Sodas and Cancer?

New medi-port is in place and mom is happy to have it back. Surgery went well yesterday, and while the area is still a little tender, they will be able to access the port this Thursday for her next round of chemo. And that's good news after this past month of iv sticks and stabs!

Mom's been fairly active around the house, and has even been able to motor around without the oxygen for brief periods of time. Love seeing her up and about. But the weight issue is back, as the pounds continue to slide off. Personally, I think the cancer is having a fit. With the Gemzar keeping it in check, the cancer hasn't been able to grow and spread, so now it's ticked off and making mom pay the only way it can, by sabotaging her appetite and nutrition absorption. Crummy Cancer! Mom, however, is nothing if not persistent, and works to make every calorie count - praying for relief from the ongoing nausea and vomiting, for returned appetite, and for moments of pure food bliss.

Before I close, I'd like to share a warning from today's Dr. Oz show. It grabbed my attention when Dr. Oz announced a new study had been done on pancreatic cancer. It seems that the study showed that people who drink 2 or more sodas a week are at a higher risk of getting pancreatic cancer.

Really?! Seriously?!! Could we not have a study on finding a cure for this deadly disease?! Please! Almost everyone in America drinks more than 2 sodas a week. Except Mom - she isn't, nor has ever been a soda drinker. Water happens to be her drink of choice,

so put that in your study Dr. Oz. It's time to put our money where it counts and get serious about finding a cure.

Ok, off my soapbox. Shakin' it off. But really...

Still shakin' it off, All's good, Really, Love you, I do, Jane

Happy Birthday Dad!

Happy Birthday Dad!

May the fishing always be good, and the birthdays even better! Love You Always!!

Unfortunately, even Birthday Celebrations can't stop doctor visits and chemo infusions. Today, mom was busy with both.

We started with a visit to her surgeon this morning, and plans are now in the works to surgically implant another medi-port  this coming Monday. Several weeks of standard iv lines up and down her arms have reinforced our hearty endorsement of this medical marvel!

Then we followed up with a visit to Dr. Davis, her oncologist. Bloodwork was drawn, weight checked, and blood pressure monitored. I would love to say all are in ideal ranges, but... RBC and Hemoglobin are still a little low and her weight has dropped to 106. Blood Pressure, however, was great! And so were the WBC and Platelets. Enough so that Dr. Davis was ready to continue the Gemzar chemo today. Off to the chemo lab. Round #1 Gemzar cycle has begun.

As before, they pre-dosed mom with Kytril and Decadron, our favorite anti-nausea, steroid duo, and gave her a bag of fluids. All very welcome, as mom's nausea has been increasing steadily for the last two days, along with 2 bouts of vomiting. Praying these meds help settle the stomach and make her more comfortable. We opted for a note of positive thinking on our way home and got Olive Garden To Go for Dad's Birthday Dinner (thanks Steve, the Gift Card was well appreciated!) And so far, so good. Chicken Marsala is a hit!

A busy, productive day makes for a tired mom, so now it's off to bed for much needed rest and some delightfully sweet dreams of Tuscan villas and sleepy vineyards at sunset. Wow... that Chicken Marsala was really good!!

Happy, Happy Birthday Dad! Consider yourself loved and hugged!

Always yours, Jane

The Pink Bucket

Yesterday was such a good day. Bound to have a setback or two... And we did. Last night the nausea set in, most likely from the anesthesia. The nurses administered Zofran to help settle her stomach, but to no avail. By bedtime, she was throwing up her toenails. Katie was spending the night with Bada, and thankfully handled the situation like a pro, in other words, she didn't gag, pass out or high-tail it to the hills! Go Katie!

This morning I got a detailed briefing from Katie and a very realistic re-enactment of the whole event.

I don't think they were having so much fun last night :)  At least the bucket is a pretty pink and not bile green!  Katie, as always, tries to keep thinks fashionably accessorized!

Today, mom headed for surgery once more and had the medi-port removed.   And we headed for the waiting room once more. 

We're getting better at the waiting, but not as patient as we need to be... We do know where every vending machine

and restroom

is in this hospital.  Important information to know if you spend a lot of time here.

The good news is that surgery went well. The port is being cultured, but the doctor doesn't think they will find any bacteria since she's been on the vancomycin for a week already. We may never know exactly where the strep set up, but we are making progress nevertheless.

Heart is Clear. Check!

Medi-port is Out. Check!

Lungs - you better clear up or you're out-a-here! A little smack talk couldn't hurt....

Dr. P wants to keep her in the hospital with the iv antibiotics and oxygen at least through next Monday. Hopefully, prayerfully, the lungs will begin to clear in the next few days. The pulmunologist hasn't ruled out tapping her lungs to remove the fluid. And that sounds painful. Would really love for her lungs to get with the program on their own.

Mom sends her love and thanks to everyone who has been holding the line for her.

Your prayers, notes and love keep us going.

Sleeping well tonight, Jane

A Heart of Gold

Mom has a Heart of Gold! We all knew that - just had to convince the doctors! The TEE (trans-esophageal-echocardiogram) was a complete success. Heart and valves were healthy and strep free. What a praise! What a relief!

I feel we may be on a roll here. Believing that good news will follow her through tomorrow's surgery as well. Yes, more surgery. After doctors concluded that her heart was not harboring the bacteria, they turned their attention to the lungs and medi-port. And decided on removing the lesser of two evils, the port. Well, that's not exactly right. To clarify, they weren't going to remove her lungs. Duhhhhh... Head Slap. The doctors are thinking of tapping her lungs and removing some of the fluid, easier on patient than removing the whole lung ;-), until you see the needle they use to remove the fluid.... Anyway, the medi-port is an easy in and out procedure, so that's next on the agenda.

For those unfamiliar with a medi-port, it is a small medical device that is implanted under the skin and sewn into a large vein to make iv access much easier for those needing it longterm, i.e. chemo patients like mom. Mom's medi-port was implanted last November and has made all the blood draws and chemo treatments relatively easy and almost pain-free. The one small problem with medi-ports is their affinity to attract these tiny bacteria families. Bacteria like streptococcus viridans. So, out it goes. Doctors feel that they will be able to implant another one in a month or so. Until then, she gets poked in the arm a whole lot more often.

Continue to pray for her lung function. Chest x-ray today revealed a small decrease in the fluid, but pulmunologist is still concerned. Her oxygen saturation remains low and she has been needing supplemental oxygen around the clock.

When they wheeled her down to surgery this morning,

they took her off the oxygen, but then the surgeon wasn't quite ready so we sat in the holding room for about 20 minutes. During that time her O2 saturation dropped to 78% (anything below 90 is in the "not acceptable" range). The ensuing flashing lights and loud alarms brought nurses running! She was slapped back on oxygen faster than green grass through a goose! (That's fast.)

One other praise for the day. Doctors confirmed that the antibiotic she is on, Vancomycin, is the best drug to battle the Strep bug.

Since the doctors put her on Vancomycin almost the minute she was admitted, we are relieved to know that she has been doing battle for the whole past week. Strep is going down! The infectious disease doctor recommends a 14 day regimen of the iv Vanc, so we have just one more week to go, barring any unforseen catastrophes.

We have felt your love tangibly these past days. And we return it you tenfold.

 Love to each, Jane