November 18th ... D-Day

Today was the day my Dad was supposed to have surgery to remove said mass in his esophagus. My sister, Tonya, and I got there around scheduled surgery time and my Mom and Melissa were already there. As we were driving there we were told that the biopsy results showed that the mass was a stricture and was going to be surgically removed. Huge relief. As we go into the surgery prep room we are joking about removing the mass and getting a McRib after all is over with. My Dad was hungry since he hadn't eated in a few days since the GI and all of these tests. Dr. Mamel came in as we were saying a prayer for a safe surgery. He told us that it is still a possibility that it is a tumor. We all blankley stare at each other as they take my Dad in for surgery.

This was the gorgeous view of the waiting room that we cried and waited in. Melissa is crying as there's a strong possibility as Daddy has cancer. Tonya, my Mom and I are more so in a state of shock. Barry comes. A doctor comes in to let us know what is going on and to sign a few paperwork. At about 10 a.m. they say surgery is over and we can go see him. He is still a little out from the anesthetic. He wakes up. Dr. Mamel comes in. He has pictures from the endoscopy. There was no surgery obviously. He is showing us pictures of his esophagus, which are just aweful. So, I have to sit down since I have a weak stomach. Dr. Mamel starts saying the word cancer. My sisters, Mom and I stare at each other with eyes like deer in headlights. The pictures and the word cancer are overwhelming me, and I ask my brother-in-law Barry, a firefighter/EMT, for a bucket as I feel like I am going to throw up. Instead, I pass out, hit the bed rail. They end up yelling Code Purple on me and I end up in a bed with an IV and oxygen mask hyperventilating. I have asthma but no health insurance so this is a bad situation. They wanted to take me to the ER, thank God they told them not to. Barry helps take care of me. My poor Mom and sisters are now worried about me as Dr. Mamel keeps talking. I see my other brother-in-law, Jose, out of the corner of my eye and the next thing I remeber is waking up in a room (with a view of the bay which my mom and I joked about because my Dad joked about having a room with a view) and a TV with a deer and flowers on it. There was an ER unit team that came up. They told my Dad I passed out because I didn't eat (we think I have hypoglycemia) so he wouldn't worry about how I reacted to the news about him. My Mom later told me that as Dr. Mamel was talking about all of this she saw a tear run down my Dad's face.

We spend the rest of the day in hospital. They run all sorts of tests on him. All sorts of doctors come in and talk to us. Internal medicine, surgery teams, etc. Melissa is constantly crying. Tonya cries in spurts. I may not have cried, but I reacted. My Dad didn't understand his diagnosis at first. He asked my Mom ... so it isn't cancerous or anything? We left the room and let her explain to him. I spent the night at the hospital with my Daddy that night. Melissa stayed, too. My Mom needed some rest. I slept surprisingly well but woke up right away when my Dad did and needed to go to the bathroom or when the nurses came in to check vitals and take blood at 4 a.m. He was actually quite the trooper and his spirits were pretty high. But, of course hadn't really sunk in yet for him.