Mom was moved out of ICU around 3:30pm into a lovely room with a view of St. Dominics!! She should even be able to see fireworks on the 4th of July.
She had a good workout with the physical therapist earlier, even took a walk around ICU!!
Though Mom has moved out of ICU, she is still in an ACUTE CARE ward. We ask that you continue to send your love, blog comments, emails, cards, and prayers - but please withhold visiting.
Love,
Pattie
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Day Three
We have almost reached the 48 hour mark following surgery. Mom is doing FANTASTIC. The doctors feel she is progressing right on schedule. Pretty amazing for an 84 year old, no?
She had a restful nights sleep and woke about 6:30am. Respiratory therapists have been giving her breathing treatments every few hours to keep her lungs clear and comfortable. About 9:00am she was moved out of bed into a chair.
Dr. Ryan stopped by to check on her and he removed the tracheastomy tube. Now her neck is clear and she just has an HME (Heat/Moisture Exchange) laying next to her stoma. This HME is like an oxygen mask, but it's purpose is to provide humidification and moisture to her lungs.
This is such a life altering experience and yet her spirits are high. She is showing determination in her desire to learn about the care and use of her stoma. She has been writing all day on her Boogie Board with questions and comments.
At the present moment, she is working with a physical therapist - getting her upper body muscles moving. A part of the surgical procedure was to take some of the pectoral muscle from her left breast to reconstruct the upper portion of her esophagus and neck. This incision has been painful for her when moving her left arm and shoulder. Physical therapy will help this.
I will post again later after she has been moved out of ICU and into a regular room.
She had a restful nights sleep and woke about 6:30am. Respiratory therapists have been giving her breathing treatments every few hours to keep her lungs clear and comfortable. About 9:00am she was moved out of bed into a chair.
Dr. Ryan stopped by to check on her and he removed the tracheastomy tube. Now her neck is clear and she just has an HME (Heat/Moisture Exchange) laying next to her stoma. This HME is like an oxygen mask, but it's purpose is to provide humidification and moisture to her lungs.
This is such a life altering experience and yet her spirits are high. She is showing determination in her desire to learn about the care and use of her stoma. She has been writing all day on her Boogie Board with questions and comments.
At the present moment, she is working with a physical therapist - getting her upper body muscles moving. A part of the surgical procedure was to take some of the pectoral muscle from her left breast to reconstruct the upper portion of her esophagus and neck. This incision has been painful for her when moving her left arm and shoulder. Physical therapy will help this.
I will post again later after she has been moved out of ICU and into a regular room.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Day Two
It is now about 7:30 p.m. on the day following surgery and I am very pleased to report that she has had a restful day. The incisions are quite uncomfortable for her but the nurses are keeping her as sedated and pain-free as possible, though she is alert and responding.
She dozes on and off continuously, but when she awakens her eyes are bright! She is able to communicate by writing. She smiles, winks and gives us the "thumbs up"!
We hope she will be moved out of ICU sometime tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed - we have requested a private room for her, which will be dependant on availability at the time she is moved.
I feel like I am repeating myself when I say once again how extremely impressed and grateful we are to the entire staff at UCSF. Dr. Ryan and his team, as well as the nursing staff have given Mom outstanding care. They have accommodated our entire family, allowing us to spend as much time with Mom as we like.
We are so blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful family, friends and medical professionals.
Love,
Pattie
She dozes on and off continuously, but when she awakens her eyes are bright! She is able to communicate by writing. She smiles, winks and gives us the "thumbs up"!
This woman is amazing!
We hope she will be moved out of ICU sometime tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed - we have requested a private room for her, which will be dependant on availability at the time she is moved.
I feel like I am repeating myself when I say once again how extremely impressed and grateful we are to the entire staff at UCSF. Dr. Ryan and his team, as well as the nursing staff have given Mom outstanding care. They have accommodated our entire family, allowing us to spend as much time with Mom as we like.
We are so blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful family, friends and medical professionals.
Love,
Pattie
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Surgery Completed
Mom came out of surgery about 5 pm. The doctor was very pleased with the outcome. She endured the nine hours of anesthesia very well.
Right now, she is getting settled in ICU. They will be monitoring her closely and expect to have her up sometime within the next 12 hours. The doctor was optimistic her time in ICU would be short.
One of us will be with her 24/7 for the next few days. The staff here has been absolutely wonderful to all of us. They kept us updated frequently throughout the day.
Will post more later .....
Thank you for your prayers!!!
And again:
If you would like to send your best wishes to Mom while she is here, please follow these instructions:
Right now, she is getting settled in ICU. They will be monitoring her closely and expect to have her up sometime within the next 12 hours. The doctor was optimistic her time in ICU would be short.
