Just A Little Message

Hi Everyone,

The big surgery day for Lauren was yesterday. The surgery went great and hopefully the second surgery will be a week from Friday!! Wow, I can't believe poor Lauren has to go through all this again!! She is doing well, but it is very difficult and painful. Hopefully, she will feel better each day. I will write a detailed account of everything in a few days, but right now my attention is on Lauren. Thank you for all of your prayers.

Love,
-Pam

Scans and Getting Ready

Hi Everyone,

One week from today is the big day we thought we would never see!! Lauren will be having surgery.We will be going to Michigan next Monday because we figure Lauren will need to be at the hospital bright and early Tuesday. We will have lots of people there for support. Ryan will be staying home to watch the house and dogs. He will probably come up on a day when Mark is at home. Plus, he has to work. Mark and Gio will be there Mon. night, Tuesday, and will leave sometime Wednesday to go home. Bruce and Sis will be off that day and my Mom and Dad and sister, Linda are also coming up for the day. It depends on which way Dr. Sonnenday decides to do the surgery as to how long Lauren will be in the hospital. It is all up to him and God as to how things go. We are all getting a little anxious, but feel so blessed to have such an amazing surgeon operating on Wo.

Lauren and I went to Michigan yesterday for another CT scan. Dr. S wanted a quick peek at everything before the big day. Hopefully, tumors have not grown, but it is possible since Lauren hasn't had chemo for quite some time. We got to go to dinner with Bruce and Sis before we left which was quite an unexpected treat. Lauren got to ask them all about what goes on before surgery. We got home last night around 8:30. We were very tired from the long drive.

Lauren is doing great on her workouts and eating right. She lost another 2 pounds!! I went to the doctor today and have lost 20 pounds since being there in Sept. He was very happy.

Lauren had a big birthday party this past weekend. She and all her and Gio's friends went to dinner at El Rincon and then back to Gio's house for fun and games. She was very touched at all the nice gifts she received and she and Gio received for their engagement too. She came home all excited and told us all about everything. She took a lot of pics, but she wants to post them on Facebook before I am allowed to post any of them.

Sis is coming home this weekend so we can go dress shopping for Lauren's wedding dress. My Mom might also go. We wanted to keep the amount of people to a minimum because we have seen too many Say Yes To The Dress episodes where there are a bunch of people there and it gets too stressful and chaotic. That's the last thing we want for Wo.

That is about it for now. I would like to ask you all for a huge favor. Will you please pray for everything to go well for Lauren and for her to be ok. Also pray for Dr. Sonnenday and his team to do their best and to be able to help Lauren. Thank you all so much. Kristen and I will do our best to keep you updated here or on Facebook.

Praying for a miracle,
-Pam

I probably posted this pic before, but I love it. Mark and Ryan showed their support when Wo lost her hair from chemo by shaving their heads. I love my family!



Birthdays and Consultations

Hi Everyone!!

It seems like forever since my last post. I am happy you are all still following right along!! Two big things happened this past week. Lauren and Mark had birthdays and we went to Michigan to meet with Dr. Sonnenday, Lauren's surgeon.

Lauren is still doing terrific on her healthy lifestyle. She is eating right and exercising every day. On Thursday, we started increasing our time on the bike and treadmill to 60 minutes from 30. If this doesn't burn fat, I don't know what will!! All I can say is my butt is getting really sore from riding that bike for an hour!! Lauren just walks and walks until her time is up. We are running out of Sex and the City dvds, so we are going to have to move on to something else. We have tons of movies, but we like little half hour shows to keep our attention.

