Hello All,
I seem to have taken a break from blogging. No news is good news, for the most part. Anne had a nice long weekend with no treatments. Weather has been good too.
On Sunday we took a ride to Saco with Dixie to try and take a walk and explore the Saco Heath, a natural peat bog which is open to the public. We didn't actually make it all the way out to walk the heath. As it turns out, we were disappointed to learn that pets are not allowed, and walking in the heath involves a 15 minute walk thru the woods out to the boardwalk in the heath. There is alot of walking and hiking that can be done on the heath. Anyway, there was too much heavy ice in the woods to get to the boardwalk, so, we'll either put our spikes on and try this again soon, or we'll wait till Spring has sprung.
On our return to R/T yesterday (Tues) and today I couldn't help notice the many folks getting used to seeing Anne and me at MCCM each day. They would greet us and ask Anne "How are you doing doing?". She replies as follows: "I am doing ok, the pain is increasing, and I am having to use the pain medications on more of a regular basis now." Notice the positive spin she puts on it? I'm not sure I would be able to do so, knowing what she goes thru and how she feels. The radiation is definately catching up with her belly, it's a cumulative thing.
Tomorrow we have a full day of chemo scheduled. We won't see Dr. Ebrahim tomorrow, rather a nurse practitioner. Tomorrow Anne will take (via IV using the new mediport) her final 2 half-doses of Cysplatin. That will take all day, i.e. 9am - 4pm. Before we leave, a chemo pump will be rigged up in a fanny pack for Anne, and she'll be infused with the new 5-FU chemo for the following 4 days. Anne is pretty anxious about this. It is comforting for her to know that Dr. Ebrahim is on-call this weekend. Hopefully he will not be hearing from us.
The positive is, as we understand it, we'll be all done with chemo on Monday. The following Monday, March 1, should be the last R/T treatment.
We're still amateurs with all of this stuff. In laymans terms, what comes next is a rest, then surgery, then recovery, cancer free !!
Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers. Your prayers help.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Day 31, Saturday, 11:30am
Hi everybody,
Today is a well paced work day, getting caught up around the house. If were lucky there will be no trip to town today or tomorrow.
Anne had some new stomach pain last evening, and had to take some pain medication for it in the middle of the night. That's unusual, but maybe to be expected as Dr Ebrahim warned, now that R/T is winding down. Anne has had 18 R/T treatments, and now were counting down the last 10 of those.
Again this morning, Anne didn't feel well in her belly, and she said if felt distended and hard. Maybe we just stayed up too late watching the Olympics Opening Ceremonies, who knows, but that was enjoyable.
Today Anne asked for a bucket of KFC, some original and some grilled. I wonder who is going to eat the grilled? I think she is either feeling better, or the meds are allowing for that. If she is a good girl, I may go to KFC before the end of the day.
It's a beautiful day today, sunny and around 40 degrees outside. There's still a blanket of snow around the yard, but many bare spots as well. It hasn't snowed for over 2 weeks I think, at least. A friend of mine called from Dallas yesterday, and he had 6 inches fall in his yard Friday. We need some, but I don't look forward to the heavy wet stuff that comes in late Feb and March. One more blizzard of dry fluffy stuff would be most appreciated.
Have a good weekend everyone, and Happy Valentines Day tomorrow. I hope all of you guys have something special up your sleeves. You all know who and what I mean.
Take care, and thanks for your prayers and kind thoughts.
Today is a well paced work day, getting caught up around the house. If were lucky there will be no trip to town today or tomorrow.
Anne had some new stomach pain last evening, and had to take some pain medication for it in the middle of the night. That's unusual, but maybe to be expected as Dr Ebrahim warned, now that R/T is winding down. Anne has had 18 R/T treatments, and now were counting down the last 10 of those.
Again this morning, Anne didn't feel well in her belly, and she said if felt distended and hard. Maybe we just stayed up too late watching the Olympics Opening Ceremonies, who knows, but that was enjoyable.
Today Anne asked for a bucket of KFC, some original and some grilled. I wonder who is going to eat the grilled? I think she is either feeling better, or the meds are allowing for that. If she is a good girl, I may go to KFC before the end of the day.
