The Whole Story

Wednesday, 31 May 2000, about midnight:

about a month ago Mette started having what we then thought was indigestion pains..
then we thought it was stomach pain from an ulcer..
and the doctors treated the ulcer..
but the pain didn't get better, it changed..
then a scan showed a polyp in her gall bladder ..
and it was to have been removed today..
I thought about sending this note last week to let you all know, but decided to wait until now so I could announce that she had had it removed and all is well..

unfortunately the surgeon at Horsens Hospital (where she is a surgical nurse) found the gall bladder inflamed and maybe stuck to the liver..
he decided a liver specialist/surgeon should take it out..
so, he closed her up and we expect some special test and scans on Friday at the regional hospital (Vejle--thirty minutes in the other direction) and a CAT scan and surgery at the speciality center (in Århus, an hour away) early next week..

this is not good news, but we doing our best to remain postive and wait for more information as the special test are done..

well, so far all blood work has come back very clean and we know that gall bladder cancer is very rare, and in those few cases that the gall bladder is cancerous, its removal solves the problem in almost all the cases..

you can read about that by clicking here and using your "Back" button to return to this page..
if you want to send Mette a note you can do it at this email address [removed] or via regular mail at our home:

Mette Tersløse
[removed]
7130 Julesminde
Denmark

either way she will get them..

and, if you will in you own way remember Mette in your prayers and postive thoughts we will remain eternally grateful..

for those of you who feel I should have called or sent a personal note: you are right I should have..

but it is almost midnight, I have had a trying day..
and tomorrow will be no better as we have to wait until Friday for more news..
forgive me..

Saturday, 3 June 2000, Early morning:

First, to those of you who have sent emails, cards, flowers, and etc.: those have all been delivered and Mette is very grateful.

And, all visits have been VERY appreciated..

the scan we expected on Friday at the Vejle Hospital did not take place due to that facility's previous schedule of more needy patients..
we now expect that procedure to occur on Tuesday or Wednesday..
(if we had to wait for the same test at the larger hospital in Århus, the schedule there would permit it on or after 15 June, so though disappointed that we couldn't get in on Friday, we are happy we don't have to wait in line at Århus..)

so, the crew at Horsens (treating one of their own) came up with an alternative strategy..
they theorized that maybe she had had a small stomach ulcer which had penetrated the stomach wall next to the gall bladder..
and the ulcer then irritated the gall bladder..
so Friday they did a tube-down-the-throat look at her stomach at Horsens..
and found that she had no ulcer..

Mette and I remain postive that this will all go away soon..
for example: the surgeon at Horsens could not remove the gall bladder without maybe cutting the liver..
and he correctly decided the operation should be preformed by a qualified liver surgeon/specialist AFTER the area is CAT scanned and the gall bladder-liver physical relationship is completely understood..
so, we expect the liver surgeon in Århus to go in and take out the gall bladder and some small portion of the liver..
and then we are only faced with a rather routine recovery..

so, keep your fingers crossed and send more postive energy this way..

Saturday, 3 June 2000, Late evening:

after several more discussions with medical staff, we are much more confident that we have a controllable situation..
it now seems that the frustrating delays in getting to Vejle and Århus are not so threatening..

Mette had a great day..
awoke at 0730, walked to the dining area and had a nice breakfast..
then showered herself and put on new hospital duds..
by 0945 she had been through the e- and paper-mail (GIANT thanks to all)..
about 1000 we moved out on the balcony and in the sun..
where she sat until I left about 1130..
(I left not long after the anesthetist for her Wednesday operation, a friend, dropped in for a visit)..

her grandmother (89 and fresh back from two weeks in Spain) and mother (always fresh) visited around 1230..

I was back with Molly (our yellow Labrador Retriever) a little after 2:00..
the two had a very joyful reunion in one of the hospital's sunny court yards..
as usual, on warm sunny days, Mette bought two bars of ice-cream-on-a-stick..
she ate one herself and held the other out for Molly..
about four o'clock I took Molly back to the car (parked in the shade), gave her all the water she wanted, locked her safely in the well vented BMW, and went up to Mettes room..

it had been quite a long day for her and she was ready for dinner and nap..
she ate a nice healthy portion of good food and was settling in as I left around five..
after her short nap she walked down four flights of stairs to visit her friends/colleagues on weekend/24 hour surgery duty..
where she watched part of a big soccer match between Denmark and Belgium..
a little before ten we said goodnight and sleep tight to each other over the phone..
and Mette was preparing to watch an opera on the TV her dad bought her the day before..

