Keeping everyone in the loop about Colleen, remember:
She doesn’t want a bubble of exclusion. She just wants positivity. As she has said: “She doesn’t want a bunch of negative thoughts,” “yes this sucks, but I’ll get through it! and we can hang out.”
April 2-3 - Slowly but Surely
She’s making progress slowly but surely. She’s sleeping better, eating a little more, having an appetite, moving around, and laughing. She’ll probably start reaching out to folks as the strength builds.
One foot after another.
April 1/2 - Taking It Slow
This might come late for a few folks. It’s definitely slow going, she’s still feeling very weak. She is moving around, and she did get to take a shower. We’ve been negotiating how to arrange the right combo of pillows in bed and on the couch. I even got one of the pillow wedges from Sara (Carmer…McMahon…yes and). We’ve also been using the baby monitor we got for Fionn when he was super sick.
In less domestic news we heard from the surgeon:
The surgeon checked in today. He said that of the 22 lymph nodes they took out, 2 had cancer in them. He also said that the margins were really good. So, she will have to have some chemo for her to be considered “cured.”
She’s still feeling super weak, but Dr Pietro said that at first she will probably lose weight but to keep nibbling and she’ll feel better each day.
We’ll find out in a week or so about the chemo in the follow up with her first surgeon.
As far as the margins go: of the 22 lymph nodes around the tumor, only the two closest had cancer in them.
Good news? Yes. The best news, no. But still a great prognosis.
Only forward!
March 31 / April 1 - And She's Home
Good news! Brought Colleen home yesterday. Once she got the OK I did some bedroom re-org and pillow gathering. Did the quick jaunt up to the hospital and was waiting at the wrong circle. Once that got sorted out, we (the nurse and I) carefully helped Colleen up into the car and away we went.
For the most part she’s in bed resting, pretty weak, but hopefully once she starts eating more food, her energy level will pick up. She’s definitely happy to be home, and not by herself. Simon is also very thrilled.
Cheers!
March 30 - Doctor's Visit
Had a call with Colleen this morning during her doctor visit, key takeaways:
Gas (that they use to expand the body cavity) pain has diminished
Things are moving internally.
She still has pain in her neck and should that feels more like electricity (could be a pinched nerve) than it does the ache from the gas working its way out of her body.
White blood cell count has started to reduce, which is a good sign of progress.
Recovery didn’t entirely go to plan, but improving. They will start dialing back the drugs to get her start feeling more normal.
Her stomach isn’t feeling particularly tender.
He wants her there for one more day (today) of observation. Possibility of her coming home tomorrow.
The pathology results come back tomorrow.
That’s it for now!
March 30 (March 29) - Update
Small update: The nurse called after 9 last night, and said that the CT scan came back and there was nothing to see. Looked good. So that’s good news. I’m sure I’ll hear more today.
Thanks for all the positive energy, notes, and wishes.
March 29 - Some Updates
So not coming home today. I had a facetime call with her when her surgeon was visiting so that he could check in. For the most part everything is progressing mostly normally. He is a little concerned that her white blood cell count is still high, and she has a low-grade fever. He’s ordered a CT scan tonight (just to be safe) so we won’t know the results probably until tomorrow, plus another blood test.
I talked to her little later and she did pass a positive one milestone that indicates things are moving forward. She also has pain (in shoulders and neck) from the gas they inflated her body cavity is slowly working its way out (probably nitrogen?). She also was very dehydrated and that could be the reason for the low grade fever, so they have her hooked up to two bags of fluids.
Stay tuned.
March 28 - Talked to Her Today
Hey everyone talked to Colleen today. She’s dealing with a lot of pain, and working with the staff on pain management. And because of that she’s pretty tired. Imagine broken ribs, or being punched a bunch in the stomach; since all the incisions went through the stomach muscles. Because of that it makes it hard to breathe, and she has to take shallow breaths. Unless the pain management turns the corner today/tonight, I don’t think she’ll be coming home tomorrow.
Some funny anecdotes she shared that she remembers from coming out of the anesthetic:
I kept asking the nurse: Am I in labor?
Are you sure I’m not in labor?
And:
I also kept asking: Am I alive? Which I need to stop doing since clearly I am alive.
For those of you wondering about phone calls, she’s not really up for much convo, but sending messages is still nice.
Thanks!
March 27 - What I Know
Hey everyone. Dropped Colleen off today, and it was very surreal to walk out. I drove to a beach and walked around just to make sure that I didn’t get a call that things had changed before 1.
At about 4:30 the doctor called and said everything went well. Nothing unexpected, and the surgery went as planned. That’s a good thing. He even said that it could be possible that she comes home on Sunday! He suggested i wait an hour or so until she was out of recovery but I was unable to reach her via cell phone or room phone.
I’ll try again in the morning, then let folks know after that. Thanks for all the well wishes and positive thoughts!
March 27 - Today is the Day
We’re on the way to Bellingham today for Colleen’s surgery. Let’s get this done!
