The Servant's Quarters

Last Sunday after church, we got to spend one of those nice, rare, idyllic afternoons when there's nothing really going on. All the boys were playing computer games in other parts of the house. It was a nice day, but some unexpected storm clouds moved in and ended any chance of spending time outdoors. So, Rita, Olivia, and I settled down and watched Breakfast at Tiffany's on Turner Classic Movies.

This was not the first viewing of this classic love story for me. Quite some time ago, I sat down by myself to watch it. (This was after Rita and I were married but before we had children.) I remember not liking it very much at all. Audrey Hepburn, while being a charming little pixie, has always been too rail thin for my tastes, and I've never cared for the character of Holly Golightly. George Peppard was a decent enough leading man. He was handsome and handled the role well with a dash of sadness and vulnerability.

Now, confession time - I really, really enjoy a good romantic movie. Not chick flicks, mind you. I don't usually go for superficial, "boy meets girl" stuff. I found Sleepless in Seattle to be pretty annoying. But a good, solid romantic movie can be very moving for me. And a tragic romantic movie, where there's a big dose of unrequited love or the tear jerking death of one of the lovers can, on occasion, really suck me in. I remember really liking Somewhere in Time the first time I saw it. (It hasn't stood up well under repeated viewings, however.) I found Titanic to be a very moving experience, despite the fact that I consider Leonardo Dicaprio to be pretty irritating. (Maybe if Leonardo's character could have been transplanted into Billy Zane's body, the movie would have been better.) Casablanca was magnificent. The timeless sacrifice of two lovers putting the safety of the world ahead of their relationship.

But despite this particular bent in my movie-going tastes, I wasn't overly impressed with Breakfast at Tiffany's, despite it's iconic status. It just didn't seem to interest me. The main characters didn't grab my attention, the story wasn't compelling, and the only thing that I remember really enjoying (despite it's inane lyrics) was the popular, Oscar winning song featured in the film, Moon River. (What the heck is a "huckleberry friend" and how could one refer to Moon River as one?)

Well, I really, really enjoyed it on Sunday. I would guess that some movies are naturally better when viewed in the company of others. Also, maybe knowing what to expect from the film defeated the devil of high expectations. (The first time I watched it, I was prepped for one of the best love stories committed to film.) Whatever the reason, it was definitely better than I remembered it. I still didn't care for Hepburn's character, and she still looked malnourished to me. But I found her fear of commitment and plight of self-imposed loneliness a bit more endearing this time around. I found myself admiring Peppard's Paul Varjak during this viewing. (That might be because he had a full head of hair, as did I the first time I watched this movie.) The City of New York, the setting of the film, seemed a more engaging and enjoyable place to be. The winsome day that Holly and Paul spend intentionally doing things that they've never done before was a very fun romp through the streets of the Big Apple, right down to the signature scene when Paul asks the salesman at Tiffany's to have a ring from a box of Cracker Jacks engraved for Holly because it's all they can afford.

Paul: (referring to the toy ring) ACTUALLY, IT WAS PURCHASED CONCURRENT WITH--WELL, ACTUALLY, IT CAME INSIDE A... WELL, A BOX OF CRACKER JACK.
Salesman: I SEE. DO THEY STILL REALLY HAVE PRIZES IN CRACKER JACK BOXES?
Paul: OH, YES.
Salesman: THAT'S NICE TO KNOW. IT GIVES ONE A FEELING OF SOLIDARITY, ALMOST OF CONTINUITY WITH THE PAST, THAT SORT OF THING.

Later, the ring becomes a key plot point at the climax of the movie as Paul, confronting Holly about the emotional prison she's in, uses it to remind her of the wonderful day they'd shared in happier times.

Paul: YOU KNOW WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU, MISS WHOEVER-YOU-ARE? YOU'RE CHICKEN. YOU GOT NO GUTS. YOU'RE AFRAID TO SAY,"O.K., LIFE'S A FACT." PEOPLE DO FALL IN LOVE. PEOPLE DO BELONG TO EACH OTHER, BECAUSE THAT'S THE ONLY CHANCE ANYBODY'S GOT FOR REAL HAPPINESS. YOU CALL YOURSELF A FREE SPIRIT, A WILD THING. YOU'RE TERRIFIED SOMEBODY'S GOING TO STICK YOU IN A CAGE. WELL, BABY, YOU'RE ALREADY IN THAT CAGE. YOU BUILT IT YOURSELF. AND IT'S NOT BOUNDED BY TULIP, TEXAS, OR SOMALILAND. IT'S WHEREVER YOU GO. BECAUSE NO MATTER WHERE YOU RUN, YOU JUST END UP RUNNING INTO YOURSELF. HERE. (He gives her the ring) I'VE BEEN CARRYING THIS THING AROUND FOR MONTHS. I DON'T WANT IT ANYMORE.

A four star movie? Nah, I wasn't that impressed with it. But it was a worthwhile diversion for a rainy Sunday afternoon.

Mom continues to hold her own, although she wants to be back on her feet faster than she's able to be. She and Dad went out to eat the other night, and she was amazed at how much it took out of her. Really wiped her out. So, she's resigned to continuing to stay close to home until she recovers more of her strength.

I brought them dinner last night, and everything seems to be going okay. At this point, they're getting along with minimal help from others. I'm just getting them dinner and doing whatever else as the need arises.

No word yet on when Aunt Fran is returning. I don't know if it will be today or not. I hope it's soon. She's been wonderful and really eases my mind to know that she's tere.

We've heard nothing from the Little Caesars people on last week's audition. I can only surmise that this means we won't be starring in any pizza commercials anytime soon.

I have to say that I am not surprised and only a tiny bit disappointed. But it was still a fun experience. Now, I'm looking forward to seeing the commercial when it airs later in the summer to see how the people who WERE picked work out. (And to mercilessly cut their performance to ribbons!)

Ever After Productions has updated their web site with new pictures from Olivia's production of Peter Pan. The photos can be viewed at:

Peter Pan Pictures

You'll see a lot of pics like the one below of Olivia when she first took flight in the nursery scene. You'll even find a very unflattering picture of me that shows both my bald spot and my belly flopping over my belt buckle.

I think my leading man days are over.

All quiet on the Canton front.

We did get a phone call today from Mom asking for help from Rita. One of her drains was killing her. Rita went over, and fortunately, it turned out to be something that could be fixed. It wasn't, as we fear, some kind of infection.

She continues to do quite well. Onward and upward. In fact, I'm going to discontinue these daily updates. I'll still blog about her situation when there's something new to report, but I'll probably refrain from posting something each and every day until she begins chemo-therapy.

If you would like me to send you an e-mail when something is written on The Servant's Quarters about my Mom's situation, please send me your e-mail address. I'll be happy to ping anyone who wants to keep up on her status via this web site.

We just pulled in from auditioning. It was quite an experience. Very exciting and very enjoyable. For the kids. And for me.

