More of the back story....

Sorry this is taking so long to get the "back story" done -- I have actually been doing a LOT during the times in between posts, but I need to let you know how and what things were discovered --- it may help someone else in a similar situation.  So -- please bear with me.

I had an appointment set with Dr Ayres at TRIOS Medical Center....he is a gall bladder surgeon.  He is a very compassionate doctor and made me feel very comfortable while answering all of our questions -- never once did I feel like we were being "talked down to" or he was being condescending.  Surprisingly, he said we were "way ahead of the game" in coming to see him.  Normally, when a person "presents" like I do, heart tests like the ones at Kadlec are performed at least 4 times before someone pops their forehead and says - hey -- lets check the gall bladder!  Can you imagine the insurance/deductibles that have to be paid -- 4 times $20K?!?  So -- my gall bladder needs to come out -- I can wait and do it when I'm having MORE issues - or I can do it now.  What did he recommend?  If it was him -- he'd do it now.  So we scheduled my surgery for August 26th. Everyone who knew anybody who had gall bladder surgery was telling me I am going to feel SO much better -- it's just an in and out procedure and 4 little slits and you're done.  My sister-in-law Nancy (married to Joe's brother Tom) had the most information for me, from both her own experience and her experience with her previous patients when she was a nurse.  My eating habits would change -- I may even turn into a vegetarian like she did!  Fat chance Nanc!  I LOVE meat!  When I go to Costco -- I buy a rotisserie chicken every time, that being my "cheat meal".....besides.  I'm the oldest child (just like she is) and NO WAY was someone going to tell me how I was going to react!  (Silly me....sorry Nancy).

While at Dr Ayres office, I met his head nurse -- Marene.  She seemed so familiar to me, and later we discovered our 2 oldest boys (my Dylan and Justin and her Mark and Ryan) played sports and went to school in West Richland and were actually "best buds".  We attended many a game and spoke with each other throughout those years, so was such a surprise to meet her 25 years later. Small world...she is also a very caring person.  Joe and I (okay -- we have the same strange sense of humor) had told them both we would like to save the gall stones after the surgery -- we can make necklaces for all the kids as a "momento"!  We thought we were hilarious -- they likely thought we were nuts , but we at least cracked ourselves up!  The surgery went very well -- the gall bladder was indeed enlarged, but a very routine surgery, removing a lymph node that was also attached to the gall bladder.  The liver looked nice and clean and NO -- they did NOT remove any extra "padding" (ie fat) that I asked them to remove at the same time -- darn it!  I went home -- but did NOT feel great....the gas they used during the surgery was giving me real issues -- it seemed to congregate in my upper back and didn't seem to want to escape any of the usual ways (burping/farting).  I also had an outer cavity drain that Joe and I got to spend "quality time" draining, observing and measuring all of the fluid that was being drained from my body, for the net 10 days or so.  Oh well....

The next day, Dr Ayres called me at home, asking if Joe was here too?  Nope -- he's an outside salesman, so he's in the field.  Do I expect him back soon?  Not sure...why?  As a routine service, all tissue is sent to a pathologist for testing.  Much as he hates to do this over the phone, he really feels it needs to be done immediately.  The pathologist found cancer.  Stage 2.  I just sat there stunned - and cried silently.  Cancer -- the big C -- such an UGLY word.  When the pathologist received the tissue, he too thought it was just a routine, enlarged gall bladder.  So -- everyone was surprised to find cancer.  So much so, that they ran the tests 3 times to confirm there was no mistake.  He left his private number for Joe to call him as soon as he returned.  When he showed up an hour or so later, he saw I had been crying.  What's wrong?  Dr Ayres called and wants you to call him.  Why?  Did he find cancer (which I believe he asked unwittingly -- not even imagining he was right).  Yes.  Joe called the doctor -- who was SO compassionate and caring and you could tell how sorrowful he was to have to break the news again over our speaker phone.  The cancer was also in the lymph node as well as the gall bladder.  It ENTERED the wall - but did NOT go through it - which was a good sign.  The liver looked completely intact, no residual abnormalities.  They appeared to have gotten it all - but a CT Scan would need to be done to see if it had traveled to any other organs.