I have forgotten to mention in all the hustle about Tom that life is still going on at the Andrews household. Cody is in the final countdown of his senior year two weeks left....and he's ready for it! Kyle has a hand full of classes and he will have completed his college Sophomore year. Katie is in the midst of Track & was honored while Tom was in the hospital during the Scholastic award 2015 reception. I think that she has achieved a great Freshman year!
During these past couple of weeks I have seen a big change in Tom's character. He seems not to be able to focus or remember things that came easily prior to his hospitalization. He also struggles to engage in conversations, which may be the meds or a nurse pointed out to me, maybe part of his Jaundice...who knew? Tom has been so involved with the Boosters and is not able to physically or mentally handle the aspects that he did flawlessly before. Thank you to so many hands who have stepped up to help keep this organization running as Tom had envisioned/hoped for. Our little community had a nice reception on Saturday to thank Tom for his service for the Boosters. It was emotional and he did a great job keeping himself together as so many people came to participate and give him warm words of appreciation. Also during this time Tom lost his sister Lori. It was hard for him, but yesterday we attended her memorial to pay our respects and to support her three children. Life has given us some pretty hard blows lately!
Tom and I went to U of M on Tuesday to discuss what could be done with Tom's liver/jaundice situation. The car-ride itself was hard for Tom to handle & it didn't help that I grabbed the wrong prescription so he didn't have any pain medication. He was at a pain level of 8 during the day. It was discussed whether it would be beneficial for Tom to have a metal stint placed and if they could get rid of the external drain. This part is being referred to the GI's and there is still some discussion there at the U of M. Tom needs to have an MRI, but we requested that it be done in GR. Once the MRI is complete the treatment can proceed. It looks like Tom will have 5 Radiation treatments. He may need to have a steroid prep first as there will be some swelling that could further squeeze his bile duct before the tumor begins to shrink. All this should be in place by next week. Before we left on Tuesday Tom was poked yet again as the doctor ordered a full liver blood work.
We pulled into the drive at 5:00 pm and by 5:15 we had another call from the U of M doctor stating that Tom needed to head back to U of M and come to the ER as his INR levels were high. I explained that we had just gotten home and wondered if we could go the the ER in Grand Rapids. She stated that he would need a Vitamin K shot to help stabilize his blood. I asked the doctor to call Tom's GR Oncologist and have them call us with the procedures. She said that she would. Tom said that he didn't want to go to any hospital for the day and that he was just worn out. After about 3 hours I decided that maybe there was another consult and that it was not as critical as explained to me. On Wednesday night the same doctor from U of M called back and asked if Tom was admitted to ER. I told her no that we never received a call to be admitted. She explained that his INR numbers were high and that he was a high risk if there was a trauma and also that he could spontaneously internally bleed. I talked with Tom and we decided to wait until office hours to get to the bottom of this miscommunication the following morning.
Today I called the office and explained the situation. Tom was sent to get his labs done in hopes that the level had been lowered. However this was not the case. This afternoon Tom was called and told to head to ER. We are now waiting to see what the plan is. I am hoping that this will be an in & out procedure, but nothing has been that simple with Tom before.
I know my prayer warriors are out there and are probably ahead of this request to keep praying for a clear path for Tom's treatment. I want to again thank everyone for all the help that have given our family. It has been overwhelming to us. I am not one to ask for help, but I am getting it anyway with home cleaning, meals, and gift cards for our traveling expenses. Thank you thank you thank you angels for all your assistance! I am trying to be better to ask for help though this goes against my comfort zone.
But as for me, afflicted and in pain-- may your salvation, God, protect me. Psalms 69:29
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
What If
Thank you to everyone who has shown support with Facebook, text, called, sent cards, provided meals, come to visit, etc. I can't say how much we feel loved and supported. I have talked with the kids and told them that there is support out there if they want someone(s) to talk to. So far I think that they have talked amongst themselves. I am not sure if they don't know what to say to me or don't want to burden me but either way they have taken in the information I have shared but have not shared anything further.
