Visit With Dr. Black

Dearest Friends and Family,

Please forgive, in advance, the ineptitude of this post, as I am truly exhausted today. The day started off great with my daughter Ashley, baby Cecily, and god-daughter Valeska coming over and helping me washa few sections of my gross hair! This was a total blessing, as it was still all full of yuckiness. Then thry helped me get dressed and ready to go down to Cedars to see Dr. Black at 1:45. So grateful for the loving, helping, hands of servants who have been helping us so very much!!

We were about 20 minutes late to the appt, and it was okay, they're so great at his office and people come from all over the world to see him, so I am certain they are very understanding. Dr. Black and his team gave us the best news and that is that the pathology came back and the tumor is WHO Grade I, which means it is officially NOT cancer!!! Glory to God for all things!!!! He did say that the bone was really involved, so as I suspected, I will be having lifelong MRIs to check for regrowth.

Regarding the blood clot issue, Black and his neuro-oncologist seem to feel that it will resolve on its own in a couple of months. I will have another MRI in TWO months and we will then schedule the second brain surgery for the occipital tumor, ugh. Rather a daunting thought right now, to be honest! However, from what I hear, this last one was the worst one. They had to totally lift out the cerebellum to get to it, as well as that locale is the nausea/vomiting center, as well as the balance center; so that explains the horrible first two days of nausea and pain.

On the way home, I needed some food for the meds, so we stopped for tea, and it was nice, but visually overwhelming. I realize that I really do need to REST my brain in order to heal!

When we got home, we had an amazing dinner waiting for us, brought by my sweet nursing school friend, Katie Godin!!!!!!!!!!! Homemade with such care....we were TRULY blessed!!!!!! Mitch was going crazy, in fact. The Asti for later, the sweet card, just everything!!!!!! SUCH a blessing!!!!!!

Also, our sweet friends and neighbors, Karen Kinan and her beautiful adughter, Vanessa came over with one of her glorious fruit feasts, and a lovely quiche packed with zucchini (LOVE!!!), Katie's dinner had lots of fruit and veggies too.....just total YUM!!!!!!!! We were in fruit glory!!!! Also sweet Rob and Robin came by with JoJo and dark chocolate!!! So great to hug them. Just really overwhelmed by people's prayers, care, and thoughtfulness. Thank you all SO MUCH!

So we have no idea what the "new normal" will be, but we trust it will be good for us, because God is good TO us and knows what we need.

Until Later....Night Night:)! xoxoxo

Special Shout Out!

We would like to make a special shout out to Trenna's very best "sister" friends Deedee and Kathy...and their husbands!

They have been with Trenna every single step of the way, and are such amazing supporters. Anyone in the world would be blessed to have such wonderful friends, and we're so glad that Trenna does!

Here's a shot of her and Kathy.

LAST DAY AT THE HOSPITAL!!!

I just received a text message from my dad saying that Trenna is coming home today!

Yesterday, I managed to drive up to the hospital and stick around for a few hours. It's amazing how she's so alert and interactive! We had conversations and she even walked around for a little bit! Just think, at the beginning of the weekend, she was in such discomfort, and now she's feeling so much better!!

A prayer need came up yesterday while I was there. She was sitting calmly, and a nurse came in to take her blood pressure and temperature. Her blood pressure turned out to be quite high, and it really made her worry. The problem with high b.p. is that it could move her clot, and anything like that is dangerous for her right now. Plus, anything that makes her worry is not good because it makes her anxious, and she needs to be resting.

UPDATE: As it turns out, her blood pressure is from the steroids.

So, the happy news!! Trenna is now going to be comfortable in her own home! Please continue to pray for a quick recovery!

Thanks, everyone!

End of Day 3

We just got back to a visit from the hospital with Alex and Emily (with baby Olivia in tow--we took her in shifts in the downstairs lobby) to check in on Trenna. She is doing SO MUCH BETTER, and is looking much more like her "real" self. She was very chipper and talkative, which surprised us a lot considering that yesterday was pretty rough for her. She's had a steady flow of visitors today, which was comforting as well, and also allowed for Mitch to have a little dinner break with some very close family friends.

