Friday Afternoon Post 5/31/13

Lauren had a peaceful night and is still sedated and on pain meds plus all of her other meds. Mark and I got a good night's sleep at Bruce and Sis's house. Gio stayed all night with Wo and said he slept ok. Bruce is on call again. Sis was up early for a run and came to the hospital. Mark and I went to Denny's for breakfast and I had a crying fit. I have been so good for so long and then today has been very difficult for me. I think I scared our waiter away with my tears. He kept peeking around the corner before coming back to our table. Sis thought it would be beneficial for all of us to sit down with Lauren's ICU attending today to make sure we all understood what was going on. It was a very frank discussion. One that was very difficult to hear, but we must be prepared for anything. We wanted to be sure that Lauren is comfortable and the docs assured us that she is not in pain. She is being weaned off the nitric oxide which is a good thing and her vent settings are a little lower. She continues to need blood products which is not a good thing. This means her liver is not working very well. All we can do is hope and pray for a miracle. On a lighter note, Wo received cards from Jacqui and Bruno (Gio's brother and his fiancee'), and Bruce and Debbie (parents of Wo's friend, Christine). We got a very nice Edible Arrangement from Matt and Katie, (Wo's cousins). I am sure we will enjoy it very much. I wish Lauren was awake and could eat some. She loves canteloupe and pineapple. I feel bad for Wo's nurse. Lauren's filter on her dialysis machine gets clogged from time to time with clots and it just happened. They need to change the filter and she unhooked a hose and the pressure blew blood all over her cute t-shirt. Luckily she had another shirt in her bag and ran and changed it. I know I have said this a million times, but the doctors and nurses here are all so nice and treat all of us like family. They all care so much about Lauren and we are so grateful. We are also very grateful for all of you. Here are a couple pics from Wo's room. We have a wall for her cards and the cross is right by the entryway of her room. I will update later.

Love,
-Pam

Thursday Evening Update 5/30/13

Hi Everyone,

Fingers crossed for a good night!! So far, so good. Lauren has been sedated, paralyzed from moving, and is receiving too many drugs to even list. That might sound bad, but it is great she is stable and her lungs are having a chance to heal. She has been sleeping so peacefully, but I know it is from the sedation. They are removing fluid again at full speed. She is slowly going down on her vent settings and is also getting a breathing treatment throughout the day to help her lungs. Her nurse noticed she had some bleeding on her gums and thinks it is because her blood is not clotting. I forgot if I told you, but she had another bronchoscopy today and they suctioned a little more blood from her lungs. Not near as much as last night. I asked Gio and Mark to come back because I was afraid Lauren might get bad and I wanted them to be with her. They got to Bruce and Sis's around 4:30. Sis and I had gone to her house so I could get a shower and wash some clothes. My Mom and Dad stayed with Lauren. We stopped at Jersey Mike's and got some big subs for dinner. We took them to the hospital and ate in the waiting room for the SICU. Sis and Bruce left to go home and Mark and I might go there to sleep if I can tear myself away. Gio is sleeping in Lauren's room tonight and I figure we both don't need to. My Mom and Dad left for home this evening. It is so comforting when they are here and they like being here so they know what is going on. We got a few nice things in the mail today. Cards from Bruce and Jan, Dale, and Nicole and Rino. Nicole and rino are Gio's aunt and uncle. Their children, Milena, Luca, and Giustina made get well pictures for Lauren and we hung them on the wall for her to see when she wakes up. They are adorable. Gio's Mom sent Lauren a crucifix to put in the room. Gio hung it on a hook from the ceiling by the doorway. It is facing Lauren. Gio's "Nonni" (Grandma) sent a bottle of holy water from Lourdes, France and a medal from there as well. Gio just put some holy water  on Lauren. Thank you all for everything. We really appreciate your thoughtfulness. Until tomorrow...

Love,
-Pam

 

Beautiful Wo.

