My mother is in the hospital (a little long)

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Thursday evening, I tried to reach my mother on the phone, but didn’t get any answer. Finally, I left a voice mail which my Mom would normally return, but she didn’t. Friday morning, I had my daughter try to reach her and we still weren’t getting any answer.

That made me very concerned, so I started calling around–my daughter called my mother’s best friend, while I called her brother and sister-in-law (my uncle & aunt). My Mom’s friend had taken her to an after-hours care center on Thursday evening, and they sent her to the emergency room in an ambulance.

My mother has been having stomach pains since last spring; this past summer, it got so bad that she couldn’t eat much (nor keep much down); she went in for a battery of tests, but nothing showed up–x-ray and CAT scans. So they didn’t know what was wrong, but finally decided that it was acid reflux, and were treating her (with meds) for that.

She’s had a few more stomach pains attacks, though, and had a really bad one Thursday evening. They thought that it was an intestinal obstruction and gave her an enema. Friday morning, I was able to talk to both the floor nurse and my mother; she was feeling better, had been to x-ray, and was having liquids.

That changed, though, when they got the results of the x-ray. The x-ray showed a tumor under her navel (that’s all I know right now; I’ll probably find out more when I talk to my brother, who was able to go to see her today and talk with her doctor). She also has fluid in her lungs and lymph nodes, and they’re going to take a sample of them. They do not want to operate right now. Before they can take samples, though, they have to give her shots to counteract the coumadin (blood thinner) that she normally takes, and her blood has been too thin so far.

When I called this am, she’d had a very bad night, and now isn’t able to keep anything down; the doctor came in and put a tube down her throat to her stomach so that she won’t vomit. Things do not sound very good, at least to me, nor to my brothers. I’m about a 2 hour drive from where my mother lives, but I do not drive, unfortunately. Right now, I’m waiting for my brother to call to tell me what the doctors told him this afternoon.

Please keep my mother in your prayers.

2

You go it, tarragon918 - my Positive Thoughts/Good Vibes/Prayers are all headed up North, to your Mom.

Best Wishes

3

Best wishes, tarragon918

4

positive thoughts are being sent in your direction, tarragon918

5

All kinds of good wishes coming your way. Be strong!

6

I’m praying for your mom, and for you.

My Love,

Cheri

7

Sorry to hear about your mom, tarragon918. I will say a prayer for her. I know how precious my mother is to me. God bless.

8

goodness, i will keep you and your mom in my thoughts and prayers.

9

All the good vibes and prayers I can muster are coming her – and your – way.

10

I’ll keep you and your mom in my thoughts, t.

11

Thanks so much for the prayers and good thoughts folks. A little update, as I heard from my brother earlier this evening. The doctors do think that it’s cancer; instead of trying to draw a sample of the fluid, they’re going to do a needle biopsy directly from the tumor (which has spread, unfortunately, within her abdominal area) on Monday. From that, they will be able to determine if it is cancerous, and if so, what type/sort of cancer it is, and therefore how to treat it. We’ll know more Monday evening. So keep you prayers with my Mom.

thanks again my friends of the SDMB.

12

My prayers are with you and your mama, tarragon.

13

She was feeling better last week; had her first chemo on Thursday; the doctors took out the tube to her stomach (that was helping with spitting up), and had started back to solid foods. But after progressing through clear liquid to semi solid and finally some solid for lunch and dinner on Saturday, she got sick again Saturday night. Now she’s right back where she started when she was admitted to the hospital. An x-ray taken today showed that the tumor was still blocking her intestines.

I don’t know what to do; I haven’t yet talked to her doctor (the cancer specialist), so am thinking of trying to reach him by phone tomorrow. Not that there actually -is- anything that I can do, though. I’m just very scared that the reason they do not want to operate is that the cancer has spread too far; in fact, my brother who has spoken with the doctor face to face says that the doctor told him that they wouldn’t be able to get it all. Will the chemo be able to do any good? If she cannot eat solid food, and be able to pass it through her system, will they ever be able to let her out of the hospital? I’m just very afraid that the end is closer than anyone of us wants to admit. I want too, to be able to see her and visit with her, but have no way other than bus or train (I don’t drive, much less have a car), plus I’d have to be able to afford to stay in a motel while there. A brother who lives in California is coming for a week; he arrives on Friday night. I’ve already decided that I’m going to get up there next weekend, no matter how I have to go–I’d be able to stay with my brother, I think, so wouldn’t have to worry about that. I was going to try to get up there this weekend, but my mother made me promise her that I wouldn’t come up–she said that she would worry too much about me! So I promised that I wouldn’t come up. Help me out here, folks–it feels like everything is upside down, and I do not know what to do. :frowning:

14

My thoughts and prayers for strength and health are with you and your mother, terragon. Whether or not you can be with her physically, it sounds as though you are staying close to your mother, and your love and concern must be a great comfort to her.

15

It sounds like you have MY mother. That’s how she would be, she worries about everyone else but never wants to worry others. I’ll put your mom and your family too in my prayers. For practical advice, ask the doctor to recommend a book or a website on cancer, and do your own research. And eat well and sleep, you might have to make a trip on short notice. Keep a travel bag handy.