Mark, Lauren, and I went to Michigan on Tuesday for a consult with Dr. Sonnenday. Lauren got a port flush before we went to see him. We saw him, Lauren's nutritionist, Patti, and two of Dr.Sonnenday's nurses. One might have been a PA. Dr. S was his usual dynamic self. He said that he has been thinking a lot and might try a different approach to Lauren's surgery. This procedure is used in South America, but only tried about 50 times in the US. This would be the first time at Michigan. Basically, the larger of the two surgeries would be done first with splitting the liver in two, waiting 7-10 days and then removing the diseased side with the large tumor. I think he said he would take out the smaller tumors on the first surgery too. Lauren would stay in the hospital the whole time in between surgeries. He thinks that this might be advantageous to Lauren because the two surgeries would be closer together, thus giving the tumors less time to grow since she has been off chemo so long. He will have to decide the day of surgery after he looks around and sees how much reconstruction of veins or arteries she might need. This is a very huge, dangerous surgery, so please pray as much as you can for Lauren. We have every confidence in Dr. Sonnenday and trust him completely. Dr. S and Patti were very pleased with Lauren's weight loss and fitness. Patti told us all about post surgery and how the body needs lots of protein to heal. She also said that many people lose their appetites after surgery, so make sure to eat protein first and then everything else or drink protein replacement drinks like Boost. Next a nurse or PA came in and had Lauren sign all sorts of papers stating she understood what surgery she was having, that she might need transfusions, and that Dr. S would be doing the surgery. A bunch of other stuff too. Then a nurse came in and told Lauren all about arriving for surgery, what happens, and post surgery. Very informative. Dr. Sonnenday wanted to get another CT before surgery, so we are going back Monday March 18th for that. It's creeping up on us very quickly.

Wednesday was Mark and Lauren's birthday. Lauren, Gio, Mark, myself, Ryan and Stephanie went to Rockne's for dinner. We all had a great time and went back to our house for cake and presents. Mark had white cake with white frosting and Wo had chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. We also had angel food cake with strawberries and light whipped cream. They both got lots of nice things and were happy.

 I started writing this post on Sat. and finally finished it today (Mon.) Lauren and I are going to Delaware, Ohio tomorrow to go shopping with my sister, Linda. My Mom is coming down too. We are going to help Linda look for a dress for my nephew, Matt and soon-to-be niece, Katie's wedding in May. Katie might come too. I think we will have so much fun. My sister is a riot to be around and we always laugh and have a great time.

Thank you for all of your support and prayers. We appreciate all of you so much. Here are some pictures from Mark and Lauren's birthday. Until next time....

Love, -Pam

Wo and Gio at Rocknes.

Mark and I at Rocknes.

The birthday girl and boy!

Opening cards and presents.

 

 

Fancy slippers!!

 

 

Ryan and his crazy hair. I love Stephanie in the background!!

 

 

Wo and sweet, little Peanut!!

 

Plugging Right Along

Hi Everyone,

Does everyone else wish for spring as much as we do? We are getting so tired of dreary, dark Ohio days. Can't wait for some sunshine!! Lauren is doing great with getting in shape! She is still eating right and exercising every day. She has lost 12 pounds so far and we will weigh again tomorrow. Her nutritionist is very happy with her progress.

Next week will be a busy one. We go to Michigan on Tuesday for a pre surgery consultation with Dr. Sonnenday, Laurens surgeon. I'm sure we will see the nutritionist, Patti, as well. It is also Lauren and Mark's birthday on Wed. March 6th!! Lauren will be 27 and Mark will be 54. Mark always says Wo was his best birthday present ever. I still find it crazy that these two were born on the same day!!

I have found a wonderful website with great recipes thanks to a friend from the cc.org website. It is called skinnytaste. I have made broccoli cheese stuffed chicken and turkey stuffed peppers from this site. The stuffed peppers were so good that I might make them again tonight. I keep thinking about them. Lauren wouldn't eat them, but Gio and Mark loved them too. Miss Picky usually eats a turkey sub from Subway if she doesn't like what we are having.

I know this is a very short post for me, but seriously I have nothing more to say. I will leave you with a few photos and update next week. Thank you for supporting Lauren on this journey. We love you all.

-Pam

This was us back in 1987 before Ryan was born. Just call us the little pink family. Haha. It's kind of blurry because it is a pic of a pic.