March 24 - It's My Fault...
Hey, it’s my fault if I gave the impression that you can’t reach out to Colleen: you all can send messages directly wishing her well. She just doesn’t want the dreaded, “How are you doing?,” question.
Stuff like: “You got this!' “Wishing you well.” “ Yer tough, you can do it!” She really appreciates it.
Thanks!
Steve
Find her on Facebook, email: leenmg@gmail.com, or 206 618 5170
March 21 - Colleen Interview
After sending some messages to local politicians and news. King 5 reached out to hear her story and do a short interview. Check it here:
March 19 - "Quick" trip to Bellingham
Good news. Even though her surgery was postponed/canceled here in Seattle. Colleen’s doctor referred her to the hospital in Bellingham. We (Colleen, Fionn, and I) drove up today to meet the surgeon. It was a good meeting, the doctor felt relaxed and reassuring. Bonus: he will use a robot to do the surgery. Using a robot makes the actual surgery longer, but it reduces any recovery complications. With some helpful visuals, he laid out exactly what he will do, and how it works.
Friday (the 27th), mid-day is when the surgery is scheduled. So even though we’re (she especially) nervous it will be postponed again (it is possible…), the surgeon felt it was highly unlikely that it would be canceled. Fingers crossed!
After the appointment we drove over to a beach August told us about: Locust beach. We enjoyed some socially distant sunshine, picked up some agates, and threw rocks at posts. Then back in the car and returned home.
March 14-Postponement, Some Additional Details.
Transcribed from Colleen, She says:
I can wait a little bit without it threatening the outcome. The surgeon said that in situations like this that it’s the psychological part, not the physical part.
The surgeon also said that if it continues (not being able to do surgery here in Seattle), the surgeon is going to look for other hospitals to do the surgery,
Extra tidbit:
My case went to a review board; of the hundreds of cases under review, only 4 were approved for surgery, as they were life-threatening blockages.
Question about updates: Email Subscription Enabled
Email subscription is enabled. So you can get updated without having to remember to visit the site.
Thanks!
-Steve
March 13 - Surgery Officially Postponed...
It’s official, Colleen’s surgery is postponed. The Polyclinic has postponed all “elective” surgeries. It is crazy to think that cancer surgery is elective. Apparently the only surgeries they are performing are especially critical ones.
I’m not sure if disappointing is the word, but it is hard describe the feeling. Especially when she definitely wants to get the show on the road.
Colleen is going to give a more in depth explanation, which I of course will post here.
Thanks!
March 13 - Surgery and Corona Virus Prepping
Some of our Corona prepping: Not just for Corona, but also to keep Colleen safe pre/after surgery.
March 12 - Chugging Along, Getting Ready
Colleen’s doing all her pre-surgery stuff: drinking supplement liquids, and making sure to eat the write things. Plus a general positive attitude.
Today Colleen got another Iron infusion. Sara (Senora Carmer) took her, just in case she had a bad reaction. Thanks Sara! Luckily she didn’t. She did find out that the hospital (probably most in our area) is getting really stringent about visitors. As of now, she heard that only one person is allowed which will be tough for family. We don’t know, but it could change by Monday. I will sync up with particular parties for possible scheduling of visitation if she can even have visitors.
Hopefully it won’t just be nurses and staff!
March 11 - Colleen's Updates
For friends and family unaware: Colleen has been diagnosed with colon cancer. Here’s her original message:
Hi - This feels weird to give this kind of news through text, but I don’t have the energy to make a lot phone calls. I have been diagnosed with colon cancer. I know, I’m stunned, too. I went to the doctor a few weeks ago because I couldn’t stop eating ice, and was diagnosed with pika and then severe (insanely severe) anemia. I had an iron infusion two weeks ago, and will get another one next week to prepare for surgery. I had an endoscopy and a colonoscopy last week, which is when the mass was found in my colon. I had a CT Scan last night, and it showed that the cancer hasn’t spread to any other organs. I’m scheduled to have the right portion of my colon removed on the 16th. I’ll be in the hospital for 2-5 days, and then recovering at home for 2-3 weeks. The pathology after my surgery will tell me what stage the cancer is, depending on whether or not the cells are also in the surrounding tissues or lymph nodes. I have an incredible prognosis, with a condition that is very treatable (doctor’s words). I likely caught it early. It’s very important to me that all of you focus on keeping positive thoughts when you think about me, and imagine me healing well and having a low cancer stage (or no cancer at all. That would be awesome). Sorry for the bad news. It’s important to me that I have people who care about me sending out healing thoughts. I’ve had some dark moments, but mostly I’m doing okay. Love to all of you ❤️
This is so everyone can be updated on Colleen’s status, during and after her surgery. She really appreciates everyone sending positive thoughts her way. If you have questions; please remember, that unless she has reached out to you specifically, contact me. The best would be email or text.
I’ll leave the comments open so that you can leave messages for her.
Thanks everyone!
-Steve
Text me: 206 890 5472
Email me: gracerx@gmail.com