The Grand Mother Recovers at Home

Joy to the World; Grumpy's Castle --

The Grand Mother came home from the "most expensive hotel in Bellevue" (as her Surgeon described Overlake Hospital) on Monday (14 November). Ordinarily, she would have been remanded to a hospice care facility for two or three weeks, with strange nurses and visiting doctors. But due to the fact that, besides this being a stubborn Norwegian and having a similarly opinionated daughter who, besides having her share of Norwegianism also happens to be an R.N., she was "allowed" to come to her own home.

Believe me, having Grumpy as the interim housekeeper was not considered -- nor was it even mentioned!

Grand Mother was so happy to be back home that she told Grumpy that she, "felt like making some Peanut Butter cookies ... " and she even ventured to add, "And I'm thinking about making a Lemon Meringue Pie!" Well, Grumpy was so elated over this good news of a promised recovery that he seriously thought about putting her back in the hospital so they could remove some more of her insides where all that talk about "No more Lemon Pies for eternity!!!" came from.

Of course part of being at home meant some very tender loving from our littlest Granddaughter, "Snicklefrita". Grumpy advised the little one ahead of our arrival that "We must be very gentle with Grandma so her incisions don't get injured." And she was extremely gentle -- and of course, loving. We think it was good medicine for Grandma.

Many visitors popped in over the ensuing days: Our Older daughter (CEO of a custom wire bundle Factory), and her husband helped out over the weekends when the R.N. had to resume her night duties at the hospital in Everett; Be-Pop came a couple of times, bringing his latest "bragging pieces" of knitting projects or colorful glass-works beads that he had created; telephone calls came from the "far East" where oldest Son recently returned from "where he was supposed to be", and from other relatives and from local friends with whom the Grand Mother and Grumpy are associated.

As solid evidence of the amazing progress in the Grand Mother's recovery, here is a "still" picture of her scurrying down the hallway, past the front door (background). This was taken just 16 days after her surgery! Although she is shown using her walker here, she has since "graduated" to going "by cane" -- or even "going it alone"! [Grumpy may have to start behaving or the cane might be used for another purpose!]

Today, we went to an appointment with her Oncologist who gave the Grand Mother the various choices for further treatment if she so chooses. But first there are certain tests to aid in refining the diagnoses and treatment options.

More later.

Major Surgery -- The Grand Mother is Recovering

Ides of November; Doctors' Offices, Hospitals and Home --

Shakespeare wrote a line, "Beware the Ides of March", but Grumpy has plagiarized this line to say, "The Ides of November have been almost as bad." 

On 7 November, the Grand Mother had an Endoscopy [accent on the first "o"], in which a camera was poked down her throat into her stomach to view the lining, and a biopsy was taken of a swollen ulcerated area partially blocking the outlet of the stomach.

On Wednesday, 9 November, we went for the reports by an Oncologist and a Surgeon -- the biopsy had revealed that the tumor (the cause of the swollen, ulcerated area) was malignant. Surgery was scheduled for the following Wednesday, 16 November.

Waiting to hear the Oncology and Surgeon diagnosis and plan

Early the next morning, the Grand Mother told Grumpy that she had lost her supper of the night before and that she felt  major distress in her stomach; this meant that nothing was going through, and so off to Urgent Care we went. After a couple hours' testing and consultation with a doctor on duty -- who just happened to be the Surgeon with whom she had talked several hours before! -- she was ordered transferred to the hospital next door for emergency surgery.

Julius Caesar was assassinated in Shakespeare's play; the Grand Mother came too close, for Grumpy's comfort, to "cashing in her chips" that Thursday night following laparoscopic removal of the large cancerous tumor which had ulcerated the wall of her stomach, and had also blocked off the exit, causing the distress she had endured that morning. Half of her stomach, as well as the duodenum were removed with all of the cancer, including three lymph glands that also contained cancer cells. Thirteen additional lymph glands were also removed, and were determined to be "negative" for cancer cells; her surgeon reported that the boundaries of the tumor were free of extensions. This information suggests that her body is now completely free of cancer. This is an excellent prognosis for her future! 

[So, she can safely withhold her secret Lemon Meringue Pie recipe from Grumpy awhile longer without fear that it be lost to posterity.]

After the surgery, she had difficulty resuming breathing as she was coming out of the anesthesia, but the skilled surgeon and others in attendance, with same assistance from a positive breathing apparatus, were finally able to get her breathing on her own after about an hour of effort.

The Grand Mother in ICU [note tubes and monitor wires behind her neck]

Mother came home on Monday -- under normal circumstances, she would have been moved to a qualified nursing home until she was able to act completely independently. However, with two daughters (one a licensed Registered Nurse), her doctor deemed that she would be better off at home than any place else! [And, she told Grumpy that she was "thinking about" making Peanut Butter cookies for him, and that she "wanted to" bake him a Lemon Meringue Pie! Now, how great is that!!]

 

[I wonder if the removal of that cancer somehow deluded her mind? Could she have forgotten all the transgressions of which Grumpy is always so blatantly guilty?? Maybe that cancer was also a "memory chip" that, once removed, was no longer readable!!]

Finally, on the fifth day of being back at home, and eating liquefied and "mooshy" foods, the great day we were all awaiting arrived: Proof that "all systems are go!"

After

Before

These "before and after" pictures tell the story; a great celebration was held with dancing in the streets (surely somewhere), fireworks (aplenty), and of course hugs and kisses.

More stories may be told in the future days as the Grand Mother reaches her full capacity to monitor the Grumpy's activities and mischief; who knows what may transpire?! 

Stay tuned!!