Vivi Flirting with the Cute EMT
(More photos to come. I was having Trouble uploading!)
Hello Everyone,
My apologies for the tardiness of this blog post. However, I am thrilled to let you know that Vivi is doing exceedingly well. While there have been some bumps in the road, and the road itself is not an easy one, it seems Vivi is progressing better than we could have ever hoped. Her CA-125 (the ovarian cancer marker in her blood) counts are WAY down, and a massive reduction in the amount and size of the tumors could be seen on a CT scan she received last week. In addition, on the spiritual/psychological end, she has continued to be an inspiration to all of us. While Vivi is still bat-out-of-hell crazy (I love you, mom), she continues to amaze us all with her strength, humor, and positivity.
So what has occurred since you last heard from me?
About ten days after Vivi's first round of chemo, she had one very tough night. She woke up around 3 AM with a racing heart and feeling like she could not catch her breath. While nighttime and sleeping have been a challenge in general since her diagnosis, it was clear that something more serious was going on. While she was feeling better by morning, her doctor still advised that she should head to the emergency room to be checked out. I headed over there to meet her.
When I arrived at the hospital and saw my mom sitting in the waiting room - make up on, clad in colorful clothes and diamonds - all I could think was, "What the fuck are we doing here?" By the look on her face, I could see she was thinking the same thing. She just didn't seem to fit in with the other patients waiting in that room who looked in much worse shape than she was. However, before we knew it, Vivi was whisked to the front of the line, put in a gown and a bed, and attached to a bunch of heart monitoring machines.
To make a very long story short, after 5 days in the hospital, and many, many tests, it turns out that Vivi had an episode that was similar to a small heart attack. Through the various tests, we learned that Vivi has a heart condition where the wall of her heart is thicker than most people. Now, when a normal person gets dehydrated, the walls of the ventricles in your heart start to close in on themselves, restricting the flow of blood, as well as oxygen, to your heart. This is why it is so important to stay hydrated, and a major factor in why we all feel so ill when we get dehydrated. In Vivi's case, since the walls of her heart are thicker than normal, when she got dehydrated (chemo is EXTREMELY dehydrating), the walls of her ventricles closed in so much that they actually stopped blood and oxygen from flowing into the heart altogether. This lack of oxygen in the heart triggered an enzyme called Triponin to leak, which can cause damage to the muscles in the heart. In Vivi's case, there was a small muscle on the bottom of her heart that seems to have stopped working (although apparently it may have just been on vacation, not permanent leave) due to this episode.
This is the same thing that happens when someone has a heart attack - blood and oxygen are blocked from flowing to the heart, and triponin begins to leak into the heart causing damage. However, in the case of an actual heart attack, the flow of blood is usually caused by a blocked artery, which cannot correct itself, and generally needs to be unblocked through an operation or medications. In Vivi's case, the blockage can fix itself once the body is rehydrated and her heart rate is brought to a lower level - this is a good thing. Basically, this means that we can prevent an episode like this from happening again, by making sure Vivi is extra hydrated - both orally and intraveniously. Also, another enzyme leak should occur, we know how to fix it.
Unfortunately, Vivi almost went through this again during her second round of chemo, after which she was taken to the ER in an ambulance, and monitored for a couple of days. Mind you, this sounds worse than it was. The doctors were keeping a very close eye on her heart during the treatment, and at the first sign on something abnormal, they decided to be more safe than sorry and send her to the emergency room. Despite the abnormality in her EKG, Vivi was actually feeling okay at that point, which made the ambulance ride, as well as the cute EMT guys, all just part of a funny little adventure. By the time we had reached the ER, Vivi had proposed marriage to both of the men, and even tried to get one of them to give her his home address.
In fact, being in the hospital with my mother is actually quite an entertaining experience. Unfortunately, the first thing that generally has to happen when my mother gets to the hospital, is she has to be pricked by some sort of needle - and Vivi HATES needles. Sometimes it's just for the purpose of drawing blood, and sometimes it's for the purpose of putting in an IV, but either way, the process is met with the same panic-stricken routine. Whenever a nurse walks in with a needle, I am tempted to tell them to run as fast as they can in the other direction, as they have no idea what they are about to get themselves into. However, I figure they will soon enough find out for themselves.
First, they are asked if they are "good at this". I am still waiting for the day that a nurse will answer, "No, this is my first time. In fact, I am actually a patient here. They just let me poke people for fun sometimes." Instead, my mother is generally reassured that, yes, in fact said nurse is quite competent, and is not planning on killing my mother with a needle. From there, the series of questions continues: Are my veins collapsing? Can you find a vein? Have you ever done this before?
When the needle is finally administered, the exchange goes something like this:
"Am I okay?"
"Yes, you are okay."
"Am I okay?"
"Yes, you are okay."
"Tell me I am okay."
"You are okay."
"AM I OKAY??!"
"Yes, you are okay. The needle is in."
"It's in?"
"Yes, it's in."
"You're done?"
"Yes, I'm done. You did great."
"Wow, I didn't feel a thing. You are amazing."
"Thank you."
"No seriously, you are truly incredible."
"That's kind of you. I appreciate that."