We showed up early at an ice arena in Farmington Hills. We went right in, and there was almost no one there. Probably about half a dozen other people milling around. The kids signed in, and I took a seat in the hallway, fired my my Pocket PC, and started to do some Ford work while I waited for the youngsters to have their audition.

I hadn't even started my work when a young fellow popped out of the audition room and said, "We need a boy, a girl, a mom, and a dad." Then he looked right at me and asked, "Are you here to audition?"

I missed a beat and said, "Sure. Why not?"

"Come on. And you come in, too," he said, pointing at Philip.

So, Phil and I ended up in a room with a woman who was playing my wife and a girl who was supposed to be Phil's sister. It was a family shot with all of us engaging in animated conversions, complete with broad gestures and projecting voices. We were supposed to talk about anything. Just make it exciting and kinetic. Then, when the director tells us to, pick up our piece of pizza and, looking into the camera, take a big bite and react like this is the most awesome, wonderful, delicious, to die for pizza we've ever had in our lives.

But first, look at the camera, introduce ourselves, and spell our names. I almost didn't get out of the starting gate. When it was my turn, I said, "Hi," and my voice cracked. Clearing my throat, I continued, "I'm Tim Butler. T-I-M..." Suddenly, I couldn't remember how to spell "Butler." I'm not kidding. I drew a blank on my last name. I missed another beat or two, and managed to get it out.

Give me a break. I wasn't supposed to be auditioning, after all.

Well, we did our shot. I told my "wife" all about my awesome day. I brought the project in on time and under budget, got the best performance review of my career, and got a big fat raise. I was so excited. And to make things complete, Mrs. I-Can't-Spell-Your-Name had called me at work and asked me to pick up a Hot N Ready, the greatest pizza on the planet. Then, I turned to the camera and took a big bite, chewed vigorously and rolled my eyes in ecstasy. This was great. The height of my performance came when I looked at my "wife" and said, "Honey, I love your cooking. But it can't compare to this wonderful pizza."

I'm ready for my close up, Mr. DeMille.

I had to repeat the performance in close up with the camera focused on my face. Mmmmmmmmm. Great pizza. Rolling eyes. Work it, baby. Work it.

Phil did the same thing for his audition. He cracked everyone up by practically reciting a Little Caesars sales pitch for his reaction to eating his piece. He said something like, "This pizza is so great. You just stop at Little Caesars, and it's ready for you to pick up. And it's only $5. It's the greatest pizza on Earth." The director cut, and said while laughing, "This kid's writing our copy for us."

We left with the remains of our audition pizza.

Later, Isaac and Olivia got called in to audition. Yours truly got to repeat his performance, this time with my real kids being my onscreen kids. Yes, I auditioned twice. And I didn't even ask to. I think it was just because it was easier to bring families in rather than mix and match. Also, a lack of men made it a natural fit. So, more pizza. More eye rolling. More enthusism.

After my second time, I stepped out into the hallway (which was quite crowded by this time), took a bite of what remained of my pizza, and yelled, "THIS IS THE GREATEST PIZZA I'VE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE!" Everyone cracked up.

I think we all did okay for our first time. We all stiffened up when the camera rolled, and I don't think any of us will be cast this time around. But it was sure a lot of fun.

Given what the director told us about how the shooting would happen, I don't think that I would be disappointed to not be cast. First of all, this is a 30 second commercial. The shot we were auditioning for would be about 5 seconds of the commercial. Just a quick glimpse of a family feasting on Little Caesars pizza. To produce that shot, the director told us that we could count on working 4 to 6 hours. And because it would probably require us to eat about two pizzas each, we would have to make liberal use of the spit bucket. The director would tell us to take a bite, react, love the pizza, and then cut. Followed by everyone spitting out their pizza into the bucket.

For 4 to 6 hours.

Yuck.

(But you have to know, I'd do it in a second!!!)

This came to me today via Freerepublic. It's about 5 minutes long, and the ending is very, very sad. And disturbing. And maddening. This was a man with small children who went to work one day and found himself in the middle of a war.

Warning - In addition to the subject matter, there is also a little bit of swearing, which I think is understandable considering the circumstances.

Remember why we fight.

9/11 Caller - Tower Collapses While on Phone

Rita and I just got back from Mom's place. She's looking mighty good. She's still uncomfortable from the pain, but less so than yesterday. Looks like she's healing nicely and getting ready for Stage II of her ordeal - chemo-therapy! Aidan was with us, and he was his usually bright and cheerful self. He made us all laugh with his precocious comments and his antics.

Aunt Fran had mercy on me for my hospital waiting room ordeal and made good on her promise to bake me cookies. Tonight, she was baking some wonderful sugar and macadamia nut cookies. Aidan and I really enjoyed the former. Good stuff and very much worth the wait. Thanks, Fran!!!

Rita went downtown this morning for jury duty. She narrowly missed being seated for a drug trial. She said that she was really surprised at how merciless the judge was at not excusing people. (And I agree.) There was one lady there who was a nursing mother. Sorry, lady. Your kid can fend for himself. A woman who Rita got to know was a fellow homeschooling mother of three whose children were all sick with fever and who had to borrow a car just to get downtown. Tell it to someone who cares, citizen. Here's a crying towel and take a seat. The ONLY thing the judge was willing to do was to put these unfortunates at the end of the line so that they would have the least chance of being chosen to actually serve. But excuse them???? No way. So, Rita escaped doing her duty as a citizen. That was close, right? Not exactly. It's not over. She's still on call until a week from Friday. Which means she may have to go do it all over again.

Sigh.

Tomorrow night is the big commercial audition. I don't know about the kids, but I'm pretty excited. It'll probably be a big disappointment. (I don't think they call them "cattle calls" for nothing.) But it'll definitely be a learning experience for the kids. Just for grins, here are the pictures I sent to the talent agency with the e-mail expressing our interest:

The good and the bad (but no ugly) for today -

Talked to Mom earlier. She's still plenty sore. But everything else is breaking her way, including the final hurdle after her surgery. She spoke to the doctor's office today. All the biopsies from the surgery came back negative. As of last Thursday, Mom is CANCER FREE!!!! Now, we just have to keep her that way. Her shunt is being inserted on August 7. I imagine that chemotherapy will begin the week after.

Another budding commercial star has emerged in our household. Isaac has been invited to audition for the Little Caesars pizza commercial as well. Also, the date in the e-mail I received yesterday was wrong. The auditions are actually on Thursday, July 27. That's the day after tomorrow!!!! WAHOOOO!!!! We'll see how it goes. Hopefully, everyone (including Dad) will at least get some pizza out of the deal.

Tomorrow, Rita has to drive to downtown Detroit and report for jury duty. Crud. This is a major hassle. I'm going to have to miss more work. We've managed to get a sitter for most of the day tomorrow, but if this lasts more than a day, we are going to be in some serious trouble.

God, YOU are awesome in power. You're great in majesty. You are glorious and worthy of all praise. In the scheme of things, this is actually a very minor thing. Compared to cancer, it is nothing more than a minor nuisance. I know that You will open the way for us to overcome any obstacles that appear in our path. I will trust You, for You will not forsake us.

