Well, the much anticipated week has come and gone. It has been seven days of intense, emotional highs and lows. The flight from Florida to Oregon wasn’t too bad if you don’t think about the fact that we had to be at the airport at 5 AM. Yuk!! I am not a morning person…. but I had a job to do. I had to be with my baby sister. My sister, Pam, and I slept on and off, but mostly wondered what to expect tomorrow morning when Teresa’s surgery was scheduled.
We arrived in Portland, met by My niece Kelli, and her boyfriend Tim, and Pam’s son Danny who flew in from Ohio. For all those that witnessed our reunion, we were there for a wonderful visit. No one could know how afraid we were. Afraid of just what they were going to do to Teresa’s body to remove the monster. We rented a car, and drove to the hospital parking lot to meet them. Our Mother had arrived the day before. Teresa ran out of her RV, still not believing that we loved her “this much”, to come to be with her. We were happy to be this close to each other, close enough to grab each other, squeeze tight, and never let go. Monday morning… surgery day…. and we are still afraid.
The waiting room was full, 3/4 full of Teresa’s family. It didn’t seem too long, like 3 hours, and out comes Dr H (we call House) followed by Dr Young Guy ( can’t pronounce the name on his lab coat. House looked elated (well as elated as an important surgeon can look) and he was smiling. “Everything went well” . He explained, as Teresa stated in her previous blog, that minimal destruction happened, and she will walk, and she will sit up, and she will be a normal “un-handicapped” woman. When Teresa was brought back to her room and lifted from the gurney to her bed, The first thing she did was feel for her leg. With a groggy grin, She glanced into my eyes and I loved her more right then than ever before. Although the “monster site” was a shocking huge crater like indentation on her backside, it could have been worse. You have read about her miracle walk the next day. Life is better, if not good. Hmmm.. That was a high.
Then we had a big low. The “flap” had to be done. On Friday. And it tumbled to “low” rapidly. Her surgery was really long, and when she came back to her room, she was crying. Other than the private phone conversations that we had once or twice, she has not cried, or given into self pity. She was in so much pain, and I have never seen so many drains come out of one human being in my life. The nurses failed to get her pain under control for almost 6 hours, and believe me… they cringed each time I sauntered down that corridor looking for them. I did it often. Me and my broom. Dan and I finally got her comfortable on the granite like mattress, one of her favorite nurses came on at 11:00p. She gave her the pain meds that she needed and deserved, and I felt comfortable leaving to go back to my room for the first time that day. And by the way, where she had that big gaping hole where her left butt cheek used to be, there is a brand new wonderful butt cheek replacement… thanks to her “brilliant” surgeons, with help from her side muscle.
Today, Saturday, she was out of bed walking. Not quite the fanfare of the first time, but walking. Her body has been through the ringer. Two major surgeries in 5 days, her drive to get better and her determination to beat this thing never waning. I am so, so proud of her.
To all those family members and friends who have called, and have prayed for her… thank you very much. But please, don’t stop praying. We still have a lot more to do. Pray for all of us. I will be heading back to Florida in 2 days, with an agenda. We have to get her financial help for her chemotherapy, as well as an Oncology group to accept her for treatment. We have to find them a place to live, get the children enrolled in school to maintain their sense of security and normalcy.
We have no time to waste, for fear of the cancer spreading. Dan has to close up shop here in Oregon, make the motorhome safe to travel, make sure Teresa is healthy enough to travel that far. My mother will stay another week to help. Please… please pray for all of us. From one of the members of the monster fighting team~ “we may have it- but it doesn’t have us”… Anita
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