Tom had a stent put in his liver on Saturday it didn't take long for the doctors to state they still were not liking his numbers and looking at option two. On Tuesday Tom was told that he needed a drain inserted into his liver that would help to get his Bili numbers to drop. The tricky part is that he had already been a few days on Heparin and now they need to thicken up his blood for this surgery. This time he was under a General ansethesia and not intubated, which was very rough for Tom the Saturday before. He was prepped and by 8:30 pm all his numbers looked good and he was taken from his room for the procedure. It was about 11:00 when they brought him back to his room and he seemed to fair this procedure better than the ERCP. Since I had left so late from the hospital I told Tom that I would try to sleep in and be back to see him in the morning before heading off to work.
Wednesday morning before I left from home I called Tom to see if he needed anything before I headed out. He didn't say much and I asked if the docs had been in to see him. He said "We'll talk when you get here" Now, being married to Tom for almost 26 years I knew this was not good news. I also guessed that he didn't want me driving up to the hospital in tears or upset. I responded with "OK" but my heart sunk at this reply. On the drive I kept praying that God give me strength for whatever I was about to hear. When I got to the room Tom keep a even expression during out conversation as he relaid to me what the docs had said to him. They took him off the chemo effective immediately. His liver may or may not continue to function and in such a state there was no other chemo option for him. It appeared we were at this crossroad once again & neither of us wanted to hear what was being said. The Oncologist also wanted a consult with me the following morning at 8:00 am. I called into work and cancelled my dentist appointment and spent the day with my loved one. Trying to keep things as light as I knew how and looking out the window when I thought my emotions would overtake me.
Thursday morning I was back at the hospital bright early...again neither of us slept well. We first had a visit from Radiation Oncology who had more questions that answers. He was going to see what he could do for Tom (if anything). About 1/2 hour later the Oncologist came in to say that Tom's Bili numbers were finally going down. To review they were 15 when Tom was admitted, went up to 17 and then down to 14 after the stent was in place, then up to 17 after the drain was placed and finally down to 13.8. The Oncologist stated that she felt Tom should talk with Radiation Oncology at the U of M as they were aware of his complex radiation from a couple of years ago. No promises were made or roses were thrown, but we would grasp what we could. During his week Tom had a wonderful and very compassionate nurse for a few days in a row. He had mentioned to her that he missed his furry baby. Thursday morning she said that Tom had a special visitor. She had arranged for one of the hospitals Canine and his handler to stop by; what a smile they put on Tom's face. I think that made Tom's day, maybe his whole visit tolerable! By Friday Tom was taken off the Heparin and shown how to give himself shots twice a day. We were both instructed as to his drain care and he was on his way home.
Tom has come home a different person than when he went in a week ago. Tom seems to be overwhelmed and at times confused. I wonder if this has to do with the medications he has been put on, if this fight has fatigued him, or if he is just tired from this long hard fight with this nasty disease. Tom also had a visit last weekend from his "brother" Dan. These two have been friends since the age of 2 and even though we are over 4 hours apart, that didn't stop Dan from coming to check on Tom. Dan picked up Chris on his way to our house and the three amigos spent many hours together. I think this also lifted Tom's spirits immensely.
In this past week I have taken a few minutes to escape now and then and read my Kindle. Timing in everything and I noticed that when my Kindle is in the "off" position the advertised book is called "What If" I could do this for a million instances (as could so many of us). What if we didn't go to AZ and Tom had kept his GR Oncology appointment, What if Tom went to get his labs done a week earlier, What if his liver would not function at all, What if U of M is unable to Radiate, What if I did not have this much support, What if Tom did not have his beliefs, What if....