 

Thursday Morning Post 5/30/13

Poor Lauren had a really bad night. My Mom and Dad were with me and all of us and Sis and Bruce just finished eating outside on the hospital grounds. We had all been upstairs visiting in Lauren's room and Lauren was resting comfortably. They had started taking more fluid off her and we thought things were improving. Bruce and Sis left to go home after dinner. When we got back to the room, Lauren seemed to be breathing very labored and moving her head around a lot with her eyes open. I asked her nurse if she could give Lauren more pain meds, but she said she was already getting a constant drip of Fentanyl. I knew in my heart that something was wrong. She seemed to get worse after being laid flat and turning her. They do this every two hours to prevent bedsores. Her pulse oxygenation kept going down. They like it to be in the high 90's. 100 is the best. Hers was going into the 70's and no matter what the respiratory therapist did to bring it back up didn't work. We were all so scared. The fellow and resident on call called the attending at home and he was here so fast. Her xray that they took at night looked a lot worse than the one in the morning. They decided to do a bronchoscope on Lauren. She had a lot of old blood in her lungs that was causing them not to inflate. The docs suctioned it out and her pulse ox slowly climbed back up. She is on a ton of meds again today. Kristen and Bruce came in last night to check everything out and didn't leave until after 1:00 am. Kristen did go to work today, but her boss told her she would get her covered and she could have the day off. Poor Bruce still had to work, but should get off early today. My Mom and Dad were here that late too and came back this morning. I don't know what I would do without my family. Please pray really hard for a miracle. I called Mark and Gio and told them they might want to come up because her condition changes minute by minute. They are coming up later today. I will update as things change.

Love,
-Pam

Tuesday Evening Update 5/28/13

Hi! No, I didn't forget about all of you. My Mom and Dad came to visit today and are staying until Thursday!!! I am so happy to have them here with us and I know Lauren loves it!!She had her eyes open tonight and seemed to look at us more than right through us as she has done before. Still not moving her arms or legs yet. She is resting quite comfortably right now under this thing called a bair hugger (implying that it means bear hugger.) It is a plastic blanket that has a hose connected to it. It blows up and circulates warm air around Lauren to keep her warm. She didn't have it on for a short while today and got cold with goosebumps. She has a hard time staying warm because the dialysis is removing her blood and pumping it back through which cools down and makes her cold. Lauren is usually hot blooded and always hot, so it is quite weird to see her under a hot blanket and covered with blankets! It makes her room really warm too, so we are all a little warm. Kristen stopped off after work for a visit and ate dinner with us. Bruce was on call again.We got some nice cards today from our neighbors, Ron, Dee Dee, Haylie, and Colton and from Jennifer (the daughter of a wonderful lady I met through Facebook and cc.org that also has Cholangiocarcinoma named Patty). The McCaskey's have got to be some of the nicest people we have ever met and their son Colton has been mowing our lawn while we are away. Thank you for the card and the generous gift. Jennifer wrote such a heartfelt message to us that was so sweet. I see she takes after her awesome Mom! Our friends, Debbie, Jim and Jill sent Lauren a beautiful floral arrangement. We keep telling Lauren to wake up so she can see her flowers. Thanks for being such great friends. Lauren had a rough night last night. She had six units of blood and many units of platelets and plasma. Her hemoglobin and hematocrit went low and the docs were worried she was bleeding. They could find no signs of bleeding and thought it might be weeping from inside. She is better today. She had a bedside abdominal ultrasound today and Dr. Sonnenday said that it looked like everything was ok. That was a relief. He i such a kind man. He always comes into the room and asks how all of us are doing and asks me if I am getting enough rest. You can tell that he cares so much about people and his patients. Well, I am going to go dig out a fan because I feel like I am sitting in the tropics while Lauren is snug under her bair hugger. Take care and pray that she wakes up tomorrow.

Love,
-Pam

Our family three weeks ago. Can't wait until we can see Lauren awake and having fun again.

