I Had Emergency Surgery Today.....

Hello my dear friends and prayer warriors sadly I am back for more prayers and support....Today started like any other except when I was washing the babes faces....I got to my sweet Lucy and she jerked away and was very touchy...upon further checking I saw her eye had a spot that looked to be an ulcer....I called her doctor who of course is off on Thursdays but fortunately her partner Dr. Wendy was in and told us to come right over. We did a stain test and a flush got a good look and Wendy said Lucy has a tear in her cornea...OMG...okay I jump on the speed dial and call Dr. Isherwood our eye specialist....she's out of town in Tampa at an Ophthalmology seminar...Okay not to worry I'll call Dr. Kelly the specialist at the hospital where Norma Jean was cared for...Hmmmm not what I wanted to hear, Kelly is at the seminar too....Now I am a bit panicked who am I going to go see and is anyone here in the area who did not go to Tampa?....Wendy said lets call Dr. Ann Weigt...Yea she was in town and I was told to come right over they will see Lucy ASAP....

Finally after an hour long drive we got to Dr. Ann's clinic they rushed us right into a room and Dr. Ann took over....Lucy did indeed have a tear in the cornea and would require surgery...not sure to what extent until she got in and was able to see what was going on.

The end result was that Lucy had an ulcer 80% in depth and it resulted from an infection deep in her eye that erupted in an ulcer....Dr. Ann did a keratectomy and conjunctival pedicle graft....Lucy was back in my arms as soon as the intubation tube was removed...Norma Jean and Savanna were there too helping care for their sweet sister Lucy.

Not long after we got home Lucy started to have a bit of a panic attack....thankfully Dr. Ann (Norma Jean's savior) is such a sweetheart I called her and she said Lucy most likely needed a bit more pain med so I went to my "pharmacy cabinet" and gave her the tramadol Ann suggested and now she seems to be resting comfortably. Ann also alerted the ER doc on tonite about Lucy and what is going on just in case she needs to be seen tonite....thank you so much Dr. Ann Stoneham you are a wonderful doctor, friend and person!!!

So my friends I am sure with your prayers and good wishes my dear Lucy will come through this ordeal with flying colors.....I'll keep you posted on Lucy's progress...

Shih Tzu Kisses...XO ~Caryn & LUCY

Praise Report for Norma Jean!!!!!

I am so very happy to share the latest report from Dr. Stoneham about my Lil Norma Jean. Aside from the fact that Dr. Stoneham call Norma Jean her little "Star" she says she looks wonderful!!! And I indeed have to agree she is back to her regular routine, eating great, a spring in her paws a happy smile and just all around sweet Lil Norma Jean....only difference is now she does not let me out of her sight and of course she now goes everywhere with me and Miss Lucy.....Back to the latest check-up....the sonogram showed NO fluid needing to be aspirated!!! Can you believe it???....this is fantastic news....Norma has a re-check with Dr. Terrell her Cardiologist on Wednesday....I just know he is going to be absolutely amazed to not only see Norma Jean but to see her looking so fabulous!!!...Dr. Terrell will check for fluid as well as check the tumor for changes which in turn will contribute to the recommended course we should take if any regarding the tumor....If there is fluid we will see Dr. Stoneham later in the day for aspiration...if no fluid then we will see Dr. Stoneham the fallowing week....Oh my gosh it's been 1 week and 1 day since fluid was aspirated...that is just awesome news....please keep the good thoughts and prayers coming.....

Norma Jean got a nice trim to even up her "ICU" hairstyle....I think she really enjoyed being pampered....she looks so adorable...I left her hair long just blended it a bit where she was shaved the hair is coming on very fast...I just think she looks so cute and has earned her battle scars for sure......I'll get some new pics up soon....

Once again here is Norma Jean's candle site it would mean so very much to me if you my dear friends would help keep it going......



http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=en g&gi=stafn

http://www.dogster.com/dogs/235728


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♥Caryn

Norma Jean is Home at Last!!!! WooHoo!!!!!

Hello dear friends.....I am so sorry I have not updated you sooner, however, as you will see it has been extremely hectic around here......I think you are gonna need a little snack and tea this is kinda long.......

First I am estatic to let you know that my dear sweet Norma Jean came home from the hospital last Tuesday 1/27....Dr. Stoneham decided that the 4th surgery originally scheduled for that day was not necessary at this time....Yea!!!!....When we got home all the babes were so happy to see Norma Jean they sniffed her, kissed her then sniffed her a bit more!!! It was so cute to watch the reunion....we are all so very happy and truly blessed to have our sweet girl back home where she belongs.