"I love you."
"Um, thanks."
"Will you marry me?"
"What?"
"Oh, I'm just kidding."
"Oh. The doctor will be in soon."
I can't help but think this is a similar scenario to how I was conceived.
Once the doctor arrives, my mother is generally fixated on one piece of information, and one piece of information only: will she be getting a private room?
"Hi Mrs. Teich, I'm Dr. Joe. I have taken a look at your EKG, and it seems to appear a bit abnormal. We are going to have to admit you to run some more tests."
"Who do I speak to about getting a private room?"
"It seems you may have had a slight heart attack last night, and we need to monitor you to see if the worst is over, or if this is just the beginning of it."
"I need a private room."
"We think you are most likely out of the woods, but it seems there may have been some damage to your heart."
"All the more reason I need a private room. Are you the person I speak to about that?"
I think you get the point.
However, despite her craziness, my mother does manage to always get herself a private room. In addition, the nurses seem to just LOVE her. By the time Vivi leaves the hospital, she knows the entire life story of each nurse that has entered her room, is texting with the ones who are off duty, and is proposing marriage to the ones she fancies the most. The student nurses are assured they will have successful nursing careers due to their extreme talent and compassion, and several nurses receive a few last words of relationship advice before my mother departs. I have even witnessed a few tearful goodbyes as if my mother was saying goodbye to family members she had just been visiting for a few days and won't see again for another another few months.
But you know what, this is Vivi, and this is what makes her so great. It's also what helps her get through all of this. I can poke all the fun I want, but I, too, hate needles. I, too, would hate having to stay at the hospital and have endless nurses and doctors waking me up at all hours of the night to poke and prod me. So why not make the best of it? Why not make a friend or two? Why not try for polygamy? I say, all the power to you, Mom! If nothing else, it's one hell of a show to watch!
After this second stint in the hospital, it was decided that from now on Vivi would be admitted to the hospital during her future rounds of chemo, so her heart could be more closely monitored, and she could be better cared for if something were to go wrong. Luckily, it did not. In fact, this last round of chemo when very smoothly, and Vivi was sent home the following day, and was told she could now receive the rest of her chemo treatments as an outpatient (she has another three to go until her surgery).
While right now Vivi is going through her tough few days of post-chemo side effects, these tough days seem to get shorter and shorter with each treatment. I think this improvement is partially due to the fact that she is just learning how to better cope with everything, as well as knowing that the worst parts only last a few days - and she will, in fact, feel better sooner than later.
Another major factor in my mom's overall improvement has been her diet. Stefanie Sacks, who is Vivi's nutritionist, paired my mother up with two unbelievable private chefs, who have been providing my mother with the most delicious and nutritious food imaginable. In addition, Marti and Nathalie themselves are just two of the most healing people anyone could ask to have around. I truly believe this food, and these people, have changed my mother's life, and we could not be more grateful for their presence and talents. No joke, never in my life has my parents' kitchen smelled so good - or, for that matter, been used so much- and now it is the heart of the house.
Lastly, I always refer to July and August as our family months. My sister flies in every summer with her children, and the majority of our time is spent together as a family. This year has been no exception. This, too, I believe has kept not only my mother's spirits up, but also the rest of us. It is times like these when you realize how important family is, and I truly believe we all have cherished this time together like never before.
Two weekends ago, Vivi was even able to make it to our big family reunion, which Marko plans every three years. The weekend, in Marko fashion, was chalk full of activity - including a 70's disco, a sports day, a carnival with bungee jumping and bumper cars, a beach party, and a boat ride down the Hudson. While Vivi may not have been bungee jumping or playing soccer, she was present at almost all events with a smile on her face, and joke or two to spare. One night, she even stayed up late to join a few of us in the hotel parlor room for some laughs over a bottle of wine that Dave stole from the beach party.
Since Vivi has been feeling so much better, she has also been able to get back to some semblance of her normal Vivi life. She has been able to spend quite a bit of time at her house, and has even gone a trail ride on her horse - an activity that makes her happier than almost anything. She has also been able to devote many hours to her new, very favorite hobby: shopping online for head coverings.
Since my last post, one other development has occurred - Vivi has lost her hair. However, I have to tell you - although she refuses to believe any of us - she looks AWESOME. I mean, truly awesome. The best way I can describe her is that she looks like a retired rock star from the 60s who still managed to keep her edge. I mean it. She looks truly beautiful. And while she is not comfortable going in public without covering her head, she looks equally beautiful wearing the many turbans, head scarves, and sparkly headbands she has fashioned for herself. In fact, I would not be surprised if she starts her own line of fabulous (yet comfortable) head coverings within the next few years!!
So, as I said at the beginning of this post, I could not be more thrilled to report such positive news. However, this is all due to Vivi. With each day that passes in this process, I am more and more inspired by my mother.
And as I have said before, I truly believe that Vivi finds her strength in all of you. The phone calls, the emails, the texts, the cards, and the flowers just keep pouring in, and it is a constant reminder that Vivi has the best army behind her while she forges ahead in this battle. And for the first time since this has all started, I think she is beginning to believe that she will win.