Monday Evening Update 5/27/13

Well, this has been a very eventful day!! Since my earlier post, Lauren started opening her eyes more and was blinking and moving her eyes from side to side. She was also moving her head around a lot. She even stuck her tongue out a little when Kristen asked her to.No arm or leg movement yet. She started breathing a lot faster too. They did a chest x ray and laid her flat and she really doesn't like that. Her blood pressure and pulse ox fell a bit. They gave her propofal to sedate her and fentanyl for pain. Respiratory was in a lot changing her vent settings too. She has gotten some blood products today. Her nurse just told me that she had a drop in her hematocrit, so she will be receiving some blood. Her glucose level is down too so they are giving her something to bring that back up. She seems to be resting comfortably now. She is probably exhausted from everything that happened today. We are hopeful and tomorrow is a new day. Please continue to keep our girl in your prayers. She is such a fighter. Mark and Gio left for home late afternoon. Sis and Bruce came back for a little while and brought me a Panera salad for dinner. So it is just us two here tonight. My Mom and Dad will be coming back tomorrow and stay until Wed. We are so lucky to have such a great family. That is about it for now. I will talk to you all tomorrow.

Love,
-Pam

Monday Afternoon Update 5/27/13

Hi Everyone,

Sorry I didn't update last night, but a lot was going on in Lauren's room and we didn't leave to go sleep until 12:15am. Her white blood count keeps rising so the doctors are concerned about infection. Everything they have cultured so far is negative. She was put on some strong antibiotics. They were suspicious of the big line in her groin that was hooked up to her dialysis and wanted to take it out. Last night they decided to put another dialysis catheter in her neck. Well, nothing ever goes as planned and Lauren does not like to be laid flat even when she is unconscious!! Her blood pressure took a dive and all hell broke loose. They had to give her meds to bring her blood pressure back up, disconnect her dialysis, etc, etc. They finally got the catheter in and hooked up the dialysis. She was looking more stable when we left. Gio took the night shift and said he didn't fall asleep at all until about 4:30. Sis and Bruce were up and to the hospital early this morning to visit. When I got to Sis's last night I sat on the couch and inhaled a bag of popcorn. I think I was stress eating. I was watching Duck Dynasty and fell asleep until about 3:30 and went to bed. Mark woke me up at 9 and had made breakfast. We got ready and went back to the hospital. Lauren's incision site keeps leaking fluid and the docs have been putting a stitch in here and there. Today, they decided to stitch up the whole thing. I think they had it glued before, but it just wasn't holding. They also decided to do a bronchoscope where they put a scope down Lauren's throat and look at her lungs and can also collect fluid to culture. They did it and we got to watch. It was fascinating to see Lauren's lungs on the inside. They looked pretty good so that was a relief. Lauren seems to be doing the best in terms of opening her eyes today. She is blinking now and moving her eyes more. She doesn't just give a blank stare. She is sad to look at because most of the white part of her eye is yellow from jaundice or pure red where her blood vessels have burst from fluid pressure. Poor girl has been through so much. There is no way she will even begin to believe everything she has been through when we tell her when she wakes up. Mark and Gio have to leave for home today. I know it is so difficult for them to leave Lauren, but they have to work so we can afford to give her good care. That is about it for today. Mark, as usual, is standing by Lauren's bed reading her a magazine and telling her stories. He is so good with her and loves to talk!! If anything new happens, I will let you know. Thanks for continuing to care about Lauren.

Love,
-Pam

Mark and Wozer Girl (Lauren)

Sunday Morning Update

Lauren has had her eyes open most of the morning. Amet, her transplant fellow, was by and talked to her in a super loud voice. She opened her eyes and kind of turned her head toward him. He liked seeing that. The site where her vein was taken out of her leg didn't look too great so they got an ultrasound to make sure there wasn't a blood clot. There was not, so that is good! Her blood pressure is a little low right now, but nothing like before. Her incision is leaking again, so at this moment there are two doctors in here putting in yet another stitch or two to keep it from leaking fluid. The sun is shining and it is beautiful outside. We feel like it will be a good day. today is her nurse, Kim's birthday. She is so awesome!!! We love her. Dawn, if you are reading this, she reminds me so much of you. She has a little strut to her walk and she is really funny. Bruce is at home sleeping because he worked all night. Mark came early and we ate breakfast together. Gio and Kristen are on their way!! Maybe we can go outside and enjoy the sunshine today for a little while. I will update this evening. Thanks for your support.