Thursday 1/29 Norma Jean had her check-up with Dr. Stoneham the sonogram showed fluid so Dr. Stoneham aspirated the fluid....240MLs were drained...the fluid was very red in color and consistancy very different from what was being aspirated previously....a sample of the fluid was sent to cystology for evaluation and several blood tests were run....Apparently the tumor was bleeding causing the change in color....Norma seemed to be acting okay but the change in the fluid was in question....Dr. Stoneham said she would call me the next day with results......Friday 1/30 Dr. Stoneham called asking about Norma Jean....finally after several questions I sensed something may be wrong and asked what she was thinking....she said Norma's numbers were not great from the day before and was concerned she may need a blood transfusion...well that was all I needed to hear..... I grabbed up Norma, Lucy and Abigail and off to the hospital we went....Dr. Stoneham ran bloodwork, did a sonogram to check for fluid..thankfully no fluid had accumulated since the day before....when the blood numbers came back they showed Norma Jean to be looking much better than the day before....so all was well...Cystology results did not show any new cells in the fluid...apparently the tumor was bleeding and it stopped...since no new cells were identified we still do not know what kind of tumor we are dealing with...When I asked Dr. Stoneham if it was good that no tumor sells were identified she said it's neither good or bad..."it just is"....At any rate I think Norma just wanted to see how fast I could move in an emergency....as if I had not already demonstrated that talent for her very recently....lol...

Norma Jean continued to do well over the weekend she seems to be back to her old self...PTL...this in itself just amazes me how this little soul could have endured so much an is now laying resting peacefully on my desk as if this ordeal has never happened...It just warms my heart, brings tears of joy to my eyes each time I look at my swet little girl....I than God for giving her to me and allowing me to keep her with me I truly could not imagine being without her.....

Norma Jean's next appointment with Dr. Stoneham is on Monday and Wednesday she has an appointment with Dr. Terrell her cardiologist....Please keep the prayers coming I truly believe God has heard everyone of your prayers..... Also please keep the candles burning
http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng&gi=s tafn http://www.dogster.com/dogs/235728

And just a little footnote on Friday I all of a sudden started having wicked lower back pain it sent me to bed and nothing gave me relief....in the midst of this I get the call to bring Norma in....It's amazing what you think you can't do until you have to do it...ignoring the excruating pain I managed to get Norma to the doctor and get home and to bed....A friends came and had to help me get the babes cared for that evening....Saturday was spent in bed in pain as was Sunday when my dear friend Rosemary came and checked on me and the babes....Monday I was feeling like it was getting better but then realized something is not right here....so my dear friend Rosemary met me at the hospital and took care of Norma, Lucy and Abigail while I checked into emergency....I was sure by this time I had a kidney stone....well I guess I'm not ready to diagnoise folks quite yet....The doctor says I have a herniated disc and somehow my siatiac nerve is involed....so I was given steroids to take for 2 weeks and vicadan for the pain told if it got worse come back right away...if it just does not get better I got a orthopedic referral....I do believe that today I am feeling much better I can definately manage the pain and at least slightly function....hopefully these steroids will do the trick....I guess this is just part of getting old....lol....

Sorry for such a long update I will try and keep the volume down....XO

Norma's appointment with Dr. Stoneham

Lucy and Abigail went along with Norma Jean to her appointment today....when we got to the hospital everyone was so happy to see Norma and asking how she was doing and just giving her love and kisses....I was so touched by the genuine love and kindness they have for my little girl.....After all the preliminary update info of what has been going on the past day and a half Dr. Stoneham did a sonogram and confirmed that there was fluid that needed to be aspirated...next she aspirated the fluid thru Norma's port which seems to be working great..PTL.../the fluid aspirated was very red and a thicker consistency compared to the pinkish tint and more fluid contents of past aspirations.....we were able to get 240MLs of fluid....due to the color and consistency of the fluid Dr. Stoneham decided run some blood tests....she said it appeared that the tumor is bleeding...I'm hearing this and freaking out...how can this be after all we have been thru....Dr. Stoneham says not to panic lets see what the blood shows re-exam with the cardiologist and go from there...okay...so I am checking out paying a mortgage payment and Dr. Stoneham comes and tells me she just looked at the fluid under the microscope and saw cells she could not identify nor had she seen in previous checks....she suggested sending the fluid to a cytologist for evaluation the same lab that originally evaluated the fluid...of course I said yes....I should have the blood results tomorrow afternoon sometime and the fluid results hopefully Saturday......We go back for a sonogram and fluid aspiration on Monday afternoon providing Norma maintains a steady pace and no signs f duress....It appears we are not out of the woods....and I knew we had a long road ahead just was not ready to face it this close to getting my little girl home....So I must again ask you my dear friends to continue your prayers and lighting of candles for my dear sweet Norma Jean.....The power of prayer got us this far I believe that with the love, support, prayers and non stop viguals my Norma Jean can be healed.....Thank you all so very much for keeping us so close to your hearts....God Bless you each and everyone...my dear friends......XO

Norma Jean Is Home At Last!!!!