It's a beautiful day today, sunny and around 40 degrees outside. There's still a blanket of snow around the yard, but many bare spots as well. It hasn't snowed for over 2 weeks I think, at least. A friend of mine called from Dallas yesterday, and he had 6 inches fall in his yard Friday. We need some, but I don't look forward to the heavy wet stuff that comes in late Feb and March. One more blizzard of dry fluffy stuff would be most appreciated.
Have a good weekend everyone, and Happy Valentines Day tomorrow. I hope all of you guys have something special up your sleeves. You all know who and what I mean.
Take care, and thanks for your prayers and kind thoughts.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Day 30, Friday, 02:15pm
Hello all,
Today Anne took R/T at 8:15. We drove from there to Kettle Cove to look at the breakwater on the ocean. On the way home from there we stopped into the town office for a quick visit. Then Anne was up for a little shopping, and arrived home at 11:30ish.
Anne is still feeling better. Once we sat down after lunch she told me there was pain in the stomach from this mornings R/T. She still however has a smile on her face due to the positives that came out of the visit with Dr Ebrahim yesterday. What a relief that was for Anne, to be able to envision and think about the end of these treatments.
We're looking forward to a quiet long weekend. Anne loves to watch the Olympic games which start tonight in Vancouver. She also likes to watch racing, and the Daytona 500 will be on sometime. I'll watch very little of the NBA All Star Game, but will tune in to the 3 point shooting contest. I hope Paul Pierce does well in that because at this point, the Celtics need any mental edge they can get.
Next weeks treatments will start on Tuesday.
Thanks for being there. Have a good weekend.
Your prayers are helping.
Today Anne took R/T at 8:15. We drove from there to Kettle Cove to look at the breakwater on the ocean. On the way home from there we stopped into the town office for a quick visit. Then Anne was up for a little shopping, and arrived home at 11:30ish.
Anne is still feeling better. Once we sat down after lunch she told me there was pain in the stomach from this mornings R/T. She still however has a smile on her face due to the positives that came out of the visit with Dr Ebrahim yesterday. What a relief that was for Anne, to be able to envision and think about the end of these treatments.
We're looking forward to a quiet long weekend. Anne loves to watch the Olympic games which start tonight in Vancouver. She also likes to watch racing, and the Daytona 500 will be on sometime. I'll watch very little of the NBA All Star Game, but will tune in to the 3 point shooting contest. I hope Paul Pierce does well in that because at this point, the Celtics need any mental edge they can get.
Next weeks treatments will start on Tuesday.
Thanks for being there. Have a good weekend.
Your prayers are helping.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Day 29, Thursday, 05:55pm
Hello everybody,
Well, with all my fear about Tuesday night Anne made out just fine. She slept using the new bed wedge we had picked up. She only had to get up once all night, at 4:30am. She needed help getting out of bed and back in because the incisions were still pretty tender from the mediport implant surgery Tuesday morning. She didn't need any such help Weds night, so I'm encouraged that she is healing up.
Wednesday was pretty uneventful, however Anne wasn't comfortable at all. She was mostly anxious about the appointment with Dr. Ebrahim on Thursday. With all the anticipation about that, she hardly slept Wednesday overnight, poor thing. She wasn't looking forward to restarting the C/T, not at all.
As it turned out, the appointment this morning was a good thing. We sort of got a pep talk from the Dr. and it made Anne feel much better. I asked him if she would get 'credit' for the 1.8 C/T's that Anne had completed earlier, the one's that made her sick. He said a resounding 'yes', that those treatments were beneficial, and in those terms she does get full credit. He stated that he usually likes to complete the C/T the first 2 weeks and the last 2 weeks of R/T, so we did the math and discovered that we're pretty much still on schedule.
Anne should actually complete her C/T on Feb 22, and her R/T on March 1.
The new chemo program looks like this. Two half doses of Cysplatin next Thursday (rather than a half dose on two consequtive Thursdays). This will take almost all day, and it will be the end of that drug. Following that (same day) they will set Anne up with a fanny pack containing a 'pump' used to administer the new chemo (the one that is replacing the Iranetecan). This one is called 5-F-U and it has the same benefits, and many of the same side effects (and more as we have been reading), however they use the pump to administer this over a 4 day period, a little at a time. This is the plan so that Anne will better tollerate it. Keep your fingers crossed. We'll have the pump removed on Monday Feb 22.
Overall, Anne has had a fantastic day today. The anxiety was gone, and after R/T we drove out to Bug Light on Casco Bay and watched the waves, tankers, ferrys, etc. for a while. She was relieved, and she is still doing well this evening. She caught up on last nights sleep this afternoon.
