For whatever it's worth, I'm speaking as someone whose ovarian-cancer-fighting mom has been in the hospital for two weeks now, with no currently forecast time of release.

Oh, Calli. I didn't realize she was still in. Do you live nearby your folks?

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Sorry for the stupid, needless repetition.

Booo. A Cindy post is never superfluous.

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Do you live nearby your folks?

I live about an hour and a half drive from them. I've been going to see them every weekend since Mom went in. Last Sunday she told me to stay home this weekend, which, to be selfish and all, is kind of a relief. Dad's making arrangements for long-term recovery care (and discovered along the way that his combination of insurance packages would cover everything, thank Diety) so it doesn't look like we'll be expecting her home anytime soon. I guess the upside is, they seem to think she'll have a long time in which to need care and a recovery to work toward.

It does help to keep my current office drama in perspective.

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Last Sunday she told me to stay home this weekend, which, to be selfish and all, is kind of a relief.

What a sweetheart. She is wise, too. Since this is a long haul type of recovery, you need to be caring for yourself.

I guess the upside is, they seem to think she'll have a long time in which to need care and a recovery to work toward.

Her prognosis is good, then? I know hearing "ovarian cancer" is so scary. My s-i-l is in treatment for her ovarian cancer, just a couple of years after battling breast cancer. She was classified stage III B for the ovarian cancer, but her prognosis is still decent. She much sicker with this treatment than she was for the breast cancer treatment, though.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR ABI, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

LEO'S RULE!!!

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Her prognosis is good, then?

Um, well, there's a really good chance they can push it into remission for a couple of years. Then she's expected to go down hill very quickly. Still, that's a couple more years (says the person not going through chemo hell).

But I'm glad your SiL's doing well! Mom's problems are compounded with heart disease, diabetes, and being 78, which I hope are not problems your SiL shares.

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Happy Birthday, DebetEsse!

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{{{Calli}}}

I'm about to take a shower (Annabel is enjoying her daily Sesame Street time), and after I get out I'm going to try to call VCOB. Mom doesn't have voicemail on her cell phone, but if I can't get through to VCOB, I might call the hospital and see if I can get connected to Dad's room. If I can explain the travel issues to one of them, I'll feel better. I know ExArmy!Brother told them to keep West Coast travel times in mind, and that our family will have a harder time getting a quick flight from Seattle than he will from the Bay Area--he has more airports to choose from, and his wife and son aren't going, so he can do a red-eye if need be and only has to find one available seat. But I'd still rather talk to one of them myself. At least that'll make the "what if I'm late to the funeral?" voice shut up.

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Best wishes Susan.

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Um, well, there's a really good chance they can push it into remission for a couple of years. Then she's expected to go down hill very quickly. Still, that's a couple more years (says the person not going through chemo hell).

Sometimes, prognosis improves once treatment is complete. My friend's mother was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer, this winter. She was expected to only have 6 months, with treatment. She opted for the treatment, and I honestly could not understand why, because treatment is so rough. She had to have some treatment to get it under control, before she could even have surgery. Those six months have passed, and her prognosis is actually much better, and she feels well. She was completely right to gamble on it.

I hope that your mom's treatment is effective, and that her other conditions can be brought under control, as well. It's so very hard. How is your dad holding up?

I'm about to take a shower (Annabel is enjoying her daily Sesame Street time), and after I get out I'm going to try to call VCOB. Mom doesn't have voicemail on her cell phone, but if I can't get through to VCOB, I might call the hospital and see if I can get connected to Dad's room. If I can explain the travel issues to one of them, I'll feel better. I know ExArmy!Brother told them to keep West Coast travel times in mind, and that our family will have a harder time getting a quick flight from Seattle than he will from the Bay Area--he has more airports to choose from, and his wife and son aren't going, so he can do a red-eye if need be and only has to find one available seat. But I'd still rather talk to one of them myself. At least that'll make the "what if I'm late to the funeral?" voice shut up.

Susan, maybe you can ask that they not finalize the arrangements until you've booked your flight and informed them of your flight time? That's generally what we've done in our family, when we had people who needed to fly here, to get here from elsewhere.

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