Welcome to August 2006
Our Engagement Photo, Spring 2005 & Wedding Photo, October 8th, 2005
Thank you for visiting. We update this page every few days.... check back soon!
Thank you for visiting. We update this page every few days.... check back soon!
August 18, 2006
Well, as a result of Bruce being gone and me working every day this week (so that I can leave most of the work to others & spend some time with my husband on the weekends when he's home), I have much to catch up on:
First, Bruce's mom is back in the hospital in Louisville. Earlier this week, she had trouble keeping food down and has had trouble breathing, and her doctor suggested that she be brought back into the hospital for tests. Earlier today, we learned that they found excess fluid in an overy and a lung. The drainage from the overy produced a only small amount (meaning that her antibiotics from 1 1/2 weeks ago seem to be doing their job well). However, they drained 9/10 of a LITER of fluid from her lung.....NO WONDER that she had trouble breathing!!!
Also, Dad talked to the doctor about the oncology of mom's ovarian cancer diagnosis. Apparently, there are 3 types of post-menopausal ovarian cancer, and Mom has the two types that are least affected by treatment. So, she will be starting chemotherapy treatment once she recovers from the excess fluid problem. As Bruce stated: "Dad also said that we all need to remain as positive as possible around Mom. This will help keep her spirits high as well as helping us keep ours going. But, we also need to realistically prepare for what else could come. We just need to keep Mom in prayer and continue to allow the Lord to do the work he has chosen to do within her."
With MY mom, her doctor has determined that her problem is her gall bladder. On Tuesday (4 days from now), Mom will be having surgery at Mount Carmel East Hospital to remove her gall bladder. Because of Mom's large amount of scar tissue from her recent surgeries, she'll need to have a pretty invasive surgery (rather than the small, easy one that we had been hoping for). As a result, she'll be recovering at home for the next 4 weeks......and for anyone who knows my mother, bedrest/home recovery for one month is a LONG time. She prefers to be the one in control/ taking care of everything (and she passed this tendency on well to her daughters!). But, thankfully, it's her gall bladder and not more cancer (she is a colon cancer survivor).
Well, as a result of Bruce being gone and me working every day this week (so that I can leave most of the work to others & spend some time with my husband on the weekends when he's home), I have much to catch up on:
First, Bruce's mom is back in the hospital in Louisville. Earlier this week, she had trouble keeping food down and has had trouble breathing, and her doctor suggested that she be brought back into the hospital for tests. Earlier today, we learned that they found excess fluid in an overy and a lung. The drainage from the overy produced a only small amount (meaning that her antibiotics from 1 1/2 weeks ago seem to be doing their job well). However, they drained 9/10 of a LITER of fluid from her lung.....NO WONDER that she had trouble breathing!!!
Also, Dad talked to the doctor about the oncology of mom's ovarian cancer diagnosis. Apparently, there are 3 types of post-menopausal ovarian cancer, and Mom has the two types that are least affected by treatment. So, she will be starting chemotherapy treatment once she recovers from the excess fluid problem. As Bruce stated: "Dad also said that we all need to remain as positive as possible around Mom. This will help keep her spirits high as well as helping us keep ours going. But, we also need to realistically prepare for what else could come. We just need to keep Mom in prayer and continue to allow the Lord to do the work he has chosen to do within her."
With MY mom, her doctor has determined that her problem is her gall bladder. On Tuesday (4 days from now), Mom will be having surgery at Mount Carmel East Hospital to remove her gall bladder. Because of Mom's large amount of scar tissue from her recent surgeries, she'll need to have a pretty invasive surgery (rather than the small, easy one that we had been hoping for). As a result, she'll be recovering at home for the next 4 weeks......and for anyone who knows my mother, bedrest/home recovery for one month is a LONG time. She prefers to be the one in control/ taking care of everything (and she passed this tendency on well to her daughters!). But, thankfully, it's her gall bladder and not more cancer (she is a colon cancer survivor).
So, all prayers are welcomed for both moms.
