Surgery date set!

I was sick last week so I didn't get to post the most recent update. They have set a surgery date of Feb. 4th for Tom. They are going to remove the gallbladder and take a look and try to remove the tumor. They have said there will be 3 to 4 surgeons in during the surgery. He is still in extreme pain. I ask that everyone keep praying. Not only for Tom but Julie also. This is so hard on her, and I don't know what to do to help her other than ask for prayers. My faith is strong and I know God will take care of everything.

Mary Jo

Most recent about Tom

We went to IU Medical Center yesterday. Two doctors looked at Tom and his scans. His opinion was to do exploratory surgery and remove the problem area if possible. The surgeon is on vacation this week so Tom has a consult scheduled for next Tuesday the 20th. I will post as more information is available.

Tom Update

I will try to catch everyone up.

Thursday: an MRI was performed to view the pancreas and liver. A reduction was done on the pain pump to make the switch to oral pain meds.

Friday: the doctor came in and discussed the visit to IU Med Center. The pain pump was removed and some solid foods were tried. Tom was allowed to leave the hospital this evening and we will be heading to Indianapolis very early Monday morning. As of right now we do not know if we will have to remain longer than 1 day. After this consultation, a decision will hopefully made about the next step. Surgery involving the Whipple procedure and pancreas resection have been discussed.

Thanks again for every ones thoughts and prayers. It truly lightens our heart to know so many people care.

Mary Jo

Ever heard of CPSIA?

Do you consign your children's clothes? Do you but clothing or toys for children at consignment or resale shops? Then you need to learn about CPSIA.

Go to : www.savekidsresale.com

Here you will find information and links to contact your local congressmen and representatives.

If we can not sale kids items, what's next?

Quick Update

Tuesday 1/6/09

The biopsy procedure was repeated this morning around 7:00 A.M. The pathologist wanted to study the 7 swipes that were taken. Hoping to have a path report tomorrow. If this one is inconclusive, it looks like we may be heading to IU Medical Center.

Will update again soon.

Update on Tom

Just wanted to let everyone know, we had to take Tom to the ER on Saturday evening. They admitted him and put him on a pain pump. They are trying to get his scheduled test moved up to tomorrow. All day today (Sunday) he was given only ice chips. At about 6 P.M. they gave him 2 small cups of sherbet. We did learn that from the CT scan that was done on Sat in the ER the mass has increased in size.

Please pray! We have so much faith and know prayers are so important.

As it stands now we will be closed on Monday at the shop to see what is happening and what we need to do next. We know both our customers and consignors know this is what we have to do. We truly appreciate your prayers and your calls of concern.

I will update as I know more.

Mary Jo

Please pray for Tom

First off let me start by apologizing for not writing on here sooner. 2008 has held many personal challenges for us and I have fallen behind.

To bring everyone up to date:

Tom had been having problems with his blood sugar. Some nights his sugar was over 500. The doctor tried different pills to bring it under control. One of the side effects of the blood sugar medicine was stomach pain. Tom was having pain so finally sent him to a G.I. doctor. Just before Thanksgiving they did a CT scan. At that time they found what they termed a shadow on his pancreas. Just after Thanksgiving they did a needle biopsy. The tissue was determined to be suspicious but no definite answer. The tissue slides were sent to Johns Hopkins for review. Instead of slides they wanted the frozen block so that had to be sent. They were still unable to make a definitive diagnosis so they have rescheduled a new biopsy procedure for Jan. 7th. One thing about the earlier biopsy was the lymph nodes are negative which is a wonderful sign.

During this time they also found Tom's gallbladder is shot. It is full of stones and sludgy. He is in extreme pain but they won't touch the gallbladder until they know what is up with the pancreas. Several different pain medications have been tried and now they are trying pain patches. Tom has lost about 60 pounds (pounds he couldn't afford to lose) during this time.

On Wed. Dec. 30th Tom went to the doctor and they have started him on insulin shots. Depending on what needs to be done concerning his pancreas, a lot of procedures are not done here locally.

I will try to keep everyone informed by updating the blog as I can.

Please keep praying.

Your "Neat" friends