One of us will be with her 24/7 for the next few days. The staff here has been absolutely wonderful to all of us. They kept us updated frequently throughout the day.
Will post more later .....
Thank you for your prayers!!!
And again:
If you would like to send your best wishes to Mom while she is here, please follow these instructions:
Physical Mail Delivery
For prompt delivery, please ask your family and friends to address letters and cards with your room number and the words "Patient Mail" on the lower left corner of the envelope. Mail will be forwarded to home address after discharge.
UCSF Medical Center at Mount Zion
1600 Divisadero St., Box 1797
San Francisco, CA 94115-1714
1600 Divisadero St., Box 1797
San Francisco, CA 94115-1714
The hospital also offers the ability to email messages to patients. These will be printed and delivered to the patient each day.
Surgery Day
Mom went into the operating room about 8:00 am this morning. Dr. Ryan saw her beforehand and reviewed with her everything he would be doing, giving her and us words of encouragement. We feel so fortunate to have found such an outstanding physician.
Mom is an amazingly courageous woman!! Her spirits were strong and positive.
Last night, John came over to St. Rose Convent, where we were staying, for a nice long visit with Mom. He was flying back to North Carolina on an early morning flight today.
Mom was surrounded by family today. Mary Ellen, Cathy and Tom came to the city very early this morning and Sr. Anne was also here at the hospital prior to surgery.
The surgery will be all day. We do not expect the procedure to be finished until this evening, at which time she will be moved directly to ICU.
I will post later with more info!
Love,
Pattie
Mom is an amazingly courageous woman!! Her spirits were strong and positive.
Last night, John came over to St. Rose Convent, where we were staying, for a nice long visit with Mom. He was flying back to North Carolina on an early morning flight today.
Mom was surrounded by family today. Mary Ellen, Cathy and Tom came to the city very early this morning and Sr. Anne was also here at the hospital prior to surgery.
The surgery will be all day. We do not expect the procedure to be finished until this evening, at which time she will be moved directly to ICU.
I will post later with more info!
Love,
Pattie
Monday, June 27, 2011
Mt. Zion Hospital - UCSF
We will be headed down to San Francisco later today to stay the night with Sr. Anne. Mom is to check-in for surgery at 6:00 am tomorrow, 6/28 - for the 7:30 am procedure.
Dr. Ryan has indicated he expects Mom to have about a two week stay in the hospital. The first few days will be spent in the Intensive Care Unit and then she will be moved to a Step Down Unit. Due to the magnitude of this surgery, visiting will be kept to a minimum until she returns home to Napa.
If anyone would like to send their best wishes to Mom while she is there, please follow these instructions:
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Dr. Ryan has indicated he expects Mom to have about a two week stay in the hospital. The first few days will be spent in the Intensive Care Unit and then she will be moved to a Step Down Unit. Due to the magnitude of this surgery, visiting will be kept to a minimum until she returns home to Napa.
If anyone would like to send their best wishes to Mom while she is there, please follow these instructions:
Physical Mail Delivery
For prompt delivery, please ask your family and friends to address letters and cards with your room number and the words "Patient Mail" on the lower left corner of the envelope. Mail will be forwarded to home address after discharge.
UCSF Medical Center at Mount Zion
1600 Divisadero St., Box 1797
San Francisco, CA 94115-1714
1600 Divisadero St., Box 1797
San Francisco, CA 94115-1714
The hospital also offers the ability to email messages to patients. These will be printed and delivered to the patient each day.
We will do our very best to keep everyone updated as quickly as we can.
On behalf of Mom and my brothers and sisters - I thank all of you for your many, many loving prayers.
Love,
Pattie
Friday, June 24, 2011
Surgery Date is Set
We have received confirmation from UCSF that Mom's surgery will be at 7:30am on Tuesday, June 28th, at Mt. Zion Hospital in San Francisco. To make it easier for Mom, we plan to go to the city on Monday and stay the night with Sr. Anne at Rose Court. Check in time is 6am Tuesday.
Naturally, in preparation, Mom's week has been full of appointments, visits with family and friends and other procedure preparations:
DOCTORS:
Though it might be hard to get a hold of her with all this family around (she's loving it) - please feel free to call or stop by and say hello. Also, check back for information on the upcoming surgery and how to stay in contact with Mom during her recovery.
Naturally, in preparation, Mom's week has been full of appointments, visits with family and friends and other procedure preparations:
DOCTORS:
- On Tuesday, we met with the speech pathologist, Joey McGovern, at the Helen Diller Center. She reviewed the procedure and post-op voice recovery. Joey has ordered Mom's electro-larynx, to be used for the first two months after surgery.
