Another Kink, New Accessory and New Chemo

My big work event was on October 13th. There were live demos, reps, giveaways, and huge discounts. I was wearing a dress with Spanx and thought my belly was starting to hurt because I was squeezed in tight. To be on the safe side, I decided to make myself NPO (nothing by mouth - no food or drink) to try to give my bowels rest if this was another obstruction. Sure enough, as the day went on, the pain and burping got worse. My oncologist was okay with me trying to manage it at home. 

My wonderful boss went ahead and started an IV (which is next to impossible on me since I'm a hard stick) and gave me fluids so I wouldn't get dehydrated. I was disappointed that I was missing the event but was able to answer phones in the back office. That night, the pain subsided and I started passing gas (meaning the kink was opening back up). The next day, we went to the cancer center for more fluids and to check my labs. They said my labs looked great mainly because Dr. Leigh gave me fluids the day before. My immunity level was in the tank, so it was a good thing I wasn't around a lot of people at the event. I was able to slowly advance my diet from clear liquids to full liquid then finally back to a regular diet over that weekend. 

The following Tuesday (10/18), I started getting belly cramping again. This pain came in suddenly and with great intensity while I was finishing my shift at work. Then the burping started and then for the first time in all my obstructions, I was having massive vomiting. We knew it was time to go to the ER and called on-call oncology to confirm. They gave the Clemmons ER a heads up that I was on my way. Wil's parents went ahead and packed bags and came to spend the night at our house since our kids were already in bed and asleep. 

Clemmons ER was amazing again, keeping me separate from others to keep me safe from catching any infections. As soon as I was triaged, my blood pressure was sky high from the pain and vomiting, they brought me straight back to an exam room. I was given IV anti-nausea meds and pain meds then taken back for a CT, which confirmed a high grade bowel obstruction. I was given another NG tube (the tube that goes down my nose and into my stomach that goes to suction to drain my stomach contents). 

We had a great CNA, Sonia B, who got Wil a reclining chair so he could actually lay back and get sleep since we spent the whole night in the ER. Then my new MD switched out for the morning, my Friend- Ann Batista! We were just waiting on transport to the big hospital- Forsyth Medical Center.

 Dr. Skinner stopped by on her way to clinic to check in on me and give the game plan. We discussed having the permanent drain placed in my stomach (G tube) and taking the time to decompress my bowels and let them unkink. 

Critical care transport took me over to the big hospital and Wil followed behind and met me there. 

We were admitted to the 9th West Oncology floor and had amazing nurses (Ryan, Ashlyn, Alexis, Lexie, TJ, and more!), CNAs , and secretaries. We knew we were in for a long admission due to the severity of the inflammation of my bowels. The soonest I could be scheduled to have my Gtube placed by Interventional Radiology would be the following Tuesday, 10/25. So the NG tube would have to stay in until then since it is needed for the procedure. 

My parents came to visit and go to Wilson's Quickball game, and I convinced Wil to go as well on Thursday while my mommy stayed with me.

Then the biggest surprise, Wil and his sister- Holly- ran their 1/2 marathon in Greensboro on Saturday. They had this planned for months and my best friend Mae came to keep me company and help out while he was gone. 

I was allowed to start having popsicles and Italian ice which was such a relief for my throat. Just having the tube in the back of your throat, it is irritated and sore. My NG tube was still to suction so whatever I swallowed just got sucked right back out. Mae was kind enough to add more popsicles and Italian ice to her grocery pick up that afternoon to drop it off for me. 

We had a much better room this go around with more space and a gorgeous view. 

All day Monday, we were able to keep my NG tube clamped and I was still able to have my popsicles. I tolerated it well with no nausea. Then that night, my nurse injected contrast right into my NG tube. This would be for the procedure the next day to be able to visualize by guts for the G tube (stands for gastric tube). Originally it was scheduled for 1 pm but was changed without us knowing to 8 am. So we were a bit surprised and scrambling to get ready. 

I was wheeled down to Interventional Radiology and was nervous and a bit emotional. This was unknown territory for me and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I knew I would be put to sleep for the procedure but leading up to that part is always hard. I had my same CRNA, Allison, who has helped with all my surgeries in the past. 

My nurse Hayley was holding my hand as I cried. Then my X-ray tech introduced himself as Chris. I could only see his eyes but he looked so familiar and sounded familiar too. Then I realized he goes to my church and plays in the worship band too! That was such a comfort to have a believer with me. Then I asked if I could pray out loud before I was put to sleep. It is a blessing to be able to pray for those helping with my procedure and for God to guide their hands and help to heal me. Then I took a few deep breaths and was out like a light. 

