Cherkauskas Family Blog: Being a daughter and a mother...

I'm sure some of you have noticed our absence from blogland lately. We've had quite a week and a half. Last Monday (the 26th) my mother called me from the emergency room of one of their local hospitals in Las Vegas. My dad had woken up early that morning with intense abdominal pain. At the ER, some bloodwork and a CAT scan revealed the problem to be acute pancreatitis, an inflammation of the pancreas they assumed to be brought on by gallstones. His bloodwork showed skyhigh levels of the pancreatic enzymes lipase and amylase and he was quickly admitted, started on antibiotics, and put on a strict order of nothing by mouth, not even water. My quick search of WebMD for pancreatitis revealed the causes, treatments, and some of the potentially very serious complications.

All I wanted to do was get in the car at that very minute. But my mother pointed out that it would be too hard to bring Drew with me and it would be too hard for Bill & Drew if I didn't bring him. I knew she was right. A hospital room is surely not the best place to entertain a 3 1/2 year old. And although Drew's daycare opens at 5:30 am and closes at 6:00 pm, neither Bill or I really wanted him to have to stay there for 12 hours when he's used to just 9-4. Plus, how to explain to little Drew that Mommy was going to see Grandma and Grandpa without him? I stayed put for the time being, attempting to focus on work and for the most part, failing miserably. I waited very impatiently for my mother's updates.

The updates brought news of CAT scans, ultrasounds, blood test after blood test, and possible problems and solutions. When my brother booked a ticket for the weekend, there was no longer any question about whether I'd be driving up. I would leave Friday morning in time to pick my brother up at the airport. Thankfully Bill is a very hands-on father, leaving me feeling entirely comfortable with them here without me. I did have to tell Drew a little white lie about where I was going. We just didn't think we could make Drew understand why I was going to Las Vegas without him, so we told him I was working in Phoenix. I think he knew something was up though as each time I spoke to Bill & Drew on the phone Drew asked me where I was and what I was doing.

As the first week progressed it seemed as if my father might have his gallbladder (obviously the source of the problematic gallstones) removed as early as Friday, so I left on Thursday instead of Friday, hoping to be able to be there to wait with my mother during the surgery. As it turned out, there were a number of things that had to align before the surgery could actually occur: a cardiac stress test, a stabilization of the enzyme levels within the normal range, etc. etc. This involved approximately 3-4 doctors giving the surgeon the green light to operate.

With John and me there, my mother was able to take a little bit of a respite from her all day stints at the hospital. We even made it out of the hospital for a real meal or two (aka non-hospital cafe food) and were able to attend church on Sunday. John had to leave on Sunday, still not knowing when exactly the surgery might be. We, like most of the folks in the hospital, watched the Super Bowl from my dad's hospital room and I was surprisingly able to keep my reactions in check at the big plays of the game. We left the hospital Sunday night knowing only that the surgery would be on Monday, but not having a definitive time.

My mom and I headed to the hospital on Monday morning hopeful that the surgery might be early enough in the day that I could stay for it and then leave to head home, but there was no such luck. I really did not want to leave. But my father pointed out that I am a daughter and a mother, and my little guy needed me back. I reluctantly got on the road mid-morning while my parents planned for a 5:00ish surgery that turned into 10:00 pm. I arrived home late that night, delayed at least an hour due to some tire pressure issues the last couple hours of my trip, and waited up to hear from my mother. Around midnight I finally got the call that all had gone well. They were able to remove the gallbladder laprascopically and my dad was resting and not in much pain.

Wednesday morning my dad's oxygen level had dropped and another CAT scan revealed a blood clot in one of his lungs (blood clots are not an uncommon problem associated with prolonged hospital stays). They started him on blood thinner and scheduled an ultrasound to check for clots in his legs (where I had had mine). Fortunately this did not reveal any clots, and while he will likely be on Coumadin for several months, the doctors' primary concern at this point is just getting his clotting time up to the measure they'd like to see before he can go home.

They have reintroduced solid foods and Dad's enzyme levels have remained within normal range, so it appears very likely that we should be seeing my dad at home this weekend rather than at the hospital. Drew and I already had plans to go up there this weekend because Bill's mom will be in town for a few days and we planned to visit my parents and her before all of this craziness happened. It just happened that the timing worked out very nicely. Drew understands that Grandpa is feeling kind of yukky and might not be able to play with him, but is very excited about the trip nonetheless. We're all just feeling very relieved and blessed that the situation turned out as it did, because there were some scary moments. Thank God for all the doctors and nurses whose care of my father was top-notch.

Just to add a little levity to the post, I thought I'd share the pictures Bill emailed me from the boys' fun Daddy-Drew day in Tucson on Saturday. They headed to the zoo and then Joe's Crab Shack for lunch.

Here Drew says hi to the giraffes.