Love,
-Pam and the rest of the family

Saturday Evening Post

Hi Everyone,

Lauren is doing ok. She has been very sleepy today. Gio stayed with her last night and he said she had her eyes open most of the night. She continues to get off more meds. We just wish she would wake up but her liver is having a hard time getting started. She needs it to be working well so that it can metabolize all the anesthesia in her system. Then she will wake up. She is still on the dialysis and they turned it up so that it is taking more fluid off. She got the large IV line taken out of her neck today. I'm sure it feels so much better with it out. They were concerned it could lead to infection if left in longer. Her white count is up a little so they have her back on Cipro. She got her hair washed again today with a little shower cap thing that has water and soap in it. It is microwaved and put on her head. The soap is a kind that doesn't need rinsed. She seems to be quite comfy in her new bed that she got last night. I'm not real sure why she needed a new bed, but it does seem wider and her arms can lay at her side a little better. I think I felt worse getting more sleep at Kristen's house. I was exhausted all day and fell asleep every time I sat down today. I made Gio go to Sis's tonight because I don't think he sleeps when he stays with Wo. Sis was here early this morning. Bruce is on call all day and night. Mark and I got to the hospital at around 10 this morning. Sis left to go study for a while and go to the grocery store. Poor kid is really tired too. She brought Jersey Mike subs for dinner. They were delicious. I am about ready for a snooze so I will update tomorrow. I hope I have good news for all of you.

Love,
-Pam

Friday Night Update

Hi Everyone,

I finally broke down and went to Kristen and Bruce's to sleep. I have spent every night in the hospital with Lauren since May 15th. I was kind of forced to come here, but I know it is for my own good. Wo is in good hands with Gio watching her. Dr. Sonnenday was pleased with her progress today. They have reduced most of her meds and her vent was running at only 30% most of the day. She continued to open her eyes a lot today. She kind of stares off in the distance, but she opens her eyes when you talk to her. They gave her a new, bigger, comfier bed right before we left tonight. She has more room to be moved around in it. Poor girl has gained 70 pounds of fluid. She must be so uncomfortable. I learned today that she received 80 units of blood the other day when she crashed. She started moving her right shoulder right before we left this evening. I hope these are all good signs. Now we just need that liver to begin functioning like it should. She is still not out of the woods, but seems to make tiny strides each day. It broke our hearts to see her with her eyes open. She looked like she wanted us to help her, but we are helpless. We talk to her a lot and tell her everything will be ok and we love her. That's about it for today. I can think of a few more things, but I will tell you tomorrow because I am too tired. Love to all...

-Pam

Friday Morning Update

Hi Everyone,

I feel like it is going to be a good day. Lauren has opened her eyes a lot this morning and kept them open!!! Satish has a few days off so the doctor that comes around to see her is named Amet. It's not just him though. Even though she didn't have a transplant, she is on the transplant team service because Dr. Sonnenday is a transplant surgeon.. They come around a few times a day to check on her. There are usually 5-15 docs that travel in a large pack. He said that he sees signs of improvement. I just feel it is a positive day. It just seems like one thing improves and another thing gets worse, but we are all holding it together. She had a huge leakage of fluid today from her incision site because she is very puffy. It was everywhere. So the nurses cleaned her up and rigged up a bag over the part that was leaking to drain into her catheter bag. They are so wonderful. I can't say enough great things about them and how hard they work to help Wo. I will update again tonight. I am leaving you with a pic of Lauren's IVs and dialysis machine so you can see how much stuff she is hooked up to. It is crazy what they are able to do. Thanks for all your nice comments and prayers. They are helping all of us so much. Oh, I almost forgot, but some of you have been asking where you can send cards. Here is Lauren's address at the hospital. I'm sure she would also love to see pictures drawn from any of you that have young children hanging up when she wakes up. Thanks so much.