I woke up in recovery, having some abdominal pain where the tube was placed. But a wonderful surprise was that the tube was out of my nose! 

Wil had to stay up in the room but I kept my phone so I was able to send him updates via text and talked to him on the phone once as well. Once my pain was under control, we just had to wait for transport to take me back up to my room. That part took 1.5 hours to get someone to take me up. 

Trying to show Wil that I was more lucid and not cocooned up as much in the recovery room. We stayed overnight and was able to advance my diet as my bowels had started working again. 

We met with a dietitian to go over my new restrictions having the Gtube. The point of the tube is to avoid having to get a tube down my nose with any more obstructions. Then possibly be able to hook it up to drain at home to decrease the need to go to the hospital. I would need to be on a mechanical soft diet. This means no peanut butter (too sticky), no gummies, no raw veggies or fruits, no steak/pork, and all other meats cut into very small pieces. It has definitely been an adjustment but getting use to it now. Eating smaller and more frequent meals to lower the work load at a time for my digestive tract. 

The Gtube is about 6 inches long and I keep it clamped except for one time when we first got home. It will take about 4-6 weeks for the scar tissue to heal around it for it to fully heal. I keep gauze around it for any oozing that happens and an abdominal binder to keep the pain down and keep the tube safe from being tugged on. 

I have to use Saran wrap and tape to protect it while I shower but after a month or so, I won't have to do that since the scar tissue will protect any water from getting around the tube. 

The other change will be my chemotherapy plan. I will stay on the one drug, Carboplatin, but Dr. Skinner thought it would be necessary to add another one just with this being my 6th obstruction since April. So we added Doxil which is a new med I havent had before. It still works on the bone marrow and since I was already having issues with my platelets dropping with Carbo, I was changed to a four week cycle to help give my bone marrow time to recover between treatments. 

We saw Dr. Skinner this Monday (10/31) for an exam and labs. Thankfully, I felt up to participating in Halloween with our family and friends from church. The Hudson's and Jungle's neighborhood was much more conducive for little kids to trick or treat. Parker was a true princess and was carried around by her daddy most of the night. 

We all had a blast! It was a huge blessing that I felt up to walking around as well. 

Wil and I were back at the cancer center Tuesday (11/1) for my first infusion of Doxil. It couldn't be done the same day as my Carbo since that infusion takes 7:00 am until about 5:30 pm. Doxil is typically tolerated really well but can have a rare side effect of the skin on your hands and feet peeling off and mouth sores. During the infusion, I have cold packs on my hands and feet to decrease the amount of chemo to those areas. This medicine is also called "The Red Devil" as it is the color of Koolaid. I tolerated the infusion well and keeping my hands and feet well moisturized. 

I was still premedicating Monday and Tuesday for my Carbo infusion on Wednesday. This is round the clock (8 am, 2 pm, 4 pm, 8 pm, 12 am, 2 am... Then repeat). 

We had our wonderful nurse, Rebecca, again for our all day Carbo treatment. I did just fine with the first bag but during bag #2 of 4, the dietitian came in to see how we were doing with the new changes to my eating. Wil noticed that I started scratching my ears, and then my face and neck started getting flushed. So he hollars for Rebecca who runs in, stops the infusion while Wil pulls the "SEND HELP" call bell. In comes the PA and pharmacist and more nurses. Thankfully the reaction never moved to my chest or lungs. I was given IV Solumedrol (another steroid) and the itching died down. I was able to complete the infusion with no issue after that. 

Well, until I was taking my abdominal binder off to show my nurse navigator my Gtube and I accidentally pulled my needle out of my port. First time I have done that in over 10 years! I quickly clamped the line so the chemo wouldn't get all over me. I even managed to scratch my skin! 

Rebecca came in and was able to reaccess me and taped the snot out of it so I wouldn't do that again! The rest of the infusion went just fine. I still get more premeds before my last bag of chemo, and was able to get a good Benadryl nap. I don't get a lot of sleep the two days prior since I'm on high dose steroids all around the clock. 

Now I'm still recovering from my Gtube and my stomach is sore. I'm hoping to start back at work at the end of next week and slowly add my hours back in. It will be nice to have a 4 week chemo cycle and get more recovery time in. 

Prayer requests:

1. Pray for minimal side effects from my new chemo and for this combination therapy to help shrink my tumors faster to help decrease my bowel obstructions. 