Amen.

I just received word via e-mail this evening that Olivia and Philip have been invited to audition for a Little Caesar's pizza commercial on August 27 in Farmington Hills.

Wow.

I know I should be calm, cool and understanding that their chances of getting parts are very slim considering the talent that will be on hand.

BUT HOLY COW!!!!! IT'S A STINKIN' TELEVISION COMMERCIAL!!!! MY KIDS MIGHT BE ON TV!!!!! IN A PAYING GIG!!!!!!

Man. That's just too cool.

(Even the audition sounds too awesome for words. The last line of the e-mail told me to bring the kids "ready to eat lots of pizza." What a great job.)

I spoke to Mom on the phone earlier. She said that she had a pretty uncomfortable day with a lot of post-op pain, but she's keeping a good attitude. She sounded just like her old self on the phone, so she must be doing pretty well. I'm supposed to go over later with the handwritten copy of her letter to Oakwood Hospital complaining of the treatment that she had on her first go around. She wants to add to it. Given how she was treated during her latest stay, I think the letter is going to be softened a little bit.

Aunt Fran arrived this morning for another week of caring for my folks. Thank God for her. She is definitely His provision during this difficult seasons. I will always be grateful to God for putting her in my parents' home at this time and to her for her faithfulness in following God's direction.

Prayer requests - Please pray that Mom continues to improve and that she is delivered from the pain that is making her uncomfortable. Aside from the situation with the cancer, there's another problem we've been facing behind the scenes that I haven't written about here. Rita is on call for the next two weeks for jury duty in downtown Detroit. She tried to get excused because of the circumstance of my parents' illness and our role in being there for them. No consideration of that whatsoever. So far, she hasn't been required to participate. However, she has to keep calling until a week from this Friday to see if she has to go to court. It would be so hard right now if she had to. Please pray that this situation passes without her getting caught up in the jury system in Detroit.

God bless you and keep you.

I just returned from taking Isaac, Olivia, and Philip to see Grandma and Grandpa. Mom seems to be doing better than yesterday. Despite the fact that her pain medication is working for her, she's still uncomfortable. Also, I believe that she's over the initial shock of seeing the site of the mastectomy and seems to have taken the first steps towards adjusting to her loss.

We had a little review of where we go from here this evening. Mom has about 3 or 4 weeks of down time before she's due to start her chemotherapy. Sometime this week (she'll find out the appointment time tomorrow), she's going to see Dr. Israel to learn the results of the biopsies that were taken during the mastectomy. (Everyone, pray that these are free of cancer!) When she saw Dr. Signori, her oncologist, last Friday after the surgery, he revealed a couple of things that we didn't know. First of all (unfortunately), it appears that the cancer did move out of one of her lymph nodes into the surrounding tissue under her right arm. So, while we had hoped that she would be spared having to go through radiation by having her breast removed, that is probably not going to be the case. She'll need the site of this infiltration irradiated after the chemo is concluded. Also, (and this is GREAT news), Mom's cancer is Stage II, not Stage IIIA as we had been told. This is EXCELLENT news, as the chances of treatment and ultimate survival are much better.

Tomorrow, Aunt Fran returns, and we should be starting a week that sees us holding position and healing instead of having surgeries. Thanks God!

Sorry this update is going out so late. Blame a busy afternoon. Also, we just returned from visiting our friends, the Carlson's, on their homestead outside of Saline. Brooks and Kate invited us out for dinner and a much needed respite after the events of the past week. Thanks, guys. The burgers were great, and everyone had a wonderful time.

Praise God! Mom was released from the hospital this afternoon. The original plan had been for me to pick her up while Mark stayed home with Dad. However, we decided that her homecoming needed to have a little more style. So, Mark picked her up and drove her home in his new Jaguar S-Type instead. (What a gorgeous car. He gave me a chance to drive it shortly after he leased it. I don't know what I liked more. The driver in me loved the handling and the sporty drive. But the geek in me loved all the gadgets, especially the integrated GPS with the kewl map and audio driving directions. Good thing I'm not the jealous type. grrrrrrrrr)

This afternoon, right before leaving for the Carlson's, I got a chance to speak to her. Unfortunately, she was feeling some pain from the surgery. Also, she admitted that she's feeling the emotional pain of her loss for the first time. Today, she got a look at the site of the operation, and it was upsetting to her. (As you would expect.) To me, she sounded like she was doing about as well as could be expected, but she has definitely begun to feel the grief that any woman would feel after undergoing a mastectomy. Up until this point, she had managed to keep a good attitude and perspective, reminding herself that the cancer in her breast was killing her and she was better off without it. Coming face to face with her loss brought it home emotionally.

Please pray that Mom continues to heal quickly and is delivered from any pain from the surgery. Also, I'd ask that everyone lift her up as she struggles through the grief of losing a breast and through the process of coming to terms with her "new normal."

The God of miracles continues to shine His love and grace on us. I can't see any other explanation for how things are going and I'm not inclined to look for one.

I finally got a chance to go over and see Mom around 12:30 PM during my lunch hour. I could not believe my eyes. Here was a woman who, just over 12 hours before, had come out of surgery to have a portion of her body removed. She was sitting up in bed with her feet crossed at the ankles and reading a book about surviving breast cancer. She looked, talked, and acted perfectly normal. She said that she was comfortable and well rested. The staff has been treating her like a queen, and she's feeling much better about being at Oakwood than she was the last time. She was in excellent spirits.

Here's the best news of all - Dr. Israel was so pleased with her progress that he said she's be able to go home tomorrow. Although I think she's a little sad to leave a place that she's being so well cared for, we agreed that it would be good to have her back home.

Before I left, we joined together in a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord. I hoped you've thanked Him as well and will continue to thank Him in the coming days for what He's doing.

I tell you. That God of ours. He's a good guy.

Final Update on Last Night's Surgery

We were with Mom in her room until about midnight last night. We were all so very pleased with her condition after the surgery. Of course, she was weak and a bit out of it, but she was awake, aware, and able to talk. She looked so much better than she had after the first surgery last week. She even gave me a few "thumbs up" signs. Her most enthusiastic response came after I congratulated her on being cancer free. She smiled wide and gave me a very energetic thumbs up sign. We were also very pleased with the quality of her care. Despite what we had been told, she landed in a private room, and when she pushed the call button to ask for some ice chips, the nurse came right away. Thank God for His blessings.

I arrived at my office this morning at about 9:00 AM, and just as I was sitting down to start my day, my cell phone rang. It was Mom calling from the hospital. She's feeling great today. She sounded just like her normal self on the phone. She told me that the staff was keeping her medicated and comfortable, and she had just finished up her breakfast. (She ate everything!)

God is definitely making the way straight and calming the storms. What a loving Father we have.

I'll keep posting at least once a day with an update. Check back to see how Mom's doing. Thanks.

10:43 PM - Just one more thing to add. I want to say thanks for the comment and e-mails that I received throughout the evening. You were all very encouraging and very funny. God bless you!!!!