Knowing that she will be finished with C/T a week from this coming Monday, Anne looked happier that she has for many days.
Dr. Ebrahim cautioned us that the R/T is a concern and usually creeps up on you and really starts to wear you down the last couple of weeks. Anne has 12 more treatments.
Labs were taken today to make sure the kidney function is ok.
Thanks for reading, mailing, caring, etc....
Your prayers help.
Well, with all my fear about Tuesday night Anne made out just fine. She slept using the new bed wedge we had picked up. She only had to get up once all night, at 4:30am. She needed help getting out of bed and back in because the incisions were still pretty tender from the mediport implant surgery Tuesday morning. She didn't need any such help Weds night, so I'm encouraged that she is healing up.
Wednesday was pretty uneventful, however Anne wasn't comfortable at all. She was mostly anxious about the appointment with Dr. Ebrahim on Thursday. With all the anticipation about that, she hardly slept Wednesday overnight, poor thing. She wasn't looking forward to restarting the C/T, not at all.
As it turned out, the appointment this morning was a good thing. We sort of got a pep talk from the Dr. and it made Anne feel much better. I asked him if she would get 'credit' for the 1.8 C/T's that Anne had completed earlier, the one's that made her sick. He said a resounding 'yes', that those treatments were beneficial, and in those terms she does get full credit. He stated that he usually likes to complete the C/T the first 2 weeks and the last 2 weeks of R/T, so we did the math and discovered that we're pretty much still on schedule.
Anne should actually complete her C/T on Feb 22, and her R/T on March 1.
The new chemo program looks like this. Two half doses of Cysplatin next Thursday (rather than a half dose on two consequtive Thursdays). This will take almost all day, and it will be the end of that drug. Following that (same day) they will set Anne up with a fanny pack containing a 'pump' used to administer the new chemo (the one that is replacing the Iranetecan). This one is called 5-F-U and it has the same benefits, and many of the same side effects (and more as we have been reading), however they use the pump to administer this over a 4 day period, a little at a time. This is the plan so that Anne will better tollerate it. Keep your fingers crossed. We'll have the pump removed on Monday Feb 22.
Overall, Anne has had a fantastic day today. The anxiety was gone, and after R/T we drove out to Bug Light on Casco Bay and watched the waves, tankers, ferrys, etc. for a while. She was relieved, and she is still doing well this evening. She caught up on last nights sleep this afternoon.
Knowing that she will be finished with C/T a week from this coming Monday, Anne looked happier that she has for many days.
Dr. Ebrahim cautioned us that the R/T is a concern and usually creeps up on you and really starts to wear you down the last couple of weeks. Anne has 12 more treatments.
Labs were taken today to make sure the kidney function is ok.
Thanks for reading, mailing, caring, etc....
Your prayers help.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Day 27, Tuesday, 09:15pm
Hello everybody,
Today was a long one. Anne took R/T at 8:45M on schedule, then we drove to town to Mercy Hospital for the installation of the Mediport.
Perhaps I made the implant sound easy when I described it yesterday. That is however how it was presented to us. Like there was nothing to it. I know it will be a good thing in the long run, but Anne is hurting tonight.
She of course couldn't have anything to eat after midnight last night. This morning she didn't get up as quickly as usual. She watched the news in bed as she had to break her routine of having something to eat shortly after getting up. I could tell she was anxious about the procedure that was scheduled for 10am.
We arrived at Mercy at 9:30. The nurses were very gentle, calm, and informative. They made Anne comfortable, but it was a long wait before things finally started to happen. At 11:30 they finally took Anne into the operating room to install the device. At 12:30 they came out to the waiting room to let me know the job was done, that she was resting, and that I would be allowed back in when she woke up. Anne had a good snooze after the port was installed, and they came for me at 1:30. They fed Anne, and we rested and finally left around 3pm.
There are two incisions, one on her neck where the plumbing was piped to the vein. The other as I described yesterday, near the collar bone, where the device is implanted. These incisions are a couple of inches apart. Anne tells me the one up on her neck hurts the most.
Anne hasn't moved from the recliner since we got home at around 4pm. It was a long day for her, and knowing that she is very sore, it may be a long night. Actually, the area will be sore for several days, up to a week. The port can be used however as soon as tomorrow if need be. I expect it will be used for the first time on Friday if chemo starts again. I am concerned about the pain she is feeling, and the night ahead. We're treating the area with ice, and we're using pain killers as needed. I'm sure you are getting the point, as we are certainly learning as we go, just how difficult it is to go thru cancer treatment.
Anne has been thru alot today, expecially considering the anticipation she was feeling, and then the wait, and then the procedure, recovery, ride home, etc..
We pray for manageable pain levels, and of course that no infection will set in.
We go back to R/T again first thing at 8:45am tomorrow. Hopefully we can come straight home from that for a change. It hasn't usually worked out that way. The next morning, Thursday, we see Dr. Ebrahim right after R/T. As we've said, Friday brings R/T and maybe C/T starts up again. In order to get thru this we must continue to look past this tough treatment, further down the road to the bright spot when Anne is going to feel better. The first two days this week have been tough, and I know that Anne is anxious about Friday next.
Your thoughts and prayers help !! Thank you so much.
Today was a long one. Anne took R/T at 8:45M on schedule, then we drove to town to Mercy Hospital for the installation of the Mediport.
Perhaps I made the implant sound easy when I described it yesterday. That is however how it was presented to us. Like there was nothing to it. I know it will be a good thing in the long run, but Anne is hurting tonight.
She of course couldn't have anything to eat after midnight last night. This morning she didn't get up as quickly as usual. She watched the news in bed as she had to break her routine of having something to eat shortly after getting up. I could tell she was anxious about the procedure that was scheduled for 10am.
We arrived at Mercy at 9:30. The nurses were very gentle, calm, and informative. They made Anne comfortable, but it was a long wait before things finally started to happen. At 11:30 they finally took Anne into the operating room to install the device. At 12:30 they came out to the waiting room to let me know the job was done, that she was resting, and that I would be allowed back in when she woke up. Anne had a good snooze after the port was installed, and they came for me at 1:30. They fed Anne, and we rested and finally left around 3pm.
There are two incisions, one on her neck where the plumbing was piped to the vein. The other as I described yesterday, near the collar bone, where the device is implanted. These incisions are a couple of inches apart. Anne tells me the one up on her neck hurts the most.
Anne hasn't moved from the recliner since we got home at around 4pm. It was a long day for her, and knowing that she is very sore, it may be a long night. Actually, the area will be sore for several days, up to a week. The port can be used however as soon as tomorrow if need be. I expect it will be used for the first time on Friday if chemo starts again. I am concerned about the pain she is feeling, and the night ahead. We're treating the area with ice, and we're using pain killers as needed. I'm sure you are getting the point, as we are certainly learning as we go, just how difficult it is to go thru cancer treatment.
Anne has been thru alot today, expecially considering the anticipation she was feeling, and then the wait, and then the procedure, recovery, ride home, etc..
We pray for manageable pain levels, and of course that no infection will set in.
We go back to R/T again first thing at 8:45am tomorrow. Hopefully we can come straight home from that for a change. It hasn't usually worked out that way. The next morning, Thursday, we see Dr. Ebrahim right after R/T. As we've said, Friday brings R/T and maybe C/T starts up again. In order to get thru this we must continue to look past this tough treatment, further down the road to the bright spot when Anne is going to feel better. The first two days this week have been tough, and I know that Anne is anxious about Friday next.
Your thoughts and prayers help !! Thank you so much.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Day 26, Monday, 02:00pm
Hi friends,
Today Anne completed her 14th radiation therapy. WOW, that's now 14 of 28, a milestone !! I guess you can call it hump day. If we stay to plan, Anne should complete these on March 1st.
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were relatively uneventful days for us (easy for me to say). Anne isn't feeling on top of her game, and she had more bouts with you know what, but she is hanging in there. You can imagine,,,she is concerned about resuming the chemo, considering what it did to her last time. The Dr. told us he was going to treat this disease aggressively. I read where one of the chemos being used attacks the cancer cells when they are actively reproducting, and the other chemo being used attacks the cancer cells when they are resting. If I were a cancer cell, that would be an aggressive attack on me.
Tomorrow at Mercy Hospital Anne is going to have a 'mediport' installed. This is a device installed under her skin which will be used going forward for all of the infusions (IV's). No more IV sticks in the hands and arms. This is described as a plastic 'bottle cap' shaped device installed in the upper chest below the collar bone. It makes the patients life much easier, and it will be used over and over again to draw blood and/or to give IV's. It can be used for quite some time, i.e. even after Anne finishes her treatments and has surgery later on. It introduces a small risk for infection, but patients like having these.
We see Dr. Ebrahim on Thursday and we expect him to resume chemo on Friday. If so, and if we only have 2 more chemo treatments, we'll be done chemo on February 19. However, we don't know what the new program will call for. Please pray for a successful new chemo program for Anne. One that she can easier tollerate would be most appreciated by Anne I'm sure.
Thank you everybody.
Your prayers help !!
Today Anne completed her 14th radiation therapy. WOW, that's now 14 of 28, a milestone !! I guess you can call it hump day. If we stay to plan, Anne should complete these on March 1st.
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were relatively uneventful days for us (easy for me to say). Anne isn't feeling on top of her game, and she had more bouts with you know what, but she is hanging in there. You can imagine,,,she is concerned about resuming the chemo, considering what it did to her last time. The Dr. told us he was going to treat this disease aggressively. I read where one of the chemos being used attacks the cancer cells when they are actively reproducting, and the other chemo being used attacks the cancer cells when they are resting. If I were a cancer cell, that would be an aggressive attack on me.
Tomorrow at Mercy Hospital Anne is going to have a 'mediport' installed. This is a device installed under her skin which will be used going forward for all of the infusions (IV's). No more IV sticks in the hands and arms. This is described as a plastic 'bottle cap' shaped device installed in the upper chest below the collar bone. It makes the patients life much easier, and it will be used over and over again to draw blood and/or to give IV's. It can be used for quite some time, i.e. even after Anne finishes her treatments and has surgery later on. It introduces a small risk for infection, but patients like having these.
We see Dr. Ebrahim on Thursday and we expect him to resume chemo on Friday. If so, and if we only have 2 more chemo treatments, we'll be done chemo on February 19. However, we don't know what the new program will call for. Please pray for a successful new chemo program for Anne. One that she can easier tollerate would be most appreciated by Anne I'm sure.
Thank you everybody.
Your prayers help !!
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Day 22, Thurs, 01:35pm
We want to thank all of you out there for your prayers, kind thoughts and words, cards, flowers, etc. etc.. Thank you so much.
Last night Anne asked me to get the clippers out. I did it and she asked me to shave her hair off, I did that. What a beautiful sight she is. She looks great. You can imagine and understand, one gets pretty tired of finding one's own hair in various places such as in the tub, on the pillow, or on one's own dinner plate. So we have taken care of that and Anne feels much better about these things.
Yesterday and last night Anne had alot of discomfort in her belly. She didn't complain, rather she just told me when I asked her what was up. The pain lasted overnight, and it persisted this morning. I think this is due to the cumulative affect of R/T. She is also tired alot of the time, but never discouraged. She maintains her excellent attitude.
Anne is having more trouble swallowing food now. This is to be expected. Her appetite is pretty good now though, so we are grateful for that. I guess you can't have everything. I can tell that she isn't feeling very well most of the time, and she is moving around much slower, and sleeping more.
I've noticed that her breathing patterns changing when she sleeps. She doesn't have that full in/out breathing with a slight growl as usual. You can imagine what the R/T is doing to her esophagus. It has to hurt. Even so, she is sleeping pretty well.
She has now completed 12 of the 28 R/T's.
We won't know what the new chemo program will be like until a week from today when we see Dr. Ebrahim. Best case is that she only has 2 more days of chemo. We pray that Anne will better tolerate the new chemo, no matter what the program calls for. We also pray for excellent results.
I'm going to accompany Anne as she drives to 'Curves' today. She is a wicked trooper. I'll have to wake her up to do so, as she is snoozing right now.
Anne said she might want to take in a movie tomorrow. I hope they start early, we have R/T scheduled for 8:30am.
Your prayers help !!
Last night Anne asked me to get the clippers out. I did it and she asked me to shave her hair off, I did that. What a beautiful sight she is. She looks great. You can imagine and understand, one gets pretty tired of finding one's own hair in various places such as in the tub, on the pillow, or on one's own dinner plate. So we have taken care of that and Anne feels much better about these things.
Yesterday and last night Anne had alot of discomfort in her belly. She didn't complain, rather she just told me when I asked her what was up. The pain lasted overnight, and it persisted this morning. I think this is due to the cumulative affect of R/T. She is also tired alot of the time, but never discouraged. She maintains her excellent attitude.
Anne is having more trouble swallowing food now. This is to be expected. Her appetite is pretty good now though, so we are grateful for that. I guess you can't have everything. I can tell that she isn't feeling very well most of the time, and she is moving around much slower, and sleeping more.
I've noticed that her breathing patterns changing when she sleeps. She doesn't have that full in/out breathing with a slight growl as usual. You can imagine what the R/T is doing to her esophagus. It has to hurt. Even so, she is sleeping pretty well.
She has now completed 12 of the 28 R/T's.
We won't know what the new chemo program will be like until a week from today when we see Dr. Ebrahim. Best case is that she only has 2 more days of chemo. We pray that Anne will better tolerate the new chemo, no matter what the program calls for. We also pray for excellent results.
I'm going to accompany Anne as she drives to 'Curves' today. She is a wicked trooper. I'll have to wake her up to do so, as she is snoozing right now.
Anne said she might want to take in a movie tomorrow. I hope they start early, we have R/T scheduled for 8:30am.
Your prayers help !!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Day 21, Weds, 02:45pm
Hello friends and followers,
Tuesday was uneventful, with Anne having a better appetite and ability to eat and handle foods. We picked up a bed wedge, which is something she wanted going forward thru this process to help her sleep.
We have rescheduled the R/T every day, so we don't have to be in there at 7:30am. It ranges from 7:30 to 9:30 now. On chemo days, we have kept the R/T scheduled for 7:30.
We don't meet Dr Ebrahim till next Thursday. I think he is giving her a rest from chemo treatments for a time. We expect chemo will restart next Friday, however we are not sure of that. The Dr has to come up with a new program for Anne's chemo, minus the Iranetecan type.
Anne is having stomach pain due to the R/T we guess, however she is taking things slow and she doesn't complain. She just went to Curves with her friend Karolyn. I'm a little surprised by that, knowing how she is feeling, but good for her, and she is in good hands.
She is not going to get the Octreotide shots going forward, just going to stick with the Immodium, religiously.
Thank you for reading and sharing.
Your prayers help !!
Thank you.
Tuesday was uneventful, with Anne having a better appetite and ability to eat and handle foods. We picked up a bed wedge, which is something she wanted going forward thru this process to help her sleep.
We have rescheduled the R/T every day, so we don't have to be in there at 7:30am. It ranges from 7:30 to 9:30 now. On chemo days, we have kept the R/T scheduled for 7:30.
We don't meet Dr Ebrahim till next Thursday. I think he is giving her a rest from chemo treatments for a time. We expect chemo will restart next Friday, however we are not sure of that. The Dr has to come up with a new program for Anne's chemo, minus the Iranetecan type.
Anne is having stomach pain due to the R/T we guess, however she is taking things slow and she doesn't complain. She just went to Curves with her friend Karolyn. I'm a little surprised by that, knowing how she is feeling, but good for her, and she is in good hands.
She is not going to get the Octreotide shots going forward, just going to stick with the Immodium, religiously.
Thank you for reading and sharing.
Your prayers help !!
Thank you.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Day 19, Mon, 02:20pm
Hi Friends,
Welcome home Anne !! She returned home today around 2pm. She had a good day all day yesterday, and we left the hospital today around 10:30am.
R/T was arranged today for 12:45, so we had some time to kill and went to Whole Foods market. That lasted about 5 minutes as she needed to get out of there into the fresh air. We picked up 4 things that looked good to her.
We then called MCCM and they took her in early for R/T, which went well and didn't bother Anne at all. She is snoring in her recliner at here at home right now.
Daily R/T is back on schedule at 7:30am Mon-Fri, but no chemo until at least next Thursday Feb 11, which is our next appointment with Dr. Ebrahim.
Other notes:
The soymilk was a disaster last Saturday night, so no more of that.....
Dave had nightmares last night about a Kobe Bryant jump shot with 7 seconds left on the game clock.
Dixie was super excited to see Anne come home today.
This blog may be boring for a time, but I'll do my best to keep it going.
Thank you everybody !!
You're prayers help !!
Welcome home Anne !! She returned home today around 2pm. She had a good day all day yesterday, and we left the hospital today around 10:30am.
