In Hospice

Mom went to the cancer center for another pericentisis this morning. She was experiencing a lot of pain, and by the afternoon she was nauseous and vomiting. Her oncologist decided to send her to hospice, so she'll be there for the next day or so until they get the pain under control.

~Chelsea

Mom had both chemo and a pericentesis done today. Talk about multi-tasking. The chemo went off without a hitch, but the numbnuts who stuck the hook in for the pericentesis got the wrong spot, so only 200 ccs of tumour juice was drained. It should have been AT LEAST three litres. Now she has to go back on Thursday and have the procedure done again.

Mom is bald. She got to sort through some of the free hats at the cancer center today. Most of them were silly. There were quite a few of those turbanish ones that eccentric old ladies like to wear when they smoke cigarettes with long holders. There were a couple of newsboy-style ones that were okay. I think she should stick with the scarves, personally.

We had a family meeting last Friday. We talked with mom about what sort of celebratory arrangements she might like to see happen were she to pass away. She said that she had always had something in mind for the celebration of her life, so we all decided that we'll definitely respect her wishes and do just what she wants: when she dies, we'll round up all the people she didn't like and beat them up. Or torture them mercilessly for a few days. Whatever's cheaper.

~Chelsea

Okay, now she's really home!

Laurel was all set to return home from the hospital yesterday morning when, in the midst of being discharged, she began vomiting and feeling nauseous. She spent another night under observation and was given the green-light to leave this morning... HOORAY! Chemo is still scheduled for next Tuesday. Laurel will spend her time between now and then resting, drinking fresh blackberry juice from the berries in her yard, and enjoying some quiet time reading and visiting with her family.

Going Home

Laurel will be returning home from the hospital today! She has an appoinment with her oncologist on Friday and will likely continue with chemotherapy next week. She still needs lots of uninterrupted rest at home. Please email her your kind wishes rather than calling~ the phone gets exhausting at the best of times! We're sure that this chemo will work wonders and that Laurel will be back to her rambunctious self in no time at all!

Laurel's Health Update

We have decided as a family (Laurel, Rick, Chelsea, Jessica, Brett and Breanna) that the best way to keep everyone updated on Laurel's health situation is via internet (hence this blog), because we all feeling overwhelmed at the moment and frankly none of us relish the idea of spending hours on the phone or writing the same email over and over again.

Laurel has been in the hospital since Sunday, August 6th with a very serious infection: acute peritonitis, caused by internal perforation of the gastrointestinal tract. The ascites (fluid accumulation) that had been leaking from the tumours in her abdomen was contaminated with gastric contents and gut flora, the bacteria that live in the digestive tract. Her ca-125 went up to 600, but has now settled back down to around 300. She was on a few bouts of antibiotics, and they seemed to have cleared up the infection. Her blood pressure was very low, and her fever was very high, but these have both returned to normal, safe levels as of late. She is currently waiting for her oncologist to order another paracentesis (to drain the fluid), and hopefully she will be well enough to continue her chemo regimen this week.

Laurel appreciates your prayers and positive vibes to the universe, but does not wish to have any visitors other than immediate family at this time. She is feeling very weak and needs to spend her time in hospital resting as much as possible! We know that Laurel has many, many wonderful friends and associates, but we must ask you all to respect her and our need for privacy at this very difficult time in our lives.

We'll try to keep this blog updated as often as possible.