Category Archives: Adult Children

A Young Buck

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Any day with surgery on the schedule promises to be a long one, and ours was no different. Today Nelson had a small procedure followed by a more significant one.

The day began with a phone call from his pulmonologist who started the conversation like this: “I’m thinking no news is good news.” He had given Nelson his personal cell phone number yesterday in case he had a lung emergency during the night. Nelson had told him he felt “different” yesterday and that something strange was about to happen, like a sudden collapse.

He’d been advised that if such a thing occurred, he was to go to the ER, call this doctor, and he, the specialist, would meet him there. Since Nelson hadn’t called him during the night, he concluded all was well.

“So,” he said, “did you sleep in a prone position last night?” It’s been weeks since Nelson has been able to do that, since the fluid in his lungs has made him feel like he was drowning.

Nelson answered honestly. “No. I still can’t lie down. It was another night upright on the couch. Breathing was still hard.”

“Well,” the doctor said, “in order to have today’s surgery, you have to be able to lie flat on your back. Can do that?”

“No. Not with all this fluid in my lungs.”

“Then come over this morning, and I’ll drain them again.”

And once more we were off to Mayo’s on short notice, thankful that our apartment was only six minutes away. Nelson felt a little better after the procedure but was surprised that already, in less than 48 hours, more than a liter of new fluid had accumulated in his right lung.

He was prepped for the surgery to place a stent in his superior vena cava vein just above his clavicle bone.

All of us (Ann Sophie, baby Will, church friend Keith, and me) were allowed in and out of his cubicle while he waited for his turn in the OR.

Keith had flown to Minnesota all the way from Tennessee to put his arms around Nelson and pray with him. He also brought lunch, though Nelson couldn’t eat anything pre-op. He prayed with Nelson and said, “You’ll get through this OK ‘cuz you’re a young buck who can put up a good fight.” A young buck. The perfect description.

We could also check a “live” progress board with his number on it, supplying information about where Nelson was in his surgical day.

Several hours later, Ann Sophie got a text saying he was ready for visitors. And once again, all of us were allowed into his room—even baby Will, despite a hospital rule that no one under five could visit. For some reason, they made an exception for our little guy. (Thank you, Lord.)

Nelson’s friend Derek had also joined us, flying north from Dallas to connect with his buddy.

Nelson was glad to see all of us but was especially glad when his wife and son walked in. This man has a lot to live for, and we could see it all over his face.

He’ll stay in the hospital overnight so he can be watched carefully by a trained staff rather than an untrained Ann Sophie and Margaret.

Then tomorrow morning he’ll be discharged before 8:00 AM, and a new day of appointments will begin.

 

“Let your eyes look directly forward and your gaze be straight before you.” (Proverbs 4:25)

A Demanding Day

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This morning Nelson was scheduled for a scan of his superior vena cava, one of the main veins flowing into the heart. Among Nelson’s problems is a narrowing of this major vein at the critical juncture where three other veins join. It’s much like three rivers coming together and flowing collectively back to the heart: one from each arm and a third from the head.

In Nelson’s case, there is a small mass trying to take over  that critical space where the three veins merge. As it’s been growing, the pressure of the mass on the vein has been threatening to seal it off entirely.

This morning’s scan showed that what doctors suspected was true, and this important vein was at risk of closing or clotting. “If those things happen,” the doctor said, “we’ll have a more complicated problem.”

After today’s early morning scan, we made our way to the radiology department to find out if radiating several of Nelson’s hurting bones would relieve his pain.

Our group included Nelson, his wife Ann Sophie, baby Will, Nelson’s sister Linnea visiting from Florida, and me. Mayo Clinic welcomes one and all, and they had no problem with us all squeezing into the small exam room.

During the next hour the doctor gave us an hour-long course on radiation therapy and where it might help Nelson as we wait to begin systemic treatment.

Today his pain has escalated considerably, reaching 10 on the pain scale, unless he’s under the influence of powerful pain meds. Even then, it only calms to about a six.

His breathing has become intensely difficult again, despite yesterday’s draining of the lungs, and he felt faint, like his heart was ready to malfunction. He said he hoped not to have to go to the ER tonight for the third time in two weeks for breathing issues, but thought it was possible.