Sunday, 4 June 2000, High Noon:

Mette walked to the patient's dining area and had a good breakfast there..
(I brought my own as I'm not allowed to eat the taxpayer provided hospital food..)
we played a game of backgammon (and I won)..
they took some blood to compare her chemistry not to that earlier in the week..
I didn't mention earlier but they put a little plastic tube in her abdomen near the ball bladder so that they could monitor drainage resulting from the incision on Wednesday..
the drainage has been minimal and quite normal..
we expect they will probably take it out this afternoon..
and, she might be allowed to spend some hours/days at home while awaiting an opening at Vejle..
(she MIGHT be called to Vejle for the test first thing in the morning, we just don't know..)
at any rate, she has high spirits and has given me STRICT orders to dust and vacuum the entire house BEFORE she comes home in the morning, or after the Vejle tests..

I anticipate I'll go back and visit this evening, so more later..
for now, let me share a wonderfully positive email she received:

Sounds a lot like my soon-to-be 84 year old mother. She had her gall bladder removed early last year after years (decades?) of periodic flareups. What they found that made it difficult was that it had adhered to the muscle tissue wall next to it. That dictated the use of a less easy procedure ('old' style scalpel work vs arthroscopy).

She's a retired nurse herself - and my wife is a Nurse Practitioner - and she/they concur that gall bladder cancer is extremely rare. I offer my mom as evidence that you can have a tough go of it and bounce right back - as an octagenarian!!. She was home in 4 or 5 days, driving in about 10, and back to true normal in about a month.

You both will be in our thoughts in the days ahead. Take care and don't worry excessively about the things you can do nothing about. I've every confidence that we're talking about an annoying surgery here vice a cancer threat.
Sunday, 4 June 2000, Evening:

Mette's drain was removed as expected..
she is much more mobile now and has less pain..
(a lot of the pain in the last two days must have been from the plastic tube itself..)

of course, she is still receiving pain medication..
but not so much as many folks would need..
she is a strong lady..

Mette and Molly visited about half an hour around 7:30 PM..
in the courtyard..
overcast and chilly..

maybe we will go to Vejle Monday for the exam we hope will tell us more..
but the staff at Horsens say we should expect to go on Tuesday or Wednesday..
I am NOT a patient person..
and, Mette is certainly READY for more information and a move toward resolution!

however, she had high spirits and a very positive attitude..
visiting with Molly was good therapy..
Mette was settling in for some serious TV watching as I left at 9:00 PM..

now I have to clean the house (since she may be allowed some hours at home)..

Monday, 5 June 2000, 1400 (Two in the afternoon)

the results of Mette's blood work from yesterday was absolutely normal in every respect (or as expected due to the medication she is taking)..
about an hour ago we learned that Mette will be allowed some time at home this afternoon..
and, we were told that she WILL be examined at Vejle on Tuesday morning..

Monday, 5 June 2000, Evening

Mette and I had a nice candlelight dinner..
and went to her moms house at 2030 for a round with "The Card Club"..
("The Card Club" is four nice folks and one American: Mette's Grandmother, Mette's Mother, her Mother's ex-husband, Mette and me..
she was back at the hospital at 2200..)
though the day was a VERY good one for her, and she very much enjoyed the change of scenery, she was not in great spirits on return to this Medical Hilton..
she frankly discussed her fears about tomorrow's test in Vejle (like maybe we get REALLY bad news)..
we held each other tight and wished for the best..
and discussed all the valid pointers to a GOOD resolution (blood work, etc, etc)..
Mette was given a small pill to help her rest for the evening..
the nurse promised to call me if I should be needed again that evening, and I went home with Molly..

more later....