2. Pray for my platelets to have time to recover and be ready to go before my next treatment. 

3. Praise for all my wonderful nursing staff inpatient and outpatient. For my amazing oncologist who takes amazing care of us. 

4. For my amazing work family that is helping me in so many ways and being so understanding of all I'm battling. 

Allergies Reaction, Obstruction, and Low Platelets, OH MY!!

Hold on tight, this is a long post as a lot has happened in the last three weeks! 

We had our first outpatient chemo on September 14 with our wonderful nurse Rebecca. Since I have to do the desensitization, I am a 1:1 ratio for patient:nurse. We were so happy to be back in the outpatient chemo room instead of having to be admitted to the main hospital. 

Here I was getting my baseline vital signs. 

The regimen was the same where I premedicated with Dexamethasone 8 mg (steroid) and Pepcid twice a day for two days before the infusion. Then I get IV medications before the chemo bags with 1/1000 of the chemo, 1/100 of the chemo, and 1/10 of the chemo. Then another round of IV medications before the remainder of the chemo. 

15 minutes into the FIRST bag of chemo, I started getting chest tightness, shortness of breath, and turned bright red and itched all over. The chemo was stopped, the emergency bell was rang, and all the nurses came running. Thankfully, I had amazing staff and Nurse Practitioner that handled everything quickly. I was given a different IV steroid (Solumedrol) and more IV Benadryl and placed on oxygen. My oxygen saturation was good but that was done out an abundance of caution. 

We waited until all the symptoms had resolved and Rebecca started my chemo back at a slower rate and I was able to complete the rest of the bag with no issue. 

Once the second bag of chemo was running, I started getting an itchy neck and hands. My face turned a bit red but nothing like the first reaction. So repeat the whole thing over: stop chemo, Solumedrol, Benadryl, wait for reaction to pass. 

We were able to finish the rest of my infusions without a problem: all the rates were slowed down and I had a lot more Benadryl and steriods on board. This also meant that we opened the chemo room at 7 am and didn't get out until 5:45 pm. So what better place to do my penguin face mask my best friend Susan gave me?? Of course this got some laughs. 

Wil and I have been praying for God sightings during these tough times of treatments. We were able to be there after hours when another patient came back needing help having severe nausea and vomiting after her IV iron infusion. We were able to pray for her and the staff and hopefully give her comfort. She was worried that she was the reason the staff had to stay late, so we were able to let her know they were already there for me! 

Since I had some pretty bad nausea for days after my first round of chemo, a medication was added for me to take after to help reduce the side effects, Zyprexa which is an antipsychotic... Weird, I know but it worked! It did absolutely knock me out where I slept so hard I straight peed the bed that night. Ah the joys of side effects that are so glamorous. I'm waiting for one of the side effects to be a six pack, thick hair, long eyelashes, something good! 

Fast forward to Sunday 9/25 at 12:30 am when I am awoken with a sharp pain right below my breast bone. I assumed it was acid reflux (which I am on prescription medicine twice daily) since I had burping too. I was up until about 4:30 am with the pain that wasn't relieved with Pepcid, Tums, and milk. But I powered through the pain because I was going to this awesome training by Shelby Miller and Galderma (an aesthetic drug company) in Charlotte with the doctor and PA I work with. 

The training was great but the symptoms persisted and we're beginning to worsen. Then it dawned on me and Wil at the same time that this could be another bowel obstruction. So I called my on-call nurse for oncology. I was given the option to try to wait it out at home or if the pain was bad enough, I needed to go to the ER. 

I got home around 3 pm, and we decided to go ahead and go to the Clemmons ER so wer weren't doing all this late at night. Wil's parents are amazing and came and got the kids after we packed all our bags for a possible 5-6 days stay. We let the registration lady know that I am on chemo and could have low immunity, they worked with us and let us sit separately from all the other sick patients. 

Here we are waiting in a back hall waiting to be triaged. 

Labs were drawn and X-rays of my belly were taken. Then I got a room pretty quickly. My portacath (permanent IV in my chest) was accessed, pain meds given, and a partial bowel obstruction was seen on the x-ray. For a better view, I had a CT scan which verified the partial bowel obstruction. This is occuring because the tumor is sticking and causing the bowels to kink off. This time, it wasn't all the way kinked which was the good news. Unfortunately, this is treated the same way with getting the tube down my nose that goes all the way into my stomach to drain my stomach fluid (NG tube) and I was put on NPO diet (meaning nothing by mouth). I started getting a nosebleed right before they put the tube down so I asked for Afrin which helps to close the blood vessels off- it worked and I had no bleeding after having the tube shoved down my nostril. 