10:23 PM - We just spoke with Dr. Israel. The surgery went fine. He said that it was a wide incission to make certain that he got everything, but Mom's mastectomy has been completed successfully.

She'll spend an hour or two in recovery before being taken up to her room. The doctor told us that she will be in the hospital at least through the weekend, depending on how she feels. Biopsies were taken of the surrounding tissues, and those results will not be ready for 2 or 3 days.

Given the lateness of the hour and the fact that nothing else is going to happen tonight until Mom's out of recovery, I'm going to close up shop for tonight. Thanks to everyone who read the blog tonight and joined us in prayer. God bless you. Please keep lifting Mom up in prayer and keep seeking the Lord for the results of the remaining biopsies.

No cancer!!!!

Good night.

10:00 PM - All right. Back online after dinner. Well, what passed for dinner, anyway. Wow. The cafeteria was serving nothing but leftovers. My main course was a chicken pita that must have been sitting on it's bed of ice since 10:00 AM. Not bad but not bursting with freshness. My side dishes were a bowl of chicken noodle soup and a plate of deep fried cod. That pretty much amounts to all that was being served.

On the bright side, I'm not hungry. Thanks, God, for filling my belly again.

As an afterthought, all three of the Butler boys scored cookies. I had noticed these large, homemade chocolate chip cookies by the cash register. Again, to show my iron resolve and incredible self-discipline, I refrain from getting one. Right after I put down the last bite of chicken pita, I excused myself to "just go walk around." I scooted right to the cash register and bought my cookie. Back at the table, we waited for Dad to come back from the bathroom and watched an episode of ER. I became engrossed in the show, and a few minutes later, I turned around and discovered that Mark had a cookie like mine.

"Hey," I says, "I didn't know you wanted a cookie."

"I didn't until I saw yours."

"Hey," says Dad as he pulls up, "Where'd you guys get the cookies?"

After getting the details, he headed off to buy one of his own.

No new news on Mom. Hopefully we'll hear anytime.

8:44 PM - Suddenly, everything happened really fast.

Right after my last entry, Mom was given an injection to relax her. (Which it did. She was looking mighty relaxed. Practically unconscious.) Then, she taken right out and into surgery.

According to the nurse, the operation should last about an hour to an hour and a half. So, I'm going to sign off and get some dinner. I'll be back on after I eat. Please keep us in prayer. If all goes well, Mom will be out of surgery at around 10:00 PM.

8:31 PM - All right. We're cooking a little bit now. Dr. Israel's been in to see us, and now a nurse is going through some pre-op questions with Mom. Hopefully, she'll go in very soon.

7:38 PM - Sheesh. We're still sitting here waiting. Apparently, Dr. Israel is still working on his current victim...... I mean, patient. We've decided to not bug out and grab dinner. We're going to stay by Mom until she goes into surgery. We'll have a late supper after that.

7:00 PM - Sorry for the delay in updating everyone.

We've been at Mom's bedside since the last update, over an hour ago. Nothing's happening so far. She's just sitting here with an IV waiting and feeling anxious. Obviously, the surgery isn't going to start at 7:00 PM, but it hopefully won't be much longer. I think she's the only patient waiting at this point. We're all alone here in the "Ready Room."

More soon.....

5:40 PM - Dad's just been taken back to visit Mom before the operation. Only one visitor at time right now, so I'll have to wait my turn.

The TV news is running practically continuous coverage of the fact the Tom Hanks and Ron Howard were in town today to watch the Tigers play at Comerica Park. Ron, the hat thing isn't working. We all know you're bald. From one bald red head to another - Forget it, baby. Don't try to hide it. Be proud.

4:57 PM - Mom's just been taken back to the "Ready Room" to be prepped for surgery. At last, some progress!!!

And Oprah is just wrapping. Things are definitely looking better around here.

4:36 PM - Okay. Finally a nurse has come out to talk to us. A few minutes ago, Mom also got a chance to talk to one of the ladies who ran her class at the hospital yesterday. Here's the latest scoop -

Surgery is being delayed until 7:00 PM. We've found out that she's being sent back to 9 North, the floor where she got such crummy care last week. (This is where they put all the women who have mastectomies, apparently. So, there's no choice in the matter. She has to go there.) Since 9 North has no private rooms, Mom's going to have a roommate. (She had been promised a private room to make up for some of the horrid treatment she received before.) Further, the nurse told her that she had only imagined that it took her over 4 hours to get the Benedryl that she needed to make her allergic itching go away. He said that it probably only took a few minutes, but it felt like hours because she was so uncomfortable. (Apparently, my watch was pretty uncomfortable as well. It also thought that it took over four hours to get the medication.)

Last night, Mom gave me a handwritten letter to the hospital administrator complaining about how she had been treated after her last surgery. I'm supposed to type it up and mail it. She just asked me to wait on it until she's home after this surgery. She may have to add some additional chapters.

Oh man! Someone just turned on Oprah. Looks like it only has about 15 minutes left. Thank goodness.

4:23 PM - Waiting, waiting, waiting......

So far a whole lot of nothing is happening. We're trying to stay patient. The good news that we received earlier is making it quite a bit easier to handle the waiting.

The receptionist just got up and announced to everyone in a loud voice, "I'm going to the bathroom now! If you need assistance, Jessica will be here to help you!" She walked up and down the waiting room telling everyone that she was on her way to answer the call of nature. It may have been the waiting, but we found this hilarious. Mom and I really had to suppress our giggles. But I feel kind of sorry for her. Imagine having a job where you had to inform a large room full of strangers that you had to go and use the john. Yikes!

Victory and then defeat! Mark told me where I could find the plate of cookies! They are here! I waited what I thought was a respectful amount of time to demonstrate that I could control myself. Then I announced that I was going to get a cup of coffee. Going into the snack area, I found a silver plate containing nothing but cookie crumbs. NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Without thought of anyone else's needs, my fellow waiting room denizens had hogged all the cookies to themselves! Pigs! Mom suggested that I buy some cookies for myself out of the vending machine. Somehow that just wouldn't be the same....

3:45 PM - Greetings All!

Sorry it's taken me a bit longer than I thought to get on with the blogging. Mr. Ford asked me to stop up at World Headquarters to try to figure out how to save the company. I stopped in for a little while, but as usual, he has no idea what he's talking about and has no good ideas. He just wants to star in more commercials. So I told him to get lost.

Actually, that's not true. I was late getting here because of kid issues. Why can't they just ever cooperate and do what they're told? Sigh.

Anyway, we're all up here. (Mom, Dad, Mark, and me) We're not in the same waiting area as we were last time. That was the Outpatient Surgery Waiting Room. I guess this place is for patients who are going to be staying in the hospital. This is a much nicer place. More open. Bigger. More comfortable.

No cookies though. I'd trade all this luxuary for the plate of cookies I had in the other waiting room.

There's nothing to report yet. Mom's checked in. That's all. We overheard someone on staff telling another family that for some reason, everything's taking longer today than usual. Great. It's not like you could call this place "speedy" that last time I was here. So who knows when things will start cookin'.

