From Steph:
My mom is finally out of the hospital. She is weak, but smiling and beautiful and glad to be home. She continues to do better each day, although she will be on TPN (Total Parenteral Nutrition) for at least a week while she regains her strength and her digestive tract, which was seriously damaged by the chemotherapy.
We are planning to move her to Los Angeles for the remainder of her chemotherapy and surgery. My sister, Suzanne, has a wonderful friend who is a hepatobiliary surgeon at Cedars Sinai Hospital. He is a specialist in just the operation she will need! He will coordinate all of her care there. We were very disappointed in the care she received at Stanford; in a nutshell, the care there is very fragmented, with many different doctors, interns, residents, fellows, and others coming through to see her, so there are lots of places to fall through the cracks.
Please feel free to leave comments here on this blog; I will read them regularly with my mom. We are trying to conserve her strength so that she can work on healing, so I will also be referring most of the email she gets to this blog. I will post regular updates, and I hope she'll feel well enough soon to post some of her own. Thanks for your understanding, love, and support.
Welcome home, Gabi. I knew you could do it. Your spunkiness is inspirational. Lots of love to you and your whole family.
ReplyDeleteDear Gabi,
ReplyDeleteYou and Richard have my wholehearted support. I'm glad your daughter Stephanie has stepped in to mediate the crush of email you must be getting. May your medical experience down at Mt. Sinai further your healing trend.
Love,
Al
Dear Gabriele,
ReplyDeleteI was released from Stanford Hospital the same day you were first released. I took a vicious fall, almost broke a rib and at 90 years old it took a toll on me. I was bed ridden in pain for a few days and I lost 10 pounds. Isabelle is taking good care of me.
Now my thoughts are for you to recover and I hope the next phase of your battle will go more smoothly and that you will come out triomphant out of this ordeal.
I think of you every day and every night when I go to bed.
Love,
Hans
Gabriele,
I know chemotherapy is a bitch.There is no other word for it.
You are back home with you family and that is all that counts.
My wishes are with you for the remainder of your journey.
May the outer sun and the inner sun fill your heart.
Love,
Isabelle
PS: my figs are coming out. I hope you are having lots of fruits who welcomed you at home.