-Pam

Lauren Kunklier
University of Michigan Hospital
1500 E. Medical Center Drive
SICU 5-D
Ann Arbor, Michigan
48109

Thursday Evening Update

Hi Everyone,

I wish I could tell you something different, but Lauren is still sleeping. My Mom, Dad, and sister came to visit yesterday and today. My Mom and Dad went to dinner with Sis and Bruce and stayed overnight with them. Linda, Lauren, and I had a slumber party in her room. Linda and I slept in recliner chairs and Wo was in her nice, comfy, warm bed. It is super warm because she has what is called a bear hugger laying over her. It is an inflatable blanket that has a fan running through it with warm air. Her body temp is rather cold because all of her blood is filtering through the dialysis machine. We all feel like we are sitting in a sauna. Linda tried her hardest to get Lauren to wake up with her loud voice, but it didn't work. We all take turns talking to her to try and get a response. She does grimace and frown when she gets her mouth cleaned or her vent suctioned. They also reposition her every two hours so she doesn't get sores. They have a cloth under her called a lift sheet. It has straps that they hook to metal things coming from the ceiling. It lifts her off the bed and she hangs like she is in giant sling while they pull pillows out from under her and place them in different spots. They can also pull her up higher in the bed because she tends to slide down. She opens her eyes often when she is lifted off the bed. Just like with her previous surgery, she is very swollen. They are now running the dialysis so that it is taking more liquid off her than they are putting in, so hopefully some of her swelling will go down. They have to watch her so closely because if they take off too much fluid her blood pressure can drop. She is still getting blood products to help with her platelets and clotting factors. It is so complicated with all the stuff they are doing and what can go wrong. I am trying to stay strong for her and remain positive. We all are. It doesn't help one bit to fall apart and be crying all the time. We all try to laugh and keep a positive attitude around Lauren and let her know how much we love her. We want her to come back to us so much. I am here in the room by myself with her tonight. Her nurse is never far away. She still has her own nurse every day. We saw Dr. Sonnenday today and he said that today was not a great day. She didn't get worse, but she didn't get better either. Mark thinks she will wake up tomorrow. I sure hope he is right. Mark and Gio will be coming back for the weekend tomorrow. I know it about kills them both to be so far away from Lauren. I told Wo she better wake up so she doesn't have to listen to Mark read the newspaper to her again!! Please continue to pray for our sweet girl. We miss her voice and beautiful smile so much.

We can't wait to see that beautiful smile again.

Wednesday Evening Update

Lauren is still asleep. She had a head CT today and it came back negative, so that is good. We are talking to her a lot and trying to get her to wake up. Her numbers are getting better and she is holding her own. I'm sorry, but I am tired. I will try to write more tomorrow.

Tuesday Update

Lauren has been doing fairly well today. We are still waiting for her to become more responsive. She does open her eyes when the nurses turn her. Mark stayed overnight at Bruce and Kristen's and Gio and I slept in the room with her. When Mark came in this morning, Gio and I went down to the cafeteria for breakfast and brought something back for Mark. Bruce and Kristen both came to see her this morning. Bruce had been on-call all night and went home to sleep. Kristen was working in the pre-op holding area today which is in the same building as Wo is. Mark stayed with Lauren while Gio and I went to Bruce and Sis's house to get showers and rest a bit. While we were gone, he showed her some YouTube videos and read all your nice comments to her. When we came back, Sis was already here because she was done with work. She said Dr. Sonnenday and Satish stopped by and thought Lauren was doing well. Mark and Gio left to go home and work for a few days before coming back up. I know that will be so hard for them to be away from Wo, but life has to go on. I think it will be good for them to focus on other things, too. Kristen is sitting next to me in a recliner taking a nap and Lauren is still taking the longest nap ever!!! I wish she would wake up!! They started feeding her through a tube in her nose. If she doesn't digest it, they might have to put a tube in her intestines to give her nourishment. Poor kid hasn't eaten since last Tuesday, so I bet she is starving. We keep telling her to hurry and get better so she can eat pizza. She is still on the ventilator, IVs, and dialysis. My Mom, Dad, and sister are coming to visit and stay a few days. It's nice that I don't have to be alone. Someone is always around. That is about it for now. I will post tonight if anything new happens. If not, it will be tomorrow. Thank you for all the support.