Beyond that, last weekend, Bruce & I did well at our first-ever art show. We learned the best ways to advertise the product, sold 20 jewelry pieces (most on Saturday), and made a good profit. We also got a LOT of complements on our display lay-out. Being that the company is called PURPLEhandprint, I used my old purple curtains to dress up the tables..they made EXCELLENT tablecloths! Also, back in 1993(?), I had my first human-figure ceramic class at Kent. Well, one of the assignments was to hand-build a life-sized ceramic figure (head/bust) of a person, and then to decorate it somehow. I worked hard on that piece, and decided that once she was done I needed to paint her purple, dress her in a blue Victorian-era dress and hat, and name her "thePurpleLady" (for obvious reasons). I got a A on her. But, she was DARN heavy (about 40 lbs), so I just kept her in the ceramic building. Finally, at the beginning of the next semester, on the coldest day on record for Kent, Ohio (so cold/snowy/icy that they cancelled school....and it takes a LOT to cancell college classes in Northeastern Ohio!), I had to either throw her out in the dumpster or take her back to my dorm. I couldn't throw her away, so I trudged up/down the many big (and on that day very icy) hills on the Kent campus (literally uphill both ways) to bring her from the art building to my dorm. That is a day that I will NEVER forget the pain that it caused my arms...as well as slipping down one of the hills while trying to balance thePurpleLady in my arms so that she wouldn't fall to the cement and break. It must've been quite the sight, I'm sure! Anyway, especially after that ordeal, there was NO WAY that I was going to throw her away. So, she soon moved to my bedroom at my mother's house, and since then, has remained on the floor, guarding all of the other art junk in the room as she continued to gather dust. BUT, she has at last vindicated herself. Mom is finally kicking me out of that room, so she suggested that during the art show, I have thePurpleLady model some of our dichroic jewelry. At first, I laughed about it, but then thought, for this first show, WHY NOT?!?!?!?!?!? ThePurpleLady ended up being a FINE model. She sat so nice/still, even in the hot sunshine, and she gathered a lot of attention (she truely is quite ugly....would be much better if I hadn't have made her PURPLE!), but that brought many potential customers to our booth. After Thursday and Friday, though, I did learn that I needed to super-glue her hat onto her head with my E6000 glue. There were just WAY too many old ladies and teenaged boys who kept looking at her hat, taking it off of her head, and trying it on themselves. (weird...) So, her head got glued Saturday morning. Now thePurpleLady will never lose her hat and will continue to be my best model! lol!!! :)
This show was really a trial and error thing, because we really didn't know what would sell and what wouldn't. SO many people kept asking if we had earrings......so, guess what, at the next show (September 9th), yes, we will sell earrings. And besides that, earrings are SOOOO much easier/quicker/cheaper to make than the big pins. SO, if that's what will sell, that's what we'll make. Also, we learned to bring a mirror for people to see how the piece looks on them, a radio to draw away the boredom between all of the greetings with potential customers, and to buy a receipt booklet so that we have sales documentation and the customers have a receipt! We brought a small cooler for cold pop, and borrowed tables from a friend of mine at my OSU job. The tables were GREAT. Very light and easy to carry, and fold up to about 3 foot square. We'll be buying some of those with show's profits. As well as an earring display and 2 new non-metal folding chairs. (We used the chairs that I bought when I had my first porch back at Kent State. But, after being out of the porch for 5 Cleveland winters/summers and 2 more years of Columbus weather, both chairs gave up the ghost by <quickly> cracking apart and onto the ground....well, they were good chairs for the years that I had them). All in all, it was a very good show, and the director asked us to come back next year. YEP!!! :)
This show was really a trial and error thing, because we really didn't know what would sell and what wouldn't. SO many people kept asking if we had earrings......so, guess what, at the next show (September 9th), yes, we will sell earrings. And besides that, earrings are SOOOO much easier/quicker/cheaper to make than the big pins. SO, if that's what will sell, that's what we'll make. Also, we learned to bring a mirror for people to see how the piece looks on them, a radio to draw away the boredom between all of the greetings with potential customers, and to buy a receipt booklet so that we have sales documentation and the customers have a receipt! We brought a small cooler for cold pop, and borrowed tables from a friend of mine at my OSU job. The tables were GREAT. Very light and easy to carry, and fold up to about 3 foot square. We'll be buying some of those with show's profits. As well as an earring display and 2 new non-metal folding chairs. (We used the chairs that I bought when I had my first porch back at Kent State. But, after being out of the porch for 5 Cleveland winters/summers and 2 more years of Columbus weather, both chairs gave up the ghost by <quickly> cracking apart and onto the ground....well, they were good chairs for the years that I had them). All in all, it was a very good show, and the director asked us to come back next year. YEP!!! :)
August 1, 2006
Last night (and continuing today) has been weird and scary. Yesterday evening, we got word that BOTH of our moms had been taken to the hospital (E.R.) for stomach problems.