The doctor showed us scan pictures with highlighted places where cancer was metabolically active, i.e. growing, and suggested where radiation might  arrest it or even shrink it. Nelson was reluctant, wanting to wait until the big picture treatment goes into effect in another week or so.

After this appointment, we made our way through a maze of long hallways to a different Mayo building to meet with a doctor who for 21 years has worked at Mayo putting stents into veins and arteries.

He showed us the scans of Nelson’s troubled vein (white up-and-down stripe in the picture) that had been taken earlier in the morning. The narrowing of the vein was evident. He suggested that the lack of circulation in the superior vena cava might be the reason Nelson is coughing uncontrollably. It also might be contributing to his feeling of panic over not being able to get a good breath.

After talking with Nelson for 30 minutes, the doctor’s assessment was that he should perform surgery to install a stent a.s.a.p. and get that blood flowing properly again. At the conclusion of our meeting, we listened in to multiple phone calls between doctors on Nelson’s team while we waited for their final decision. The result was that they wiped away tomorrow’s multiple appointments in favor of the stent surgery.

The schedule was quickly rearranged, and the surgery was set up for tomorrow. It will take place under full anesthetic in one of the hospitals here, and may involve an overnight stay, depending on how he does. We are glad this operation will take place and that the doctor who will perform it has two decades of stent-experience.

By this time in Nelson’s long, exhausting day, he gratefully accepted a ride to navigate the many endless halls and tunnels of Mayo’s different buildings. The staff quickly pulled up a wheelchair complete with “an escort” with a happy disposition who pushed so fast I could hardly keep up.

Next we proceeded to the lung doctor who had pulled fluid from Nelson’s lungs yesterday, wondering if the process needed to be done again, since his breathing was extremely labored. But this doctor  told us his lungs hadn’t accumulated enough liquid to need draining before tomorrow’s surgery. He, too, made phone calls to other team doctors as they discussed Nelson’s case.

From there we wheeled our way to another building for a pre-op Covid test. And after that, at long last, we rolled toward the car. Nelson was thoroughly worn out but was also encouraged because of the upcoming surgery. May the Lord look with favor on this son/husband/father as he goes into tomorrow with hope in his heart and confidence in his God.

“Do not throw away your confidence. It will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” (Hebrews 10:35-36)

Scrub City

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We’re gradually becoming familiar with our new home town here in Rochester, Minnesota. At 6:45 this morning, Nelson and I were sitting at a stop light on our way to one of several hospitals that make up the Mayo Clinic, going in for more appointments.

As we sat at the light, a crowd of medical people paraded past us wearing their work gear. Scrubs come in all colors, and as we watched, a rainbow of people in helping careers passed in front of us. Rochester is a medical town, and we’re really grateful, because we need lots of help.

It was a rough weekend for Nelson. His chronic problem is not being able to breathe well, never able to take a deep breath. There is fluid in his lungs making efficient breathing impossible. As the fluid builds, a little more each day, his breathing deteriorates. He can no longer lie flat without feeling like he might suffocate.

Over the weekend he called one of the many doctors on his team and asked if they couldn’t please drain at least one of his lungs so he could breathe better. Mayo Clinic responded quickly, coming to his rescue. They drained not just one but both lungs in a quick, almost-painless procedure, which brought a measure of relief. One lung had 1.6 liters of fluid in it, and the other over 1 liter—nearly 3 liters of fluid making it a struggle to get air. That’s about 3 quarts of liquid, pressing on all sides.

Nelson has had this procedure done twice before, and each time the “filling” of the lungs has happened over a shorter period of time. Yesterday they assured him they could redo the draining process whenever he felt it was needed. They even offered to put in a shunt so he could control it himself, but the accompanying risks were something he wanted to think about for a while.

In the mean time, we’re all grateful for the quick action Mayo takes. He has more appointments yet to come today, and the staff here continues to work on Nelson’s case from multiple angles. Waiting for the comprehensive, long-term plan to become known has been frustrating, and the doctors commiserate with that problem. But they want all the data before making the plan.

More later today about what they can do right now to ease Nelson’s pain….

“We hope for what we do not see. We wait for it with patience.” (Romans 8:25)