Pretty Wo.


 

Lauren and Ryan at a seafood buffet in Myrtle Beach. I don't remember the year, but it is probably around 2005. Ryan looks so young!

This is an oldie but goodie! Standing is Mark, me, Linda and Wayne. Sitting on the couch is Matt, my Mom, my Dad, and Lauren. Sitting in the front is Ryan, Kristen, and Michael.

Date For First Surgery

Hi Everyone,

Lauren got a call last week from Dr. Sonnenday's nurse and the surgery date for her first surgery is March 26th. This will be the surgery where he looks around laparascopically to make sure there are no tumors on other organs. If there are none, he will make an incision and cut out the tumors in her left side and cut off the blood supply to the right side of her liver. She is ready!!

We are so proud of Wo. She has been doing great on her "healthy lifestyle" change. She walks on the treadmill every day. I ride the exercise bike next to her and we watch dvds of Sex and the City. We started out for 15 min. the first week and now are on 20 min. It might not sound like a long time, but when you are doing it it seems like an eternity. We want to get up to 30-40 minutes each day. She is doing really well with the eating part too. She is reading labels and making smart decisions. She lost 8 pounds last week!! Her nutritionist gave her a pedometer to use and we are so surprised at how many steps she takes a day. Patti was nice enough to send me one in the mail and I love it.

There hasn't been much going on lately around here. Lauren and Gio had a wrestling party on Sunday. No, they don't wrestle!! They watch pay-per-view wrestling with their friends. We went to breakfast on Monday with our gal pals Debbie, Jill, Debbie, Chyrel, and Dawn. Always a fun time. Lauren is going out with Jill tonight for shopping and dinner. We are getting anxious for spring so we can go outside more. The treadmill started acting up yesterday, so we walked outside and it was so cold. The wind blew right through us. Mark came home yesterday and fixed it. It is pretty old and has seen a lot of miles. Mark's day off is today and he and Lauren went shopping. They wanted me to go but I took a pass because of my unlove for shopping.

I would like to wish my brother-in-law, Wayne, a Happy Birthday today!!! He is also a cancer survivor and all around great guy. We love you very much, Wayne! Thanks for continuing to support Lauren and pray she is able to have the surgeries. I will leave you with a few pics of Lauren and Gio being silly on their Mexico vacation. Until next time...

Love, -Pam

Down To The Nitty Gritty

Hi Everyone. We just arrived home from Michigan after a 3-day stay. Lauren had labs, saw Dr. Zalupski, her oncologist, and met with Dr. Sonnenday, her surgeon, and a nutritionist named Patti.The plan for surgery is set and in motion. No exact dates yet, but we should find that out on her next appointment which is March 5, the day before Lauren and Mark's birthday!!

We saw Dr. Zalupski for the last time for awhile on Wed. He has turned Lauren's care over to her surgeon, Dr. Sonnenday. This is kind of scary to think the next time we will see Dr. Z is after Lauren has surgery. We have seen him every 2-3 weeks for 16 months. It is going to be hard not seeing him for so long.We have come to love him so much. He has helped Lauren more than you could imagine and is a very special doctor.

Wo had chemo on Wed. after seeing Dr. Z. This was her last chemo for who knows how long. That is really scary because the first thought that comes to mind with no chemo is tumor growth. Dr. Sonnenday wants Lauren's liver chemo free for surgery so I guess this is normal to do. Very scary. Sis got off work and came and sat with us. She was in her scrubs and little flowery surgical cap looking so cute. While at work, her hat is her fashion statement. She loves bright colors, so you can always tell it is her with her bright cap and neon green shoes!! We were in the big semi circle room which we are not fond of, but it was ok because we were on the end. Sis left right before Lauren was done to get food for home. We had salads and garlic bread from a pizza place near their house.

