cooperlola2

Deb is looking a bit wan, but eating as well as recently. Sadly her 3G dongle credit has now expired, and of course until the dongle is registered with a piece of identity, she can't renew it. French silly paranoia knows no limits, does it? I will try something in Auchan tomorrow. Still no word on the biopsy or any form of prognosis.

Mr Pooksie? Have a care, sir! And if Mme Homard-Mechant comes home I'll have to give the other women the heave-ho sharpish. I think the medics need to consider this one carefully before release!

The feeding tube was withdrawn last night, the catheter has gone this morning, by close of play tomorow, Deb will not be connected at all, which is nice. As I was leaving yesterday, the dermatologist was coming in, and she is detemined to get to the bottom of the lobster-syndrome. She is hoping to contact Rouen about Deb's time there in 2008. You simply couldn't ask for a more thorough and dedicated set of professionals, could you?

The "camera" up Deb's nose and down her throat is in fact a feeding tube! They've found that after certain sorts of surgery, it helps avoid nausea. It may be withdrawn tomorrow. It does mean she can talk. I have spent much of today's visit rubbing almond oil into her legs - her skin is perilously dry, and she has had another minor outbreak of lobster-itis, which continues to intrigue the medics. Mid-afternoon, a mature lady in cap, gown and mask appeared - the anaesthetist from yesterday, checking on progress. Impressive or what? We have to wait a week before the results of the biopsy are known, but Deb already feels the headache she'd had for 3 weeks has just gone. Recovery has started, surely!

More details provided by Deb this morning - despite still having a camera down her throat, making speech a bit difficult! Surgeon came to see Deb again after D had talked to me - had a broad grin on her face. There was so much fluid surrounding the tumour that on the scans it looked like lesions - not good. In fact there was no such thing, so the tumour was removed lock, stock and ovaries! They also performed a hysterectomy and an appendectomy at the same time, so all the useless stuff is gone. As far as lifting and carrying are concerned, of course Deb seldom does any at all, spending so much time in her wheelchair, and only walking with sticks. Hardly ever visits the kitchen - that's my domain!

Thankyou all, as usual! A propos Mother-in Law (sigh) she has been ringing Deb daily, but Deb had told her - truthfully - that today was a biopsy, and hadn't mentioned the C-word. Saturday MIL goes off on a week's river cruising, so by the time she comes home, Deb may well be a bit more recovered. She insisted on coming out at New Year 2009 when Deb had her knee re-done and found the biting cold almost did for her, and the whole event exhausted her. Lesson learned I hope - as she's 89 next month! She will be well-miffed that the intended few days in Worcester with Deb are cancelled, but less so than Deb, who risks missing Fairport Convention's Annual Reunion for the first time in 33 years!

Just had a very groggy Deb on the phone. She only awoke an hour ago, having gone down for surgery 8 hours before. Medics view - having removed everything, a full hysterectomy - is that things are very much better than they had feared. Result!

Trivia still happen in illness. We learnt today that Deb will not be charged a supplement for the single room she has had for three weeks - because she didn't ask for it! That means we still have 30 days single room entitlement under our "top up" insurance, which should take care of most of the rest of this event, we hope. Lovely intern put her arm round Deb while talking about the situation. They don't all do that. Deb goes back to gynae 0900 tomorrow.

A much chirpier Deb tonight - being in hospital clearly is better than being at home! Her ECG went well - no problems, so way now clear for biopsy+ on Thursday.

Just before we head back to the hospital (and poor D was sick 5 laps before the end of the Grand Prix!) thanks for your further good wishes. D has the Kindle and a DVD player with her, and I keep her supplied with her choice of software, along with knickers and tee-shirts! The next couple of weeks aren't going to be nice, but perhaps after that D will be home, feeling better, and able to get into the swing with you all again. Let's all look forward to that day! XXX

I had hoped that Deb would feel motivated to post on here, but that hasn't - obviously - happened so far, and she hasn't switched on her PC yet. Indeed, grim news that we received from the doc on Thursday night has left us both feeling a bit flat, to say the least. Deb has a headache most of the time now, is still tricky to feed. The agenda as we know it is for an ECG on Monday/Tuesday, with a biopsy operation on Thursday, following which the word prognosis comes into play. Please forgive me for not being more upbeat!

The anaesthetist was not impressed with Deb's papers, spent half an hour reading through them, then rang the intern in Deb's ward. He is clearly not happy with some aspects of her fitness for surgery. She should have had an ECG today, but that will not be until tomorrow. Then she comes home for the weekend, so you may hear more!

Deb had a lumbar puncture this afternoon, and sees the anaesthetist tomorrow morning, with a view to having an operation allowing a full exam of her uterus etc so that the lump can be at least partly removed and analysed. She remains in good form, and pleased that at last we may know more. "Stuff we don't need at our age"? Deb never had any use for her ladies' "bits"! She was comparing notes at lunchtime with a Brit neighbour of ours, who has recently had breast cancer - neither of them ever had any need of the bits that have rebelled!