Trying to stop my nosebleed 

My friend, Jennifer McBride, from my ICU days is the house manager and stopped by to see me and help me getting a bed at Forsyth Hospital. 

At about midnight, we got the news that I had a bed on 9th oncology floor. When the ER nurse called to give report, she said they responded with "Oh we know Katie!" 

So I get loaded into the critical care ambulance and Wil follows in our car after stopping to get my pillow from home. 

I spend the whole night so nauseated that I am continuing to throw up, around the tube despite the tube being hooked to suction to drain stomach contents. Finally, I get IV Phenergan (anti nausea medication) at about 5 am which finally works. I sleep for almost 12 hours (all day) but I had been up the last two nights and needed the rest. 

Our hospital room was a weird triangle shape so the only thing that fit for Wil to sleep in was a recliner, which didn't lay all the way down. He never complained and is such a wonderful caretaker. 

By Tuesday, we get the go ahead from my PA Emma and oncologist that we could clamp my NG tube and start clear liquids. It is SO HARD to try to swallow with the tube going down the back of your throat. 

When my oncologist came by that afternoon, I asked if we could pull the NG tube. We got the green light to get it out knowing that if I didn't tolerate the clear liquid diet, I would have to get it put back in. I was up for the challenge. I did make Dr. Skinner pull it out, I wanted it out ASAP and plus my surgeon (Dr. Stuart) pulled it out last time, so it was tradition! 

We did discuss it/when I get another bowel obstruction, we will have to consider getting a permanent drain in my stomach (G Tube- stands for gastric). This would be a valve that would be on my abdomen and allow me to drain my stomach without having to get the tube shoved down my nose. I could even try to manage the obstruction from home and only need to go to the ER for medication management if I needed. 

It is such a sweet relief to be able to swallow, clear your throat, and drink cold water! 

I was discharged Wednesday afternoon after I tolerated advancing my diet and did well with regular food for breakfast. 

The plan was still on to meet Dr. Skinner on Monday, 10/3, to go over the game plan and get labs for chemo on Wednesday, 10/4. Unfortunately, my platelets were only 81- they need to be over 100 for treatment. My premeds we're changed back to the old protocol to ensure no further allergic reaction. This increased the steroid from 8 mg twice a day to 20 mg every 6 hours (around the clock), adding Benadryl, and increasing the Pepcid to every 8 hours all for two days prior to treatment. 

Dr. Skinner gave us the option of stopping the premeds and holding chemo for a week to allow my body to produce more platelets or stay on the premeds and recheck my platelets Wednesday and try for chemo, knowing that if they aren't high enough, I would be sent home and have to wait a week anyway. My bone marrow doesn't work as well as the average Joe's due to all the chemo I have had over the last 10 years. We have to be really careful as platelets are essential for clotting your blood. Getting a platelet transfusion wouldn't help as it doesn't fix the underlying issue that I'm not producing any of my own. There is nothing I can do to increase platelets other than time to recover from chemo. 

Wil and I both wanted to at least try especially as my platelets last round increased from 105 on Monday to 258 by Wednesday. 

So here I am at 3 am, wide awake from taking my meds at 2 am, and with a gnarly headache to boot. 

Prayer Requests:

1. Praise my bowel obstruction was able to resolve on its own and resolved quicker than my previous obstructions. 

2. Pray for protection from bowel obstructions while we wait for chemo to shrink the tumors, so I can avoid getting the permanent stomach drain. 

3. Pray for my bone marrow to kick it into high gear and my platelets to be well over 100 Wednesday morning! 

4. Pray the change in premeds helps prevent any allergic reaction with the next chemo. 

5. Pray for wisdom, guidance, and protection for our kiddos as it isn't easy having to deal with all the effects of having a mommy with cancer. 

Back into fight mode- with a blindfold on

 Surgery was on July 26th but wasn’t what we were expecting. Wil and I had prepared for open abdominal surgery, to be admitted for about a week, and have a bowel resection. What I wasn’t expecting was waking up and being told by Wil over the phone in the recovery room was that they were only able to remove my gallbladder (just because of gallstones not cancer) and there was cancer on my intestines. We were discharged home that same day. 