Here's some updated info on the current state of things:

Praise God for...

- Trenna's FABULOUS nighttime nurse, Michelle!!!! We feel so trusting of her care for our dear mother; she is truly a gifted and compassionate nurse.

- Trenna is able to talk and socialize, and is being distracted by the ability to sit up and enjoy conversations today.

- Swallowing, nausea, and general pain are all a little improved compared to yesterday.

- Awesome nurse Michelle is committed to having her pain stabilized at 4 so that she can hopefully get some good sleep tonight. (much of the day yesterday and especially late-afternoon were pretty draining, so she did not sleep well).

- Trenna did not have any traumatic events in the first 24 hours of her bloodclot. The clot has been so carefully monitored because during the first 24 hours of clotting in the brain, there is a 60-70% chance of traumatic events (heart attack, stroke, etc.) to take place. We are EXTREMELY thankful that she passed through those dangerous waters unharmed. According to the Doctors, after the first 24 the likelihood of such events diminishes to 5% chance.

Trenna and the family would appreciate your prayers for....

- Resolution of the bloodclot

- Wisdom for the doctors as to how to treat the clot should it not resolve. Bloodclots are often treated with a Heparin Drip, but because of the surgery and the fact that the clot is in her brain, this treatment could cause a brain-bleed and is therefore too dangerous.

- That brain swelling will continue to diminish

- That Trenna is protected from DVT (Deep Venous Thrombosis) She is undergoing preventative treatments and measures for this now, but if the condition were to develop that could be very bad and dangerous.

Trenna is so so thankful for the prayers of her extended church family and friends. She expressed again and again the gratitude for your prayers, and begged that they continue. I kept saying "if you don't want to give me the details, you don't have to! I don't want thinking about it to pain you!" But she wanted to tell me EVERYTHING that she could remember so that her "network" can pray about these specific thoughts and fears.

Trenna has switched to oral pain killers, which are difficult to swallow and don't work as well as the intravenous meds. However, she understands the importance of changing over to the pills so that she can help prepare herself to go home. No official word yet as to when she'll be going home...need to know more about the clot before that will be determined.

Thanks again for your continued prayers and support for Trenna and all of us. They are so uplifting and helpful to us all at this time. Keep 'em coming!!

-mary & andrew

She's getting intermittent rest and upbeat right now....

since Ashley arrived about an hour ago. Trenna is looking at pictures of her granddaughters, and if you know Trenna you'll imagine just how that makes her feel: Much better!!

She is getting regular doses of pain meds and they seem to be helping. Doctor after doctor has been coming into the room/suite discussing the blod clot and team work approach to it. Your prayers for that would be coveted. Enough to think about without that too!

Got on tap a steady flow of visitors this afternoon, which is the first time she has been up to the task. No further MRI's scheduled but we may see another on Monday

A PICTURE!!!

Trenna also gave me permission to post this picture of her and my dad so you guys can all see how they're doing :)

Out of ICU

Trenna was moved out of ICU at about 1:30 p.m. and is now in a nice, big room on the Neuro Floor. Prior to moving, she started to feel a lot of pain, perhaps because the pain meds were wearing off. By the time we got to the new room, her pain had elevated from a 4 to a 9 (on a scale of 1-10). It took them about an hour to get everything squared away, but she is now resting after having taken pain and nausea medication (respectively). Her pain level is back to a 4.

Just a note, she still cannot/should not receive visitors except for family. We've been relaying messages to her to let her know how wonderful all of her friends are, though!

Her swallowing is still not fully functional. It doesn't necessarily hurt her, but she says that it feels like the left side of her throat is going to collapse. This is making her really nervous and keeping her from relaxing. It's also keeping her from wanting to eat or drink.

So, the nausea is still really strong, as is her pain, and she's still having problems swallowing. Please pray for all of these things, and pray for her stress level to go down.

On a happy note, she looks as beautiful as ever, and her color has come back! She was able to sleep a little bit this afternoon while we prayed the Moleban again for her and the Akathist to St. Panteleimon.

Thanks, guys!

-Shannon

Seen three more doctors...