Brett called me at about 6pm to tell me about my mom, and I went to the hospital right away. Mom had been in a great amount of pain throughout the day until she got the hospital, when they gave her a med that knocked her out right away. After running tests and a CT scan, they found that she had gastrointestinalitis (sp?), which the doctor explained is an abnormal enlarging of the stomach (causing a GREAT amount of pain) that can occur when you're sick, but sometimes just happens for no foreseen reason. The doctor said that she should be fine, but to see her GP if the pain continues in a few days. He then gave mom additional meds to keep her pain away, and she spent today at home, sleeping.
While I was at the hospital for my mom, Bruce called me and left a message on my phone that HIS mom had just been taken to the hospital too! She has had strong stomach and lower back pains for awhile now, but they just increased enough to warrant going to the E.R. last night. She had a CT scan late last night, and then this morning, I spoke to Dad. He said that Mom was found to have a 10cc by 17cc (like a large-fist or a newborn's head) -sized mass in the area of one of her ovaries. They ran a lot of tests on her today, and then decided to transport her to a more-capable hospital in Louisville. Right now, a gynecological specialist and a colon specialist are studying her tests and performing their own test as well, including an vaginal ultrasound tomorrow. Surgery looks likely, and I guess that they are hinting at the possibility of, as Bruce put it, "the dreaded 5-letter C word."
Even though both of these problems are still in-process, I wanted to write them down before my brain forgot the important details. I'm sure I'll update this very soon. Bruce is having an especially hard time with this since he's in Chicago right now; and we spoke a lot today, updating each other as news was learned. At least I saw my mom; Bruce is currently a long way away from his.
Last night (and continuing today) has been weird and scary. Yesterday evening, we got word that BOTH of our moms had been taken to the hospital (E.R.) for stomach problems.
Brett called me at about 6pm to tell me about my mom, and I went to the hospital right away. Mom had been in a great amount of pain throughout the day until she got the hospital, when they gave her a med that knocked her out right away. After running tests and a CT scan, they found that she had gastrointestinalitis (sp?), which the doctor explained is an abnormal enlarging of the stomach (causing a GREAT amount of pain) that can occur when you're sick, but sometimes just happens for no foreseen reason. The doctor said that she should be fine, but to see her GP if the pain continues in a few days. He then gave mom additional meds to keep her pain away, and she spent today at home, sleeping.
While I was at the hospital for my mom, Bruce called me and left a message on my phone that HIS mom had just been taken to the hospital too! She has had strong stomach and lower back pains for awhile now, but they just increased enough to warrant going to the E.R. last night. She had a CT scan late last night, and then this morning, I spoke to Dad. He said that Mom was found to have a 10cc by 17cc (like a large-fist or a newborn's head) -sized mass in the area of one of her ovaries. They ran a lot of tests on her today, and then decided to transport her to a more-capable hospital in Louisville. Right now, a gynecological specialist and a colon specialist are studying her tests and performing their own test as well, including an vaginal ultrasound tomorrow. Surgery looks likely, and I guess that they are hinting at the possibility of, as Bruce put it, "the dreaded 5-letter C word."
Even though both of these problems are still in-process, I wanted to write them down before my brain forgot the important details. I'm sure I'll update this very soon. Bruce is having an especially hard time with this since he's in Chicago right now; and we spoke a lot today, updating each other as news was learned. At least I saw my mom; Bruce is currently a long way away from his.
August 4, 2006 (4pm)
A really quick note: Bruce is in the air right now, scheduled to land back in Columbus at 4:30pm. When he gets here, I'll be picking him up and we'll be on our way (quickly) to Louisville, Kentucky.
Bruce spoke to his dad today shortly before his flight began, and Dad told him that the doctors had determined that yes, his Mom's "blockage" is in-fact cancer. They stated that it's not colon cancer, but until they open her up and remove it (she is being prepped at this moment), they don't know at this point exactly what TYPE of cancer it is.
All prayers are welcome.
A really quick note: Bruce is in the air right now, scheduled to land back in Columbus at 4:30pm. When he gets here, I'll be picking him up and we'll be on our way (quickly) to Louisville, Kentucky.
Bruce spoke to his dad today shortly before his flight began, and Dad told him that the doctors had determined that yes, his Mom's "blockage" is in-fact cancer. They stated that it's not colon cancer, but until they open her up and remove it (she is being prepped at this moment), they don't know at this point exactly what TYPE of cancer it is.