Recovery was easier than expected since it was laparoscopic only, five small incision sites instead of a cut from my belly button to my underwear line. I only had to take Tylenol for pain management. Unfortunately, the night after surgery, our 14 year old dog Darla had a seizure. She had never had one before and had been acting completely normal up to this point. The next morning, we told the kiddos to say goodbye to Darla since she was really sick and was going to see the vet while they were at daycare. 

Later that morning, Wil and I took our old lady to see her vet. She took some blood work but prepared us for the worst, that usually seizures at this age are cancer related. Her blood work came back abnormal and it was recommended to do an ultrasound. We had to leave our girl there and headed back home. Still trying to recover from surgery was difficult with all this moving around, car drives, getting up and down on the floor to cuddle with our doggie. The vet called with the bad news, cancer in her spleen and heart failure, and the recommendation was to put her down. I adopted Darla right before I met Wil because I was new to the Winston area, was working nights, and needed company. She was a year and a half old and had been abused, adopted but only to be returned because “she was too much work.” 

Wil and I drove back to the vet to say goodbye to our sweet old lady. The vet had a doughnut to give her as a last treat. I looked like a hot mess as I hadn’t showered since surgery, we had tearful goodbyes. Thanked her for the years of bringing our family great joy and love. That was so hard to leave knowing she would never be coming back with us. 

Needless to say, this set back recovery a bit. Crying, car rides, up and down on the floor caused a bit more pain but I took two days doing nothing much other than laying on the couch and reading.

We met with Dr. Skinner on 8/1 to discuss surgery findings and come up with a treatment plan. She talked to me in the recovery room but I was still coming out of anesthesia. During surgery, she found cancer that was around my bladder (where I had to have tumors removed back in 2019), tiny spots on my intestines where my bowel obstructions had been, and granular type spots to my upper abdomen that have been stable since my last surgery. 

The recommendation was to start IV chemotherapy. Carboplatin was a definite and could also add another IV chemo, Doxyl. I had Carbo in 2012 and 2014, but had an allergic reaction to it and had to complete the rest of the treatments inpatient with desensitization. Basically, lots of steroids and sneaking the chemo in slowly to trick my body that it is okay to have! What was a slight curveball was that this treatment plan would be indefinite, as long as it is working and I tolerate it. Previously I had done six rounds only. 

Wil and I had already been praying about these options since Skinner already told us treatment options before surgery. We both agreed to just start with the Carbo and keep Doxyl in our arsenal if we need it. Our goal is to live life to the fullest and would start chemo after a beach trip and Wilson starting kindergarten. 

 We had a family vacation to Holden Beach with the Warren side planned for the following week. Wil and I figured we wouldn’t be able to go since we planned on the open abdominal surgery. That all changed and we were able to go! I was still on restrictions, no lifting more than 10 pounds and no submerging my abdomen. This was a great week, it is our happy place. By midweek, my restrictions were lifted and able to enjoy the pool and the ocean. 

Our amazing neighbors, the Mazzolas, watched our dog Daisy for the week. This was best for her since she had two other dogs to play with and was covered in love. 

The week after the beach, Wilson had his open house for kindergarten at Calvary Day School. This is the same school Wil attended 2nd - 8th grade and it was a big reunion for him. It was neat to see so many alumni kiddos attending. Wilson’s class and teachers were amazing. Their class pet is a turtle named Myrtle! 

They did a staggered start for kindergarten so Wilson’s first day was Thursday, 8/18, and went with half of his class. He said his favorite part was the playground and his second favorite was eating his packed lunch. He flunked car line pick up because he didn’t hear his name but he got the hang of it the following week. 

Since he was off Friday, our family plus my mom went to the new children’s museum in High Point. We all had an absolute blast. We stayed for five hours and still didn’t do everything there. 

Saturday, we  buried Darla’s ashes in our backyard with help from the kids. I think it was good for some closure for all of us. Then we got to have a pool date and dinner with our friends the Hemphill’s. 

Wilson went to school Monday 8/22 with his whole class. Parker has been a bit more emotional and clingy at drop off with her brother not at the same school. After drop off, Wil and I headed to the cancer center to get labs drawn, get some chemo teaching, and a quick meeting with Skinner. My pharmacist is a friend and a genius! Rachel walked us through the new protocol for desensitization. The chemo used to be mixed in 13 bags, which made for a loooong infusion day. Now it is mixed in 4 bags and a lot less premeds I had to take 48 hours leading up to the infusion. As long as I behaved (Wil said that was my only job), I could stay on the new protocol and be switched to outpatient for the remaining treatments. 

