Cancer.

Even though it's only been a week and a half (or so) since my last post, it feels like a month. Last week was a lot crazier than we thought it would be, and this week will most likely be the same. So here's what's going on....

Remember when I said Grandma VH was going to have a biopsy? Well, that turned into surgery and the doctors ended up removing the tumor. They left the outer shell though, because it was actually attached to her brain. It turns out that Grandma has lymphoma, a type of cancer that attacks her white blood cells and travels through her blood. The doctors also found at least two more smaller tumors in her brain, in different spots. They also said that lymphoma does not originate in the brain, so they'll have to do all kinds of tests to find the source. Usually it starts in the abdomen. After all the tests are done, the doctor will start treating the other tumors, most likely through steroids and/or chemo. They have said that they will be doing a less invasive form of chemo that shouldn't make her sick all the time.

Grandma is in her late 70's and wasn't exactly in the best health to begin with before all this happened. She's been wheelchair-bound for the last 2 years or so. We know she won't be able to come back home, but of course we're hoping these treatments give her a few more years with us.

My parents and I went to see Grandma on Sunday at OHSU. She was doing much better than she was right after the surgery, but she’s still not in great shape. Her memory has been improving everyday though, which is a very good sign. She knows who everyone is, even my cousins that she hasn’t seen in years. She’s still confused at where she’s at though, and that day it seemed like she thought she was at home. She kept telling me she had been out shopping today and got back late, and was very tired. She says things like that all the time. I’m sure that will improve in time. The important thing is that she recognized all of us and knows that we all love her and of course, she loves us too.

This whole thing has brought my mom's side of the family together in a way I'd never imagined. Everyone is so strong and we've all managed to pull together amazingly. I was blessed to see a few cousins that I haven't seen for 5+ years and be able to sit in a circle with most of my family on Sunday. It's been too long since we were together like that.

So...that's what I've been dealing with this week and last week. That and, of course, meeting my other grandma's needs, but that's normal for me (even if it drives me crazy most of the time!). And work...which isn't actually much to deal with, but I hate that most of the time I feel like I'm wasting time...ugh. And then Dad....but I'm not going to even talk about that now. It's too infuriating.

Cheryl will be here in a week. Exactly. The farm isn't much closer to looking like I'd like...and time's running out! Sunday is my target work day. PLEASE let it be some sort of good weather (basically, anything but rain)!

Hope things are going well with all of you. I miss everyone so much!