Friday, March 6, 2009

She came through with flying colors!!!

Enjoying her midnight snack last night....aka "her last meal"

Wasting time before surgery watching Nemo with Memaw.

Summer made it through surgery like a champ. They removed the right kidney and tumor in one piece. It did not rupture and appeared to be contained fully within the kidney. That is awesome news! That should put us at a stage 2 Wilms tumor, at least that is what we are hoping at this point. They only saw one lymph node and it did not appear to be cancerous, but they will test it to be sure. They had to hunt for a second lymph node to take out which is the minimum number they are required to remove to meet protocol for research. This is also great news because that means it has more than likely not spread to the lymph system. I was expecting a lot of lymph nodes to be removed, but they just were not there. WOOHOO!!! We do not know for sure that it is Wilms, but the surgeon said it is most likely that in her opinion. Tomorrow we will get more answers, but not as many as we will on Monday.

If it is indeed Wilms, they will start chemo next week or the following depending on the staging and other results. Stage 2 means 2 chemo drugs, and stage 3 means 3 chemo drugs. This will last for 18 - 24 weeks. She may also have some radiation, but that is still up in the air at this point. I guess everything is up in the air, including my hands thanking God for his answer to who knows how many prayers.

She was not happy when she woke up from her anesthesia. She was complaining of her belly hurting which is understandable since they sliced her belly open to remove everything necessary. They gave her a shot of morphine which knocked her out in my arms. I cannot tell you how amazing it was holding her in my arms after the surgery. Although she was not a happy camper, it was a precious moment I will never forget. Nor will I forget before surgery when they took her from my arms as she cried for me. Oh how the tears came flooding to my eyes!

She has to be careful when she moves (or me if I am holding her) because her belly is really sore. I am thinking tomorrow she will still want to get up and go to the playroom to play with all the cool toys, but we will have to wait and see. Of course, she has a room full of toys right here. The hospital staff gave her blocks, play dough, coloring book, crayons, a sticker book, a bear, a puzzle, and several books. She also received numerous fuzzy friends and balloons from visitors. I am just amazed at all the stuff she has accumulated in the past 24 hours. Everyone has been SO KIND to us and I am VERY grateful for all of my friends and family for all of their support. I am also grateful to fellow bloggers who have spread the word and started prayer chains all across the country. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!!!

We are no where near the end of the battle, but we have made a very promising start. I could not be more pleased with the way the day turned out. I am so very tired and ready for sleep, but I didn't want to keep everyone who took time out of their day to worry for me waiting for an update. Thanks again for all your thoughts and prayers! May God bless you all!!!
Her first drink after the surgery was Sprite which is her favorite carbonated beverage although she very rarely gets any.
The closest thing to a smile I could get on camera after surgery.
She's happy to have that IV out of her arm so she is free to suck her thumb with no beeping IV machine to worry about.
I'll keep you posted as we get more results.

16 comments:

Christina said...

That makes my day as well :]

I'm glad everything went fine, and I'll continue praying.

JAMBA said...

I just heard about your daughter's story from Angie on Twitter. She'll be in my prayers as you guys go through this.

A friend of mine has a daughter that had a stage III Wilms tumor (diagnosed in Dec 2007 and cancer-free since she finished treatment in June 2008). They have a website at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/juliamangual.

Unknown said...

Hi Jennifer,
I found you blog through Angie Smith's twitter. Just wanted to let you know I'm praying for you and your husband and your precious daughter. She is so adorable! Praying that God will surround you all with His peace through this ordeal.

Stephy said...

That's Great!

Stephanie @ dirtandlace.com said...

I am so happy to hear how the surgery went!!! She sure is a strong girl. I hope tomorrow is a good day for you all. I'll be thinking about you!

Bridgett said...

I'm thrilled about the surgery and the results so far. She looks fantastic for just having had a nephrectomy! Let me tell you, adults don't usually look nearly so good. LOL

I hate to think about the chemo and radiation. I guess I was being naive and hoping if the tumor was contained within the kidney, the other things wouldn't be necessary.

Stay strong and please keep us updated.

XOXO

-stephanie- said...

Such great news. I will be praying for no chemo or radiation, just a complete healing now that the bad kidney is out.

We've Got Scents said...

Praying for today to be a good day for your family and will be praying for healing and for peace of mind for all of you.
Blessings today and every day,
Kaye
Matthew 21:22
Psalm 46:10
Isaiah 41:10

kimmyk said...

Oohh I just clicked the update and got all this. Wish I had read this first, but I'll still continue to send prayers and good vibes your way.

She's a beautiful lil' girl...

-*aMaNdA*- said...

AWW. I JUSS WANTED TO LET YU KNOW THAT I AM PRAYING FOR HER. AND U ALL :)
and i saw that she was drinking a sprite:)
haha. good memories. :)
tell her i love her :)

vera said...

LOTS of prayers coming your way!! I saw Angie's Tweet about you and will keep praying for Summer and your whole family. I wrote a post last year about having a child in the hospital, I thought I'd share with you just in case there's anything that might be useful to you: http://verassong.blogspot.com/2008/05/maybe-useful.html

Chuck, Sarah and Emily said...

I just found your blog via Angie tweet--and wanted to share--the following 2 websites are a husband/wife whose 18m old son is dealing with a Wilm's Tumor--thought they might be helpful for you on your journey--your family is being prayed for!!

http://logicalmommy.blogspot.com/
http://musicaldaddy.blogspot.com/

Tricia said...

The thumbsucking picture is adorable, she's so BEAUTIFUL.
I'm happy to hear the surgery went as best it could, and hope these days of resting you do those much needed answer. Always know we are behind you, giving you that extra push and prayer.
Hugs to you all.

Merrie said...

Your little girl is ABsolutely beautiful! Found you through Bring the Rain and am so glad to know that her surgery went well and that there's a lot of hope for a full recovery. I'll be checking in regularly -- you seem like a lovely family!

Tiffany said...

I'm so glad the surgery went well! I will continue to pray for your little girl through this ordeal!

Unknown said...

Hi Jennifer! I am so glad to hear that Summer's surgery went well and she is feeling better. I sent your story (and blog link) to Angie Smith to have her blog followers pray for your family. I feel like the prayers are working! Please keep us posted with any new updates!