I am so very happy to report my dear sweet little girl is home and resting comfortably.....It was decided early yesterday (Tuesday) not to go forward with the 4th surgery to relocate the port drainage tube....we found that turning Norma Jean on her side for 20 minutes or so would allow the fluids to drain from the pockets it was accumulating in and flow to the area where the holes in the tube would effectively suction out the fluids thru the port.....Sweet Norma Jean is such a trooper so cooperative I'm sure she knows this is all being done for her out of love.....

When I went back to ICU to pack up my little girl Anthony, her nurse had started getting her things together for me while Norma was walking around ICU.....she went back to her little house and when she got in the poor darling was so confused as all of her beds, blankets, pillows, stuffies and wall decor had been removed....I felt so sad for her....it was then I realized she had really made a home for herself there and was feeling so secure....I just prayed she would feel safe and sound once we got home and she saw her family together......

We got home around noon everyone was so very excited to see Norma Jean and I think she was happy to be home too.....Once home we all went into the bedroom got comfy and rested/slept the rest of the day...of course I had a hand on Norma Jean at all times and each time she moved I jumped up to make sure all was okay.....Norma Jean is sleeping soundly I know she must be exhausted as she was checked every hour in the ICU....She is comfy cuddled in the pillows on the bed next to me with her sisters, brother, mom, dad, niece and nephew gathered around watching over her.....It's so cute every so often one of the others will go over and check on her it's as though they are taking turns watching over our little girl.......

We go back to see Dr. Stoneham tomorrow (Thursday) to check the fluid accumulation and aspiration of the fluids.....I can not put into words how very fortunate we were to have such an excellent medical team to care for my sweet girl.....Although we still have the tumor to deal with PTL the immediate life threatening issue is now being managed.....and I am so, so very grateful that we were able to avoid/put of a 4th surgery....it may still be necessary but I feel so much better knowing my girl will have time to get her strength back and recover from all of the trauma she has endured in the past three weeks......

Thank you so much for all your prayers my dear friends....I ask that you continue your prayers as I am convinced that if not for the outpourimg of prayers, love and kindness from all of you my little girl would not be here with me now....The power of prayer is truly AMAZING!!!!....God Bless you my sweet friends......XO

Update on Norma Jean....

Please forgive me for not updating sooner on my sweet little girl...but it's been so hard to just get through.....As you know Norma Jean had surgery this past Tuesday to implant a port that would serve as a permanent aspiration site for the PE....Dr. Stoneham used the port on Wednesday evening and got 62ml of fluid....it worked great everything looked good....aspiration was scheduled for 12 hour intervals....the next morning no fluid came out an ultrasound showed fluid but not a great deal so Dr Stoneham said we would aspirate at 7pm...At 7pm again no fluid came out, however, the ultrasound showed fluid more so than in the morning.....Now it's Friday aspiration is attempted at 7 pm and once again no fluid comes out....the port is flushing fine, however, what is flushed in is not coming back out....This same scenario happens again Saturday evening and this evening (Sunday)....Norma Jean is showing no signs of distress she is a trooper to watch her trot around the ICU you would never know she had the medical issues she has.....So since apparently for some reason the port or most probably the tube of the port is not allowing fluid to be aspirated the doctors will brainstorm and hopefully come up with an explanation/solution. In the meantime if Norma Jean becomes overwhelmed and distressed by the fluid accumulation then the doctors can tap it and remove it with a needle....so far PTL Norma Jean seems to be handeling it all well.

Tomorrow, Monday 1/26 we had planned fr Norma Jean to come home but now with this glitch in the port I am not quite sure what will be....I'm so frustrated, exhausted and frightened as I know my sweet lil girl still has a long way to go....

Please keep the prayers coming and candles lit I know it is the love, support and prayers from our dear friends that have brought us this far....Thank you all for your kind words, emails, cards and phone calls...Please understand and excuse me for not responding as I can bearly keep up with caring for my other babes, but I can't tell you how good it makes me feel to read your kind words....and to my sister Shari who has been there with me from the start I can't tell you how much I love and appreciate you....and my dear friend Annie who has on several occasions come running when I called and needed her, thank you I love you bunches. Stephanie, Tanner & Tucker, Norma Jean loved her mail!!!!....that was so very sweet, thank you.....

