Posts

Day 5 Post-op

After switching places with Emma and DJ for a couple of days, I returned to Stanford yesterday afternoon. Kristi continues to make very slow progress. I did some research and learned that surgeries involving the intestines typically take about three to seven days before they begin working properly again. She’s now five days post-op, and today we finally saw some encouraging signs that her intestines might be “rebooting.” I won’t go into graphic detail, but we were genuinely excited when she had her first bowel movement since the surgery on Saturday. Over the past two days, she has been sleeping a lot. When she’s awake, the majority of pain she feels isn’t related to her surgery—it’s coming from her neck. For about two months now, she’s had increasing pain in the lower part of the back of her neck. Since being here, it’s really been bothering her. We learned from the PET scan done on Saturday, just before surgery, that she has a new tumor on her C3 vertebra—that’s exactly where the pain...
6 comments
Read more

A Beautiful Day in Palo Alto

Image
Palo Alto enjoys some very nice weather year-round. And, Stanford Hospital is a beautifully designed and landscaped place. You don’t want to have to be here, but they seem to realize that an aesthetically pleasing environment can help with healing. As I mentioned before, her room has a huge window that looks out on a gorgeous landscape.  That’s her room from the outside: And yes, I have plenty if time on my hands right now. 😁 Kristi is resting fairly well this morning — and she is coherent and able to speak with nurses and doctors when they visit. Of course she’s having pain, which they are proactively managing. Although now she needs to recover from the surgery, having the gut problem fixed now gives a certain kind of relief. They’ve already mentioned a couple times that they want her up and walking a little today. Hopefully the NG tube will come out tonight or tomorrow morning. Although I think she’s quite used to it by now, she’ll be happy when it comes out.  She did ...
9 comments
Read more

Mission Accomplished!

Image
The surgery went well and lasted about three hours. Dr. Poultcides and his team removed the bowel section with the blockage/tumor. They also removed several other small tumors not yet causing problems. And, they did in fact remove the gall bladder which was inflamed.  Kristi is now back in her room. As usual she is pretty zonked out but doing well. She’s definitely in pain, but the first 6 hours after surgery are usually easier that the days to come — lots of residual medication and anesthesia.  The surgeon told me that it is likely Kristi will need five days in the hospital to recover. He said gut surgery is fairly invasive and of course they want to make sure she’s able to eat and get it all the way through her system before going home.  He also said it may be slow going for a while. I think he probably wants to error on the side of caution and not make any promises. Which, is a good thing.  We haven’t seen the PET report yet. I am anxious to see it as Dr. Poultcid...
9 comments
Read more

Let’s Do This!

This morning we woke early, ready for the PET scan only to find out it was delayed. One of the surgeons came to tell us that surgery would be today. It’s not an emergency — they would wait if they had to for other reasons, but in his words, “Let’s get this done so you can start healing.”   The PET scan was finished by 11:30. Kristi had just been all hooked up again in her room when the nurse told us that pre-OP was ready for her. They whisked her down to pre-op a few minutes later. I got to go with her.  The surgery will involve removing the section of blocked intestine, likely removing her gall bladder because it’s slightly infected, and looking around to make sure noting else might be causing an issue (e.g. tumors).  She left pre-op at about 1:15pm. It could be about 3-4 hours. I’ll probably post a very short update this evening once she’s back in her room. 
15 comments
Read more

It’s Time for Plan B

After these several days of a conservative treatment approach to the bowel obstruction with little progress, today another CT scan was ordered.  CT Results and Next Steps Over the past several days, Kristi’s care team has taken a careful, step-by-step approach to managing her small bowel obstruction. Initially, the doctors chose a conservative plan — using rest for the bowel, suction through an NG tube, and IV fluids — in hopes that the blockage might resolve without surgery. This is the preferred first step when possible, because surgery carries risks, especially for someone who’s had multiple prior operations and delicate internal healing. After several days, though, the obstruction hasn’t cleared on its own. Her NG tube continues to drain, and while she has some moments of relief, there hasn’t been lasting improvement. Given that, the team ordered a CT scan of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis to take a closer look at what’s happening inside and to reassess the broader picture of K...
14 comments
Read more

