Saturday, July 29, 2006

The Waiting Game


Monday was the big day. Mom had her surgery. They removed a portion of the colon, including the tumor that coudn't be removed in the colonoscopy a month ago. The doctor also took a look around and saw that she had a tumor on her one remaining ovary left over from her hysterectomy in 1971. The surgeon says it was a fibroid tumor and was benign.

The doctor told #1 and me that from his exam, he was fairly certain that the cancer was confined to the colon. He took a biopsy from the surrounding lymph nodes, but we won't know for sure for 5 days.

So we wait.

Last night we got a phone call around midnight from mom's night nurse. She said that mom was acting disoriented and could we come over to the hospital.

So, we got into the car....and my mother was beside herself. She cursed both me and my dad out. She was very hateful to #1 and said a lot of hurtful things. #1's eyes were as big as saucer. THEN, Mom satarted seeing fog in her room.....fog coming from my leg....fog coming through the lights, everything.

The nurse and doctor said it was the morphine.

So, we finally got back to my dad's house around 6am....and we slept until almost 1pm.

At 6pm, I left WV to drive my son back to Northern Virginia in order to get back to his base....and also for #1 and I to attend a wedding tomorrow. Then, on Sunday, we return to WV...and I plan to stay until mom gets home.

It has been a very busy week.

I'm exhausted.

I'm frightened.

I feel very much alone.

The strange part is that I have been surrounded by my kids....but yet I've felt alone dealing with all this.

It also didn't help that I received a directive from Lovey.

That's for another post....another time.

2 comments:

Vic Mansfield said...

Dealing with the health (and facing the potential death) of our parents has a soberign effect on all of us. You know you are and adult. I've been caught in that sandwich between aging parent and raising up children. TOugh.

But you are doing it. Dealing with it. Present with it. And on your own. Maybe Lovey has stepped in with some directives, your are still the point man on this.

And you are doing this. And feeling alone is the way it feels.

Shalom, Joe.

Mark said...

Glad we finally heard from you. We are thinking of of you and your family. Hang in there, make sure your mother is taken care of before worrying about everyone else. And remember you are never really alone. Hang in there.