It’s a beautiful Fall day here in Missoula. Mom is attending a Memorial Service for a family friend. This a normal thing for her to do – so this is HUGE progress. This little apartment has seen a lot of activity for the last two weeks.

Two weeks ago Mom had colon resection surgery. About a third of her colon was removed (on the right side) along with the cancer inside the colon and 40 lymph nodes outside but near the colon. She was in the hospital for one week. Upon her arrival home, grandkids started coming to visit and it has been a whirlwind of activity since then. They have all returned to their homes and it’s darn quiet around here.

Emily and Ella arrived at midnight the day after Mom came home and of course she stayed awake until we got home from the airport. Then Megan and Zeb arrived the following night. Have you ever noticed how when there’s a baby in the house, everyone else becomes who they are to the baby? For example, Mom became Grandma Andersen, Zeb became Uncle Zeb, I became Grandma Heidi and so on. Ella particularly liked feeling and pulling Uncle Zeb’s beard.

They were here just enough days to get to most of our favorite restaurants. For those of you familiar with Missoula that would be, The Montana Club, Dairy Queen (Missoula’s DQ is different than any other) Paul’s Pancake Parlor, The Mustard Seed, Jaker’s, and we’ve added Café Rio and somehow missed Hoagieville this time. So many places to eat and so little time.

Grandma Andersen is doing VERY WELL. Her week in the hospital seemed to go very quickly. She didn’t eat anything for 4 days and then gradually started eating. It’s kind of amazing to me that they could basically take out a “section of pipe” and reconnect the two ends and then just carry on like usual. However, that seems to be what’s going on. There are literally no diet restrictions.  

FAQ’s:

How big was the cancer?

About the size of a grapefruit

Were the lymph nodes cancerous?

No

Will she have to have chemo?

Probably not – don’t know for sure yet

What will change in her life?

She will have the normal recovery you have after a surgery, but in the not-too-distant future she will be buzzing around town in her big old Buick. She will have periodic tests to determine whether or not the cancer has returned.

What about the pancreas and the thyroid?

No cancer and no cancer!!!