Peggy's condition

First blog entry in a year. Lot of catching up to do with this blog. I had every intention of restarting it last year, but once again, a false start; my heart just wasn't in it.

A lot has happened just in the last week. Peg wasn't feeling well--constipated, no appetite for almost a week. Then she couldn't keep food down. We got in to see Dr. Bobolis Monday and she admitted Peg to Sutter Roseville right away. Peg had a CT scan at 12:30am, and Tuesday Dr. B. consulted with Dr. DeMar (surgeon). They determined Peg had a blockage in her small intestine.

Peg had an NG tube all day Tuesday (a tube into her stomach inserted nasally that gradually removes the contents of the stomach), which had no effect on the blockage. At 10pm that night, Dr. DeMar met with Peg, Zoë and I to recommend surgery.

At 7:30 yesterday morning, Peg underwent a colostomy, which went very well. The surgery took about 40 minutes. I spoke with DeMar just afterward and he said Peg had about half the girth from the night before, and that once the anesthesia was out of her system she'd see immediate relief.

She's resting comfortably now, sitting up some and taking brief walks. There's some discomfort from the surgery and getting her system moving again, but she has as much pain medication as she needs. Her room is right across from the nursing station and the staff here is wonderful. It's a single room with a convertible sofa; someone could spend the night with her but she feels well-cared for and okay by herself.

No visitors yet, and no phone calls. She just needs rest.

About two months ago, Peg's left kidney was showing signs of a tumor near the ureter that was preventing it from draining, so she had an outpatient procedure to put in a nephrostomy tube (a tube that enters the kidney from above and empties into a bag she wears on her waist). It was disappointing to learn she'd now have to have a colostomy bag as well. The upside is that she'll be able to enjoy eating again without discomfort and be able to put on the weight she's lost.

Of course, with our sick senses of humor, we had to name the bags. The urine collection bag is "Bilbo," after Bilbo Baggins from Lord of the Rings. And the feces collection bag was a no-brainer: "Newt" (Gingrich): annoying and frequently full of shit.

Peg also has a double hernia from the original surgery in 2009, which causes her a bit of discomfort, but she still walks about a half hour every day.

Her chemo regimen is working-- three weeks on, one week off. Her CA125 (cancer marker) numbers went from almost a thousand to 400 in just two months. She'll be off chemo for the next few weeks to allow her body to heal from the surgery.

I'm posting this from her room. When I get home and have access to photos, I'll start filling you in on what else is going on. Zoë drives my giant truck to school every day and loves it. She's taking all A.P. classes and aces them because she's got Peg's genes. Just started high school swim season, which will continue through the start of rec swim in May.

I'll sign off now. More to come.