So...

I talked to my parents on Skype today.  Dad still looks pretty good considering.  Mom, not as much...but she is stressed beyond belief right now.  Dad's surgery is tomorrow at 0730.  0430 my time.  At least we'll know what happens fairly early.

I'm working tomorrow so I'm attempting to go to sleep right now.  I don't think it'll be easy to sleep tonight.  I don't think tomorrow is going to be easy in any way...but I'm going to have to deal with it.

It's annual training renewal time for me.  Almost all of my annual courses, training and certs are due in January.  The exceptions are ACLS, BLS and How to Tango with Angry Patients, a.k.a. CPI.  That's my summer fun.

So I just completed a stack of courses:  privacy, infection control, waste management, disaster management, risk management, personal safety, workplace safety, medication safety, radiation safety and MRI safety.

I work in psych.  We don't use IV pumps or multiple lines.  The only MRI I've ever taken part in was the one I had for my foot while I was in nursing school.  The last radioactive exposure I had was a chest X-ray at my last annual physical.  Yet every year, I take courses regarding what to do with patients receiving infusions, radiation and/or MRIs.

I do pretty well on these tests too.  I must be the only psych person getting 100s on the radiation course.

Anyhow, I don't argue or complain. I figure if it's in my "Assigned Training" folder, then someone somewhere in my facility feels that I need to complete this.   Though when or even why they expect me to be performing MRIs on patients, I have no idea.

Boxing Day

It's rather appropriate that the gift for little one #1 that I ordered from the UK arrived today.  And little one #1 loves it.

The surgery is scheduled for January 8.  The first batch of pre-op work looks good, and they are optimistic about both his prognosis and his survival rate.  He is at higher risk of not making it through surgery due to his age and his cardiac conditions--and of course, no surgery is without risk even for the healthiest specimens--but the odds are still overwhelmingly in favor of him getting through it OK.

I was told NOT to come out for it because I would do no good. Dad is going to be in the hospital for at least 3 days, and I will not be able to go to the hospital with little one #2 in tow.  My parents said they will let me know if they need me, and then I and little one #2 will fly out.  I'm thinking I may be needed afterwards when Dad is at home, but we shall see.

So I'm a little frustrated that I can't be there, but I understand.

Merry Christmas

If you celebrate Christmas, Merry Christmas.  If not, I hope you're having a merry day anyway.

I just finished talking with my parents via Skype.  It was a little hard not having them here, especially given why they couldn't be here.  But at least we could see them, and them us.  My mom said that she had a difficult morning, but she snapped herself out of it to celebrate the day with my dad.  Tomorrow they go to the surgeon to start planning the tumor removal.  I don't know when that will be...they're hoping to do it soon enough so they can be out here for the February birthdays.  

My better half tried getting me something new...jewelry.  He actually did well with two of the three items he picked for me.  He knows I don't wear it often, so subtler pieces are a better choice for me.  One was a blue topaz (my birthstone) earrings and pendant set; the other was a small pendant with my first initial in crystal chips.  The one piece that wasn't subtle...well, he said he thought they'd be perfect stocking stuffers.  And yes, large dangling crystal snowflakes are just that.  I am wearing them right now.

I also got a big haul of yarn, knitting needles and pattern books.  Next year, I'm going to make a Doctor Who scarf.  I'm a classic Who fan:  they kind of lost me after Christopher Eccleston, who was brilliant but didn't want to stay more than a season.

 

All of the boys were excited about their gifts.  Little one #1 was ecstatic opening gifts; little one #2 was ecstatic eating the wrapping paper.  Two gifts didn't make it in in time:  one for the better half, one for little one #1.  The former's gift is backordered; the latter's gift is coming from the UK.  A little disappointing for me, but what can I do?  

Last night, I caught Midnight Mass from the Vatican on the Vatican's website.  I have to admit, Pope Francis is a Pope I can get behind:  he's not all talk and no action.  He lives his word.  He renews my faith in my Catholicism.  And we share a lot of similar points of view...that reminds me, I seriously have to find a Catholic church around here to start going to.  

Anyhow, for today's entertainment, we've been chilling out, watching religious/Christmas/holiday movies.   The last one we just finished was King of Kings.  I think next may be Ben Hur or The Year Without a Santa Claus.

No work until next week.  Whee!

Woo hoo!

The cancer didn't appear to have metastasized.  The PET looked everywhere except the brain and didn't turn up any evidence of growing tumors.  Not sure why they didn't do the brain though, but my sister tells me it's not likely to have spread up there.

So that's pretty great news given that he's still got lung cancer.

They meet with the surgeon on Boxing Day to start pulmonary testing and get the surgery organized.  They're not sure how far the tumor extends down, but going to try to preserve as much lung as possible.  Apparently they can rewire the bronchial tubing if necessary.  Worst case scenario:  the whole lung goes...but that's OK.  Pope Francis only has one lung and look at him:  he's a globe-trotting Pontiff.  He's also the same age as my dad, so even more proof that losing a lung won't be the end of things.

Now I can focus on enjoying the holidays a little bit more.

They are all at the doctors' offices as I type (lab, then pulmonology).   The PET went well yesterday and that's all I know.  Everyone is quietly optimistic.  I'm trying to be as well.

I'm off work today, trying to soothe a cranky little one #2 as I wait...

Update

Got a call from my sister...it is squamous cell.  I guessed right.

Now whether this is the "great" option remains to be seen.