Need some DU love--Mom just called with very bad news. :(

[Lyric]

So Mom's has this odd sore on her leg for over a month and it refuses to heal. In fact it's getting larger and more infected and open-looking.

The first doc she saw told her she might have some circulation problems and scheduled an ultrasound for her legs and a leg blood-pressure reading. So she got those things done today, and it turns out she has 70% arterial blockage in that leg--I think the condition is called arteriosclerosis or something similar to that. She also has a blood clot behind her knee that's big enough to cause concern.

They're admitting her to the hospital tonight to start IV antibiotics and they're doing some sort of angiogram-type procedure for her leg instead of her heart, to get a good look at it--I think they use some kind of catheter to inject dye? Then they're doing bypass surgery in her leg to restore circulation.

I know that sounds relatively mild--but she's already had 3 heart attacks, 2 strokes, brain surgery to fix 2 aneurysms, adult-onset AML (leukemia), *and* she has advanced emphysema. She's only 49 years old. They're worried that surgery and anesthesia will be too stressful on her heart and lungs, but it *HAS* to be done--otherwise this sore won't heal, can become gangrenous, and potentially kill her.

My Mom is like superwoman. She has survived SO much--hell, she's still WORKING full time, even after all of that! But I'm still scared to death for her. :(

[Ptah]

1. Wow. Here's a hug and a flower

:hug: :grouphug:

[Lyric]

2. That's one big flower. Thank you *hugs*

I just don't know what I would do if anything happened to her. With Dad gone, she's all we have left. :cry: :(

[City Lights]

3. Sending good vibes your way, oktoberain.

:hug:

Hope your mom is better soon.

[LeftyMom]

4. Hey, good luck to both of you.

My Mom had something similar last winter and she and your mom are the same age. My Mom's got health issues out the wazoo too, although fewer circulatory issues, and she came through this one like a champ and was 100% recovered fast. I just wanted to share that and hope it's reassuring.

[many a good man]

5. Sending Mom love at ya

She sounds like one tough lady, she'll make it through this, too. Keep close to her.

[ThomCat]

6. I hope her invulnerability is still working!

I'm sending good vibes for superwoman Mom! :hug:

[Lyric]

15. I also hope that her invulnerability is genetic.

I'd love to know that THOSE tough genes are getting passes on to my kids. She's my hero.

[Left Is Write]

7. My best wishes to her, oktoberain.

:hug:

[jarab]

8. My best to your Mom.

...O...

[Haole Girl]

9. Your Mom *is* like superwoman!

That is a lot to go through by age 49.

I hope everything goes well with her surgery...
here's wishing for a very speedy recovery and better news soon.

:hug: :grouphug: :hug:

[deadparrot]

10. Hugs for you.

:hug:

Hope your mom's up and about soon. :)

[Lyric]

11. Thank you all so much.

I hope I don't come across as some AW wimp here. I'm just all alone here at home, and I had to act tough and confident on the phone with her, and I'm not really confident or tough at all at the moment. My partner won't get off work at Olive Garden until midnight--this is one of their "busy" nights. :(

[Whoa_Nelly]

12. Will keep your mom and you in my thoughts

Please keep us posted, oktoberain :hug: :grouphug: :hug:

[Bullwinkle925]

13. She sounds like one very tough lady.

My best wishes are being sent your way. Keep us posted. You're in our thoughts and hearts.
:pals:

[WindRavenX]

14. oh sweetie!

:hug:

[barb162]

16. Oh your poor mom, she's been through a lot

IS she on blood thinners?

Hugs to you and mom

[Lyric]

18. Well, the doc who saw her 2 weeks ago put her on Plavix, and

she's taken daily aspirin ever since her heart attacks, but she had to stop all of those meds tonight because she has surgery scheduled in a few days. She'll be in the hospital on IV antibiotics until then.

[texanwitch]

17. Lots of hugs.

:hug: :hug: :hug:

[photogirl12]

19. Good thoughts and prayers going out to you and your mom. n/t

[snacker]

20. Big hug for mom and you.

Sending good thoughts for Mom.

[barb162]

21. I have a friend who had a clot in his calf and he was in the hospital

a few days over it. They put him on cumatin, a thinner (hope I got that spelling right) and he'll be on it the rest of his life. I bet your mom has high cholesterol numbers or something that she is having all these horrible problems. That poor woman and she 's so young. I really hope everything turns out okay. It has to be horrible for you and her. I am amazed to read she is working full time

[Lyric]

26. Yes--she's an office manager at a community grocery store.

On her feet all day, too. She really is amazing.

The cancer she had (acute myelogenous leukemia) was something she was only given a 14% chance of surviving past 1 year--and she just passed her 6th year since her last chemo treatment. Her heart is growing its own bypass blood vessels, too--the docs think that might be related to them stem cell transfusions she got during her leukemia treatment. It's actually quite fascinating.

I often wonder if those stem cell treatments are the reason behind her seemingly uncanny ability to survive and heal from fatal health problems. She got them after intense chemo meant to destroy her bone marrow (where the cancer was). The stem cells were supposed to stimulate her body to grow new bone marrow, I think. They were her *own* cells too--harvested between her initial chemotherapy treatment and the "intense" chemo she got to kill the bone marrow.

All the more reason for more stem cell research.

[barb162]

28. That's amazing.

She is like Wonder Woman. I really hope the best for her. I just can't imagine going through all that.

Again, HUGS to you both!

[graywarrior]

22. Here's hoping your mother will be ok.

:hug: And a hug for you.