Love,
-Pam

Mon. Afternoon Update

Lauren is back from her trip to the OR. They took the packing out of her, washed her out, checked her liver and all the repairs, and then closed her up. It took a lot of doctors to take her down and bring her back up to the SICU. I think she is priority #1 around this place. She has her own nurse and sometimes two that only take care of her and boy, do they run their butts off!!! They are so amazing. Her nurse today is very happy with her progress since returning from the OR. They have shut off her sedation, so she might wake up. She has had so much that it will take time. Her nurse cleans her mouth with this toothbrush suction thing and Lauren opened her mouth when she asked her to. So, she is hearing us. Lauren still has all of her IVs and is still on continuous dialysis. We want to jump up and down that she is stable, but are scared to be too optimistic. So, we are cautiously optimistic. Please keep praying that Lauren comes back to us and makes a full recovery. Thank you.

Monday Morning

Lauren did well overnight. The liver team was around this morning and Satish (pronounced Sa teesh), the liver fellow and the one that assists Dr. Sonnenday in Lauren's surgeries, said her numbers were improving and that she would go to surgery this morning at around 11. Please pray that things continue to improve. Thanks. I will update after surgery.

-Pam

We Are All Having A Hard Time

The stress of all this can sometimes be unbearable. I think all of us have had a breakdown at one time or another today. I think we are all just so tired. Ryan and Stephanie went home today. Gio and Mark are still here. Dr. Sonnenday told us that some of Lauren's tests are looking a little better. He is planning on taking Wo back to the OR tomorrow to check things out and close her back up. He thought it would be too traumatic for her today. They encourage us to talk to Lauren even though she is sedated and on a ventilator. I think she has 12 IVs running and her dialysis. She is still very sick and if she makes it through this will be recovering in the hospital for a long time. Sis and Bruce have been so helpful in explaining things to us, but it is so hard for them knowing all they do. With all the equipment in Lauren's room, the poor nurses were always bumping into us or vice versa. I don't know what doctor decided Lauren needed a larger room, but they moved her to a huge room that can handle all of her machines plus two chairs and two recliners!!! This way Gio can stay all night with her too. We can all sit back with her and include her in everything, even though she is asleep. Mark read the paper to her today!! He is so good with her. He wipes her face and eyes with soft cloths and talks to her all the time. When the nurses reposition her so she doesn't get bed sores, she opens her eyes. It doesn't look like she is looking at you or anything, but kind of makes her seem more like herself. I guess she can hear us, but once she is woken up, will not remember a thing. I am more tired than I have ever been, so I will leave you for now. I will update after her surgery tomorrow. Thanks for the prayers.

Love,
-Pam

Another Update

Sorry for leaving you all in the air. Lauren is still very sick, but better than yesterday. After her surgery yesterday morning, Dr. S. hoped everything would be ok. He took a vein from Lauren's leg and rebuilt her hepatic artery. She went back to the SICU and was on a ventilator and sedated. At around 5:30 in the early evening, her blood pressure crashed and they thought she was bleeding. They didn't think she would make it to the OR, so luckily Dr. Sonnenday was close by with about 30 other doctors and nurses that sprang into action. They opened her up right in the SICU and repaired an arterial stump that had come loose. They were successful, but we were all sitting at the nurse's station right outside the room watching. I know we were all traumatized and what they show on tv is nothing compared to the feelings you feel when it is your loved one. Even Kristen, who sees trauma all the time, was very upset because it was her sister. Lauren is more stable today, but still very sick. She is on a ventilator and sedated and is also on dialysis to help rid her body of acids. They left her abdomen opened, but packed it and covered it in case of other problems. They will take her to the OR and close her up once she is more stable. The doctors and nurses here are unbelieveable. I hope this helps a little and I'm sorry for not posting sooner.

Love,
-Pam

Lauren Back To The OR

Lauren had to go back to the OR early this morning. The doctors had been watching her labs and were concerned with some. They wanted to check her liver and were thinking it may be a blood flow problem that they could repair. She is stable, but we haven't heard anything else yet. I will update when I know more. Thank you in advance for your prayers.