Two Steps Forward and One Step Back

Image
Kristi had a very good day. And, is still incredibly weak. She has taken three short walks today — 25-50 yards each time. I really think it’s stress from the gut issues and not eating. All she really wants is “a big bottle of water.”  She’s still not supposed to eat or drink anything — but she sneaks ice and sips of water when she has the chance. We will laugh about it when this is all over.  Kristi had seemed to be making quite a bit a progress all day. She passed gas several times today and had two BM’s. Additionally, her NG tube was clamped all day long — meaning they were not sucking out bile and gastric fluids — and she hadn’t suffered any nausea or other ill effects. They are doing another gastrografin study — introduced contrast inter stomach through the NG tube with exists to follow. X-rays today at 5:30pm and tomorrow at 8am.  Her main doctor for this visit, Dr. Poultsides, the surgeon who removed her spleen a few years ago, came by at 4:30...
11 comments
Read more

Slow Progress

Image
The news gets more positive — keep reading. 🙂 Kristi has had a rough few days to say the least; today isn’t any exception.  While there has been some slight improvement in her gut, the lack of nutrition (not eating) is burdensome. She is VERY weak and was somewhat delirious at times today.  While it seemed slightly comical at first, it is indicative of the stress her mind and body are experiencing. While she does seem to finally sleep a little, it’s only after some hours of misery.  Since Kristi hasn’t been able to eat or drink for several days, the doctors are starting (at 9:00PM) something called TPN, which stands for Total Parenteral Nutrition. It’s basically complete nutrition through an IV. Instead of going through her stomach and intestines, the nutrients go straight into her bloodstream through her port. Each bag is custom-made and contains everything she needs — fluids, calories, protein, fats, vitamins, and electrolytes — all carefully balanced and adjusted base...
13 comments
Read more

New digs!

Image
A better day calls for a more light-hearted tone… There are some positives to share tonight. Firstly, Kristi finally accumulated enough “Stanford Points” to get an upgraded to a Jr. Suite. Just kidding!  Her first room was in what seemed like the bowels of the old section of the hospital. For whatever reason, they moved her to a fifth floor room in the new section. She’s been here before, but instead of a nice view of the hills across the Bay, she has a western view of the coastal hills. It really is nice — too bad she’s not really in the mood to enjoy it.  Secondly, her blood sugar is back up to normal and being monitored. It was dangerously low yesterday and probably had been low for some time — remember, she hasn’t eaten since Friday. I first noticed Sunday morning when we went to the Reedley ER that she seemed a little dazed and confused — hindsight really is 20-20.  By mid-afternoon yesterday she was experiencing diabetic coma-like symptoms and behavior. Th...
10 comments
Read more

Watch and Wait

Kristi had some tests done today and had doctors visit to review what’s been happening and next steps. I wish I could report that she is resting comfortably … but she’s resting. The use of the nasogastric (NG) tube, which goes through the nose into the stomach to relieve pressure and suction out fluid buildup is not comfortable at all. But it is an important part of helping the bowel rest and possibly recover without surgery. The doctors reviewed the CT scan from Reedley Hospital and confirmed that it provides the information they need for now, so they’re holding off on another scan. Since Kristi’s vital signs and lab results are stable, the plan is to wait and see if the obstruction resolves on its own over the next couple of days. This approach—called conservative management—is standard when the bowel appears viable and there are no signs of infection or perforation — all good news. During this waiting period, Kristi will stay on IV fluids for hydration and electrolyte support, sin...
15 comments
Read more

A Hiccup We Wish Was Just the Hiccups

I brought Kristi to the Reedley ER after having ongoing vomiting and abdominal pain (both unusual for her) for the last 24 hours. A CT scan showed what appears to be a partial bowel obstruction. Because of her complex medical history and treatment background, and per our request, they decided it would be safest to transfer her to Stanford Hospital for specialized care.  We won’t leave Reedley until Stanford has a room ready and gives the green light   A bowel obstruction means that part of the intestine has become blocked, which prevents food and fluids from moving through normally. It can cause pain, nausea, and swelling. In Kristi’s case, it’s very possible that this is related to her recent surgery or scar tissue (called adhesions) from earlier abdominal procedures. These adhesions can sometimes form bands that cause the bowel to twist or narrow. At Stanford, the team will continue to monitor her closely and do further imaging to determine how severe the blockage is and w...
13 comments
Read more