Tom had a stent put in his liver on Saturday it didn't take long for the doctors to state they still were not liking his numbers and looking at option two. On Tuesday Tom was told that he needed a drain inserted into his liver that would help to get his Bili numbers to drop. The tricky part is that he had already been a few days on Heparin and now they need to thicken up his blood for this surgery. This time he was under a General ansethesia and not intubated, which was very rough for Tom the Saturday before. He was prepped and by 8:30 pm all his numbers looked good and he was taken from his room for the procedure. It was about 11:00 when they brought him back to his room and he seemed to fair this procedure better than the ERCP. Since I had left so late from the hospital I told Tom that I would try to sleep in and be back to see him in the morning before heading off to work.
Wednesday morning before I left from home I called Tom to see if he needed anything before I headed out. He didn't say much and I asked if the docs had been in to see him. He said "We'll talk when you get here" Now, being married to Tom for almost 26 years I knew this was not good news. I also guessed that he didn't want me driving up to the hospital in tears or upset. I responded with "OK" but my heart sunk at this reply. On the drive I kept praying that God give me strength for whatever I was about to hear. When I got to the room Tom keep a even expression during out conversation as he relaid to me what the docs had said to him. They took him off the chemo effective immediately. His liver may or may not continue to function and in such a state there was no other chemo option for him. It appeared we were at this crossroad once again & neither of us wanted to hear what was being said. The Oncologist also wanted a consult with me the following morning at 8:00 am. I called into work and cancelled my dentist appointment and spent the day with my loved one. Trying to keep things as light as I knew how and looking out the window when I thought my emotions would overtake me.
Thursday morning I was back at the hospital bright early...again neither of us slept well. We first had a visit from Radiation Oncology who had more questions that answers. He was going to see what he could do for Tom (if anything). About 1/2 hour later the Oncologist came in to say that Tom's Bili numbers were finally going down. To review they were 15 when Tom was admitted, went up to 17 and then down to 14 after the stent was in place, then up to 17 after the drain was placed and finally down to 13.8. The Oncologist stated that she felt Tom should talk with Radiation Oncology at the U of M as they were aware of his complex radiation from a couple of years ago. No promises were made or roses were thrown, but we would grasp what we could. During his week Tom had a wonderful and very compassionate nurse for a few days in a row. He had mentioned to her that he missed his furry baby. Thursday morning she said that Tom had a special visitor. She had arranged for one of the hospitals Canine and his handler to stop by; what a smile they put on Tom's face. I think that made Tom's day, maybe his whole visit tolerable! By Friday Tom was taken off the Heparin and shown how to give himself shots twice a day. We were both instructed as to his drain care and he was on his way home.
Tom has come home a different person than when he went in a week ago. Tom seems to be overwhelmed and at times confused. I wonder if this has to do with the medications he has been put on, if this fight has fatigued him, or if he is just tired from this long hard fight with this nasty disease. Tom also had a visit last weekend from his "brother" Dan. These two have been friends since the age of 2 and even though we are over 4 hours apart, that didn't stop Dan from coming to check on Tom. Dan picked up Chris on his way to our house and the three amigos spent many hours together. I think this also lifted Tom's spirits immensely.
In this past week I have taken a few minutes to escape now and then and read my Kindle. Timing in everything and I noticed that when my Kindle is in the "off" position the advertised book is called "What If" I could do this for a million instances (as could so many of us). What if we didn't go to AZ and Tom had kept his GR Oncology appointment, What if Tom went to get his labs done a week earlier, What if his liver would not function at all, What if U of M is unable to Radiate, What if I did not have this much support, What if Tom did not have his beliefs, What if....