Love,
-Pam

Lauren's Surgery Update

Hi Everyone,

Just a note to let you know that Lauren made it through surgery and is in the ICU. She is doing great. I will let you know the full story when I am feeling up to it. I am drained from all of this. Thank you so much for your support. Love you all.

-Pam

Fun Times!

Hi Everyone,

We had the best time at our nephew, Matt, and new niece, Katie's wedding this past weekend. These are the family times that stay in your mind forever. To all be together in one place was such a gift. Congratulations to Matt and Katie!!

The rehearsal dinner was Friday night and Kristen and Bruce had a hotel room for Friday and Saturday nights. They asked Lauren and Gio to come down and stay with them. Linda told them that since they were all going to be there to come to the rehearsal dinner, so they did!! Lauren and Gio left our house around 6 and got to the dinner just in time. Mark, Ryan, Stephanie, and myself all left at around 11 the next morning.

The four of us arrived at Linda and Wayne's house around 1:30 and I had lots of fun helping Linda, my Mom, and Florence (Linda's mother-in-law) get ready. They all looked so beautiful. We had fun taking pics in the back yard.

The wedding was at a country club in Delaware, Ohio. We arrived to a flurry of activity as Katie's family and bridesmaids were putting the finishing touches on the place. We went over to the bar area where all the other guests started arriving. It was great to see our relatives, (Aunts Shirley and Geann, Uncle Paul, and cousin Nancy), and family friends, (Danny and Ann Kirven). There was a shuttle from the hotel and we finally met up with Wo, Gio, Sis, and Bruce. They all looked so nice. The wedding was outside and it was very windy, but it was so beautiful. Matt and Katie looked so happy!!

There was a cocktail hour after the wedding. We were all really hungry so it was much appreciated. Cheese, crackers, veggies, and dip really hit the spot. The drinks were huge!! My Mom had a long island that was as big as she was!! I don't drink much, but I was adventurous that day and had a few different things.

We had a wonderful dinner of chicken marsala, beef tenderloin, roasted potatoes, vegetable medley, salad, and rolls. Mark and I were at a table with Linda and Wayne, my Mom and Dad, Florence, and Wayne's brother and his girfriend. The kids all sat together and had Linda and Wayne's niece and her husband with them.

After the speeches which made us all cry, (especially my nephew, Michael's to his big brother), cutting of the cake (Matt smashed it in Katie's face), and special dances, (Stephanie caught the bridal bouquet), it was time to boogie down. We had a ball dancing and being silly. Lauren danced a lot but then ran out of steam. She had a lot of pressure in her tummy area and her feet swelled. She sat and watched everyone else make fools of themselves, but still had a great time.

We are all big fans of cake and their cake was the bomb. Red velvet, chocolate, and white. It was so good and had the best frosting. I think all our guys had about ten pieces each!! Every time I looked at Bruce or Mark, they were eating cake!!

When the evening was over, everyone said their goodbyes. Mark, Ryan, Steph and I headed for home and the rest took the shuttle to the hotel. Wo said the party continued there and Linda and Wayne ordered pizza for everyone. I'm so happy that Lauren got to go to this wedding and her doctor was so accomodating in scheduling her next surgery around it.

Next Wed. is sneaking up quickly. Wo is very anxious to get things taken care of and get on with her wedding planning. My Mom, Dad, and Linda will be there for her surgery again. They have no idea how much their support means to us. Love you guys!!! I am going to post some pics from the lovely wedding weekend. Thank you all for your neverending support. It means the world to us. I will keep you updated next week.

Love,
-Pam


Wo and Gio before leaving for Delaware, Ohio for the rehearsal dinner.

Sis, Papa Ron, and Grandma Tommie at the rehearsal dinner.

The ladies at Linda and Wayne's house. Sis and Wo were at the hotel.

Matt and Katie getting married.

The happy couple cutting their cake. Matt had a groom's cake shaped like a letter O for Ohio state and a little OSU gnome.