We've seen several more doctors this morning on their rounds. The blood clot is near the area of my mom's surgery, and it appears to be related to the the operation or the tumor itself. The blood clot expanded slightly downward since her MRI yesterday afternoon but there is still drainage. Earlier, this morning Dr. Black said he was glad to see it hadn't expanded upward. What they will do is run another MRI and keep an eye on this. If there is not improvement in a few days, the medical team will discuss using a blood thinner which would prevent the expansion of this blood clot.

The last doctor tested her vision, hearing and muscle control again and said she looked really good; although, hearing in her left ear is still diminished. Mom should be moving to the Neuro floor early this afternoon (I mispoke when I said recovery room).

Will be doing blood work to look for any potential predisposition or underlying causes for clotting other than surgical trama to the region.

-Ashley

Morning MRI

The surgeon came in to review the MRI images taken this morning. There was no bleeding and the clot has not expanded upward in the vein, so my mom will be moved from the ICU to a recovery room today.

She is still in considerable pain and is very nauseated. It sounds like last night was pretty tough.

Dad has been in her room all night. Now that I'm here, he will be be running home for a shower and change of clothes. Only immediate family is allowed in ICU but my mom is still heavily medicated and wouldn't be able to enjoy lots of company anyway. Even so, I know that she appreciates the support and love of friends who want to be here.

-Ashley

Blood Clot

I'm home now, but I saw her in the ICU before I left. It seemed like she was still in tons of pain and still very nauseous, but her color was back. We talked to Dr. Black, and he seems like he is so attentive and wonderful (I kinda love him). She held my hand and opened her eyelids a little bit to look at me. We told her how much everyone was asking about and praying for her.

They're doing frequent checks on her blood clot, which is in one of the veins in her brain. Dr. Black said that it was small enough not to be too worried about, but that they put her in ICU to make sure it doesn't become any larger and worrisome.

So, please keep praying for her nausea and her pain! We'll keep you posted tomorrow!

-Shannon

In ICU

So, Trenna is in ICU because her room is not quite ready.

She also has a little blood clot, so they're keeping her there in order to keep her hydrated.

She's in A LOT of pain, very pale, nauseous, is having problems swallowing (which could be from the throat tube), and is having panic attacks. Please pray for her to be calm and for some relief from pain.

3:00pm UPDATE!!!

Dr. Black came out and told us that my mom's hearing, vision, and facial control seem to be intact! We still haven't been able to see her, but it should be in the next 30-60 minutes. Thank you for all your prayers, and thank God for continuing to answer them!

-Andrew

Thank the Lord!!!!!!

Praise be to God for his abundant mercies!!!!

Dr. Black came out to announce that the tumor is benign, everything went smoothly, they were able to remove most everything.

Surgery is completed, and they are closing her up. They will test her hearing and senses, and then in about an hour and a half to 2 hours, we should be able to see her. If all goes well with the tests, she will be able to bypass the ICU. Glory to God for all things!!!!!!!!!

Psalm 100:

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
² Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
³ Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his^[a];
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
⁵ For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Thank you all for your prayers.

-mary, for all the family

Its Finally Begun

The scheduled time was 7:15 but there was a bit more prep work than expected. My mom's surgery began at 9:00am and will last five to six hours.

Though an anxious wait looms in front of my family, we're grateful for company. The friends I see in the waiting room right now are Fr. Wayne and Lynn Wilson, Kevin and Colleen Allen, Margaret Kristoff, Shea Randall, Scott Nassau, Cindy Rethmeier, with Deedee and the Funicello's downstairs. My mom has some incredible friends.

-Ashley

We all arrived at the hospital at about 5:00 a.m., and after checking in and pre-ops (plus, some special time with family), we were finally allowed in to see her before her surgery began. Two-by-two, the immediate family went in, my dad staying with her the longest.

After dad and the kids had all gone in, Ashley came out laughing, saying Trenna refused to let them take her into surgery until she had seen Matt, Mary, and her "sisters" Deedee and Kathy. Haha :) We took her the icons of Christ and the blessed Sweet Kissing icon from Michele Marr to venerate, which I'm sure will help her along the way.