All prayers are welcome.
August 8, 2006
Today is our 10 month anniversary, and we called/emailed each other about the date early this morning. :)
An update on our moms' stomach problems/hospital visits last Tuesday:
My mom went to see her GP, and that doctor thinks that mom's problem is a gall bladder....tests are being run.
Bruce's mom remains in the hospital, but is doing much better. We spent the weekend down there, along with most of the Van Bruggens; and all (except Mom, of course) sleeping in Bruce's sister's townhome apartment. :) His mom has now been diagnosed as having Stage 3 Ovarian Cancer, and will begin undergoing Chemotherapy in the next few weeks.
She spent the first days totally hooked up, not completely there mentally, and not being allowed to have ANYTHING, not even water/crushed ice, though she REALLY wanted something (anything).... She kept introducing me to the doctors/nurses/aides that I was a nurse and her daughter-in-law, too, and that she wanted ME to help her with all of her nursing needs.....she didn't quite get that technically I'm more of a Certified Nursing Assistant <without the certification>. Oh well! It caused a few giggles among all of the family members and doctors/nurses/aides. :) After a few days now, she is still weak <likely from the lack of calories!>, but the doctors say that she is doing very well.
One funny moment that showed that a) she's mentally still there (and a mom) and b) Bruce is still her baby: On Sunday, we came to the hospital before we left for Columbus. Out of nowhere, Mom looked at Bruce and demanded (loudly), "BRUCE ALAN!!!!!!! GET OVER HERE AND HELP ME WITH THIS CORD!!!" I couldn't help but grin at him and state quietly under my breath, "Boy, you know you're in trouble when your momma calls you by your full name!" He grinned & quietly giggled back, as his eyes rolled and he did as his mother told him to do. (His mom didn't have her earpieces in, so I doubt that she heard us...I think.....)
Now, Bruce is back in Chicago but in a better room than he had last week (though still no refrigerator). He said that the job remains status quo. I am busy firing the dichroic pieces that my students made on Monday, finishing art therapy client notes, and preparing for this weekend's art show (At this time tomorrow, I'll be up in Mount Vernon, setting it up).
Our 35+ minute cellphone chats plus various emails thoughout the day make the 6-hour distance not all THAT bad......though we totally hugged/kissed for a LONG time when I came to get him at the airport on Friday afternoon....there's quite a difference between a cyber kiss and the real thing!
Today is our 10 month anniversary, and we called/emailed each other about the date early this morning. :)
An update on our moms' stomach problems/hospital visits last Tuesday:
My mom went to see her GP, and that doctor thinks that mom's problem is a gall bladder....tests are being run.
Bruce's mom remains in the hospital, but is doing much better. We spent the weekend down there, along with most of the Van Bruggens; and all (except Mom, of course) sleeping in Bruce's sister's townhome apartment. :) His mom has now been diagnosed as having Stage 3 Ovarian Cancer, and will begin undergoing Chemotherapy in the next few weeks.
She spent the first days totally hooked up, not completely there mentally, and not being allowed to have ANYTHING, not even water/crushed ice, though she REALLY wanted something (anything).... She kept introducing me to the doctors/nurses/aides that I was a nurse and her daughter-in-law, too, and that she wanted ME to help her with all of her nursing needs.....she didn't quite get that technically I'm more of a Certified Nursing Assistant <without the certification>. Oh well! It caused a few giggles among all of the family members and doctors/nurses/aides. :) After a few days now, she is still weak <likely from the lack of calories!>, but the doctors say that she is doing very well.
One funny moment that showed that a) she's mentally still there (and a mom) and b) Bruce is still her baby: On Sunday, we came to the hospital before we left for Columbus. Out of nowhere, Mom looked at Bruce and demanded (loudly), "BRUCE ALAN!!!!!!! GET OVER HERE AND HELP ME WITH THIS CORD!!!" I couldn't help but grin at him and state quietly under my breath, "Boy, you know you're in trouble when your momma calls you by your full name!" He grinned & quietly giggled back, as his eyes rolled and he did as his mother told him to do. (His mom didn't have her earpieces in, so I doubt that she heard us...I think.....)
Now, Bruce is back in Chicago but in a better room than he had last week (though still no refrigerator). He said that the job remains status quo. I am busy firing the dichroic pieces that my students made on Monday, finishing art therapy client notes, and preparing for this weekend's art show (At this time tomorrow, I'll be up in Mount Vernon, setting it up).