Because she's been downstairs having scans etc, Deb hadn't actually seen a doc (as distinct from radiologist, who are also qualified, of course) since Friday. She mentioned this to the nurse this morning - and she's just had a visit from 3! They intend to find out what is in her uterus pronto. While this may prove to be bad news, at least it will be progress. Your continuing good wishes on here are really appreciated TVM! XXX

Deb has had another couple of days of scans. Today was a PET scan, very high tech. That was at 13.30, so she hadn't eaten since last night. Finally back in her room late afternoon, had her (saved) lunch on the table, about to tuck in, when doctor appears and says come back - they've missed your feet! Isotopes still live inside her, so back she went. Doh! She actually seems much better to me, and we hope she'll be fit enough to go back to gynae, where they can conduct a biopsy on whatever the original scan found was not nice in her uterus. Today, though, they got a result from an exam on her, umm, output, which led them to insist that anyone emptying her bedpan wear a mask and gloves! Since she's had the bedpan taken away, because now she's not on a drip she can get to her loo unaided, it all seems a bit pointless. Anyway, her digestive tract does seem to have recovered its composure now, so we suspect what they found has already been knocked on the head by the antibiotics she was given due to the rash which was caused by - no-one knows!

Took Deb down to the entrance today in a hospital wheelchair, hoping to do a tour of the grounds, but it was breezy and spitting with rain, so we snuck back under cover for a few minutes, then went to the cafe. Made a change, and she is so much better than she was. An intensive eye-test on Friday revealed nothing sinister - except a (common at our age, apparently) potential for a detached retina. This week may well be a turning point in getting to the bottom of it all, with the gynae people probably having another look now D is stronger, and a Positron Emission Tomography scan on Tuesday. That was booked a fortnight ago, suggesting that it is an important and valuable technique, not to be readily had like an x-ray!

[quote user="idun"]Will they keep her in for another week until the next MRI? Has she got a laptop, can she look in here and post, might help with the boredom and distract from the itching. [/quote]We've never managed to get online in this hospital, sadly. L'Arche, the rehab place, was better, but then many patients were there for months, so it made some sense. If we get lucky - so will you!

Sick visiting can be an - er - interesting experience. Yesterday I arrived to find a grumpy lobster. Most of Deb was bright red, and because it is all so itchy, she hadn't slept much. Eating was beyond her, too. I didn't stay long! Today her car needed servicing, so I dumped it at the dealer and caught the tram to the hospital. No sign of Deb, who had gone for another scan!Deb appeared just before I returned having got the car back. She'd been gone 3 hours for a 15 min scan. So far the scans haven't identified anything to cause her problems and her lungs are fine after 35 years smoking - but she has something on her uterus, something on her brain. I'm cancelling our annual trip to Belgium for sportscars (24 hrs of Spa). Yawn.

Deb has had an MRI scan today, has some other sort tomorrow, is booked for yet another variety next week. Still no suggestions as to what is wrong, but the bloating that started all this has not returned, 4 days after she was drained. She is always a v fussy eater, & hospital meals aren't exactly hitting the spot! The allergy rash that she experienced at Rouen has struck here and she is rather bored with itching! Calomine etc no longer seem to be in the medical chest, either.

Deb is eating a bit - first real food in a week. Not using oxygen, either. Drip has been withdrawn, but she did have some blood-plasma instead. The bone sample from her sternum was a failure, so now she's had one from her bottom. Some time after the procedure was over, the nurse came in to inspect the bottom, and pronounced it "parfait". I think she was a bit taken aback when I agreed!

[quote user="Cendrillon"]She's a very brave lady. [/quote] You must be right - she's been marrried to me for 37 years!

Deb has had a biopsy, and a very effective drain in the abdomen. So effective, I insisted on sitting on the other side of the bed from the bag! The saline drip has been withdrawn. A little more Deb "fire" was on display tonight, but it hurt if I made her laugh, so of course.....

Deb rang at 9. Some sort of drug last night had kept her busy in the loo, but she is certain that the bloat has reduced a tad as a result. Lots of giggles as she faces another day of prodding and/or worse. I return at 6 tonight to hear more.

Deb must have been naughty, as the gaeni lot threw her out after 24 hrs. She is now back in the general hospital, who are charged with finding the root problem. On oxygen, still can't eat, sleeping a lot. Not great. She needs a lot more strength before the gaeni team can sort what's been seen on her ovaries. Frightening. I believe tomorrow they expect to puncture the bloat, and that may sort a few problems in one hit.

Deb spent some hours with a tube up her nose, down her thoat to tumtum, to release some air. She was not a happy bunny - and it doesn't improve your powers of speech with one of those down your throat! Now she has had a scan. As a result, she's spending the night in the Gynaecology Department, with every likelihood that she will shortly be dispensing with some bits she never had any use for anyway....