I want to thank everyone out there who has been providing us with prayer cover during this very difficult time. If any of you doubt the effectiveness of prayer, I hope that this situation will serve as a testimony that will cause you to reconsider your opinion.

According to Mom's oncologist, ALL of her scans came back negative. The cancer has not spread to any other part of her body. It is all contained in her right breast, which is scheduled to be removed this afternoon at 5:00 PM. There is always a concern, of course, that things may have changed since the last scan was taken. We won't know absolutely for certain that this result is still true until during surgery when the breast is removed and the surrounding tissues are examined for any infiltration of the cancer.

However, we aren't expecting this at all. I think that the "big moment" of our appointment today came when Mom asked if she would be correct in stating that after today's surgery, she would be cancer free. Her doctor said that, yes, he would agree with that statement. She'll have to go through all the weeks of chemotherapy to make sure that it's all gone. (No radiation unless there has been some movement of the cancer into the surrounding tissues.) But we're resting in the hope that as of this evening, all of it will be gone from Mom's body.

Thank you, God. You are soooooooooooooo good.

Next stop, surgery. I'll be doing a running blog entry from there, so tune back in today after 3:00 PM.

Thanks again everyone for your support and prayers. We're very touched by your response. Please pray for us again this evening during the surgery. We're asking that the operation goes well, Mom gets good care afterwards and recovers quickly, and of course, that all the cancer is successfully removed.

God bless you!

Just so you're aware, I thought I'd post the scheduled appointments for tomorrow and try to guess when updates would be available here. It's going to be a big day, so everyone's diligent prayers would be appreciated.

The appointment at the oncologist's office is at 11:45 AM. It's supposed to run a half hour, and I would expect it to end pretty much on time. Given travel time back home, I would expect that there will be an update here on the blog between 1:00 and 1:30.

At 3:00 PM, Mom is scheduled to check in at Oakwood Hospital. The operation is supposed to begin at 5:00 PM. Once she is checked in and I'm settled in the waiting room, I'll begin another running blog entry like I did during the last operation.

Good night all. Sleep well. Let's all pray hard for a good day tomorrow.

Thank goodness this picture was taken during Wacky Hair Day at VBS and is not how Isaac (14) looks all the time.

Living with Mom's Cancer - Day 8

No doubt about it. This is a downer of a day. Not much to do until tomorrow, when we finally learn all about what we're up against. I'm really, really hoping that there won't be any more unanswered questions after tomorrow's oncologist appointment. The not knowing is very unsettling.

Funny thing is that today didn't start out being a bummer. I felt okay coming into the office. But I took a hit late in the morning when I was on my way to a meeting in a Ford building down the street from my office. I had entered the foyer and noticed a small poster on the inside door with a picture of a young woman's face. It looked like a lost person kind of thing. Like this woman had gone missing in the area where I work. As I got closer, I saw at the top that her name was Krystal something or other, and until recently, she worked at Ford. Glancing further down on the notice, I saw that Krystal, age 43 with small children, had just lost her "valiant 5 year battle with breast cancer."

Man.

That was not what I needed to see today. Another sucker punch.

On the plus side, those of you who are lifting us up in prayer will be blessed to know that God is being faithful to take good care of us. He is making a way on this difficult path and clearing away the obstacles. We were very concerned about how to handle Mom's and Dad's needs after the surgery on Thursday. Mom would probably be in the hospital until Sunday or Monday, so she'd be taken care of until next week. And now, thanks to my brother, Dad will get the help that he needs as well. Mark is going to move in Thursday evening and live with Dad through the weekend. Next Monday, Aunt Fran is coming back from Grand Rapids and will again be living with my parents.

Thank you, God, for family members who love and who are willing to sacrifice to bless those who are in need.

I spoke to Mom about an hour ago. Interestingly enough, she sounds like she's having about as good a day as she could under the circumstances. This morning, she attended a class for women who are facing a mastectomy. It sounds like it was kind of a briefing on what to expect and what can be done to address some of the issues that women face after this horrible loss. She had no idea how much support was available and really appreciated hearing about it. The class really blessed her. Without a doubt, the best outcome from this event was the opportunity for Mom to convey to the nurses her concerns about the quality of care she's going to receive this time. Her last stay in the hospital was so bad that she was really worried about having to stay again for an even longer time. She's worried about getting the drugs she will need in a timely manner. She's worried about nurses not answering her call light when she needs them. (That happened. A LOT. We were actually talking about making sure Mom had her cell phone on her at all times just in case she got into some trouble and needed help. That way, she could call me if she couldn't get one of the nurses.) The ladies running the class were very grieved to hear to that a woman who is facing the loss of her breast is so concerned about the care she will receive in their hospital. They've promised Mom that she will be put in a private room on a different floor of the hospital. They've also given her their cards with contact information in case there are any more problems this time around.

This is a huge burden off of her shoulders. And, I think, another example of how God is undertaking to help us during this difficult time.

More later.....

Just a couple of points I'd like to make, in light of the fact that it looks like the number of hits on this site are creeping up slightly -

1) Please make use of the comments function if you have any feedback for me. I'd appreciate hearing any kind words of support or encouragement. You can leave a comment on a specific post by clicking the words, "Click to View/Leave Comment" at the bottom of that post. If you choose to make a comment, come back and visit again, as I will most likely answer your comment with a comment of my own.

2) For friends and members of the family who are interested in keeping up to date with Mom's condition, I am considering starting a distribution list of e-mail addresses that will receive a notification when something about her is posted on the site. That will take any guess work out of whether or not there's an update available. You'll know right away. Let me know in comments or in private e-mail if you are interested.

Thanks! Prayer warriors, keep 'em coming!!!! This is war!!!!!!!!

This is a picture of Aidan (2 years old) taken at Vacation Bible School last week:

Whooooo Hah!!!!!

It's the day after the sucker punch of yesterday's bad news, and I'm still in shock. I'm on that emotional rollercoaster where you go from the worst depression and saddness up to feelings of hope. Right now, I'm feeling kind of hopeful, so it's a good time to blog. This morning, I was pretty much in the valley, feeling very sad, and even shedding a few tears at my desk, hoping that none of my co-workers would notice.

No new news to report today. We're playing the waiting game. I've clarified the situation through some phone calls, but other than clearing up some minor details, the picture remains unchanged. By all accounts, Mom's in trouble. We won't know how much trouble for sure until Thursday when the results of the tests ordered by the oncologist are presented to us. But no doubt about it, the situation is serious.

I've made plans to be off of work and spend the day with her, taking her both to the doctor's office and to the hospital for surgery. An added bonus - Rita is arranging child care so that she can go to the oncology appointment with us. She'll know what questions to ask. (Guys, if you have a choice in the matter, marry a nurse. In my experience, they make awesome wives, and they are wonderful resources to have around in any number of situations.)