[bigwillq]

23. Sending out my best vibes.

:hug:

[QMPMom]

24. I hope that all goes well for your mom.

I'll keep you both in my thoughts.

[lildreamer316]

25. Hugs...

:hug: :hug: :hug:

[SammyWinstonJack]

27. !!

:hug:

[GoddessOfGuinness]

29. Sending good vibes~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>
:hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>

[bullwinkle428]

30. She obviously has a tremendously strong spirit, having been through so much,

but give her our best anyway!! :hug:

[RFKHumphreyObama]

31. My thoughts, prayers, best wishes and positive vibes to your mom

In addition to anything else good I can extend to her. And to you:hug:

[u4ic]

32. Lots of light, energy, good vibes and thoughts

heading to your mom. :grouphug:

She sounds like a tough lady, she'll get through this as well!

Here's a hug for you, too, oktoberain. Sounds like you need one, too. Take care. :hug:

[Radio_Lady]

33. Forty-nine years old with all of those physical problems? Holy mackerel!

I do hope they can help her this time.

Our hopes are with you for a complete recovery for your mother.

In peace,

Radio_Lady

[eridani]

34. White light and good wishes

:grouphug: :grouphug:

[regnaD kciN]

35. That IS tough...

Prayers of healing for your mom and strength and comfort for you.

:hug:

[buddhamama]

36. Good vibes and well wishes

for you and your Mother. Your Mom is Superwoman. WOW ! I wish her healing and wellness. :hug: :hug:

[NewWaveChick1981]

37. Sending great vibes to you and your mom...

:hug: :pals: She sounds like a very determined woman! I hope the hospital stay benefits her tremendously! I wish the best for both of you.

[miss_american_pie]

38. I'll keep her in my thoughts

:hug:

[yellowdogintexas]

39. Good karma to your mom, and please let us know outcome nt

[ikojo]

40. Those sound like the ailments of a 70 year old

person not someone who is only 49. My sister is 50 and has never had a heart attack! Good vibes being sent to oktoberain's mom.


Could this be a side effect of the leukemia and its treatments?

[SoyCat]

41. I wish you both the very best--

:hug:

[knitter4democracy]

42. Wow. I am so very sorry.

It even shocked my hubby, an internist who's seen a lot of bad stuff. I'm so sorry she's going through all of this. I hope her medical staff is on the ball and takes the best care of her they possibly can. I hope all the meds work and don't cause more problems, and I hope her pain is managed well.

I will pray for her and you today. I hope that's okay.

[Lyric]

43. It *is* shocking.

If I hadn't witnessed her struggle through it all myself, I'd have a hard time believing it. When she was 39 (in 1996), she had chest pain at work. She went to the ER, and they did some basic tests and decided it was probably nothing. But just to be safe, because the pain wasn't going away, they eventually brought in a cardiologist. He did a special test (I think it's called a heart echo?) and told them she was having a heart attack--was *still* having it! She'd been sitting in the ER for 3 hours at that point. The other docs were in shock--she was only 39, her blood tests were relatively normal, and so was the EKG, but you could see the clot stuck in her coronary artery on the screen of that machine.

We found out a few days later that not only had she had *that* heart attack, but there was also some damaged heart tissue that looked older. That meant she'd had a previous (likely silent) heart attack at some point before then, and hadn't even known it. She had another heart attack about 3 weeks after she got released from the hospital, and they did an angioplasty and put a stent into one of her coronary arteries. But that made 3 heart attacks total, counting the "silent" one that she didn't know about until well after it happened.

Then in fall of 1999, she started getting these odd red spots in places on her skin--mostly her torso area. She was tired all the time, too. When she finally saw a doctor about it in April of 2000, she was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia and hospitalized immediately. Over the course of the next couple of months she had two chemo courses. Then they harvested some of her stem cells, did a really intense chemo treatment that was meant to kill most of her bone marrow (she had lots of blood and platelet transfusions during this time) and gave her the stem cells back. I can't remember why they didn't do a normal bone marrow transplant--something to do with her heart problems. Anyway, after the stem cell treatment all they could do was wait and hope, but they told her success was unlikely. They were wrong. The cancer has never come back.

In 2002, she had something called a TIA (mini-stroke). Then she had a real stroke (mild, but scary). Then another one, again mild. She fully recovered from those, only to be diagnosed with an anterior-something cerebral aneurysm in 2003 that was leaking blood into her brain. She went to the hospital because she was having headaches that caused vision problems, and with her stroke history, she figured better safe than sorry. They did a scan of her brain and found the aneurysm. When they did the surgery to clip it, they found a second aneurysm that was leaking too, and clipped it at the same time. She healed from that and doesn't even have much scarring from the scalp incisions.

Then last year she was diagnosed with advanced emphysema. (She was a smoker for 20 years, but quit after the aneurysm surgery). They told her she'd have to be on oxygen for the rest of her life, but somehow she's improved enough that she doesn't need the oxygen unless she has a chest cold. She still works 40+ hours a week.

She really, truly is a walking miracle--six times over.

[knitter4democracy]

45. Wow. She is so strong to deal with all that.

That's all insane. And I thought my medical stuff was crazy.

She will make it through this with flying colors, I'm sure. I will pray for her, just to be safe, though.

[crim son]

44. I'll send you all the positive vibes I can muster.

Your mom sounds incredibly tough and brave. :hug:

[Shine]

46. Healing light to you and your beloved Mother, oktoberain.

:hug: May she be Safe, Protected and Well. Keep us posted on her progress...

:hug:

[bertha katzenengel]

47. dear Oktoberain

I'm sorry to hear it. Both of you are in my thoughts. :hug: