My mom's mastectomy seemed to go smoothly for the most part. The surgeon completed it in a timely manner and removed all the tumor as well as the infected lymph nodes. They sent her home the same day which I don't understand after major surgery but whatever. She came home and was in a lot of pain which they said she wouldn't be. She was also very sick from the anesthesia which is common.
After a night in pain she decided her meds weren't working. The hospital called and said they found something on the radiology report and they wanted her to come back in. So she went to back to the hospital. By the time she got to the hospital she could barely breath. It turns out the surgeon nicked her lung and had an idea she might have and she still sent her home. I AM SO ANGRY!
So they put in a chest tube to help her breathing. Unfortunately because she is a smoker there is fluid in her lungs and a mucus plug was blocking the chest tube. So they took her back to surgery and put in a larger chest tube which seemed to improve her breathing. It did improve but as of this morning she is still on oxygen and not breathing well. The doctors have a pulmonary specialist doing breathing exercising with her and helping her learn to breath correctly. She will be in the hospital for today and I am not allowing them to release her until we are sure this problem is solved.
Complications from surgeons and smoking and now my mom's health is in even more danger and this is just the beginning. It is going to be a long road. Please pray for us and my mom.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Family Trials
This has been a tough week for our family. As many of you know we are visiting my mom in WA this week. I try to make a trip out at least once a year to catch up with my family and smell wonderful Seattle, the salt water the rain all that great stuff. We have been catching up on a few of the sites (to be posted later) but mainly hanging with Grandma and Grandpa.
Well we had quite a scare earlier this week. I was out on my uncle's deck with the kids, talking with my 2 uncles and my aunt when all of the sudden one of the beams on the deck that Elizabeth was holding broke loose and she fell 12 ft onto the cement. I think she actually spun around because she scraped her side on the remaining rail and then landed on her bum. Talk about a mom's worst nightmare. I ran down and found her trying to stand up so I picked her up and brought her in the house where I laid her down on the floor and tried not to move her. The ambulance came and took her to Mary Bridge children's hospital. They x-rayed her, gave her a CT of her belly, and checked her over from head to toe. The only problem they could find were a few minor abrasions on her side and her arm. Other than that completely healthy. They did keep her in the hospital over night for observation (which I was so happy about for safety) and made her wear a c collar until they had a pediatric radiologist check out the x-ray.
She was so brave. Talking the whole time, crying a little, but mainly just listening to the doctors and following their instructions. She was the best patient. Everyone that saw her fell in love with her in the hospital. By the next day she was walking around the hospital wing back to her old self and riding on a toy car they gave her to play with. It is a miracle.
The other issue that we are facing this week is my mom undergoing her first stage of treatment for breast cancer. She found out about it about a month ago and had a mastectomy today to remove her right breast and some of her lymph nodes on her right side. The cancer seems to be localized to those areas so hopefully they cleaned out all of the cancer cells today. Next she will undergo chemo in a few weeks and eventually she will receive an implant to replace her missing breast. It is going to be a tough year but I know she will get through it. Honestly the hardest part will be quitting smoking. What a relief to me, finally she will have to quit smoking. Probably the only good thing about this whole ordeal. I plan on blogging about her struggles and triumphs over the next year to tell you the story of a real breast cancer survivor.
If you are reading this I just ask that you please pray for our family and keep us in your thoughts. Another trial for the Miller family.
Every time we face a trial in our lives I am reminded of my favorite scripture:
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith 2 Timothy 4:7
Well we had quite a scare earlier this week. I was out on my uncle's deck with the kids, talking with my 2 uncles and my aunt when all of the sudden one of the beams on the deck that Elizabeth was holding broke loose and she fell 12 ft onto the cement. I think she actually spun around because she scraped her side on the remaining rail and then landed on her bum. Talk about a mom's worst nightmare. I ran down and found her trying to stand up so I picked her up and brought her in the house where I laid her down on the floor and tried not to move her. The ambulance came and took her to Mary Bridge children's hospital. They x-rayed her, gave her a CT of her belly, and checked her over from head to toe. The only problem they could find were a few minor abrasions on her side and her arm. Other than that completely healthy. They did keep her in the hospital over night for observation (which I was so happy about for safety) and made her wear a c collar until they had a pediatric radiologist check out the x-ray.