There's no doubt that what we're going to hear at the oncologist's is not what we want to hear. (What we want to hear is, "The scans all came back negative. In fact, you no longer have cancer. The surgery this afternoon has been canceled. I guarantee that you will live to a very seasoned old age and die peacefully in your sleep of natural causes. And today's visit is free because we like you. Have a nice day.") The only questions is how bad is the news going to be. Now, I've done a little bit of reading up on this. Obviously, this cancer is not behaving itself and staying in one place. It's spreading at a frightening rate. It probably has shown up in the scans that the oncologist ordered, and that's a pretty scary prospect.

On the plus side, regardless of how fast it's growing, we caught it early. Thank you, Mom, for being diligent about mammograms. Generally, that will increase the number of treatment options for someone that is suffering from this disease. Another thing that I found out is that some of the survivors of breast cancer have stories to tell that are as bad or worse than what my Mom is going through. One lady's account that I read online this morning had the cancer in her bones, spine, and liver. And she's a survivor. That's very comforting. We may not want to hear what the doctor is going to say Thursday morning, but I sincerely doubt that we're going to hear what I was afraid of last night and this morning - "Mrs. Butler, the cancer is everywhere and there's nothing we can do about it. You need to start making end of life decisions."

I don't believe that for a second. In the natural, there will be treatment options. In the supernatural, the God that we serve is greater than cancer. And He is a God who loves to come through for His children when they are up against it.

So, I'm hopeful today and still pushing forward. Bring it on. We're going to win this one. I bet that Mom's going to be here in five years. She's going to be one of the survivors.

More later......

I just got off the phone with my mother. This isn't the worst possible news that we could have received. The worst news would have been that my Mom is terminal with inoperable cancer and has only a brief time to live.

But this isn't much better than that would have been.

Mom had her appointment this afternoon with her surgeon. Only two of the lymph nodes taken out of her during the surgery were free of cancer. (I don't know how many total were taken out. Rita thinks that there were four.) Worse and much more shocking, the biopsies of the breast tissue taken during the surgery came back positive for cancer. According to my Mom, the surgeon told her that her entire right breast is cancerous. And it's "growing like crazy."

Further, she talked to the oncologist's office today as well. They want to move her appointment up to Thursday morning. (This will be the appointment where my Mom will hear the results of the many tests she had after being diagnosed with cancer, including MRIs and bone scans.) When Mom asked the receptionist if this meant that she was in for more bad news, the lady noticeably hemmed and hawed before saying, "The doctor just needs to speak with you."

This may not be anything, but given the results of today's appointment, the most likely news that she's going to receive is that the cancer showed up in those tests, too.

This is an absolute nightmare.

This week is going to be even worse than last week, and last week was nothing to write home about. Thursday morning is Mom's oncology appointment. The other shoe will drop then, if it's going to. (How many shoes are going to be dropped anyway?!?!) Thursday afternoon, she's has an appointment to check in at Oakwood Hospital. At 5:00 PM this Thursday, my Mom is scheduled for surgery to have her right breast removed.

Dear Lord, I thank you that you are always with us in all circumstances. Please lead us out of this horrible situation. Please let my Mom be okay.

I just got back from taking five of my kids to see Cars at the Emagine Theater in Canton, and I called Mom to check on her. She sounded just fine, although she confessed that she's having some discomfort from the pain. However, she did say that the pain is manageable. Her rate of recovery from the surgery seems to be excellent. Thank God.

Tomorrow is the appointment with the surgeon. We should learn the results of the lab tests and whether or not more surgery is needed. Of course, we're asking for prayer that the results come back negative for cancer in the lymph nodes. The appointment is scheduled for 2:45 PM, so we should know the good news (I hope) before dinner.

Also, please pray for my immediate family. This has been a very stressful time for us, and some things have been going on that just have to be the enemy messing with us. Today, a couple of our kids were so bad off in church that neither Rita nor I were able to be present for worship or the sermon. We had to try to calm them down and discipline them. Aidan came down with something during church and spiked a big fever. We've even had some unrest in the neighborhood, even among families that we typically get along with. I can't explain any of this except for the possibility that the enemy is trying to beat us down and get us discouraged. (And frankly, he's doing an excellent job.)

All prayers are gratefully accepted and appreciated.

God bless anyone who's taking the time to read these updates.

I checked with Mom while Liv and I were on our way to McDonald's to score dinner for the clan. (Grease. Yum.) Fran is taking such good care of everyone. Wet burritoes for dinner, and she made homemade jam this afternoon. I told her that I feel like a bit of a slouch because things are business as usual for me. She assured me that I'd get my chance soon enough. Aunt Fran has to return to Grand Rapids next Wednesday, and I'll be on deck then to help out.

On the down side, she complained about increased pain in her side. She says she's really uncomfortable. She planned on taking a pain pill as soon as she hung up with me, so hopefully that will help out. If things aren't better tomorrow, Rita's going to go over and take a peek to make sure that everything's okay.

No church for Mom tomorrow. That's not suprising. Keep praying everyone.

Everything is continuing better than we would expect. I can only conclude that this is a direct blessing from the Lord. Thank you, God. To you goes the glory.

Last evening, Rita took the three oldest children to visit Mom, and they found her in excellent shape. She looked marvelous. They had a great time seeing Grandma. Rita emptied her drains and checked the dressing on her incisions. The pain medication she's been given appears to be effective in making her reasonably comfortable.

So far, I have not been asked to do anything out of the ordinary since driving her home from the hospital on Thursday. I had thought I was going to be involved daily with caring for her. But nothing's been necessary. Not even any opportunities to run to the store or bring them food. This is a testimony to the work my Aunt Fran is doing there. Thanks, Fran, for being so generous with your time and efforts, and thank you, God, for blessing our family with such a loving, caring woman.

Today, Rita's at a funeral in her home town of Marine City. (My brother-in-law's father-in-law passed away earlier this week.) That leaves me at home watching over the Butler Bunch. Yippppeeeee! I'm determined that I'm going to hold things together here and not have a big pile of mess for Rita to clean up when she gets home. So, I'm going to be straightening the house, doing the dishes, doing the laundry, cleaning the kids, changing the diapers, doing more dishes, feeding everyone (Hot N Readys - HERE I COME! Pizza for everyone!), etc. etc. etc.

To be honest, being a home body today sounds wonderful. Maybe even a bit relaxing.

Sigh.

Ooopps. Aidan just walked by, smelling as fresh and as wonderful as a daisy.

Growing at the city dump.

Time to change my first diaper.

I called over to the house earlier this morning. I was surprised that Mom answered the phone, sounding her usual self. (Didn't this woman have major surgery a couple of days ago?) She told me that everything had been all right last night, although she did have some restlessness because of the pain. Dad had, likewise, had an uneventful night.

The nurse came by this morning as well. She emptied the drains and redressed the site of the operation. She said that Mom seems to be doing great.

I expect that things will be fine and fairly uneventful over the weekend. On Monday, Mom has an appointment with her surgeon. The tests on her lymph nodes should be back by then.

I want to thank God for the blessings He's given us already. Mom's recovery is going so well. It must be His doing.

Please continue praying that Mom won't require any additional surgery and that she will have an easy time tolerating the chemotherapy when it begins in about three weeks.