 

Uncle Wayne and Aunt Linda lookin' good!!!

 

Wo and Gio having fun.

Grandma Tommie looking so pretty with her gigantic drink!!

Brucie loves his cake!!

The kids having fun together!

Our beautiful family. Love them all more than anything!!



 

 

Second Surgery Date Set.

Hi Everyone,

We went to Michigan on Sunday for Lauren's MRI. It was at a different facility rather than the hospital. We really liked it there and might request that site from now on! It was in East Ann Arbor and not crowded at all since it was on Sunday. Kristen was on-call on Sunday so we only got to see Bruce after the scans. Lauren and I went to Chili's after the scan and also went to DSW and found cute sandals to wear to Matt and Katie's wedding on Saturday.

Lauren had an appointment to see Dr. Sonnenday on Monday at the hospital. Kristen got to sleep while on-call the night before, so she got to come with us!! Lauren had labs and the nurse accessed her port, no problem. The day before, the nurse at the MRI could not get the port accessed and had to find a vein in her arm. I swear, I wish we could take one of the nurses at the cancer center with us to all Lauren's appointments. They are the only ones that have success accessing her port! We then went upstairs to Dr. Sonnenday's waiting area. We got called back fairly quick. Lauren was having a lot of pain in her belly and had to keep standing up because it hurt to sit. Dr. S came in and said her bloodwork was great. Her liver functions were all normal and she could discontinue the Lasix, potassium, and Lovenox. He said her liver hadn't grown as much as he had hoped, but it had filled in where the tumors had been removed and the right side that will be removed had gotten smaller. He said her surgery was scheduled for May 15th, which just so happens to be my birthday!!! He said he could try and change the date if we wanted and I said absolutely not. That will be the best present to have Lauren tumor free!! He looked at her incision and even though the top part is kind of open and oozy, said it looked good. He was happy about her 31 pound weight loss. Lauren gets a lot of cramping when she eats or drinks and she asked him about that. He said that she isn't digesting her food as well as she used to. Her stomach is holding her food longer and that is why she isn't hungry. He also said something about the duodenum, but neither of us can remember. Anyway, he said that is a common problem after abdominal surgery and it will go away over time. Dr. Zalupski popped in to say hello for a few minutes. It was nice to see him. Lauren signed all the consent forms for the surgery and was told what to expect on surgery day. Dr. S said that he will remove the right side of her liver, possible vena cava reconstruction, and also remove more lymph nodes. The vena cava reconstruction is what makes me nervous, but we totally trust Dr. S. He is the absolute best and will do everything possible to help Lauren.

We asked Dr. S if we could have pictures of the part of the liver he removes and of the tumor. He said yes! He said to tell the nurses before the surgery so they can remind him because he tends to totally focus on the surgery at hand without distractions. That is great to know!! He told Lauren that she needs to get labs done near home on the 10th to make sure everything is still good with her insides. That saves us a trip from driving all the way to Michigan.

After her appointment, we met my Mom and Dad in the cafeteria because my Dad had an appointment with a cardiac surgeon. He has had a heart murmur and was probably born with it. There is a piece that is flapping in his heart and he was told he might need surgery to repair it. We ate lunch and went to sit with them before the appointment. Kristen went in with them since she had worked with the surgeon in the OR many times. Well, it ends up he will need surgery and is scheduled for the early part of July. He is in excellent shape and no way acts like he is 81. The doctor said he will feel even better after the surgery. He can already run circles around me. I can't even imagine what he will be like after surgery!! When you are saying your prayers, please include him. Thanks.

We are so excited for this weekend!! My nephew, Matt, and soon-to-be niece, Katie are getting married this Saturday in Delaware, Ohio. We have a super small family. This is my one out of two nephews. I only have one sister! So this is a big deal to us!! Congratulations, Matt and Katie!!!

Well, I am sure May 15th will come around sooner than we think. I will try to post again before then. Thanks so much for caring.

Love,
Pam

Matt, Katie, Linda, Wayne, and Michael. My sister and her family.



Sis and Wo after wedding dress shopping before Lauren's first surgery.