An Update on my Mom

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-15-2008
An Update on my Mom
1
Wed, 06-11-2008 - 1:43pm

First off I want to thank everyone who responded to my previous post. Manda, puppy_dog_tails, Maggie, you were all a tremendous support. 

I wanted to stop by and give a quick update as to my moms current status. The dr. has diagnosed it as Stage IV Colon cancer with mets. They are planning to do surgery tomorrow to remove part of her colon, possibly all of it, and possibly part of her liver. Despite initial speculation that the cancer may be in her bones, luckily at this point it appears to only be in her colon and liver. The surgeon is hoping they will be able to avoid her having to use a colonoscopy bag (sp). After the surgery she will tentatively begin six week rounds of chemo.

At this point her biggest worries are non cancer related. Before this began my mom had already been through a lot.


My mom was supposed to start a new job the day she was diagnosed. Prior to that she had been living in a hotel with my little brother while trying to find work. She had been unemployed for a while do to severe bone spurs in her shoulders that caused her to be placed on temporary disability. It was during this time that she lost her home, her younger brother passed away, and she began to live in the hotel. Now she is worried that she will have to live in a hotel while going through cemo. My apartment is very small and if she comes to stay with us, with her dogs she refuses to part with, I will be evicted. I feel so helpless, as I have always been the rock in my family; the one my mom leans on for support through it all.

So overall this is a lot for her to deal with at once. Not that cancer alone isn't a lot to deal with. But it is hard not knowing if you'll have a place to live. We live in CA, so I'm trying to see what is out there that can help her. My Grandfather may try to help her financially so she can get into an apartment, but for now everything is tentative until we see the results of her surgery.


Her spirits have been a  little up yesterday and today because her surgeon is a very funny, very wonderful woman who keeps my mom positive. Thank God for that.

Thank you all again for your amazing words of comfort and support. I'll let you all know how her surgery goes.

Megan
 


iVillage Member
Registered: 09-06-2007
Thu, 06-12-2008 - 2:13pm
Megan, wow that is a lot to take care of at once.

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