After I left work today, I swung by the hospital and picked up Mom. She looked great. If you didn't know she had had surgery, you would not have guessed it. Only the occasional stiffness or brief expressions of pain gave any clue. Otherwise, she looked entirely fine.

Thank you, God.

She's home now with Dad. My Aunt Fran arrived earlier in the afternoon, and she was a welcome sight. She's very anxious to help out, and we're very thankful. She'll be living with my parents for the next week or so.

Next steps - Mom has an appointment with her surgeon (the very sociable Dr. Israel) on Monday. If we don't know any sooner, I would imagine that we'll learn the results of the tests on her lymph nodes then. If they are cancerous, Mom is facing another operation to remove her right breast.

Please be in prayer everyone that the nodes will come back clean and that no further surgery is necessary. Thanks for reading and for supporting us. God bless you.

I got back from the hospital a little while ago. Mom's looking so much better than she did yesterday. She can't believe it, but she does. She's much more alert, and surprisingly, is moving her arm quite easily. (Although, she's not supposed to. I'm sure the mobility will diminish as the morphine wears off and she transitions to a weaker pain killer.)

One troubling thing is that she's having some kind of reaction to one of her medications and is itching all over. It's pretty miserable. The nurses ordered her some Benedryl to combat the itching, but at the time I left (an hour after it was ordered), it still had not been administered. (Mom's roommate had to wait three hours to get some Tylenol earlier.)

I'm still planning on picking her up at around 4:00 PM. My aunt has arrived, so we're looking good for her arrival back home.

Great news!!!

I just got a call from Pastor Philip from the 9th floor nurses station. Mom is doing good today, and she is being discharged later this afternoon. I'm going up to the hospital on my lunch hour to see her, and I'll be swinging by the hospital on my way home from work to pick her up and take her home.

This is great news in that she must be making good progress after the surgery.

More later after I see her.......

After I signed off yesterday, Dad and I got in to see Mom, and she was taken up to a room on the 9th floor of the hospital.

Not surprisingly, she looked horrible.

My Mom is always very careful about her appearance. She has the meticulous thing down to a science. She always keeps a clean house, she cleans and vacuums her car at least weekly, and she always makes sure that she well groomed.

Yesterday, I almost didn't recognize her when I first saw her. Of course, it's got to be a problem for a woman to look her best when she's had her side opened up and a lot of important tissue removed. But what I wasn't prepared for was how old she looked. She had aged at least 10 years, and looking at her, I could see my grandmother clearly. I had never noticed a resemblance between them before. Now, she looked just like her mother.

Everything pretty much went according to plan. Mom was settled into her room. She was plenty sore, but the nurses seemed to be keeping her doped up with an ample supply of morphine. I hung around for about an hour or so, and then left at her insistance. The three of us prayed together, and I left Dad by her bedside, promising me that he would keep his cell phone handy all the time in case he needed to call for help. (I had offered to stay the night with him, but he refused.) I went home, and vegged for the rest of the evening. (I actually watched Born Free, a movie I adored as a child and offered this month on Comcast as an on-demand freebie. I really loved it, and the kids seemed to like it a lot too. I remember my parents taking me to see this movie at a drive-in theater. Afterward, I thanked Rita for giving me the lattitude (with so much work to do around the house) to just do something mindless for a couple of hours. She's a wonderful wife. I'm CRAZY about her.)

This morning, we're expecting my Aunt Fran to come and stay for a week. I'm so grateful for this blessing. I also spoke to Dad. He made it through the night just fine. When I spoke to him, he had showered and was dressing. He planned on getting some breakfast and heading into the hospital.

We don't know yet if Mom's going home today. I expect I'll find out soon enough.

Prayer requests - Please pray for swift, painfree recovery from the surgery, good test results from the lab, continued strength and independence for Dad, and provision for everything that we need to get through this difficult season.

Heck, as long as we're appealing to the Lord of the Universe, the only God and Father of us all, let's pray big. Let's pray for healing from MS and cancer. Let's pray that both my Mom and Dad are completely restored to perfect health.

I know HE can do that.

3:18 PM - Wow. What a difference a day makes.

A little while ago, Dr. Israel met with my father and me in a conference room off of the Ready Room. The surgery was a lot more involved than expected. The initial lymph node, the one closest to the site of the cancer, tested positive. Rather than sitting still and waiting for us to remove it like it should, the disease made a break for it and tried to get to other parts of my Mom's body. As a result, the surgeon removed all of the lymph nodes on my mother's right side. They're in the lab now, and it will be two or three days before the results are in. If more nodes are positive for cancer, my Mom will have to have her right breast removed.

The good news is that the original tumor has been removed. There was no involvement with the chest wall.

Mom's going to be in recovery for about an hour before moving up to a hospital room for the night. Nothing else to tell, so I'm closing off this blog entry.

Thanks for your prayers. Please keep them coming!

2:00 PM - Okay. Now I'm a little bit scared.

The nurse just came out and told us that the surgeon is still working on Mom. The reason that the operation is taking longer than expected is because they are taking additional biopsies. The only reasonable conclusion I can draw from that is that there are additional sites where it appears the cancer has spread. At least, it's obvious that the cancer is contained in one place.

Man, this really stinks.

God, help us.

1:16 PM - I'm back in the saddle. Had a lunch of pizza and cheese sticks. Yum.

We were in fact taken into the Ready Room right after my last entry. Mom was doing okay. She wasn't totally comfortable, but she looked like she was holding up okay. We met Dr. Israel (How's that for a name?), her surgeon. He seemed pretty oblivious. He acted like he hadn't heard of her or knew anything about her case until that moment. He asked her if he had seen her at his office. (As he was a substitute for her regular surgeon, he hadn't.) I comfortd myself with the idea that with social skills like that, he may have been homeschooled. (rimshot)

The only thing we know is that Mom is going to definitely have one lymph node removed for testing. Originally, her oncologist told us that she would have two removed, so we're taking this as a sign that there is very little chance that the cancer has spread.

The operation is supposed to last about an hour, so we're expecting to hear anytime.

While I'm waiting, I'm now watching All My Children. All right!!! My favorite soap opera. I used to watch this show all through college and into my married years. I notice two things immediately: 1) Due to the characters that I still recognize from previously watching this soap and the cliched/recycled storylines, following the show is no problem and 2) This show stinks horribly. I mean, it is really bad.

11:44 AM - I'm going to sign off for now. I suspect that we'll be taken in to see Mom soon, so I want to get the computer packed up. Nothing new since the last update.

I'll be back on early in the afternoon with more information.

If any of our friends or family are reading this, don't forget the comments section. Let me know if you have any questions.

11:29 AM - Here's the latest:

The nurse just stopped by and said that Mom is doing fine after her second procedure. She should be back up in the "Ready Room" in a few minutes. Hopefully, we will get a chance to see her before the operation.

11:16 AM - "If you see a man with a handbag, you may think that he's gay. But these days, you just don't know" - Barbara Walters

Thanks, Barbara. Nice to know you're in my corner.