NOTICE:..
first, let me apologize because I intended to, and thought I had, sent an update email out very early Saturday morning..
but ONE address was rejected as incorrect..
and I thought the mail HAD gone out to all the others..
in fact, the entire address list was rejected UNTIL I removed that one bad address..
so, while I thought I had informed all of the results of Friday's expected test, I had not..
sorry!

and next, I'm now told that I misunderstood the timing all along..
I'm told that I should have understood that the surgeon at Horsens would talk with the folks in Vejle on Friday (NOT that Mette would actually go on Friday)..
so, "sorry" to all of you (and me) who were disappointed when that didn't happen..
and, I also learned that MAYBE we go to Vejle "on Tuesday OR Wednesday and the results from that test will be used to set the date at Århus"..
so, forget Århus late this week and try to relax (as we try also)..

but note, this lack of speed is easily taken as GOOD NEWS:..
having worked there for some years, Mette is very well liked at Horsens Hospital an NO ONE is making heroic efforts to RUSH her to the next test or operation..
we are CERTAIN that the lack of "panic" among all her surgeon and nurse friends is a VERY GOOD SIGN..
Tuesday, 6 June 2000, 4:30 in the afternoon

the test I expected last Friday at Vejle, is now scheduled for Wednesday, 21 June at Århus..
despite all the help from friends to try to help speed up the process, the fact is that higher priority patients exist, and will be examined/treated first..
while it is disappointing that we have to continue to wonder about what we face EXACTLY, we take it as a good sign that none of her VERY good friends/surgeons at Horsen's Hospital went into a panic at this delay..

the schedule at Århus:
20 June, admission to the hospital, blood work, etc..
21 June, Endoscopic Ultra Sound (via a tube inserted through the mouth)..
22 June, CAT scan..
23 June, surgery..

you are welcome to call (+45 7569 0550) or write..
but, until further notice visits should be coordinated so we can assure the rest and recuperation she needs before the next surgery..
(remember, she DID have surgery just 6 days ago . . . and it was NOT one of those new procedures where they poke a little hole to shove a scope through . . . Mette has a "zipper" scar about 5 inches (13 cm) long just below her rib cage..

I don't expect to post any updates until after the 21 June exam..

by the way, 9 June 2000 is exactly 12 years from the date we first met at Thule..

Wednesday, 7 June 2000, 1800

we had a good day at home..
despite the overcast and gloomy skies we found some things to smile about..
and some to cry about..

Mette's mom came by with some Danish specialities for a julefrokost (Danish for "Christmas Lunch") of open-faced sandwiches..
(I love to eat, and I REALLY LOVE julefrokost..)

Mette will have her stitches out on Friday..
and probably have more blood draw to just check how the chemistry is holding up..

on second thought, maybe I'll post a little something everyday..
just in case someone is checking..

Friday, 9 June 2000, morning

yesterday we had another nice lunch, this time there were four: Mette, her mom, grandmother and me..
afterwards Mette did some VERY light work in the garden..
actually, I did a LOT of heavy work and Mette supervised, until 7 in the evening..

today she goes to the hospital to have her stiches out..
and will RUSH home again because the sun is wonderful today..
I expect we will be outside all day, on this the 12th anniversary of our meeting..

Sunday, 11 June 2000, morning

we spent most of yesterday in the yard in the sun..
Mette wanted to mow the grass with our old fashioned push mower..
I made her watch me do it..

about seven in the evening we took a nice long walk along the beach with Molly..

our spirits are high..
I expect we will dodge rain showers but be outside most of today..

Wednesday, 14 June 2000, morning

Mette does not look sick..
she does not act sick..
she does not think sick..
(today we had a lunch at a friends cafe in Juelsminde..the first thing the friend said upon seeing Mette was "I though you were sick.")

Mette's recovery from the 31 May surgery (almost 2 weeks) is nothing short of amazing..
she is down from 13 pills a day to one..
and she has less pain now than she had for two weeks prior to the surgery (taking 12 pills a day)..
we have concluded that the inflamed (the word he used) gall bladder the surgeon saw an on 31 May is no longer inflamed..
in fact, on Friday the Horsens surgeon told Mette that maybe the Århus surgeon will open her up and wonder why the gall bladder was not yanked out already..

on Tuesday next week we begin the next round of hospital stay..
until then, we intend to make life WONDERFUL!

