Resting more peacefully

Lauren finally slept peacefully for a while today after a rough night. There was much discussion and many somber faces after surgery yesterday. The oncologist came in to tell Lauren of their cancer suspicions at about 7pm.

Rachel, Megan and Nathan are having a fabulous time on their trip. They went bowling, drove and played up the canyon, wandered BYU, did a high ropes course, went to a BYU volleyball game, have played with lots of cousins, had delicious food, toured the art museum, been spoiled by Aunts and Uncles and probably many other things they haven't shared with me.

Blair worked in the morning yesterday and was here in time to see Lauren before they took her back to the OR. We usually get bad news on our own, so it was nice to be together!

To answer a few questions - the bowel section wasn't removed for 2 reasons. It sits too close to the stomach. There is a certain centimeter threshold the surgeons don't pass (I can't remember the number) because healing is too difficult at that point. They would be forced to remove if the bowel was obstructed, but it would be risky. The other reason is because of the extent of damage and the suspicion of the cancer. Chemo or other treatments couldn't begin until at least 2 weeks after the surgery if the bowel was removed. I reminded the surgeon that many people were praying that she would be guided and would know what to do with whatever she found once she opened Lauren up. I feel like that prayer was answered and that she made the right decision.

Another question regarding the doctors we are dealing with. We have a large group of doctors from many different specialties here at Childrens' who have been working on Lauren. She needs to be treated at a heart transplant center because everything she is treated for is affected by all her heart meds and her heart condition. This particular oncologist is a specialist in PTLD. It is hard to understand what has taken so long to get a diagnosis, but it is not the fault of the docs. Lauren's body just does an excellent job of masking the real issues. It always has. We are confident she is in good hands.