She was so brave. Talking the whole time, crying a little, but mainly just listening to the doctors and following their instructions. She was the best patient. Everyone that saw her fell in love with her in the hospital. By the next day she was walking around the hospital wing back to her old self and riding on a toy car they gave her to play with. It is a miracle.
The other issue that we are facing this week is my mom undergoing her first stage of treatment for breast cancer. She found out about it about a month ago and had a mastectomy today to remove her right breast and some of her lymph nodes on her right side. The cancer seems to be localized to those areas so hopefully they cleaned out all of the cancer cells today. Next she will undergo chemo in a few weeks and eventually she will receive an implant to replace her missing breast. It is going to be a tough year but I know she will get through it. Honestly the hardest part will be quitting smoking. What a relief to me, finally she will have to quit smoking. Probably the only good thing about this whole ordeal. I plan on blogging about her struggles and triumphs over the next year to tell you the story of a real breast cancer survivor.
If you are reading this I just ask that you please pray for our family and keep us in your thoughts. Another trial for the Miller family.
Every time we face a trial in our lives I am reminded of my favorite scripture:
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith 2 Timothy 4:7
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Show me your Muscles
I love these kids! We have been packing ready to move again on Friday and they have been so helpful putting all their things into boxes. For those of you keeping count this will be our 8th move in 5 years. Can't I just stay in one place for awhile?
Anyways, as we are packing the kids keep trying to help lift things and they say SHOW ME YOUR MUSCLES! Let me just tell you where they learned this phrase. Previously I haven't been able to get the kids to drink regular milk. They refused. However I recently learned a new trick.
One day we were eating dinner and Jackson had this feet at the edge of the table. He was trying to move the table but couldn't because it was stuck on something. Instead of telling him to put his feet down I decided to take this opportunity to encourage some milk drinking. I told him if he wanted to move the table he would need muscles. And the only way to get muscles is to drink milk. So he took a drink and then he tried to move the table again and magically he did. He thought this was AMAZING! So then he drank some more and the table moved again. Now he loves drinking "muscle milk"so he can improve those big muscles.
Score 1 for mom!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Dancing in the Rain
I has been the hottest and driest summer here in New Mexico in a long time. Not that we would know being it is our first summer here but apparently this weather is not normal. I feel like it is much cooler here coming from Phoenix, lol. Anyways, there have been several wildfires here and so the skies are very smokey and congested. And because of this there was a no firework warning for the 4th. Sad, as you may know I have inherited a little bit of a pyro love from my father. We did buy a few small things, small fountains, sparklers, and a pagoda (my all time favorite). The kids thought it was really exciting, especially Jackson. Elizabeth was not too sure. (I didn't take any pictures because I was busy enjoying the moment but we got some video for our family home video collection.
The day before the 4th it rained, AMAZING! I think my kids have only seen rain a handful of times. It is funny because whenever it rains they want to go out and play in it. As a Seattle native I am so accustomed to rain I forget how fun it can be. I actually love the rain. I bought Jackson a rain slicker the other day and Elizabeth has this beautiful rain jacket I got from my friends Jill and Adrianna at my baby shower.
The kids had so much fun running through the puddles and dancing in the rain. They rode their bikes, stomped in the puddles, and stood under the drips coming off the side of the roof laughing hysterically. I love how the simple things can bring so much joy.
Jackson did remind me that he could be wearing his Thomas rain boots that he wanted me to buy him but I told him it was a waste because he will never wear them (this was like 2 months ago). That kid has a memory like an elephant.
The day before the 4th it rained, AMAZING! I think my kids have only seen rain a handful of times. It is funny because whenever it rains they want to go out and play in it. As a Seattle native I am so accustomed to rain I forget how fun it can be. I actually love the rain. I bought Jackson a rain slicker the other day and Elizabeth has this beautiful rain jacket I got from my friends Jill and Adrianna at my baby shower.
The kids had so much fun running through the puddles and dancing in the rain. They rode their bikes, stomped in the puddles, and stood under the drips coming off the side of the roof laughing hysterically. I love how the simple things can bring so much joy.
Jackson did remind me that he could be wearing his Thomas rain boots that he wanted me to buy him but I told him it was a waste because he will never wear them (this was like 2 months ago). That kid has a memory like an elephant.
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