Now, how do we monitor if this chemo plan is working since the tumors that were seen in surgery couldn’t be visualized on the CT or PET scan? Skinner said we are fighting this a bit in the dark. Symptoms would be a big part since the bowel obstructions lead us to this point. Also, we added back in my blood marker level, CA 125. Most likely, we will do a CT scan every 3rd round to make sure that was can’t see disease progression. If we need to, laparoscopic surgery in the future could be an option to take a look. 

My CA125 was 40 before my first surgery, anything under 35 is considered normal. Since the first surgery, my level has been below 10. This one came back at 25. Mine is not very reactive but we can use this as a trend. 

After the trip to oncology, I went back to work for the first time since surgery for a 4 hour shift. I hit the ground running, but I was already taking high doses of oral steroids so I had all the energy I needed. They had a huge Welcome Back banner and lots of my favorite treats in the office for me. My boss and coworkers have been so amazing during all of this and so very helpful for my first days back. 

Since chemo check in was at 7:30 yesterday, the kids spent the night with Wil’s parents. We were able to video call them and say good morning on our way to the hospital. At registration, we had to wait for our room to finish being cleaned. We got up to our room at 8:15 am and met our nurse for the day, Sharon. Until the patient is checked in, pharmacy won’t start mixing any of the medications. I couldn’t get my premeds until the chemo was ready as you want them infused close together. 

Sharon accessed my port (my permanent IV in my chest) but I forgot to put my numbing cream on, so it was a bit ouchie… then we waited. And waited. Then I cleaned, as our room was NASTY. Dust covered every flat surface, prescription glasses under the bed, blood spots on the bed rail. Sharon offered for us to move rooms but that would just be a big hassle. The unit secretary took photos and took it to the “big man” to complain. 

Finally, my meds were ready and I started getting infused at 11:15 am. God has been teaching us patience throughout our whole cancer journey, so we just go with the flow. The first bag of chemo has 1/1000 of the chemo mixed in it, second bag is 1/100, third bag is 1/10. The final bag has the rest of the chemo. I did great the whole time with no reaction. So we got to leave around 6:15 that night and have the kids come home, which felt amazing to all be home together. 

Today, I just don’t have much of an appetite and a bit tired. Overall, handling it really well. Now we just to have to be on watch out for a delayed reaction which could happen 24-72 hours after the infusion. 

At church the last few weeks, the sermons were smacking me right between the eyeballs. The topics have been about contentment, why does God allow suffering, and how to live with less anxiety. Contentment doesn’t come from possessions or from circumstances. Contentment can only be found in God and seeking His daily presence. We live in a broken world due to humanity’s sin but it is temporary and will pass away (Romans 8:20-22 and Revelation 21:1-4). Good can come from sufferings as a Christian as we learn to depend on God’s power rather than our own abilities or strengths (2 Corinthians 4:7, 12:9-10). Commit anything causing to the Lord in prayer and trust Him (Psalm 37:5, 1 Peter 5:6-7, Psalm 55:22). 

Prayer Requests:

1. Huge praise for making it through the initial infusion without any reaction. Pray for no delayed reaction for 24-72 hours so we can continue on the 4 bag, outpatient protocol for the rest of treatments. 

2. Pray for the kids, Wilson and Parker, as there have been a lot of changes to adapt to lately (Darla dying, Wilson going to kindergarten, Mommy back in treatment). For us to have patience and wisdom for God in how to best help with these transitions. 

3. For Wil, my most favorite caretaker, as he shoulders a heavier burden while I’m recovering from chemo. For him to have strength and endurance for the road ahead. 

Time for Surgery #4

I had my PET scan which didn't show any overtly cancerous spots. There are a couple of nodules that didn't light up like my cancer normally has. It did show that my intestines were still inflamed despite it being three weeks since I had been discharged from the latest bowel obstruction. 

So the plan is to have surgery on 7/26 with my oncologist, Dr. Skinner, and my general surgeon, Dr. Stuart. They will try to go in laproscopic in my upper abdomen first. If they are unable to get to my lower abdomen with the scope, they will have to open me up like my previous surgeries. I will have another bowel resection and take down of adhesions. The rest will have to be decided when they get in there and are able to visualize more. 

The risk for having to have a temporary or permanent colostomy or illeostomy increases with this being my third bowel resection. That is where they would have to divert my GI tract through a hole in my abdomen where a bag catches the stool. 

Again, my work family and boss have been simply amazing and supportive during this entire process. God placed me here for the perfect time. 

