will perform a procedure whereby they will relocate a stomach muscle to the area where they are removing the troublesome scar tissue.  In recovery, she will not be allowed to sit, but she will be allowed to walk.  The muscle that is being relocated is the muscle that is used in sitting.  She will be under tight controls by the plastic surgeon and will be assisted by OTs.  Surgery runs from 10 a.m. until around 6 p.m. on July 27 so that is the time for everyone to be praying the hardest. Indeed, she will need continued prayer while she recovers.  There are a number of other things that will occur during the surgery, but I will not speculate at this time.  I will report on the actual procedures after the operation.  I can say that the scar tissue being removed is in the area of the sacrum. 
Haley and Dustin are headed to Costa Rica on Tuesday for their honeymoon.  She is worried about being away during Judy's operation, but we assured her things will be okay so travel will be a welcome distraction.
Mary is around Saskatoon for the summer so I will have company while Judy is in the hospital.
Again, I want to emphasize her need for rest and privacy in the first few days following the operation.  If you have any questions or would like some guidance as to when Judy will be up for visitors, just email me at ajkolach@sasktel.net 
Cheers,
AK

July 10

Judy found out yesterday that her surgery will take place at St. Pauls Hospital rather than RUH.  The surgery is on a Friday.  Judy has requested that people take their cues from this blog as to when she is able to receive visitors.  If the past is any indication, she will be in the fog until at least July 31.

Judy's Journey: Okay, so I figured out how to share this blog with...

Judy's Journey: Okay, so I figured out how to share this blog with...: Okay, so I figured out how to share this blog with everyone so I will be emailing all my contacts with the URL.  I look forward to receiving...

Okay, so I figured out how to share this blog with everyone so I will be emailing all my contacts with the URL.  I look forward to receiving your comments.

July 5

Judy found out today that she will be having an operation on July 27 to remove the scar tissue that remained after her second tumor was treated with radiation and chemotherapy.  The operation will take about 7 hours.  Judy will be in hospital for at least 10 days and hopefully have a recovery period of about two months.
Judy is feeling very well right now.  We are trying to get in as much lake time as possible before July 24.