Maybe because it is the 13th, we should have been expecting an omen….but we were not! Then, Gretchen detected blood in her stool and we were off to the doctor and eventually the emergency room!
Tuesday
Gretchen finally got an ER bed after sitting in the waiting room for 16 hours! She has an IV and is scheduled for tests today while she waits for a room so she can be admitted to the hospital. The bleeding stopped according to her blood work.
Wednesday
Gretchen had a scope job today and the doctor said she had a GIST tumor in her stomach about the size of her fist. She will need surgery to remove it. We contacted Jeff and he gave us the name and number of a Mayo doctor who would be happy to talk to the LGH doctors.
Thursday
The LGH surgeon indicated the operation could be done in Lynchburg, but when we told him we could go to the Mayo Clinic, he talked to Dr. Michael Kendrick and arranged to have all of Gretchen’s test results sent to hIm. Gretchen was released from the hospital at noon. We were beat and I booked a flight to Minneapolis for Monday. But…a stern parenting lecture from Katie made us change our flight to tomorrow. So we fly to Minnesota tomorrow afternoon! Thanks Kate!
Friday - Sunday
We flew to Minneapolis where Liz and Jeff picked us up at the airport. Thanks to Jeff, Gretchen is set for testing at Mayo on Monday and surgery Tuesday or Wednesday. We had a fun weekend catching up with Jeff and Liz, watching college football and the Steelers!
Monday - Thursday
Up early, we arrived at the Clinic for a day of tests and in the afternoon we met with Dr. Kendrick. He described the tumor and said he would get surgery scheduled for tomorrow. Since it was the last day Gretchen will be able to eat for awhile, we enjoyed Liz’s Italian Wedding Soup and Gretchen needed ice cream!
Up even earlier, we arrived at Saint Mary’s Hospital and checked Gretchen in for a liver ultrasound scan and surgery. After the scan, we were told there was going to be a delay to get an operating room. So we went back to the Bolton’s and returned after lunch. Gretchen was soon on her way to surgery. The operation lasted a little over two hours. I met with Dr. Kendrick and he indicated everything went well, the tumor was the size of a fist and probably was growing for 5-7 years. He said they were excited they could save about half of Gretchen’s stomach and that would make it a lot easier for her to adapt to her new eating regimen. Gretchen was moved from Post Op to her room by early evening where Jeff and I got to see her before we headed home!
Oh, and the other big news today was that Alex arrived from Atlanta!
When Jeff and I got to the hospital Wednesday morning we found Gretchen alert, walking in the hallway and eating a semi-liquid diet! Thursday morning we met with Dr. Kendrick and his team and he indicated she would be released by noon. We then met with the dietitian who stressed eating small, frequent meals with no raw vegetables, nuts or other hard fibrous foods and very little sugar. She said that gives the body time to adapt to its new internal configuration. So we headed back to the house, and then Jeff, Liz and Alex headed to the Arenz house for their traditional Feast of Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve!
Christmas
The Boltons came home this afternoon and we began a week long culinary adventure with a toast surrounded by Christmas cheer!
And Cornish Hens for dinner!
And Tea with Alex’s Cranberry Bread!
And Tomahawk Steaks!
And Alaskan King Crab!
And Patrick’s Lobster Rolls
when the Arenz family joined us on New Year’s Eve!
Then Lisa and Luca arrived on New Year’s Day
And Jeff cooked a Crown Roast!
Gretchen and I never expected to be in Minnesota over the holidays, but we are blessed to be able to have access to the top tier medical care at the Mayo Clinic….thank you Jeff for arranging our second trip! Liz, it is so wonderful that you and Jeff open your home to us, walk with us through each step of our medical journey and make us feel so at home! I am so glad we could spend time with the entire Bolton clan during the holidays; it was wonderful experience! Thank you Liz and Jeff for being the kind, caring, loving people you are…you two are special!
Culinary note to Kelley and Katie: Aunt Liz makes split pea soup too and she and Jeff like it just as much as we do…but Christine agrees with you guys!
