A Quick Update

The new, larger stents seem to be helping. Mom's color is getting better. She went in to get her blood tested last Friday and goes again this Friday. If things have progressed well enough, she will probably be going in to get permanent metal stents inserted. They work better and last longer. She's still off and on when it comes to feeling good and she has no energy. If the stents do what we hope they will, she will probably start chemo soon (but she can't do that until the stents are draining the bile-rubin from her body, or else the chemo will be toxic to her). She tries to stay upbeat, but I can tell it is hard for her. I'll update again when I know more.

- C

The Roller Coaster Ride Continues

Mom's situation took a downward turn over the past several days. Her color was getting yellow again and she was feeling worse. She had an appointment scheduled for Monday with her oncologist, so she saw him and he told her that her level had increased quite a bit, so the duct is blocked again. He told her that she would need to get an external drain put in. She was scheduled for a CT scan on Tuesday. We did that and then heard from her oncologist's office this morning that the vascular radiologist said that they couldn't do an external drain because of where the blockage is. So, now we are down to her going in and getting larger stents put in. It looks like this is our final option, so we are hoping and praying that this works. Thanks for listening. It helps to be able to write things down.

-C

Update

Mom is getting better. The level they are monitoring is going down slowly, but surely. She is still very fatigued, and has bouts of feeling back, but she has good times too. Once the level gets down to where it should be, we're hoping her energy comes back and the sickness goes away. Just wanted to drop a quick update for the readers!

- C

What a difference a week makes

So, here is a thought - doctors aren't always right. The hospital doctors had us all thinking my mom's time was short and we were nearing the end. We always kept some hope in reserve for her appointment with her real oncologist today. Well, come to find out, that was a good plan. He said that her liver is still functioning and the number they've been watching has continued to drop since they put the stent in (that is a good thing). He also said that the amazing thing is that the cancer hasn't changed since the last time they did a scan, which was in January, after she finished radiation. He said that blockage to her duct was likely caused by inflammation or scar tissue created by the radiation itself.

So, she is supposed to continue getting her blood work done each week to see if that number continues to decrease. If it levels off before it gets low enough, they may still have to consider putting in a drain to help it rid itself of the extra fluid.

Thank God for miracles! This is pretty amazing stuff. Last week at this time, we all thought she was going to die soon. This week, we have her oncologist saying to turn the "live" light back on because she's nowhere close to the end.

That's all for now!

- C

Things aren’t going well

Well, I knew one day I’d have to post bad news on here – I had just hoped it would be a lot further in the future.

Mom had to go into the hospital last week because she had been feeling fatigued for a couple of weeks and there was a noticeable yellow hue coming into her skin and eyes. She went to see her primary care doc, who ran blood tests, which showed her liver function was high. She contacted her oncologists office and they admitted her to Ohio State University Medical Center. She was there Wednesday through Saturday. On Friday they put stents in her liver to see if unblocking a bile duct would help to relieve her jaundice. It didn’t help immediately, but they sent her home and told her to get blood work done this week and then see her oncologist as scheduled on Monday, Sept. 20.

She hasn’t seemed to get any better since she’s been home and her fatigue seems to be increasing. We’re still hoping for the best, but the jaundice is not a good sign. She also has said that even if the oncologist says there are things to do, she isn’t sure she can go through chemotherapy or radiation again.

So, if you are so inclined, please pray for my mom and my family. If that’s not your thing – some good thoughts will work too. I will update this once I know more next week.

- C

Another update on my mom

Mom had an appointment with her oncologist on Monday. They did blood work to see how things looked. He said everything checked out pretty good, so she’s clear of any treatments until late September. At that point she’ll be getting a CT scan to see how things look, as well as the normal blood work.  So, all good for now and she gets to enjoy her Summer!

No more grandmothers

I lost my last grandmother last Friday (April 16). This one was my dad’s mom. I never thought both of my grandfathers (who were older than my grandmothers) would be around after their wives passed.

My grandma found out last month that she had lymphoma. She started chemotherapy on Thursday, April 15 and was expected to make a decent recovery. Unfortunately, her heart didn’t agree with that prognosis. She passed away in her bed at about 11:30 a.m. They said it was heart failure. My grandma had pretty specific final wishes and she had already planned it all out. She wanted to be cremated and she didn’t want a service. So, we did have a small, family-only viewing on Sunday and she was then sent on be cremated.

My grandfather isn’t in the best of health either, so we had to help him get into an assisted living establishment. We did that on Wednesday.It has been another tough time, but we’re all managing to get through it.

Just an update

Good afternoon readers. Just wanted to say hi. Actually, I just got a computer with Windows 7 and I wanted to try out this blog writer program to see if it works.

My grandpa (my mom’s dad) went in for a heart cath procedure last week and they discovered severe blockages, so he had open heart quadruple bypass on Wednesday of last week. He is doing great with the recovery and was actually able to go home on Saturday, which I found remarkable, considering the complexity of the surgery.

He is now resting at home and is doing fantastic. He should feel better than he did before he went in for the procedure before he knows it.

Mom is doing well. She’s got another month before she sees the oncologist again.

I’m leaving for a pretty cool trip next month. My cousin and I are driving his brother’s (my other cousin’s) jeep to San Diego. We are taking a northern scenic route and plan to see the Field of Dreams from the movie and Mt. Rushmore, among other sites. Should be exciting. I’ve never been through that portion of the country before.

That’s about it from here now. Talk to you soon!

-C

An Update

So sorry for the lack of updates. Mom finished her radiation in late January. She has been recovering from it since then. She's doing much better now - pretty much back to normal. She saw her oncologist on Tuesday and he said that they are just going to watch things for a while. The spots are showing little activity, so the radiation was effective and it continues for work for up to six months. She goes back in for blood work in two months and we'll see where to go from there. So, things are going pretty well for now.

- C