R/T was arranged today for 12:45, so we had some time to kill and went to Whole Foods market. That lasted about 5 minutes as she needed to get out of there into the fresh air. We picked up 4 things that looked good to her.
We then called MCCM and they took her in early for R/T, which went well and didn't bother Anne at all. She is snoring in her recliner at here at home right now.
Daily R/T is back on schedule at 7:30am Mon-Fri, but no chemo until at least next Thursday Feb 11, which is our next appointment with Dr. Ebrahim.
Other notes:
The soymilk was a disaster last Saturday night, so no more of that.....
Dave had nightmares last night about a Kobe Bryant jump shot with 7 seconds left on the game clock.
Dixie was super excited to see Anne come home today.
This blog may be boring for a time, but I'll do my best to keep it going.
Thank you everybody !!
You're prayers help !!
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Day 17, 06:30pm
Positive things this afternoon. Anne completed walking 1/14 of a mile, one lap around the 5th floor of the Gibson Pavillion. And,,,, the diahrea is no more, a wonderful thing according to Anne.
She slept a bit this afternoon, and is doing alot better. Food is still limited. Anne had trouble digesting her lunch. She has a good attitude. Lucky for me we didn't play cribbage yet.
She is having some vanilla soy milk for supper.
Tomorrow is Sunday and she'll be flying around here. I'm sure she'll go home on Monday.
We thank Laurie and Dana for caring for Dixie and Beasley (our pets) a couple times a day all this week, for turning the lights on for me in the evening, Laurie for organizing and cleaning the house, you guys for all kinds of things that helped, and just for you're love and concern. We love you.
Thank you everybody, your prayers help !!
She slept a bit this afternoon, and is doing alot better. Food is still limited. Anne had trouble digesting her lunch. She has a good attitude. Lucky for me we didn't play cribbage yet.
She is having some vanilla soy milk for supper.
Tomorrow is Sunday and she'll be flying around here. I'm sure she'll go home on Monday.
We thank Laurie and Dana for caring for Dixie and Beasley (our pets) a couple times a day all this week, for turning the lights on for me in the evening, Laurie for organizing and cleaning the house, you guys for all kinds of things that helped, and just for you're love and concern. We love you.
Thank you everybody, your prayers help !!
Day 17, 10:30am
Hello friends, happy Saturday,
Anne has been sitting up in a recliner for the past couple hours.
She ate an entire order of scramblers (and ketchup), a great accomplishment, and it isn't causing her to run anywhere. She says she finally got some sleep around 5am.
She feels much better today. She has a concentrated potassium drip going because that count needs to go up. It is painful at the site of the IV, so she has a warm pack on her arm which helps.
I brought the cribbage board in for the weekend, and she is eager to put me to shame, as usual. Anne is also ordering me around pretty good, so things are definately looking up today.
A Dr Weisenberg is 'on this weekend' and she already visited Anne early in the morning. She stopped the Immodium and super Immodium (imodil), because of positive changes that happened overnight. She encourages us to walk more today, and she says to think of the diet as if Anne is lactose intolerant, temporarily.
At this rate, Anne will be able to restart treatments on Monday. Not that that is something to look forward to, but it is what Anne wants. Ironic that cancer requires treatment that makes folks so sick. When one comes available, a way to prevent the cancer will surely be a worthwhile thing, so that so many won't have to go thru this.
Anne is snoozing in the recliner as I type, and that is a wonderful thing. More later......Your prayers help !!
Anne has been sitting up in a recliner for the past couple hours.
She ate an entire order of scramblers (and ketchup), a great accomplishment, and it isn't causing her to run anywhere. She says she finally got some sleep around 5am.
She feels much better today. She has a concentrated potassium drip going because that count needs to go up. It is painful at the site of the IV, so she has a warm pack on her arm which helps.
I brought the cribbage board in for the weekend, and she is eager to put me to shame, as usual. Anne is also ordering me around pretty good, so things are definately looking up today.
A Dr Weisenberg is 'on this weekend' and she already visited Anne early in the morning. She stopped the Immodium and super Immodium (imodil), because of positive changes that happened overnight. She encourages us to walk more today, and she says to think of the diet as if Anne is lactose intolerant, temporarily.