Saturday, 17 June 2000, morning

Wednesday night we visited friends in Juelsminde..
Thursday night friends from Bede visted us..
Friday Mette visited a girl friend in Vejle and friends in Juelsminde..
and the other time was spent in working on the wood shed, trimming hedge, walking the dog, and normal things like that..

today we may go sailing with some friends who live on a sail boat in the Horsens harbor..
or maybe that will be tomorrow..
and maybe today we will see "The Apple Cider Rules"..
and maybe tomorrow we will go to the Riverboat Jazz Festival ..
and we will know all of that depending on the weather and how we feel at the last possible moment to decide..

more later..
Sunday, 18 June 2000, morning

I've rearranged these pages so that you can come straight to this "update only" page..
you can zip to this update page by bookmarking it now..

we didn't go to the movies yesterday..
nor did we sail..
we should have left an hour ago if we were gonna go to the Jazz Festival..
maybe we go to the movie today..
I don't know..
I have to wait for my boss (Mette) to tell me what SHE wants to do today..

please do not read any of that to mean that Mette is worst..
she is NOT!! she still looks, feels and acts like a very healthy person..
we just rewrite the day's program according to the whim of the instant..
for example, if the sun is shining Mette would rather be in it than in ANY cinema, or Jazz hall or..

I have just tested my laptop's ability to connect to the net and update this site as we learn each piece of good news about Mette's condition..
so, stay tuned as we proceed together..
it is not possible, but let me TRY to tell you all how much the cards, letters, flowers, emails and messages to her phone have helped:

They have helped a LOT..THANKS to all!!!..
Monday, 19 June 2000, Evening

over the weekend we did not go sailing..
we did not go to the jazz festival..
but we did see "The Ciderhouse Rules"..

and we had dinner Sunday night with family and got home at 2330, smiling and loving life..

today Mette spent most of the day in a bikini in the sun, in our yard..
smiling and enjoying her handiwork (she has a green thumb)..
a telephone conference with a Horsen's surgeon answered all remaining questions and put her mind at ease once again..

today we had at least three calls from outside Denmark, and none left a message..
boohoo..

tomorrow about 0800 we head out for Århus..
we are READY to meet the dragon..
and slay it..

Tuesday, 20 June 2000, Afternoon

today was easy..
a nice nurse asked a lot of questions, filled in lots of forms and answered all Mette's questions..
she also booked us in the Patient Hotel where we will stay together until Friday when Mette moves to the more sterile digs..
(I'll stay in the Patient Hotel until probably Monday, for about $25 bucks a night--which includes all meals..)..
later (when I have them) I'll post the telephone number for our room in the hotel, and at Mette's bedside (when she is ready to accept them)..

after the nurse had done "her thing" a nice doctor asked a lot of questions, filled in lots of forms and poked around on the scar from the surgery at Horsens..
then Mette had blood drawn from both arms..
and we went to the ward where Mette will be after the recovery room..
the nurse there showed us around and gave us some very useful tips on where to park..

we were in downtown Århus by 1215 and had a delightful lunch at a sidewalk cafe on the Århus river..
and we were home again around 1515..
Mette is out in the sun now (it is summer in Denmark)..
tonight we eat at her moms' house with the "Card Club" (explained somewhere earlier)..

tomorrow we set out for Århus again to be there in time for Mette to drink a "contrast" material (at 0945) to help all the stuff inside show up clearly during the CAT scan (at 1045)..
we also expect to talk with the senior surgeon who will be performing the procedure..
and we think we will be finished in time for lunch downtown, again..

we have an invitation for dinner with friends living about 15 minutes out of town and we will return to the Patient Hotel Wednesday evening to be ready for the test on Thursday..
(we are not missing any chances to eat--have you noticed that?)