Recovery time will depend on if they are able to perform the whole surgery laproscopic or open abdominal. The likelihood of being able to get the scope to my lower abdomen is slim, as Skinner said - the miracle of miracles surgery. Worst case, in the hospital for 5-7 days with 6-8 weeks out of work. 

Adoption Unleases Purpose

Prayer requests:

1. For the God of miracles to allow this surgery to be the least invasive as possible. 

2. To keep me healthy until surgery (COVID cases are rampant). 

3. For peace for the pain of recovery (really not looking forward to it). 

4. For wisdom and guidance for my whole our medical team. 

5. For strength for Wil as my caretaker and shouldering a heavy burden during my recovery. 

6. For God to use us to be able to help someone else and point others to Him. 

Same God in the hills and the valleys

 First of all, thank you all for the prayers of the past week. We have wonderful God, family, friends, medical team, and support system that makes tough days manageable. 

Now to give you all the back story of the latest medical journey. It all started last Wednesday night (6/1). I had the day off of work and was uber productive. We had Parker's birthday party cookout planned for the weekend and I wanted to have everything ready. 

While putting the kids to bed, I started having upper belly pain, cramping, and painful burping. I thought maybe it was just from something I had eaten and it would pass. Unfortunately, the pain was just getting more intense. Thankfully, Wil's parents (Ted and Connie) live down the road from us and were able to come over and get the kids and dogs before everyone fell asleep. 

Wil and I packed our bags in case this would end up in a hospital stay and wouldn't have to be in a bind like the last admission of not having what we wanted and needed. It was hard to say goodbye to the kids not knowing when we would see them next. We had the reassurance they were in good hands and would be well taken care of. 

We head over to the main hospital (Forsyth Medical Center) to be evaluated in the emergency room. It was a MAD HOUSE, I mean standing room only in the waiting room. My pain at this point is getting worse and I'm thinking we won't be evaluated or medicated for hours. We sign in and sit down to wait to be triaged. One lady said her son had been here since 1 pm and it was almost 9:30 pm and still hadn't been to a room. He had tests run and needed discharge papers but was still waiting. 

We go back for triage and my blood pressure is 180's/110's, just due to the pain. We are back out to the waiting room. After Ted driving to the Clemmons ER and poking his head around, we decide to leave Forsyth ER and head over to Clemmons in an attempt to be seen sooner. There were 48 patients waiting at this point and didn't seem like it was a good use of time to just sit. 

Clemmons ER was a night and day difference. Was triaged by one of the first amazing nurses (Michelle M.) and had several tests ordered. I had labs drawn and an x-ray of my belly. I was first on the list for the next open room. Michelle brought us back, hooked my port up like a pro, and went back for a CT Scan. Our ER physician was great as well. He needed to rule out anything with my gallbladder so that was ultrasounded as well. I have known gallstones but needed to make sure that they weren't blocking anything or could be the cause of the pain. 

Then we get the CT results... it is another obstruction. "Findings consistent with small bowel obstruction with multiple dilated loops of proximal small bowel and collapsed distal small bowel." There was also some bowel wall thickening that had increased since the last obstruction in April. We have to be admitted to Forsyth and get that nasogastric (NG) tube down to suck the contents of my stomach out to let my bowels rest. Thankfully, Michelle is a super nurse and got the tube down. 

1st NG tube in the ER

I was given pain meds and anti-nausea meds and was able to sleep some during the night. My superman of a husband got to try to sleep in a straight back chair, resting his head on my stretcher rails. Mind you, not complaining a bit. He truly is a saint! 

After a night in the ER, we had to wait for Critical Care Transport to take me to Forsyth when my room was ready. Despite having the NG tube to suction, I still was throwing up around the tube. Probably one of the worst parts of having the tube and the obstruction. Makes your throat burn, chunks get stuck around the tube, and you are heaving with a garden hose down your nose. In the flails of wretching, I hear a familiar voice and a cold towel on my neck. One of my transport nurses was Jessica who I used to work with in ICU many years ago!

Wil wasn't able to go with my in the ambulance but it was a quick 15 minute ride. Unfortunately, it felt like much longer because I was still so nauseated and gagging a lot. Once I got up to my room on the 9th oncology floor, my nurse came to assess me and hook my NG tube back to suction. Something didn't feel right and sure enough, I had heaved so much and so hard that the NG tube had come out and was just sitting inside of my nose. So I got to have ANOTHER NG tube shoved down my nose to my stomach. 