Our 35+ minute cellphone chats plus various emails thoughout the day make the 6-hour distance not all THAT bad......though we totally hugged/kissed for a LONG time when I came to get him at the airport on Friday afternoon....there's quite a difference between a cyber kiss and the real thing!
August 29, 2006
The past 10 days have been an emotional roller-coaster for both of us for many different reasons, and we've simply not had time to write it all down. SO, now's the time (expect another LONG entry....so, I decreased my text size....perhaps that will be a permanent September addendum). ....For everyone involved in the following topics, please know that this is in no order other than grouping according to familys...
First: We're pregnant!!!!!! We have shared the news with most of our immediate family members and closest friends....more still to tell, yes, but that will come within the next few weeks. I simply can't wait any longer to put it on here before my immediate thoughts disappear from my brain.
I actually have been feeling all of the symptoms for awhile now (unexplained heartburn, missed period, tired all of time, unexplained & immeditate nausea, totally & unrealistically emotional, VERY tender breasts....of which Bruce is bummed about....lol!..., my jeans are uncomfortable in my stomach area, and feeling a small mass in a certain area of my uterus). As a result, I was pretty sure of the answer, but I didn't want to test until Bruce was back into town...so, I waited until Saturday morning the 19th, at what I thought was like 5:30/6am. I tested, it came back positive, and I immediately woke Bruce up and dragged him to the bathroom to show him. Then, we celebrated a little before I took pictures of the test strip and we laid back into bed to just enjoy the moment, laugh, cry, and say a prayer of thanks. Bruce then let me know that I could've waited until the morning.....since it was like 2:45am when I woke him. lol!!! Oops!! Sorry, but I'd been waiting patiently all week long, enough so that when it finally (offically) reached Saturday, I guess that my body was excited to take that test. :) lol!!!! I simply couldn't go back to sleep after taking the test....ya know, that adreneline high thing..... Anyway, as of today, that puts me at 6 weeks, 3 days, with the estimated due date of April 26th (Sarah's 20th birthday... with a scream of delight, she said that she would be happy to share her birthday with her niece/nephew...). I have my first doctor's appointment (and ultrasound) scheduled for Friday, Sept 15 at 2:20pm, at almost 9 weeks (we scheduled for that afternoon so that Bruce could be with me when we see our kid for the first time). I want to see that picture NOW for my own piece of mind....it seems like everyone (family, ob/gyn nurse, even myself, I guess) is trying to be realistic that it MIGHT have been a false positive....but, I can feel her/him in there (in the upper left corner of the uterus), so that's good enough for now.
As this is something that both of us have wanted for a long time, the new Van Bruggen's Daddy and Momma are both more than excited and thankful. We told our siblings/parents right away, and are now slowly spreading the word outward. The Van Bruggen **FAMILY** is now becoming as it should be and as we have prayed & dreamed.
This last Friday, Bruce got to experience the first real joy of his wife being pregnant: The cat litter is now his responsibility, due to the transferrable toxins that are in cat litter/waste (we don't want this kid to have any more strikes against them than they already do with my health!). It's really not that big of a deal to change cat litter, but I'm not aware of anyone who truely enjoys the task. When we moved in together, Bruce inherited two cats too, but I have continued to do the litter....until this month! So, Bruce got his initiation/training on Friday after I arrived home from work.
Also, a quick note: On Monday last week, I had my first seizure in *18 months.* I was beginning to foolishly think that maybe, just maybe, I had finally finished my recovery from my bike/car accident in 1990. No seizure throughout the stress of my counseling courses, my LPC exam, and through almost the entire process of getting married. Nothing. But, with the pregnancy new to my system, I guess I have a great chemical imbalance going on. And then throw in the stressors of trying to run this household primarily on my own right now PLUS both moms' situations, and the result was stressor overload. I had a very bad grand-mal seizure, assumably while sitting right here at my computer desk (and falling to the ground, which is where I woke up). I caused a good amount of physical injury to myself, including a 3-inch long cut to my right ankle....that one will likely leave a scar for at least the next few years. I called Bruce while I was still really out of it in the early afternoon, and (per usual) couldn't think of the words that I wanted to tell him...as a result, he got the most important part of the phone message that I had had a seizure. I then continued to call him as I floated in/out of consciousness through the evening. It was not a good night for him emotionally (especially to be so far away right when he really wanted to be in our condo). I also called my mom before my brain had fully returned, and she came over to take care of me. :)
My mom had her gall bladder surgery last Tuesday (a week ago today) at Mount Carmel East Hospital, so I was there all day after my morning art therapy group (btw, it's not all that easy to run a therapy group approximately 18 hours after a seizure...one of my kids even asked me if I was feeling okay....I guess I didn't hide it as well as I thought). Anyway, mom's entire immediate family was in town last week, so everyone was in/out of the hospital through most of her stay. Because of her past surgeries, they had to do a more intrusive option, which means that they had to make a large cut (no going through her belly button). The surgery was successful, although she now has a long recovery period to deal with, and she'll be home for approximately the next 4 weeks. It was good to see Aunt Jackie, Aunt Patti, and Uncle Tom (and of course to share the pregnancy news with them face-to-face rather than over the phone or the Internet). Overall, mom is doing very good; the recovery will just be slow.
