I wrote this to a friend "So I applied for some insurance the hospital told me about. It is called the Federal Medical Insurance Pool. FMIP. They should accept me. My Dr. sent a letter to them with my application with my diagnosis, and according to the handbook they should have to accept me. It's pretty expensive ($450.00 a month, which is cheaper than the 750 that we thought the premiums would be) but it is actually pretty good insurance which hopefully will keep us from going bankrupt. With what I have had done so far, my bills are already over $10,000. And it's only been 8 days. HOLY COW! The insurance would sure help with my stress."
Jared worked Saturday and Monday.
Tuesday came. We went into see the Dr. I had googled stuff about my CAT scan earlier, so when he told me stage 4 colon cancer I wasn't surprised. I also knew what stage 4 meant. Incurable. Death went through my mind. Jared raising the kids by himself. Pain. Sickness. Chemo. He showed us the CAT scan. My liver was just full of cancer. Not what I had hoped for. I hate what is written on my diagnosis sheet.
"Stage 4 Colon Cancer. Technically incurable, but we will treat you to help you live as long as possible.
Treatment: Surgery First
Chemotherapy: 5-FU
Oxaloplatin
Avastin
Given every 2 weeks. Combination of IV's
Port placed at time of Colon Surgery."
The next day they called me to schedule my surgery. It was the day after Easter. I would have to do another clean out, so we had our Easter celebration and dinner on Saturday.
My friend Shelby came up on Sunday evening, and stayed until Thursday to take care of the kids. It was such a relief to me to know she was there and that I didn't have to worry about my kids at all. I could just focus on me.
The surgery went well. They took out the bad part of my large intestines, and put it back together. Removed all the surrounding lymph nodes.
When I woke up I was in no pain at all. A little bit of a sore throat from the tube they had running through my nose, down my throat and into my stomach. I had a pain ball, which was in a purse thingy, and it had two tubes coming out of it, putting pain medicine directly into the incision.
I'm having trouble remembering too much from the day of surgery, so I am posting an update that my friend Shelby gave to a bunch of wonderful friends I call my "Sista's"
"hi! So far, so good. I talked to Jared a few minutes ago. He said Lisa is doing well and is resting.
I'm amazed at the amount of love and support. She has gotten flowers and cards. The bishop's wife has called me a couple of times a day to make sure everything is ok here. The kids are doing well, considering all things and have been really really great.
They stayed home from school today and we went to the creek and skipped rocks, and then I came back home and made scones for lunch. I just painted cute Baylee's nails. They are really really great kids. Lisa has done an amazing job with them. I'm grateful to have been able to spend some time with them. I love them!
We are going to be heading in to the hospital to see her in about an hour. The kids are missing their mom, but have really just been so good. When we saw her yesterday, she was pretty wiped out (understandably so.) She was so good with the kids, though. It's no question that she is a GREAT mom all the way around. I'm grateful to be her friend.
Jared said that she was able to walk a little bit today, so this is good. And she is very hopeful to be out of the hospital in the next day or two. I don't know what the likelihood is of that. I haven't asked any questions.
Keep the prayers coming! I know I can feel them, I'm SURE that Lisa can."
The amount of support I got while I was in the hospital was overwhelming. Like they say, you find out who your friends are.
I got to go home from the hospital Thurday around lunch time. It felt so good to go home.
Sunday the 15th I pulled out the weird tubes out of my belly that were hooked to the pain ball. It was pretty nasty but cool at the same time. It's amazing how far those tubes went inside my body. And it didn't hurt to take them out.
Moday I took out 3 of my staples. I procrastinated and took the rest out Tuesday.
April 16th I wrote to a friend " I went to a genetic counseling appointment. They think I may have Lynch Syndrome. People that do have a 70% chance of getting colon cancer and /or uterine cancer. So if I have it, each of my kids have a 50/50 chance of having it also. Which means yearly colonoscopies starting at age 20. And also the girls need to have total hysterectomies as soon as they are done having children. Scary, but she thinks my chances of having it are only 20% or so. I will know more in about 3 weeks. They are testing the tumor first, then we will go to blood if needed. The appointment exhausted me, but it felt good to be out of the house for a little while.
Everyone who sees me says how good I look for what I have been through. That makes me feel good.
I'm still set to start Chemo on the 1st of May. I have all the information about the 3 types of medication I will be getting, but I haven't looked at them yet. I just want to give myself a few days of as little stress as possible before I start reading all the lovely side effects of the medicine.
Baylee's birthday was the 16th too, and all she wanted was for her and I to go shopping and go to lunch at Olive Garden. She is being a trooper, knowing that I can't do that right now. Hopefully next week. But I still feel guilty, like I ruined her birthday.
I love every little bit of help that has been sent my way. It helps more than any of you will ever know.
I haven't had one bit of blood in my stool since the surgery. Even thought the Dr. said I should expect it the first few times I went. I feel a bit stronger every day.
I love my kids and Jared so much. I am hoping that there is a miracle in my future. I just want to be here for my kids. My life is very scary right now."
The testing they did on the tumor turned out to be normal, so the likelyhood that I do have Lynch syndrome is very small. No more testing for now. What a relief. I was really scared for my kids.
I posted this to friends on April 24th:
"So for about a week now I have felt really good. Better than I have in months. I am trying not to overdue it, but it just feels so good to feel good. I am going to try and en joy this week as much as possible. Chemo starts next Tuesday and who knows how that will effect me. I sure could use prayers that I may be one of the lucky people that Chemo is nice to. That would be a huge blessing. My kids do not need to see me sick anymore.
Yesterday in the mail, I recieved a letter from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oregon. I have to sign something and send them something, but the line in the letter that has me so happy is this " You are eligible for an APRIL 1, 2012 effective date"! That means I will be insured. And that it will cover my surgery! I know that the hospital portion of the surgery all by itself is $30,000.00. What a huge burden lifted off our shoulders. Now I will only have to worry about things that happened before April 1st. The monthly premium, gas to go back and forth to treatments and appointments, and prescriptions....which with this insurance can be no more than $70.00 and as cheap as $5 or $10.
A great friend of mine is heading up a fundraiser for me, along with a bunch of other wonderful friends. They are doing a dinner/auction for me at the high school on May 11th.
Cancer sucks. Death hanging over my head by a thread sucks. But the blessings, the love, the help. Amazing."
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