AND IT'S NOT A PURSE. IT'S MY COMPUTER BAG. IT'S MY MOBILE OFFICE.

The gals are talking about who the biggest wimps are in the music industry. A recent magazine rated James Taylor as the biggest wuss muscian. (Sorry, Rita. I know he's one of your favorites, but he's a sissy.) One of the ladies just said that her husband is a proud girlie man, and she thinks it's sexy.

I have entered a parallel universe.

11:01 AM - oh no

It's The View!

For the love of Heaven, someone change the channel!

PLEASE!!!!!!!!

10:47 AM - What am I thinking??? I've got the greatest book ever written on my Pocket PC - the Bible! The Holy Scriptures should provide me with enough fine reading to be entertained, challenged, engaged, etc. for the afternoon.

Thank you, God, for modern technology. I've got the Word and an entire library of dictionaries, commentaries and references on a device the size of a large wallet.

10:43 AM - Monday on Martha, Matt Lauer packs a suitcase.

I'm not kidding.

Matt Lauer is going to come on and teach viewers the proper way to pack a suitcase.

I wonder if anyone I know is having surgery on Monday. I don't think I can miss that segment.

Sigh. Only a couple of hours before the afternoon soaps begin. YES!!!!

10:40 AM - Why didn't I bring a book? Have I gone insane?

10:37 AM - Fire alarms are going off here while I type this. After a few anxious moments, a nurse announced that this is only a drill.

Some signs around the waiting room saying, "We'll be testing the fire alarms later so don't panic" might have been nice.

No new news. Mom's still off somewhere having who knows what done to her.

10:00 AM - YES! Martha's on, and she's promising lots of "fun summer ideas."

Please shoot me now.

The nurse just stopped by to tell me of a change of plans. Since Mom (apparently) took so long in Nuclear Medicine, the staff is taking her directly to her next procedure - The Pre-Op Examintion with Needles and No Pain Medication. Hopefully, we're still on target for a noon surgery.

By the by, if anyone's reading this who would like to comment, please use the comments option at the bottom of this post. I can even respond in the comments section to your comments. I just thought I would comment on that. I assume that those reading this blog are limited to my family, but if any of the thousands and thousands of people who read this site but never comment or send e-mail to let me know want to chime in, please feel free.

Come on. I know you're out there.

please?

9:23 AM - Nothing new to report. Haven't heard a thing from Nuclear Medicine. Hey, I know! I can tell you that both Dad and I have used the restrooms. Right out there in the hallway with no locks on the doors. That made me amazingly nervous. I'm not sure I entirely trust my fellow human beings to knock before entering. That distrust probably comes from living in a household of young boys.

Regis and Kelly is on the tube right now. Do people really watch this junk? Yesterday, Kelly rescued a baby bird that had fallen out of its nest. Today, the bird is a guest on her morning talk show. Awwwwwww. Isn't that cute? Wait. The birdie pooped while Kelly was trying to feed it a piece of bread. Look. Kelly's threatening Regis with the poopy tissue. Several poop jokes ensue.

Man, when is Martha on?

8:13 AM - We just left a brief visit with Mom in what I guess I would describe as the "Ready Room." She was on a hospital bed dressed in her gown and waiting for her day of operational fun. Nothing had been done with her yet, so she was fine but very nervous. A little after 8:00 AM, a nurse arrived to take her to Nuclear Medicine for the first procedure of the day. So far, so good.

One potential bit of good news - It sounds like Mom has the option of staying the night if she needs the rest and comfort for the post-op pain. She isn't going to be required to stay the night.

6:57 AM - I'm going to try to keep an ongoing blog post of what's happening at the hospital. After some initial frustration at not being able to find a data port or a wireless connection, I was pleased to see that my Sprint cellular card is working just fine. Thank you, Ford. So, I should be able to update the blog and get some work done.

Isn't technology a wonderful thing? I'm feeling the love.

Here's what's happened so far - Drive to the hospital was uneventful. Parking was mildly confusing. Mom had been told to park in the North Visitor Parking Structure. When we pulled up to it, there was nothing but a badge reader and a button that said "Push for Assistance." What we didn't know is that the button was what actually opened the gate so you could park. We had to watch someone go in before we realized that the button should have been labeled, "Push to Open Gate."

It took only a few minutes to get checked in and find the surgical waiting room. Not a bad joint. Hot coffee. Vending machines. A lot of TVs (all tuned to the same channel). Tons of magazines. And one old guy sitting on a scooter who we'll call "Dad." (Since he's my father. Duh.) I think I'll be able to live here for a day.

The nurse has already told us that this is going to be an all day affair. Count on it. In about in hour, Mom's due to be filled up with radioactive dye. (The comic book fanboy in me is wondering if she'll at least get any super powers out of the deal.) Then, she'll be going into her pre-op torture session when the site of the cancer is identified with needles. No pain medication for this one. Yikes. Finally, it's into surgery at noon.

Hey, I just noticed that there's an electrical outlet right behind my chair that I can use to power my laptop. That's a blessing. Hopefully, everything else will fall into place that easily today.

Breast Cancer Blogging

Well, 2006 is shaping up to be a fine year.

First, Dad lands in the hospital for an extended stay of around 6 weeks.

Now, Mom has breast cancer.

We found out the latest bad news about 3 weeks ago. She's suffering from Invasive Ductal Breast Cancer, the most common and treatable form of the disease in women. She's been through various tests, and what we know so far is that it's aggressive, large, and deep. However, the surgeon also indicated that we seem to have caught it early, and he doesn't believe that it has spread to any other part of her body.

The surgery to remove the cancer and determine conclusively whether or not it has spread is tomorrow. Three weeks after that, she will begin what may amount to 6 months of chemotherapy treatments. (Hopefully, she won't require that much chemo, but we'll see.) After the chemo comes 6 or 7 weeks of radiation.

Then, Mom should be "cured." She'll then begin the process of waiting 5 years to see if she is a "survivor."

My confidence is high that she is on the road to recovery. Barring any unexpected bad news, tomorrow will begin the process that will end with her being cancer-free by Christmas. My biggest worry is how to deal with my father, who despite being dependent on those around him for help, is claiming that he'll be "fine" despite the fact that his primary (and let's face it - only) caregiver is about to be rendered unable to assist him for the rest of the this year. For the past 3 weeks, I've tried to convince him that we need to make plans for both he and my Mom to have the assitance they need because no one in the family is going to be able to provide it. I'm the most accessible to them, but with six homeschooled kids and a full time job to worry about, I'm not going to be available all of the time.

Well, we'll see what happens. I'll be there for them as best I can. But it's they're responsibility to manage their own care. That job hasn't been given to me.

Yet.

Hopefully, that time is a long ways off.

I'm going to try to use this blog as a source of information and a chronicle of this experience. I'll try to report here as events transpire.

Tomorrow is hospital day. Mom is in for surgery. I'll have my laptop and will try to work remotely while forcing myself to not worry. Dad will be with me watching Jerry Springer.