Saturday, January 19, 2008

Update - 1/19/08

My mom spent all day at the hospital on Wednesday, and she was exhausted. She then had to return on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning for more. They ran an extra test yesterday, an ultrasound that would tell how deep into the lining (wall) of the colon the tumor spread.

I didn't get a chance to talk to my mom yesterday after all of it because she was still "under" when I called. Louis (her husband) let me know they'd call on their way home. The call I received was not what I expected to hear. She had to be rushed back to the emergency room because she didn't take well to whatever they did to her. She was very sick, and they had to hook up an i.v.

This is what they do know - the tumor did go through the wall of her colon and got to some lymph nodes. That means they'll have to do chemo and/or radiation before the surgery to remove the 4 inches. I don't know yet when they'll begin this process.

When they do the surgery, she'll have to go in 3 days beforehand to do all the prep. The surgery itself will take 4-6 hours, and she'll have to stay in the hospital for a week. Then she'll have to stay in Houston as close to the hospital as possible in case something should happen.

If they can save her rectum, she'll have a temporary "bag" for about 6 weeks. If not, she'll have a permanent one.

I haven't heard from her this morning to know how she's doing, but I'll update as soon as I know something.

Thank you for your prayers.

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