Today, my dad had surgery. As I mentioned before, he had a large tumor on his left adrenal gland for a while. After several doctors did a lot of testing and spent WAY too much time “monitoring” it, they decided it had to be removed. One of the last tests he had done a month or so ago indicated that just removing the tumor was not possible. He was told the entire adrenal gland had to be removed. Since I was on my cell phone when my dad was telling me this, I was not able to jump online to research the adrenal gland and its function. So, I asked my dad what that gland does. My dad is no doctor so I didn’t expect a big, long, scientific answer. I was just hoping he could give me some basics in a few sentences. But this is my dad we’re talking about (you have to know him)! In response to my question, he said, “It is the gland that tells you to react when a bear jumps on you!” Even though I know my dad VERY well and am pretty familiar with his thinking and how he communicates, I still had to laugh!

From my dad’s answer, Ray and I assumed the adrenal gland is responsible for producing adrenaline…and we were right. When I did some research online, this is what I read:

The adrenal glands are orange-colored endocrine glands which are located on the top of both kidneys. The adrenal glands are triangular shaped and measure about one-half inch in height and 3 inches in length. Each gland consists of a medulla (the center of the gland) which is surrounded by the cortex. The medulla is responsible for producing epinephrine and norepinephrine (adrenaline). The adrenal cortex produces other hormones necessary for fluid and electrolyte (salt) balance in the body such as cortisone and aldosterone.


Fortunately, this gland/tumor removal is not considered a serious surgery. The procedure only took a few hours. But I don’t care what kind of surgery someone is having. Surgery is surgery. You never feel great afterwards. He sounded good when I talked to him this morning before they took him back. But I didn’t expect him to sound as upbeat or feel near as good after surgery as he did before surgery.

I called to find out the status of my dad this afternoon. I was a little surprised to find out he was still in Recovery. Come to find out, they are keeping him there for now simply because a room is not yet available. I talked to the nurse who is caring for him. She is a very nice person. She said my dad is doing very well but is in a lot of pain. As I said, I know that surgery of any type is always very uncomfortable if not downright painful. However, my dad is not so tolerant of pain.

When I think about my family, my mom is like an ox. She can tolerate just about anything, I think. My dad is on the opposite end of the spectrum. And I would like to think I’m between the two, able to tolerate pain about like the average person. Today, when I was telling my grandfather all the info I knew about my dad, he said, “Yeah, baby, your daddy cannot take pain. Pain sends him into convulsions.” That might be a little extreme, but he doesn’t tolerate pain well. But you should’ve talked to my dad on the phone this afternoon like I did. The nurse warned me that he had just been given a dose of pain medication and was pretty drowsy! Boy, was he! He was mumbling, slurring, and not able to speak more than a sentence or two at a time. To be honest, hearing him like that made me feel sorry for him. He sounded pretty miserable. But at the same time, I’ve been with him before when he is in pain like that. It can be quite frustrating. You find yourself questioning if he is really in that much pain or just exaggerating.

From what I understand, he will be on medication for the rest of his life that will tell his body to produce the chemicals/hormones the adrenal glands are responsible for. If all goes well, his body will accept that medication. There is a question whether or not the tumor being removed is cancerous. They will not know right away. A biopsy has to be done on the tumor. The nurse told me it will take at least 48 hours for those results to come in. A week or so ago, I asked my dad how he feels about it possibly being cancer. He told me there isn’t any use in worrying because it is what it is, that he can’t change it. That makes sense to me. I was glad to hear him say that because it is true.

So, in closing, I ask everyone to please keep my dad in your thoughts as he recovers and hears the results of the biopsy. And please keep his caregiver for the next few days in mind too. They have a tough job! ;)

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On a different but similar note, I want to mention my Aunt Cathy, my dad’s sister. She is flying to New York tomorrow morning. Originally, her surgery was scheduled for Thursday, but it was recently rescheduled to Friday. She was a work in surgery for Thursday, which is a little scary. Naturally, she had fears of such a major surgery being worked in between two other surgery slots. Fortunately, the office called her to tell her they could move her to Friday. Even better: She would be that doctor’s ONLY surgery that day. AWESOME! Her fears of the doctor having to rush are gone. The doctor also decided that she would need to stay in New York for at least 17 days, rather than 10. Since this surgery is much more detailed and risky than last time, they need to monitor her for a longer period of time.

I called my aunt this afternoon. Of course, we talked a lot about her surgery. As always, she is very positive. She is very anxious. She says she just wants to “get the ball rolling”! I assume that the recovery will be much harder on her than she anticipates. I believe that is the case with many surgeries. But I don’t think it is anything she isn’t capable of handling. But whether or not her body is accepting of that animal valve, no one knows. All we can do is hope for the very best.

I asked her if she is having a special dinner with her husband and kids tonight. She said no, that her son is working tonight. Her reason for not planning anything like that is because they want to be as laid back about the whole thing as possible. My cousins know the facts, but the surgery hasn’t been made into a huge deal. It is important to my aunt that the kids stay focused on school and enjoy time with their friends as they always do, rather than worrying about her. Since her son’s main things are school, his job, and his friends, his sister is the one stuck with doing things around the house (washing clothes, washing dishes, etc). My aunt says she feels bad about that, but she knows her son will not be of much help. And since they will be in New York for so long, those things have to be done. I think Aunt Cathy is almost as worried about leaving an 18 year old and a 15 year old home alone as she is her open heart surgery! ;)

Even though my aunt is leaving tomorrow to face another very serious and risky heart surgery, she asked me how Ray and I are doing. I think most people in her shoes would be so wrapped up in their situation, feeling very worried and panicked, which is understandable. But that isn’t the case with my aunt. She “calm, cool, and collected”, as my dad would say. I love her attitude about this very scary ordeal she is facing.

Beginning a few years ago, my family began to face sickness and even death. It was something very unfamiliar to us. Therefore, coping has not been easy. But we can’t complain because we were so fortunate for so long. We all knew that such things were inevitable. So, here we are. Dealing with one thing at a time is the best thing I know to do. Right now, my dad and my aunt are in my thoughts. I ask that you please keep them in yours too.

~T.T.