The Good, The Bad, The Unexpected

The Unexpected occurred on Wednesday between the two surgeries.  Norma had an appointment with the gynecological surgeon’s office to obtain pre-op instructions.  We met with the Dr.’s nurse practitioner, then met with her scheduler who was to escort us to the hospital for yet another blood test.  We did not have any expectations of seeing the doctor.  We left the doctor’s office and had just started down the hallway when Norma was hailed from behind.  We turned and Dr. Zempolich was walking briskly toward us.  Norma met the doctor halfway and they embraced each other.  This gesture by the doctor made Norma feel very special and totally blew her mind.  Plus, this meeting put Norma at ease and put her mind at ease for the next day’s surgery.  The following photo of Norma and Dr. Zemoplich was taken in the hallway outside her office.  Truly, a moment to remember (this photo is permissible since it is not taken in the hospital).

The Good happened when we learned the surgery went well and was accomplished laparoscopically.  Norma recovered quickly after an overnight stay in the hospital.  We drove home Saturday and Norma is doing very well.  Preliminary  biopsy results indicated that she has lung cancer, not ovarian.  Final test results from all the biopsies will not be available until sometime next week.  So, we are waiting some more.

The Bad occurred when Dr. Zempolich informed Norma that she cannot ride her bike for 6 weeks, take yoga for at least 4 weeks, no strength training for at least 4 weeks and cannot lift over 10 pounds for 6 weeks (Now you know the reason for my hernia surgery).  Norma will have surgery follow-ups in 4 weeks with both surgeons.

Thank you all for the e-mails, prayers and cards.  All your kind thoughts in these various messages boosted Norma through this entire journey that is still an on-going challenge.