Wednesday, 21 June 2000, Afternoon

today we got up at 0530 so that Mette could have breakfast..
see, she had to not eat anything after 0645, which she didn't..

we checked in the Patient Hotel and dropped off a bag of fruit in the room..
at 0945 we were sitting in the hospital and Mette began drinking the liter of "contrast"..
she said it was not too bad, but wouldn't recommend it..

about 1015 we had a conference with the senior surgeon (who will do the surgery)..
he told us the statistics (95% have no problems during surgery and 70% have no complications afterward..we take as comfort that all the 70 year old alcoholics are included in those stats..for an otherwise healthy, active, 43 year old the odds must be much better)
he said very distinctly "There is NO reason to expect the worst." and we don't..

at 1045 they did the CAT scan, and then a chest X-Ray..
by 1140 we were back in the Patient Hotel, shopping in the koisk and waiting for the dining room to open at 1200..
we had a really nice lunch..
but I was wrong, I did have to pay 50 kroner (about 6 dollars) which ain't bad for the wide ranging buffet presented..

after lunch we went into the city's center to see the movie "American Beauty"..
which was pretty good..

tomorrow's schedule is not yet set..
we will learn it when we get back to the hospital later this evening (we are presently at friends, where we will have dinner)..

more tomorrow..

Thursday, 22 June 2000, Afternoon

today was not a cake walk..
Mette dreaded this snake-down-the-throat procedure since the moment she knew it was ordered..
but, as usual the fear beforehand was more than the pain or discomfort actually remembered after the procedure..
'course, she was so drugged-up that she does not remember much (if any) of what went on..

the snake began its journey about 0815 and we were not out of the room until about 1000..
it was a long procedure and Mette experienced quite a bit of pain afterwards..
she was administered pain medication and slept fitfully until about 1430..

we later learned the name of the procedure is an Endoscopic Retrograde CholangioPancreatography, she had had her ERCP.. for those of you who think we are making too much of this, or maybe have had your gall bladder out, or know of some who did and were "like new" in a couple of days, and back at work in a week, ponder this: all of the above was written while we waited for the surgeon's afternoon visit to give us the rundown on the test..
the surgeon talked to us around three o'clock: so, no surgery AND no cancer is GREAT news for now..
knowing that they don't really know (yet) exactly what is going on, and exactly how to treat it is, well, less than pleasing..

Friday is the first day of the rest of our lives..
and yours..

don't waste a second of it!!

I don't know when there will be another update..
it might be a long time before we know more--you are welcome to check back as you will..

Friday, 23 June 2000, Afternoon

instead of recovering from an operation to remove her gall bladder (and part of the liver) she is now suffering from pancreatitis (an inflammation of the pancreas)..
which (maybe) was caused by the scope procedure yesterday (an unfortunate but not totally uncommon occurrence due to unavoidable irritation of the pancreas while investigating the gall bladder, since the two share a common opening into the digestive track)..

(daily reading of these updates entitles you to pretend you are a member of the medical profession..)

pancreatitis is characterized by nausea, plenty of stomach pain and probably some other stuff (that I didn't catch)..
Mette is getting anti-nausea medication and morphine IV (for the pain)..
to say the least, she is NOT her usual self today..
she has slept most of the day (it is now 1600), has had nothing to eat since last night (clear soup which didn't stay down)..
and, since the pancreatitis was diagnosed (about 1300) she has had nothing by mouth (pancreatitis is treated: 1) plenty of fluids, but only by IV. 2) nothing by mouth. 3) bed rest. 4) control the pain. 5) wait for the pancreas to take care of itself (a "couple of days" normally)..

so, I guess we are here for the weekend..
there is not much I can do by being here except offer her support and try to help her find a smile every once in a while..
but, I will be here as long as I can be of some use..
(Today is "Saint Hans Day" in Scandinavia . . . all good Vikings will build very large bonfires (near the sea if possible) and burn a stuffed witch figure . . . I guess in the old days they really burned a witch, now they mostly have a huge fire and feast on whatever strikes their fancy--as long as the meal includes good, fresh Danish beer...I'll be here with my own non-witch lady; will peer out the window at dusk to see how many soulless whiffs of smoke I see spiral upward..)

as soon as Mette's condition changes I'll post an update here..
so stay tuned until we are eating together again, at least..