Quick Surgery Update

Yesterday Kristi had four subcutaneous tumors removed at Stanford. It was an outpatient surgery done under general anesthesia. All went well and she was busy from 9:30am to 4:30pm. Surgery lasted 90 min. — she was in recovery a while shaking off the drugs.  Three of the tumors were on her scalp and one on her bicep. Although not as invasive as an abominable surgery, she’s going to be sore for a few days. Thank you all for your concern, well wishes, and prayers.  DJ went with us to help out. Unfortunately we don’t have pictures to prove it, but we had an amazing dinner together Sunday night at Dopio Zero in Mountain View. They have phenomenal Neapolitan style pizza among many other good things. 
8 comments
Read more

A Tough Week

Image
Kristi had a bit of a rough week this week. Monday when I got home from work and I walked in the house I immediately noticed that her face and lips were almost white. DJ was also there and had mentioned that she was looking pale. She also was feeling a little bit dizzy and hadn’t mentioned it until I got home. We immediately took her blood pressure and it registered 85/55 — way too low. After some consultation with the Stanford triage nurse via phone and then also getting in touch with Dr. Ganjoo, We decided to let her lay down and monitor her and only go to the emergency room if other symptoms developed.  They did not.  The reason for this low blood pressure is likely adrenal insufficiency, which unfortunately is caused by some of the medication that she has been taking. That means she gets to take more medication to counteract that and Dr. Ganjoo immediately prescribed yet another medicine that should get her blood pressure back up to a more correct level.  Unfortunatel...
15 comments
Read more

Ups and Downs are the Norm

Image
 Kristi had her most recent immunotherapy's injection last Friday, and this round has been a little tougher than usual -- we were told the side effects tend to build up with each new treatment. By Sunday, as we made our way home from the Bay Area, the fatigue and body aches had set in, and she’s spent the rest of this week in bed. The delayed side effects gave us one great day on Saturday, though—we were able to head over to San Jose (Los Gatos actually) for a Reedley College football game. We had a good time and enjoyed some INCREDIBLE food. You must try Limón if you are in the Bay Area. Reminder: Pazopanib (Votrient) is the major component of Kristi’s current treatment plan. Unlike traditional chemotherapy that directly attacks cancer cells, pazopanib works by blocking the tumor’s ability to grow new blood vessels. Without that supply of oxygen and nutrients, tumor growth can slow down. The tradeoff is the side effects that come with it—Kristi often experiences deep fatigue, musc...
8 comments
Read more

Counting Blessings — Always

Image
  This month brought another round of scans, and while some of the news is encouraging, I want to be straightforward: the results do show some progression of disease. The encouraging part is that the changes are happening more slowly again, and overall my doctors still consider my cancer to be largely stable under treatment. The PET-CT showed that many of my tumors have remained stable—what that actually means is that some grew a little and some actually shrank a little. Some showed more “activity,” while others showed less than before. Another piece of good news came from my recent blood work: my numbers were excellent and show that my organ function is strong all around. The brain MRI also brought us relief: there were no new tumors, and the areas treated last year continue to shrink little by little. Some of the changes the doctors see are thought to be the result of treatment and healing rather than new disease, which is reassuring. It’s never easy to hear that there is still p...
15 comments
Read more

Feeling Better Recently

I wanted to share a quick health update with you since our visit to the ER at Stanford last week. ER Visit & Headaches Last week, we ended up in the emergency room because of some intense headaches I’ve been dealing with—sharp, constant, and hard to manage. At times, they’ve come with nausea and light sensitivity, making it difficult to get through the day. The ER team was wonderful—they gave me fluids, medication, and my oncologist bumped up my dexamethasone dose. Thankfully, even though I still have mild headaches each day, they are very manageable. A few days before the ER visit, I stopped taking Cabometyx (part of the immunotherapy treatment). Since then, my headaches have improved noticeably. After discussing this with the oncologist, she is going to take me off Cabometyx for good and probably put me on something I was taking before.  ECG (electrocardiogram)  Results As part of my ER visit, I had an ECG. It showed some minor changes—low QRS voltage and nonspecific...
9 comments
Read more