Thursday, Wo had no appointments so we thought we would make dinner for Sis and Bruce. We went to Meijer and walked up and down every aisle for some exercise. They have so much of a variety to choose from. We made breaded pork chops over scalloped potatoes and green beans. Lauren also made a peanut butter chocolate dessert and chocolate chip cookies for them. You gotta understand their house. No junk food whatsoever. Cut up fruit in the fridge. Everything whole grain, low fat,or fat free. They work out practically every day!!! This is what happens when you work with sick people and see the effects of heart disease, strokes, and diabetes. I guess it scares you into being healthy. I have been on the receiving end of many lectures by my lovely daughter. They did enjoy the dinner and do enjoy eating what they want in moderation occassionally. I am very proud of them.

Lauren had an appointment with Dr. Sonnenday Friday afternoon. We were sitting in the exam room and a lady named Patti came in. We had some small talk and then Dr. Sonnenday came busting in the room. He ran in so fast that he scared Lauren. He said he had to see another patient, but that Patti would talk to Lauren and he would be back. Patti told us that she was a nutritionist and that Dr. S wanted her to help Lauren get in shape for surgery. She was so nice and the thing she said that we really loved was that she didn't believe in "diets" because they aren't realistic. She gave Lauren guidelines to follow and said that if you are ever craving something, eat it. She said you will try to squash the craving by eating healthy things which won't work. You will usually eat healthy and then eat what you are craving too. So, just give in and try to eat a smaller amount. No food is bad. They mostly want Lauren to exercise every day to get her heart really healthy. I told Patti that I will do everything with Lauren. I know this won't be easy, but we are really excited for this. I will let you know our progress. So, our kitchen will soon look just like Sis and Bruce's. Dr. S came back in and said he had to run to surgery, but he mostly wanted Lauren to talk with Patti. He wanted to see Lauren in 3-4 weeks to see her progress and to give us exact surgery dates. He said the first surgery will probably be around the end of March.

Lauren has explained the surgeries on Facebook, but for those of you who don't have Facebook, I will explain. She will have two surgeries. The first one, Dr. S will go in laparascopically and look around to make sure there is no cancer anywhere outside her liver. If there is not, he will make an incision and remove the small tumors from her left side. He will also cut off the blood supply to the right side of her liver. This will be a 2-4 hour surgery. After 6-8 weeks, if all goes well, he will do the huge surgery. This will last 8-12 hours. He will remove 2/3 of her liver which includes the large tumor. There will be a lot of intricate work involved because her large tumor is leaning on many major arteries and veins. This is such a miracle that she can have this surgery. We have 100% faith in Dr. S. Each surgery will take about 6 weeks to recover from. Lauren is young and strong. She is also in the right mindset for this. So, continue with prayers, prayers, and more prayers. They really have worked for Lauren.

On a sad note, our friend, Cindy passed away last week from this cancer and is being laid to rest today. Please say a prayer for her family. This happens all too often with this cancer and it is just not fair. Rest in peace, sweet lady.

Thanks so much for your continued support. A special thanks to Mark for working so hard to support us and taking care of our pups while we are gone. We love you very much and I know it is so hard for you not to be with us every time in Michigan. Lauren will beat this!!

Love, -Pam

Wo and Gio in Mexico.

This is where you will find us every day. Geez, I think I need to dust off that treadmill!!

Ok, I Can Tell You Now!

Hi Friends,

I have been given the go ahead from Lauren to let you know the big decision. If all goes as planned, Lauren will be having a liver resection! We talked with Dr. Sonnenday, her liver surgeon, for over an hour a week ago Monday and he said now is the right time. Lauren is going to call him tomorrow and let him know. I think we were all in shock when we first heard and have finally snapped out of it. Lauren had to be 100% sure she wanted to take this on. She said she was thinking a few days ago about everything and felt happy, so she knew it was meant to be. She has made a request that she only wants to hear positive thoughts. I don't think I even need to say that to any of you who read this blog. You are all so supportive and wonderful. I think she was talking about random people on Facebook. I will go into more detail about everything later. I just didn't want to leave you wondering what was up. Much love to all of you.

-Pam

Our Christmas card this year.