And now on to an update on Bruce's mom (Bruce wrote this, and I cut/pasted it onto here...somtimes the Internet is a great help!):
Approx. a month ago, my mom's doctor discovered a mass in her abdomen. Fearing the worst, he sent her over to the hospital to be checked out further. They discovered the mass was about the size of a newborn's head. Obviously, it had to be removed, but the doctor in Elizabethtown wasn't comfortable with the situation so he referred them to a counterpart of his at the University of Louisville hospital. Mom was immediately transported to UofL and scheduled for surgery on that Friday. Upon further examination, it was discovered that she also had a mass within her colon. The doctors weren't sure if they were related or not. They continued to do tests and discovered the mass was post-menopausal ovarian cancer. Of course, I happened to be working in Chicago at the time, so Diana picked me up from the airport and we headed down the road to Louisville.
The overall surgery was deemed a moderate success. The doctors were able to remove a good amount of the mass, but were not able to remove all of it. They couldn't do this because of the amount of scar tissue that had built up in her abdomen from 8 years ago when she had her heart attack and stroke and the subsequent surgeries that followed. However, the doctors believed what was left could be treated with chemo. Mom had made a good deal of progress over the next week or so. She was up and walking around and not needing to be coaxed by nurses or therapists. All signs pointed towards a good recovery. Mom and Dad and the main doctor had begun discussing chemo options, when things started to turn again.
It was determined that mom had Stage 3 cancer and that the masses in the colon and cervix were indeed the same. Also, it was discovered that mom actually has 2 forms of ovarian cancer (of which there are 3). Unfortunately, the two that mom does have are the ones that generally respond least to chemo. While this was a blow, it was something we were able to understand and move forward with.
The next turn came this week. On Tuesday, my sister called at about 7:00 and said mom was going in for surgery as soon as a room became available. From what I understand, she had a CT scan done on Tuesday and it revealed a tear in her colon which was leaking fluids into her abdomen cavity, a result of part of the original surgery not healing completely. Not a good thing of course. I called back before heading to bed Tuesday night at about 10:00 pm central (since I have to be at work at 4:00 AM) to see how things were going. At that time she was still in surgery so they couldn't give me an update. I told them to call if it was drastic news that I needed to be aware of right away.
Dad called me Wednesday afternoon with the update. Mom's surgery did not go well. When the surgeons went in to repair the tear and put in a colostomy, they discovered that her intestines had started to become one large mass. The doctor was unable to put in the colostomy because he said he could not be sure it was going in the right place. They opted for several drainage tubes instead.
Although I break down occaisionally when thinking about the situation, the one thing that helps keep us fairly stable is that we know where mom's heart is and we know that she will join our Lord in heaven when he chooses to bring her home. But now, things are not going well. The entire family saw her this past weekend and she was doing okay. She was in and out of it as far as knowing who we were and what was going on. Typical reactions to the morphine and just her general state of health.
Dad met with Dr. Helm, mom's cancer doctor, yesterday and the meeting went well, but as a result mom's stay with us is rapidly coming to an end. Mom and Dad are both against life support for the sake of maintaining life beyond what would be considered natural. As a result of this decision, Dad, with full backing from his children, has decided not to have the doctors put mom on a nutritional IV. What this means is that mom will not be receiving any kind of nutrition at all, so her body will slowly start to shut down over the next few weeks and she will eventually pass.
As difficult as this is, we all know it is for the best. By making these decisions, mom will pass away peacefully at home rather than in the hospital and she will not have her body racked in pain from an ever-growing cancer.