- After that, we headed over to meet with her medical oncologist, Dr. Mirda, for his final thoughts on the surgery. Thumbs up.
- Wednesday, Mom had a sonogram of her carotid artery. This was a routine post-radiation followup for arthosclerosis.
- Our final appointment was with Dr. Dittman for a routine dental checkup
- My daughters, Katie and Sara, arrived Monday
- John and Carol arrived in town on Wednesday for the Nascar race at Sears Point
- That night Cathy arrived after a long drive from Washington
Yesterday, we had a fun bbq with family and friends at my house:
 |
| Cathy, Margaret, John, Pattie and Mom |
- Today Mary Ellen flys in from Nashville
- And tomorrow, Mom will head out to Meadowood Resort in St. Helena to celebrate great-granddaughter - Ella's, 4th birthday
Though it might be hard to get a hold of her with all this family around (she's loving it) - please feel free to call or stop by and say hello. Also, check back for information on the upcoming surgery and how to stay in contact with Mom during her recovery.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Tentative Schedule
We received word yesterday from Dr. Ryan that Mom's surgery is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, June 29th at Mt. Zion Hospital in San Francisco.
This actually works well for Mom in many aspects. Dr. Ryan will still be able to do the surgery, as he is leaving on the 30th for a two month vacation - and it will be at the preferred site of Mt. Zion. She will also be able to attend Ella's (great-grandchild/Jeff & Ingrid's daughter) birthday party on the 25th. Things have a way of falling into place ........
The biopsy results came in as expected - there is still a remaining area of cancer in her piriform sinus area near her left vocal cord. The PET scan and MRI are clear which is good news, meaning there is no cancer showing anywhere else in her body.
We expect to have one final appointment prior to surgery - with the UCSF speech pathologist to review her post-operative recovery.
Thank you for all your prayers & support!!! Keep them coming.
Love,
Pattie
This actually works well for Mom in many aspects. Dr. Ryan will still be able to do the surgery, as he is leaving on the 30th for a two month vacation - and it will be at the preferred site of Mt. Zion. She will also be able to attend Ella's (great-grandchild/Jeff & Ingrid's daughter) birthday party on the 25th. Things have a way of falling into place ........
The biopsy results came in as expected - there is still a remaining area of cancer in her piriform sinus area near her left vocal cord. The PET scan and MRI are clear which is good news, meaning there is no cancer showing anywhere else in her body.
We expect to have one final appointment prior to surgery - with the UCSF speech pathologist to review her post-operative recovery.
Thank you for all your prayers & support!!! Keep them coming.
Love,
Pattie
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Dear Family and Friends,
It is with a sad heart that we have to "restart" this blog for Mom. By now, most of you know that she saw Dr. Ryan at UCSF on May 26th. This was a scheduled follow up visit after her first CT scan. The scan was clear, however, he found a suspicious spot while checking her throat with an endoscope camera.
Because of what he saw, he felt it would be prudent surveillance to do a biopsy to verify if this was scar tissue or cancer. The biopsy was performed early this morning at Mt. Zion. Examination of the cells under a microscope at the time of the procedure indicate cancer. Positive confirmation will take about a week, but Dr. Ryan and the pathologist felt very sure it was indeed cancer.
Physically Mom handled the hour long procedure wonderfully. After her discharge from Mt. Zion, we went across the street to Dr. Ryan's clinic to discuss her case further. His initial opinion today is that this cancer is still "beatable", but with surgery. He will be taking her case before the cancer board within the week for further review.
As of this posting, we do not have a clear course of action to report to all of you. For now - we ask for your prayers and support. I will resume updating this blog as new information developes.
Love,
Pattie
It is with a sad heart that we have to "restart" this blog for Mom. By now, most of you know that she saw Dr. Ryan at UCSF on May 26th. This was a scheduled follow up visit after her first CT scan. The scan was clear, however, he found a suspicious spot while checking her throat with an endoscope camera.
Because of what he saw, he felt it would be prudent surveillance to do a biopsy to verify if this was scar tissue or cancer. The biopsy was performed early this morning at Mt. Zion. Examination of the cells under a microscope at the time of the procedure indicate cancer. Positive confirmation will take about a week, but Dr. Ryan and the pathologist felt very sure it was indeed cancer.
Physically Mom handled the hour long procedure wonderfully. After her discharge from Mt. Zion, we went across the street to Dr. Ryan's clinic to discuss her case further. His initial opinion today is that this cancer is still "beatable", but with surgery. He will be taking her case before the cancer board within the week for further review.
As of this posting, we do not have a clear course of action to report to all of you. For now - we ask for your prayers and support. I will resume updating this blog as new information developes.
Love,
Pattie
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