Sunday, April 12, 2015
It's Complicated
What I wanted to talk about is the kids finishing Spring Break and the week before how much fun we had in Arizona seeing sights and being in the warm desert sun. I still want to thank my parents for their generosity of getting us out there and toting us around and for my Aunt Ruth to have opened her home and allowing to be at home in her "loft" Looking back I can see that Tom was sicker than I realized. He made mention of the Sunday before of how he was feeling nauseated. By Thursday of our trip I noticed that his eyes looked yellow. I mentioned it to him, but he was "fine". By the time we got back home I tried to convenience him to call a doc ~ any doc. He told me that he was tired from the trip and ate more in one week than he does a month. Looking back I wonder how much I should have pushed (or told Kyle & Cody to put him in the car) even if it was against his will. The girls at work told me to have him get into the car and tell him "We're going for a ride"
This past Sunday I noticed how shallow his breathing had gotten, and as I couldn't sleep, realized how much he was getting up because of his pain. During the next day I bugged him enough so he finally gave in and let me e-mail the U of M nurse. She was on vacation and I got a response by Thursday. She wanted Tom to have some lab work done. It took Tom another day for him to get to the lab. So Friday he went and by the evening the Oncologist from U of M called our home and requested that he make his way to the emergency room. They preferred Tom to come to Ann Arbor but Tom asked to stay here in Grand Rapids. We arrived at 8:00 pm and Tom has had a series of procedures since. He likes to think the he'll be going home the next day, but I think reality is he will be here for a while. It's good for him to have goals though.
Tom was admitted for having blood clots in his left chest. This is causing pain under his arm and is also why his breathing has been shallow. They have also stated that the clots have formed because of the mass in his chest. He also had a blocked duct that is causing the Bile numbers to be high (not sure if I have the correct medical term). A person should be a 2 or 3 and he is at 15. Today they were able to put a stent in during his ERCP (scope). Tom has seen GI, Pulmonary, & Oncology docs during this visit.
Next week I am sure that all these teams will come together and talk with the team at U of M to plan his long term care. Until then I am taking it a breath at a time and trying to breath. I appreciate all the comments to our Facebook statuses and know there are a lot of prayer warriors out there keeping the lines open. I have talked with the kids and try to also keep them informed while trying to keep myself at a "calm" state.
On a side note, Tom was in an auto accident on his way home from the lab work. His truck took the crunch and I was glad to know that he was ok after the semi took him on and he was able to walk away. When he called me at work on Friday the first thing he said is...."Take a breath, I am ok" For now I will concentrate on taking that breath through this difficult time.
I do not have my bible with me today but will quote a verse that many of us know...
"The Lord is my Shepard" Psalms 23...many of you know the rest
This past Sunday I noticed how shallow his breathing had gotten, and as I couldn't sleep, realized how much he was getting up because of his pain. During the next day I bugged him enough so he finally gave in and let me e-mail the U of M nurse. She was on vacation and I got a response by Thursday. She wanted Tom to have some lab work done. It took Tom another day for him to get to the lab. So Friday he went and by the evening the Oncologist from U of M called our home and requested that he make his way to the emergency room. They preferred Tom to come to Ann Arbor but Tom asked to stay here in Grand Rapids. We arrived at 8:00 pm and Tom has had a series of procedures since. He likes to think the he'll be going home the next day, but I think reality is he will be here for a while. It's good for him to have goals though.
Tom was admitted for having blood clots in his left chest. This is causing pain under his arm and is also why his breathing has been shallow. They have also stated that the clots have formed because of the mass in his chest. He also had a blocked duct that is causing the Bile numbers to be high (not sure if I have the correct medical term). A person should be a 2 or 3 and he is at 15. Today they were able to put a stent in during his ERCP (scope). Tom has seen GI, Pulmonary, & Oncology docs during this visit.
Next week I am sure that all these teams will come together and talk with the team at U of M to plan his long term care. Until then I am taking it a breath at a time and trying to breath. I appreciate all the comments to our Facebook statuses and know there are a lot of prayer warriors out there keeping the lines open. I have talked with the kids and try to also keep them informed while trying to keep myself at a "calm" state.
On a side note, Tom was in an auto accident on his way home from the lab work. His truck took the crunch and I was glad to know that he was ok after the semi took him on and he was able to walk away. When he called me at work on Friday the first thing he said is...."Take a breath, I am ok" For now I will concentrate on taking that breath through this difficult time.
I do not have my bible with me today but will quote a verse that many of us know...
"The Lord is my Shepard" Psalms 23...many of you know the rest
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