Please pray for peace within our entire family. Although I know that when she finally does pass away (which is still difficult for me to think about), I will be a wreck. But for right now, I am personally at peace with this.
The past 10 days have been an emotional roller-coaster for both of us for many different reasons, and we've simply not had time to write it all down. SO, now's the time (expect another LONG entry....so, I decreased my text size....perhaps that will be a permanent September addendum). ....For everyone involved in the following topics, please know that this is in no order other than grouping according to familys...
First: We're pregnant!!!!!! We have shared the news with most of our immediate family members and closest friends....more still to tell, yes, but that will come within the next few weeks. I simply can't wait any longer to put it on here before my immediate thoughts disappear from my brain.
I actually have been feeling all of the symptoms for awhile now (unexplained heartburn, missed period, tired all of time, unexplained & immeditate nausea, totally & unrealistically emotional, VERY tender breasts....of which Bruce is bummed about....lol!..., my jeans are uncomfortable in my stomach area, and feeling a small mass in a certain area of my uterus). As a result, I was pretty sure of the answer, but I didn't want to test until Bruce was back into town...so, I waited until Saturday morning the 19th, at what I thought was like 5:30/6am. I tested, it came back positive, and I immediately woke Bruce up and dragged him to the bathroom to show him. Then, we celebrated a little before I took pictures of the test strip and we laid back into bed to just enjoy the moment, laugh, cry, and say a prayer of thanks. Bruce then let me know that I could've waited until the morning.....since it was like 2:45am when I woke him. lol!!! Oops!! Sorry, but I'd been waiting patiently all week long, enough so that when it finally (offically) reached Saturday, I guess that my body was excited to take that test. :) lol!!!! I simply couldn't go back to sleep after taking the test....ya know, that adreneline high thing..... Anyway, as of today, that puts me at 6 weeks, 3 days, with the estimated due date of April 26th (Sarah's 20th birthday... with a scream of delight, she said that she would be happy to share her birthday with her niece/nephew...). I have my first doctor's appointment (and ultrasound) scheduled for Friday, Sept 15 at 2:20pm, at almost 9 weeks (we scheduled for that afternoon so that Bruce could be with me when we see our kid for the first time). I want to see that picture NOW for my own piece of mind....it seems like everyone (family, ob/gyn nurse, even myself, I guess) is trying to be realistic that it MIGHT have been a false positive....but, I can feel her/him in there (in the upper left corner of the uterus), so that's good enough for now.
As this is something that both of us have wanted for a long time, the new Van Bruggen's Daddy and Momma are both more than excited and thankful. We told our siblings/parents right away, and are now slowly spreading the word outward. The Van Bruggen **FAMILY** is now becoming as it should be and as we have prayed & dreamed.
This last Friday, Bruce got to experience the first real joy of his wife being pregnant: The cat litter is now his responsibility, due to the transferrable toxins that are in cat litter/waste (we don't want this kid to have any more strikes against them than they already do with my health!). It's really not that big of a deal to change cat litter, but I'm not aware of anyone who truely enjoys the task. When we moved in together, Bruce inherited two cats too, but I have continued to do the litter....until this month! So, Bruce got his initiation/training on Friday after I arrived home from work.
Also, a quick note: On Monday last week, I had my first seizure in *18 months.* I was beginning to foolishly think that maybe, just maybe, I had finally finished my recovery from my bike/car accident in 1990. No seizure throughout the stress of my counseling courses, my LPC exam, and through almost the entire process of getting married. Nothing. But, with the pregnancy new to my system, I guess I have a great chemical imbalance going on. And then throw in the stressors of trying to run this household primarily on my own right now PLUS both moms' situations, and the result was stressor overload. I had a very bad grand-mal seizure, assumably while sitting right here at my computer desk (and falling to the ground, which is where I woke up). I caused a good amount of physical injury to myself, including a 3-inch long cut to my right ankle....that one will likely leave a scar for at least the next few years. I called Bruce while I was still really out of it in the early afternoon, and (per usual) couldn't think of the words that I wanted to tell him...as a result, he got the most important part of the phone message that I had had a seizure. I then continued to call him as I floated in/out of consciousness through the evening. It was not a good night for him emotionally (especially to be so far away right when he really wanted to be in our condo). I also called my mom before my brain had fully returned, and she came over to take care of me. :)
My mom had her gall bladder surgery last Tuesday (a week ago today) at Mount Carmel East Hospital, so I was there all day after my morning art therapy group (btw, it's not all that easy to run a therapy group approximately 18 hours after a seizure...one of my kids even asked me if I was feeling okay....I guess I didn't hide it as well as I thought). Anyway, mom's entire immediate family was in town last week, so everyone was in/out of the hospital through most of her stay. Because of her past surgeries, they had to do a more intrusive option, which means that they had to make a large cut (no going through her belly button). The surgery was successful, although she now has a long recovery period to deal with, and she'll be home for approximately the next 4 weeks. It was good to see Aunt Jackie, Aunt Patti, and Uncle Tom (and of course to share the pregnancy news with them face-to-face rather than over the phone or the Internet). Overall, mom is doing very good; the recovery will just be slow.