At this rate, Anne will be able to restart treatments on Monday. Not that that is something to look forward to, but it is what Anne wants. Ironic that cancer requires treatment that makes folks so sick. When one comes available, a way to prevent the cancer will surely be a worthwhile thing, so that so many won't have to go thru this.
Anne is snoozing in the recliner as I type, and that is a wonderful thing. More later......Your prayers help !!
Friday, January 29, 2010
Day 16, 04:00pm
Dr. Ebrahim thinks Anne will be here for the weekend, and if she is better Monday that the R/T may be restarted. He definately will change the chemo program. There are alternatives, however they all have an effect on the lower GI.
If Anne could handle meals, she would be out of here. She tried a few different things to eat today, none of which was her digestive tract able to handle. She does feel better tho. She had cornflakes and milk this morning, big mistake, so no more dairy products till her belly has a chance to heal.
We took a walk in the hallway today, first time out of the room, so a milestone. Nothing really new today. This chemo (and radiation) have really done a job on Anne. It's tough stuff as we have all heard. It will be out of her system soon. There are other patients here with similar issues, and some are worse off than Anne.
Your prayers help !!
If Anne could handle meals, she would be out of here. She tried a few different things to eat today, none of which was her digestive tract able to handle. She does feel better tho. She had cornflakes and milk this morning, big mistake, so no more dairy products till her belly has a chance to heal.
We took a walk in the hallway today, first time out of the room, so a milestone. Nothing really new today. This chemo (and radiation) have really done a job on Anne. It's tough stuff as we have all heard. It will be out of her system soon. There are other patients here with similar issues, and some are worse off than Anne.
Your prayers help !!
Day 16, 10:00am
Anne ordered dinner last night and ate a little of it, some pasta, squash, and cheese cake. She is tolerating the Octreotide shots OK, and she was sitting up in the chair when I arrived this morning !! Her 'runs' have slowed down to once every 2hours, so 'things' are getting better, and she is doing alot better.
This morning her IV became infused (blew up) so a new one has been started in her right forearm.
We look forward to seeing Dr. Ebrahim later on today.
Anne just asked me to relay a message on to everyone, "No visitors please." She knows you'll understand. She sends her love and is grateful for all of your thoughts and prayers. It's funny, but we almost forgot about the cancer this week with all the hooplah. We'll get back to that, with a new treatment program, when she is back on her feet. the goal for that is Monday.
Your prayers help !!
This morning her IV became infused (blew up) so a new one has been started in her right forearm.
We look forward to seeing Dr. Ebrahim later on today.
Anne just asked me to relay a message on to everyone, "No visitors please." She knows you'll understand. She sends her love and is grateful for all of your thoughts and prayers. It's funny, but we almost forgot about the cancer this week with all the hooplah. We'll get back to that, with a new treatment program, when she is back on her feet. the goal for that is Monday.
Your prayers help !!
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Day 15, 03:00pm
At 2pm we got this place into a bit of an uproar. Anne had heart attack like symptoms, intense stabbing chest pains all of a sudden. Dr. Ebrahim just happened to come in at that time. To ease the pain they tried oxygen, then nitroglycerin under Anne's tonge. That didn't help so they called for a dose of hydro-morphone which didn't do anything right away. The Dr. requested an EKG to rule out a heart attack, and it came back normal. The hydro-morphone finally cleared the pain after a half hour.
This was determined to have been a spasm of the esophagus, brought about by the radiation treatment.
Anne rests comfortably now, however she wants to go home and won't be allowed to until she can handle some food. The Dr. has called for a new med to be given by a shot (Octreotide) every 8 hours to dry things up(all secretions). We're told that once the chemo is out of Anne's system, the situation will improve. Anne feels better now, and is looking at the menu again. I hope the Octreotide shot doesn't cause any problems for her. Wish her luck !!
She is saying 'no visitors please', and thank you everybody for your thoughts and prayers.
Your prayers help !!
This was determined to have been a spasm of the esophagus, brought about by the radiation treatment.
Anne rests comfortably now, however she wants to go home and won't be allowed to until she can handle some food. The Dr. has called for a new med to be given by a shot (Octreotide) every 8 hours to dry things up(all secretions). We're told that once the chemo is out of Anne's system, the situation will improve. Anne feels better now, and is looking at the menu again. I hope the Octreotide shot doesn't cause any problems for her. Wish her luck !!
She is saying 'no visitors please', and thank you everybody for your thoughts and prayers.
Your prayers help !!
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