Saturday, 24 June 2000, Morning (posted 0920)

at 0700 this morning Mette was sleeping like an angel (I guess all the witches WERE burned last night)..
by 0900 it was very obvious that she is gonna be MUCH better by the end of the day..
first, her last anti-nausea injection was over 12 hours ago, and second though she did have a pain relief injection at 0600 she has a LOT less pain now as this time yesterday with the same pain injections..

yesterday she raised her head off the pillow only if absolutely necessary..
today she sat up in bed and brushed her hair--we have progress..

Sunday, 25 June 2000, Morning (posted 1100)

Mette continues morphine injections every six hours or so....
it should be obvious to the careful thinker that we are not "home free" yet..
we learn more about the underlying condition each day..
and I'm sorry to report that the outlook is not as rosy as we first imagined (when we got the "no cancer" and "no operation on Friday" report)..
at this point I want to spread neither fear and gloom nor joy and happiness..
just let me say that Mette is recovering nicely from the pancreatitis and we learn more about the long term treatment and its timing on Monday..

good news in the last 24 hours:
Monday, 26 June 2000, Evening (posted 2230)

yesterday I wrote: "I'm sorry to report that the outlook is not as rosy as we first imagined (when we got the 'no cancer' and 'no operation on Friday' report" and "at this point I want to spread neither fear and gloom nor joy and happiness"..

today I'll start with the good news.. and I'll just lay out the bad news facts as I know them:
there is one more bit of good news: we anticipate the tests will confirm that Mette will be a good candidate for a liver transplant..

these are trying times..

Tuesday, 27 June 2000, Evening (Posted 2215)

Monday night Mette had a restless night due to back pain we think is caused by so much time in bed..
she had pain injections, back rubs and heat packs intermittently throughout the day..

today the liver specialist explained the reason for this weeks test: to explore suspicious tissue in the area and learn conclusively if cancer is present in the liver, or not..
he told us he intends to remove the gall bladder next week, which is the only way to learn, conclusively, if its polyp is cancerous, or not..

we anticipate we will be home Friday afternoon where we will stay until the day of the surgery..

she ate three normal meals today..
her spirits are high..
we walked together from her room, down the stairs, across the street to the Patient Hotel where I had dinner and she had a bowl of soup (having already had dinner in her hospital bed)..
she had just had a pain injection and hot pack applied as I left her room at 2130 (thirty minutes after visiting hours)..

the hardest part about tomorrows PET scan is laying still for two hours, or more..
so, don't sweat it..

Wednesday, 28 June 2000, Afternoon (Posted 1515)

Mette slept better last night and awoke with a lot less back pain..
she had to skip breakfast because of the scheduled PET scan..
none-the-less she had a healthy dose of morphine and valium to make sure she could lie still for two hours in the PET scanner..
it took about two hours to do the blood work, positioning and other required details BEFORE the PET scan began..
Mette was wheeled out of her room (in bed) at 0900 and the first imaging began around 1100..
we were out about 1300 and the PET Center crew had been so thoughtful as to have ordered lunch for both of us..

well, that is not enough about that PET Center crew: a more thoughtful, efficient, thorough, pleasant AND attractive group of three professional medical ladies couldn't possibly be found anywhere other than in Denmark--Thank you (to the crew for all they did for us), thank you (to the Vikings for amassing such an impressive gene pool), thank you (to the PET Center crew--again--since I can NOT over appreciate their professionalism)!

speaking of Denmark, and ONE of the reasons I live here: it just occurred to me that the medical care Mette has received since early June would cost enough in the USA to have already depleted the medical insurance and life savings of many (average) families..
if you think about the certainty that everyone is gonna need medical attention (sooner or later), it just makes sense (to me) to provide the care needed from a public sourced fund as it is here (and in Canada, England and many other civilized societies)..

we expect an interim report from today's scan later this week, and a conclusive finding of the presence or absence of cancer in the liver by the end of next week..
the liver biopsy has been rescheduled for tomorrow--we now expect to be home Thursday evening, and we are looking forward to that..