And now on to an update on Bruce's mom (Bruce wrote this, and I cut/pasted it onto here...somtimes the Internet is a great help!):
Approx. a month ago, my mom's doctor discovered a mass in her abdomen. Fearing the worst, he sent her over to the hospital to be checked out further. They discovered the mass was about the size of a newborn's head. Obviously, it had to be removed, but the doctor in Elizabethtown wasn't comfortable with the situation so he referred them to a counterpart of his at the University of Louisville hospital. Mom was immediately transported to UofL and scheduled for surgery on that Friday. Upon further examination, it was discovered that she also had a mass within her colon. The doctors weren't sure if they were related or not. They continued to do tests and discovered the mass was post-menopausal ovarian cancer. Of course, I happened to be working in Chicago at the time, so Diana picked me up from the airport and we headed down the road to Louisville.
The overall surgery was deemed a moderate success. The doctors were able to remove a good amount of the mass, but were not able to remove all of it. They couldn't do this because of the amount of scar tissue that had built up in her abdomen from 8 years ago when she had her heart attack and stroke and the subsequent surgeries that followed. However, the doctors believed what was left could be treated with chemo. Mom had made a good deal of progress over the next week or so. She was up and walking around and not needing to be coaxed by nurses or therapists. All signs pointed towards a good recovery. Mom and Dad and the main doctor had begun discussing chemo options, when things started to turn again.
It was determined that mom had Stage 3 cancer and that the masses in the colon and cervix were indeed the same. Also, it was discovered that mom actually has 2 forms of ovarian cancer (of which there are 3). Unfortunately, the two that mom does have are the ones that generally respond least to chemo. While this was a blow, it was something we were able to understand and move forward with.
The next turn came this week. On Tuesday, my sister called at about 7:00 and said mom was going in for surgery as soon as a room became available. From what I understand, she had a CT scan done on Tuesday and it revealed a tear in her colon which was leaking fluids into her abdomen cavity, a result of part of the original surgery not healing completely. Not a good thing of course. I called back before heading to bed Tuesday night at about 10:00 pm central (since I have to be at work at 4:00 AM) to see how things were going. At that time she was still in surgery so they couldn't give me an update. I told them to call if it was drastic news that I needed to be aware of right away.
Dad called me Wednesday afternoon with the update. Mom's surgery did not go well. When the surgeons went in to repair the tear and put in a colostomy, they discovered that her intestines had started to become one large mass. The doctor was unable to put in the colostomy because he said he could not be sure it was going in the right place. They opted for several drainage tubes instead.
Although I break down occaisionally when thinking about the situation, the one thing that helps keep us fairly stable is that we know where mom's heart is and we know that she will join our Lord in heaven when he chooses to bring her home. But now, things are not going well. The entire family saw her this past weekend and she was doing okay. She was in and out of it as far as knowing who we were and what was going on. Typical reactions to the morphine and just her general state of health.
Dad met with Dr. Helm, mom's cancer doctor, yesterday and the meeting went well, but as a result mom's stay with us is rapidly coming to an end. Mom and Dad are both against life support for the sake of maintaining life beyond what would be considered natural. As a result of this decision, Dad, with full backing from his children, has decided not to have the doctors put mom on a nutritional IV. What this means is that mom will not be receiving any kind of nutrition at all, so her body will slowly start to shut down over the next few weeks and she will eventually pass.
As difficult as this is, we all know it is for the best. By making these decisions, mom will pass away peacefully at home rather than in the hospital and she will not have her body racked in pain from an ever-growing cancer.
Please pray for peace within our entire family. Although I know that when she finally does pass away (which is still difficult for me to think about), I will be a wreck. But for right now, I am personally at peace with this.