Here's what it kind of looks like:



She wouldn't let me take any pictures of her, but she looked lovely and calm (and medicated). She has an Orthodox nurse that she introduced everyone to, too!!

So, here we are! The waiting has begun! We appreciate your continued prayers!

Now a really "great" photo of my dad in the hospital eating jello...with chopsticks.



We'll continue giving you updates as we get them!

About the Moleban Service

As Trenna has already written, St. Barnabas held a moleban service (prayers for the healing of body and soul) for her on Sunday. I know these beautiful prayers were truly uplifting and touching for her, so she asked me to write a little bit about my impressions of the day.

Father Wayne asked that all of her family come and surround her, and anyone who wished to stay for the service could do so as well. I could only feel the presence of a mass of people behind me (the amount of which, I am sure I have never seen for a Moleban), but I know that when Father Wayne asked Trenna to turn around and see how many people were there praying with her, it was then that the inevitable tears began. When all of us sang together, I know that nothing came out of my mouth because the voices behind us were many and powerful--it took my breath away.

Standing there, surrounded by icons of the many saints and martyrs who endured their own ailments with such grace, stood my step-mother with all of her family and church family together asking God to help her to do the same. The thing I love about this service is that it is so encouraging. Every prayer is a constant reminder that she is not alone—that with Christ on one arm, and the Theotokos on the other, she will walk into the surgery and walk out again, covered in the grace and mercy of God.

If you feel inclined to look at or pray these prayers for Trenna, here is a link I found: http://www.orthodox.net/services/moleben.html

Trenna was annointed on Sunday with oil from a lampada from the reliquary of St. John Maximovitch. This is especially significant because, for American Orthodox people, he is one of the influential missionaries that brought our wonderful Faith to us. He is also known for visiting and healing people in times of sickness, including our own parish priest.

Following the service, Trenna tearfully received hugs from pretty much everyone there, as I’m sure that there was not one dry eye present. It was all very supportive and wonderful, and very touching for my step-mom and my dad.

We will continue to keep you updated on the events of this week!

The plan thus far: On Thursday, Trenna will be admitted in the wee morning hours, and her surgery will begin at 7:00 a.m. It should last until around 1:00 p.m., at which point, the surgeon will come out and talk about how it went. There is no knowing how Trenna will be after her surgery—if she will be alert and comfortable enough to receive guests or phone calls. Please feel free to post on this blog, and we will make sure she gets your message. She will have a recovery time of about 4-5 days before she can come home.

We would greatly appreciate it if you could sign up to bring meals for her and my dad. While it is hard for them to accept any help, it is necessary, and also very appreciated J. There is a link in the blog tabs above.

Thank you, everyone, for your love and support! It means more to us than we can say!

A Very Good Day.

Hi Friends,

So as most of you know, after many consultations, emails, phone calls, prayers of beloved friends and family, and the maze of insurance issues, my brain surgery is scheduled for Thursday, June 23rd with Dr. Keith Black at Cedars Sinai Medical Center. We will check into the South Tower at 5:00 AM and be taken to the 8th floor of the North Tower for pre-op prep and etc. The surgery will begin at 7:15.

This is my wonderful surgeon:
http://www.time.com/time/reports/heroes/tumor.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Black

I am truly blessed beyond belief that I'm able to have such a marvelous, gifted surgeon. God has been so kind. But, He always is. Anyway, please pray for Mitch and my family as they wait for news; it hurts me to think of them worrying.

Today our beloved priests, children, and St. Barnabas family gave me a beautiful gift. They prayed a healing prayers service (Moleban) that was truly one of the most wonderful, humbling, blessed experiences of my entire life. Words are truly not sufficient to express my gratitude and love for each one of you. As I often do, I missed my dad terribly today, but I felt his presence during the prayers and throughout the day. Today was a very good day; and I will carry those prayers, your love, your faith, and that memory with me into the OR on Thursday morning.

Thank you everyone for all of your prayers, good thoughts, well wishes, cards, notes, encouraging emails, and many acts of kindness and generosity to me and my family!! I look so forward to seeing you all very soon:).

With Love and Gratitude,
Trenna