Thursday, 29 June 2000, Evening (Posted 2200)

in case you missed yesterday's Latest News:
Mette had the Positron Emissions Tomografi (PET) scan Wednesday--and the crew there was just fantastic. A more thoughtful, efficient, thorough, pleasant AND attractive group of three professional medical ladies couldn't possibly be found anywhere other than in Denmark, so: today Mette missed breakfast fasting before the liver biospy..
while waiting for that we spent a lot of the morning walking around the area (inside and out) and sitting in the sunshine..
what a glorious Danish summer day it was..

about noon they wheeled Mette's bed over to another building (through the extensive underground tunnel network) for the liver biopsy..
the doctor taking the biopsy said he was pretty sure he got tissue samples from inside the gall bladder, liver AND that suspicious area where the two are "stuck" together..
the biopsy was a little uncomfortable for Mette (what an understatement--she had a morphine injection when we got back to the room, around 1330)..
we expect the test results next week..

we intend to eat dinner together in the Patient Hotel's restaurant..
then maybe go to a movie downtown--if Mette feels up to it..

we will spend the night here and after the doctor's morning round (when we expect the interim results from the PET scan) we'll be off for Hosby and sunshine (hopefully) with Molly in the yard..
we are very ready for a yellow dog hair infusion..
Friday, 30 June 2000, Evening (Posted 1800)

the doctors' rounds were early today..
he told us the biopsy report is not ready yet and the PET scan showed no cancer in the liver proper..
but, "there is a hot spot in the lower quadrant, which might be from the gall bladder"..
he said to go home and come back Tuesday (he will take the gall bladder out Wednesday morning)..

I will, if I live forever, never understand the mind of a woman..
well, maybe not every woman: But, we got in the car to drive home and three minutes later Mette spotted a "SALE" sign on the front of a furniture store and we stopped..
more on that story some other day..

Mette spent her afternoon on the couch..
cosy with a light blanket over, candles, fire and yellow dog in attendance..

have a great weekend, we intend to..

unless something unusual happens I'll probably not add to this tomette until Tuesday or Wednesday..

Sunday, 2 July 2000, Morning (Posted 0845)

Mette and I had a quiet Saturday at home..
well, we did have friends over for lunch (Mette got up at 1000, the friends arrived at 1100 just as she was ready for her "Grand Entry" and went (almost) straight to the table and sat down)..

we'll have lunch with her mom and a girl friend today (me, I'll sit in a corner and "hop to" when the butler, cook, maid or nurse is called--but I enjoy it all)..

no plans yet for Monday, but Tuesday its back to the hospital in Århus..

Tuesday, 4 July 2000, (Posted 0745, Updated 1500)

Mette had a wonderful Monday..
she had a professional massage to help the sore back..
her mom came over and helped work the yard..
the three of us had lunch together, in the sun..
Mette took an afternoon nap, in the sun--with yellow dog nearby..

today is my birthday (Happy Birthday to USA too)--we had a small family get-to-gether for breakfast at her mom's house..
then we were off to Århus again..

we arrived at the hospital about 1230 and the liver specialist/surgeon (Dr. Rokkjær) held a conference with us right away..
our worst fears were confirmed: there was cancer in the biopsy (exactly WHERE is not now known, it might be confined to the gall bladder--that is the possibility we hope for--or, it may have spread into the bile ducts and liver itself--not a good deal, but ok if he is able to get it all out, cleanly)..
he sees no evidence that the cancer is wide spread..
after he removes the gall bladder he is prepared to take the bile duct from the liver and some portion of the liver, if necessary..
he will cut, and while he waits pathologists will examine that removed to confirm he into healthy tissue..
and, he will cut until he IS into healthy tissue..
he told us, that if he is required to remove the main bile duct between the liver and the gall bladder he will construct a replacement from Mette's small intestines (that is a shitty deal..pun intended..and, Mette is laughing as I type this--we WILL have some humour in our lives!)..

he explained that it is important to have a cancer free liver in order to be placed on the liver transplant recipient list..
so, the first battle is to get the cancer out--hopefully it is confined to the gall bladder--if not we will fight that battle when it comes..

tonight we have a birthday dinner with friends just south of Århus..

keep sending the positive energy this way!


[Mette's story, 5 July to 8 October 2000]
[Mette's story 9 October - 31 December 2000]
[Mette's story from 1 January 2001]
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