1st tube out, waiting for the 2nd

2nd NG tube back in place

The plan was close to the same as the last obstruction. We needed to rest my bowels for a few days. I was also put on IV steriods to help with the inflammation that was seen on the scan. I had IV meds for pain and for nausea which I mainly slept for the first several days. With that tube in your throat, it is uncomfortable to talk, swallow, move, just exist. 

Our room did have an amazing view and we were able to see God's gorgeous sunsets each night. Wil and I took many walks around the floor and even did a puzzle one day. He is convinced they were chihuahuas but they were foxes. 

1st real food in 5 days

Finished puzzle!

Dr. Skinner (oncologist) and Dr. Stuart (surgeon) colloborated on a game plan. We were going to do the same imaging on Sunday (6/5) to see if my bowels were moving. They inject contrast down the NG tube (which made me dry heave) and take x-rays to watch it move through. If the blockage was still there, then that meant I may have to have surgery then to open it up. Well I aced that test and it was already in my colon within an hour! 

Dr. Stuart came by and said I could get my NG tube out. So I'm holding it out to him and he thought I was crazy when I wanted him to do it then. He told me that I was a nurse and could do it, Wil tried to jump up and wanted to give it a whirl. But Dr. Stuart pulled it for me and it is instant relief. I was able to start on clear liquids slowly and make sure I tolerated it well. 

Now the hard part, what's next?? What is causing this to keep happening? How to do we prevent it from ocurring again? 

The first step is to get a PET scan in 1-2 weeks. A PET scan lights up any cells that use a lot of glucose like cancer. 

The results will determine which route we consider. It if is cancer/tumor growth that is causing the obstruction, then we will go back on IV chemotherapy. The one that Dr. Skinner is leaning towards is Carboplatin. I had this for my first two bouts of cancer. It is the one that I had a reaction to and had to complete my infusions as inpatient to sneak it in without my body reacting to it. It comes with a lot of steriods, IV and oral, and is just time consuming. 

If it is NOT tumor related then we would consider surgery. The option was to wait to do surgery until another obstruction happens or to do it electively to prevent just waiting for trouble to come. We would try to do laproscopic but may have to change to an open abdominal surgery since this would be my 4th surgery. The more you mess around in the belly, the more I make adhesions which is scar tissue and hard to move around laproscopically. This would allow Skinner and Stuart to remove the affected small bowel that keeps getting obstructed and remove any ahesions. 

We were discharged home yesterdy (6/7) which was a huge praise. We got to pick the kids up from daycare which just made me cry happy tears. It was such a sweet time to be able to celebrate Parker's 3rd birthday and be reunited as a family. 

For the THANK YOUs- as there are a lot!

1. Thank you to our God in heaven who provides for each of our needs. To grant us the ability to use this cancer journey to help others, deepen our faith, and to teach our kids about trusting in God's plans. 

2. To my co-survivor, my favorite caretaker, and my husband. Thank you for the sleepless nights, never complaining about the food, coffee, lack of bed, boredom as I'm passed out. For being what I need, when I need it. 

3. To our wonderful medical providers: Dr. Skinner, Emma (our PA), Dr. Stuart. To our nurses who went above and beyond- especially Michelle M at Clemmons ER & Ashlyn and Danielle on 9th West.  Mahogany from Surgical Services who was a unit secretary who lit up the room and always had a smile on her face. 

4. To Ted and Connie for caring for our kids and dogs- and even having to de-stink Daisy after getting sprayed in the face by a skunk our first night away. 

5. For the friends and family who brought snacks to the hospital for Wil, decorated our house for Parker's birthday, brought us parking passes, and took care of us in tangible ways. 

6. To my work family: thank you for being so amazing and caring for me despite only knowing me for a few short months. You all are wonderful and I am blessed to be part of Lewisville Laser! 

For the prayer requests:

1. That my bowels stay unkinked and behave while we await the PET scan. 

2. For wisdom and guidance for deciding on a treatment plan. 

3. For my body to rest, gain strength, and prepare for the next leg of this journey. 

I write this blog so that God can use my story to help others. This is in no way a means to gain attention for myself, to show how "strong" I am, because I am not. This is not for pity but to show you the strength of a God who cares for my every need. That you can see him working in the valleys and because of Jesus' perfect sacrifice for me, I don't fear evil! I know that Christ has already overcome it and has the victory. That doesn't mean that I don't struggle. There were days in the hospital that I couldn't even pray because I would just start to cry, which would irritate my tube. But I know that the Holy Spirit intercessed for me when my groanings were too much for words. 

I hope that when you see me, you see how big my God is.