So we went back to SF for a few days, to have another scan done, and see Mom's doctor. After taking it to the Liver Transplant Team, they have decided to give an absolute no for putting Mom back on the transplant list.There reason her doctor was still fighting to get her back on the list, despite her issues that prohibit her from being on the transplant list were as such. He said that the care that Tanya and I have given to Mom is off the charts incredible. He couldn't believe how well she was doing for how low her numbers are. He also said that the cancer invading one side of her liver was still pretty much the same as three months ago. Also, her liver and kidneys are functioning very well still.
The reasons he couldn't get the team to even give her more time, or another chance was two fold. First of all her weight is way too low. Her BMI was below the allowed amount. Secondly, there is a second tumor, that is in the other side of her liver. That tumor was small and not doing anything, so they just ignored it before. However, now it has grown, and is becoming active. It is still fairly small, but with the growth and activity, combined with the other tumor being an invasive cancer (as opposed to a single mass) is what kicked her off permanently.
They said that there is no way of knowing how long she has at this point, because doctors can always be wrong in these situations. So it could be as long as 6-12 months with good care and Mom doing all she should. Or it could be as short as a month or two.
Mom is doing fine with the news, and her biggest concern is when she can begin eating what she wants! The problem is that the worse her eating habits, the faster she will decline. She has agreed to stick with her eating plan at least for another month, until we have our trip to Disneyland at the end of June. After that, we will see what happens.
I will keep you updated - and again, thank everyone for their love and support through this roller coaster we have been on. And a huge thank you to everyone who offered to let us use their donations for Mom's continued care and funeral plans. She wants to have just one graveside service and be buried in Grants Pass, OR. We have already begun to get everything in order, and are getting as much of that paid for as possible right now, which wouldn't have been possible without your help! Thank you, thank you!
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Mom moved, and was in the hospital - twice!
Sorry I haven't written in a while, but we have been very busy moving Mom in with us. She was going to live with Tanya, because she has more space and cleared her schedule to care for Mom. However, because of how Medical and Medicare works, Mom couldn't leave the county - or it would change her benefits and doctors. It was very sad for Mom to leave her home at the Dold's - she really loved it there. It was also hard for her to go through all of her things, and decide what to keep and what to get rid of. Unfortunately for me, she couldn't decide very well - so I now have a garage, living room, dining room, entry way and Mom's bedroom full of bins and boxes. It looks like a hoarders house around here - but we will get through all of that! Thanks to the loving help of Tina, Amy, Katy, and Cindie - we were able to be out of the house on time.
See, Mom decided we didn't have enough excitement, so on Sunday, April 29th, we had to take Mom to the hospital, because she was extra confused, shaky, etc. We had trouble getting a blood pressure reading, and when we finally did, it was way too low. So they admitted her, and found it was a lot of small things together causing the problem. Mom doesn't want me to share the details, except to say that her body wasn't functioning properly. So the next day they released her, and we got home about 5:30pm, and got her settled at home - then we went to her old house to finish moving things from the shed, yard and to clean. That is where the loving help of Tina Becker, Cindie Blodgett and Amy & Katy Sellers saved us! They had come during the day and did almost all of the cleaning!! All we had left were the neurotic finishing touches we always do (washing walls, moving out the fridge and cleaning behind it, vacuuming (there wasn't a good vacuum there for them), and blinds. Thank you so much for heaven's angels on earth!! Because of their loving service, we weren't there until 2 am cleaning! I was actually in bed by 10:30pm that night!
However, Mom began having issues again - so I brought her back to the hospital the next day. They admitted her again, and ended up moving her to ICU. They gave her plasma, more fluids and did some more tests. Again, Mom doesn't want any details given - except that she is doing fine now, with the exception of having the ascites back again. She forgot how miserable it was, and although she isn't nearly as huge as she used to get, she still looks pregnant (just not 9 months with triplets)! They filled her with fluids, and dropped down one of her water pills, because they felt it was dehydrating her too much, which was causing the blood pressure issues. We are working on finding a balance to all that again.
So, now, if anyone wants to send a note to Mom, you can send it to my house. You don't have to put a "c/o" on it - just address it to her, and it gets here just fine.
Next week we will be going to San Francisco, to have the scan that will decide if she gets back on the list or not! We will be in San Francisco on Monday and Tuesday - and then the doctor will be presenting everything to the board on Wednesday. So we should have a final answer by Thursday. I'll blog again when we have an update! Until then....have a wonderful Mother's Day coming up, and be extra nice to your Mommy - life is short, we all make mistakes, but love....love is eternal!
See, Mom decided we didn't have enough excitement, so on Sunday, April 29th, we had to take Mom to the hospital, because she was extra confused, shaky, etc. We had trouble getting a blood pressure reading, and when we finally did, it was way too low. So they admitted her, and found it was a lot of small things together causing the problem. Mom doesn't want me to share the details, except to say that her body wasn't functioning properly. So the next day they released her, and we got home about 5:30pm, and got her settled at home - then we went to her old house to finish moving things from the shed, yard and to clean. That is where the loving help of Tina Becker, Cindie Blodgett and Amy & Katy Sellers saved us! They had come during the day and did almost all of the cleaning!! All we had left were the neurotic finishing touches we always do (washing walls, moving out the fridge and cleaning behind it, vacuuming (there wasn't a good vacuum there for them), and blinds. Thank you so much for heaven's angels on earth!! Because of their loving service, we weren't there until 2 am cleaning! I was actually in bed by 10:30pm that night!
However, Mom began having issues again - so I brought her back to the hospital the next day. They admitted her again, and ended up moving her to ICU. They gave her plasma, more fluids and did some more tests. Again, Mom doesn't want any details given - except that she is doing fine now, with the exception of having the ascites back again. She forgot how miserable it was, and although she isn't nearly as huge as she used to get, she still looks pregnant (just not 9 months with triplets)! They filled her with fluids, and dropped down one of her water pills, because they felt it was dehydrating her too much, which was causing the blood pressure issues. We are working on finding a balance to all that again.
So, now, if anyone wants to send a note to Mom, you can send it to my house. You don't have to put a "c/o" on it - just address it to her, and it gets here just fine.
Next week we will be going to San Francisco, to have the scan that will decide if she gets back on the list or not! We will be in San Francisco on Monday and Tuesday - and then the doctor will be presenting everything to the board on Wednesday. So we should have a final answer by Thursday. I'll blog again when we have an update! Until then....have a wonderful Mother's Day coming up, and be extra nice to your Mommy - life is short, we all make mistakes, but love....love is eternal!
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