God Bless you all our dear friends......Shih Tzu kisses....XO

Norma Jean's Surgery

The surgery went well the doctors are pleased...she had a hard time waking up it was just breaking my heart all I could do was hold her little paw and put my hand on her body....finally around 3am she had a bit to eat and went potty....I am on my way to the hospital now...Lucy and Savanna were at the hospital all day with me yesterday more than 12 hours and they were just so good they were with Norma Jean with me when she came out of surgery...And again as she has been everyday my dear sister Shari was at my side....please light another candle for my sweet girl and keep the prayers coming.....
XO Caryn

http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=e ng&gi=stafu

NORMA JEAN IS HAVING SURGERY TODAY....PLEASE PRAY....

The doctor just called and they are going to do the surgery to implant a port that will be used to aspirate the fluid....As far as removal of the tumor that is not an option, however, if we can get the pleural effusion manageable then Norma will be able to come home soon and I will aspirate her port.....I found a gal on myspace last night whose Westie had cancer which they were able to treat and pleural effusion as well...a port was implanted and aspirated at home....finally after 1 year and 1 week the fluid production ceased and they no longer have to aspirate the port....Please continue your prayers and light candles for my little girl.....I have to get to the hospital I'll update as soon as I can......Thank you dear friends for your continued love and support.....

Continued Prayers Needed For Norma Jean....

Sweet Norma Jean remains in ICU and the fluids continue to be secreted. The fluids are being aspirated every 6 hours, unfortunately the amount has not subsided. Yesterday (Saturday) afternoon the doctors suggested we try IV steroids in hopes that they would alleviate inflammation and in turn the tumor would cease the production of fluids. So far there has been no difference....the steroids are given once every 24 hours...she has now had 2 doses...Please pray that the steroids will be effective.....it just breaks my heart to see my little girl this way.....she has a wonderful appetite, is alert and so sweet and loving....she has stolen the hearts of all the ICU nurses.....This evening when we visited Miss Lucy went back with me she got in Norma's house with her, gave her kisses and checked her all over then laid down with her sweet sister....Norma loves to walk around ICU watching everything that goes on....the nurses will unhook Norma's IV so she can visit the other patients and get a change of scenery....Please pray for the miracle we need....make this tumor stop secreting fluids and let our Sweet Norma Jean come home to her family....Everyone misses her so very much.....

To our dear friends I cannot tell you how much your cards, email, phone calls and prayers mean to me and my babes.....thank you so very much....God Bless you all.....

Norma Jean Remains in ICU...Please Continue Prayers Sweet- Friends.....

My sweet baby Norma Jean remains in ICU, her meds have been adjusted so she now has an appetite and a bit of a spark about her. Unfortunately they have not been able to remove the chest tube as the fluid accumulation is too high. They are now aspirating the tube every 6 hours and it seems they are getting the same amount of fluid as when it was being aspirated every 4 hours. Thankfully she is handeling the tube very well....the longer a tube is left in place the more chance of infection and irritation...so far so good PTL. The plan as of now is to continue aspirating the chest tube and hopefully her little body will drop the production of the fluid in the next couple of days and the tube can then be removed.....If not then we will have to look at other possibilities which are extremely risky.....Please pray for my little girl to stop the production of this fluid NOW....She has to get better we need her back at home so desperately....The other little ones at home are acting more depressed by the day missing Norma Jean...they all know something is very wrong....It just breaks my heart to see my babes in such distress... I was so happy to learn she was hungry and I got busy preparing containers of food for her. She has her own shelf in the refrigerator in ICU with chicken livers, sirloin tips, chicken breast, pumpkin, broccoli and banana baby food.

Wednesday evening Lucy visited with Norma Jean....I put her in the house with Norma she gave her love then laid down and watched over her sister.....Lucy just watched everything that was going on in the ICU as though she was administering healing to the sick babes....It reminded me of how she watched over my dear mother and would not leave her side loving her and nursing her...It was quite an amazing and emotional scene to witness.... Miss Lucy is truly an amazing being......I was so glad I had decided to bring Lucy back to visit....she usually stays in the waiting room in her stroller with my sister, Shari, who by the way I don't know how I would be managing if not for her love and support, Thank you dear sister you mean more to me than you know.......

Thank you dear friends your love and support means so very much to me....I sit and cry reading your messages although it is all so very sad it helps more than I can tell you....