Friday in the ICU, part 2

The human spirit is stronger than anything that can happen to it. -- C.C. Scott

Mom had a long but good first day in the ICU. She ate a little more at every meal, drank a good amount of water and tea (no coffee or wine yet -- poor Mom!), and gamely put up with all the tests and breathing treatments. She struggled with some tasks initially (like raising one finger at a time) and got better with practice, which is exactly what the doctor said would happen. She told the occupational therapist that she was a hard worker, and the OT agreed. She recognizes everyone and is heartened by pictures of her grandchildren as well as by all the notes she's received on Facebook and on her blog, and of course by all the wonderful cards she has received. It will just take some healing and therapy before all her words flow as easily and smoothly as they did before.

We are so proud of her for finding the strength to make it through the surgery and come out fighting on the other side. She has a strong spirit, and her sense of humor is still as sharp as ever.

Mom received a good report from her neurosurgeon, Dr. Singel, this afternoon, and he told her the tumor was a glioma, which is the most common form of primary brain tumor ("primary" meaning that it originated in the brain rather than from metastasized cells that came from elsewhere in the body). That's a broad category with a lot of different types, and we'll know in a few days what type we're dealing with specifically. He was pleased with the surgery results and said he took out as much of the tumor as he could without incurring too much risk. The tumor was about the size of a large plum.

He reminded her that they call her a patient because that's what she needs to be: patient. Her recovery of verbal and motor skills will take some time, and she'll need a few days in acute rehab before heading home.

She nodded, looked him in the eye, and said, "I'll do it. I'll be fine. I'll do it."

The love floods in

Mom's "other daughter" and fellow teacher Mary Thornton.

Daddy spent Sunday night with Mom in her hospital room, holding her hand and watching "Downton Abbey" on PBS. Being in a hospital gives us free rein to indulge in guilty pleasures, like soapy British television, endless cups of chai tea latte from Starbucks, and cherry limeades and tater tots from Sonic. Best-case scenario at the end of this adventure, we'll be minus one brain tumor and plus ten pounds (each).

We're amazed and grateful for all the love flooding Mom's way, from family to friends and colleagues. We even have visitors to the blog from countries all over the world, including the U.S., Canada, Australia, Uruguay, Germany and Israel. Mom loves the comments and jokes. Keep them coming! They bring welcome smiles to all of us.

In person, Mom has seen several visitors over the weekend and today, and we started trying to take notes on who's visited and take a photo of each. Your prayers and kindness are much appreciated and lift her spirits up high.

What we know

The mass in Mom's brain is about an inch all the way around (1"x1"x1"). That's about the side of your pinky finger from the middle to top knuckle. It's on the left side and near the surface, which the doctor says is great news for the biopsy because it will be easier to reach.

The biopsy has yet to be scheduled because the OR is currently booked. (Someone needs to tell those other sick people to back off, so we can get this show on the road.)

In the meantime, the steroids are doing their job well, and Mom's motor abilities and language are much better than they were on Friday or Saturday. Today she had a little trouble verbalizing her SSN, but she could write it down clearly. She also signed her name, which she wasn't able to do on Friday. We cheer her on every time she shows improvement.

If there's no biopsy tomorrow, please feel free to stop by or call and visit. (Thanks for keeping visits fairly short so that she has some time to rest; it's remarkable how often nurses and doctors stop by for this test or that, and therefore Mom has had only short periods of sleep since Friday.) We'll let you know here and on Facebook once the biopsy is scheduled.

A thank-you to friends

We'll have a big job of writing thank-you notes after this adventure, because so many family and friends have sent their best wishes. Mom has a room full of beautiful flowers, bears and cards, and today she was entertained by a regular stream of visitors.

Anne Darr and Mom, wearing a prayer shawl handmade by Anne's mother-in-law.

There's a lot of paperwork in hospitals.

Cute little Eric visits his friend Judy.

Mom reads a letter from one of her students.

She was tickled by the card featuring a sketch of her brain.

Get-well cards from students in Mom's 8th-period class.

God sent us a beautiful Texas sunset.

The first days

MC and Grandma get some cuddle time.

What happened

On Wednesday and Thursday, February 8-9, Mom taught in her classes as usual and noticed she had a little trouble finding the right words. Her students noticed as well, and she laughed it off with them, calling it "just a brain fart." (Her usual 8th-grade-friendly term for forgetfulness.)

On Friday morning, Mom woke and got ready for school as usual, and she noticed on the drive in to work that she was confused about the route (a drive she's done daily for 23 years). Thankfully, she arrived safely, but when she met her friends Tonya, Brandi, and a student for the morning preparations, she had trouble drinking her customary morning Starbucks coffee and wasn't able to type in her computer passcode. (She remembered it, but she wasn't able to make her hands type it in.) Her friends realized right away that her motor skills and speech were not normal, so they notified Alicia. Tonya drove Mom straight to the ER.

At the hospital

Mom was admitted quickly and given a CAT scan within 30 minutes, which revealed swelling in the brain. Later an MRI showed a large mass on the left side of her brain, which is the side controlling speech, vision and motor abilities of the right side of her body. This explains the affected speech and hand movements. Her vision is unaffected, thankfully.

Later Mom met her neurosurgeon, Soren Singel. He described the plan for the days ahead: he will do a biopsy of the tumor once the swelling reduces, and he then will determine what the mass is and what steps would be appropriate to treat it.

Mom later described her neurosurgeon as a very handsome man with two young children. He gave her his cell number and said he would be there to answer any questions at any time of day, which makes him okay in our book.

What happened next

Daddy returned from a short business trip and went immediately to the hospital. Alicia alerted Sara and Jennifer in California around 8:15 am Pacific time on Friday, and they were on a flight by 1:30 pm and in Texas by 6:30 pm. Peter arrived on Saturday, with Zoe the cat in tow. Charles and Macklin are in California and keeping tabs on Grandma through video chats and phone calls.

The family is supporting Mom and entertaining her with books, cards, and Facebook (of course!) in her room at Harris Methodist HEB. She's surrounded by flowers, teddy bears, bottles of silky lavender-scented lotion and Starbucks cups. Each night one of us takes a turn sleeping on the surprisingly comfortable fold-out couch next to her.

Why "brain tuna?"

Mom's command of language is shaky, due to the pressure the tumor puts on the region of her brain controlling speech. She gets many words correct, though she occasionally stutters. Sometimes the words are not quite right, and she often finds a way to be understood anyway.

She still has a sense of humor, of course, and sometimes she makes a verbal faux pas that's downright funny. So instead of a brain tumor, she said she has a brain tuna.

And then there was the time her nurse (a large man) introduced himself with a few jokes, saying, "I'm funny!"

"Yes," Mom smiled. "You're fatty."

So we think if laughter is the best medicine, it's all right to laugh.

How you can help

Mom loves messages on her wall or private messages through Facebook, and she would love to read comments and best wishes here on the blog. We'll post messages here when we know more about her condition and the plan for the coming days ahead.