What a difference a day makes!

I have to say, I was a little worried about taking the feeding tube out so soon, but mom just looks so good today it takes all my fears away. She has been able to eat whole meals plus snacks throughout the day. Her color looks good, her energy level is good. It's like having my mom back! Her temperature still elevates a bit, but doesn't go much over 99 degrees. She was able to go on a fairly long walk today. Usually the walk from the kitchen to her bedroom wears her out, but she walked about a mile today outside. She really wants to be totally ready for surgery.
We would expect days like this to become more the norm over the next few weeks which is exciting. Thank you for your continued prayers, they are really working in her behalf.
val

A True Red-Letter Day!!!!

I am so excited about having my feeding tube out. It is easier to breathe, swallow and it t is much more comfortable than I have felt for the past 8 weeks! Yea!!!!! I feel like a new person.

It's Out!

Mom had her appointment with Dr. Sausse today (the radiation doctor). She went in armed with her food intake from yesterday and requested that he take the feeding tube out. He said since she had maintained her weight and could drink Ensure, he would take it out. So, he ripped the tape off her face and pulled it out quick and not so painlessly; it seemed a little harsh (he told us it's better just to do it quickly). So, it's out and mom is very happy about it.
Now she just has to make sure she eats a minimum of 1500 calories a day. We were told she should be feeling back to normal in a week or so.
She is still struggling with the elevated temperatures. She finds it spikes more after she eats. She remembered she had the same problem when her knees were replaced. Her temp would go up every time she ate. Kinda weird, but at least she's isolated it to a specific incident. It usually doesn't get over 100.8, so the docs aren't too worried about it right now.
In another week she goes in for the PETT scan with the evaluation the following week.
Over the next couple of weeks, it is essential that she keeps her body healthy so she'll be ready for surgery. She's bound and determined to do that so I'm sure she'll have no trouble.

The hair salon e-mailed me the before and after shots from her hair appointment last week, just thought you'd want to see them.
Val

The weekend was fairly uneventful. Friday She ended up going back to the doctor because her temperature was still elevated. They opted to give her some IV fluids. She wasn't totally dehydrated, but they thought getting some extra fluids on board would help. They are having her finish the antibiotics she's on but most likely won't put her on another even if her temp stays elevated. Her docs think the higher temperatures may be from her body fighting the cancer. One even called it "cancer fever". Her energy level remains somewhat low. She remains dependent on the feeding tube but still tries to eat regular food every day. Some days she can eat a whole meal, others, not so much.
She went out with dad yesterday for a frosty from Wendy's and to return all the dishes from our ward family who brought in meals. The meals have been such a blessing. It's only twice a week, but they really seem to ease the burden. Mom isn't used to being the recipient of the charitable acts in the ward. She's always been on the giving end. She feels a little awkward at times being the one in need, but we remind her, she's allowing all those people to receive the same types of blessings she has enjoyed from all those years of service.
Mom was able to attend all of church today. She figures her immune system is as strong as it will ever be through this process so she didn't want to miss the opportunity to go. The home teachers visited this afternoon and mom was able to get another blessing. It is so nice to have the priesthood here in our home as well as willing neighbors and friends to come and help. Thank you for your continued prayers in her behalf. I know she is so appreciative of them and it helps to keep her spirits high and her attitude positive.
Val

Some improvement

Once the antibiotic started working, mom started feeling a bit better; Her eyes looked so much brighter! Wednesday she saw her doctor again. Mom and dad were able to discuss a few of the concerns they had like mom's inability to keep food down and the intense burning she was experiencing when she laid down. After much thought the doctor asked if she was taking her prilosec. (Mom has taken prilosec every day since she started her treatment). Finally, the doc came to the conclusion that since the prilosec was being taken via the feeding tube (which is what the directions state) it was not getting to the stomach (the feeding tube goes directly to the bowels) and working like it should. So, even though mom was taking the medication as it was prescribed, it was not doing anything. She took it orally last night and low and behold, she had no burning at all last night. And, today, she has been able to eat a substantial amount of food. So, hopefully she's found the answer to help her get rid of her feeding tube!
She's still running a low grade fever off and on. Hopefully by tomorrow that will be solved as well, otherwise it will be back to the doctor to see what else we can do. Like always, there are ups and downs, high points and disappointments, but when all is said and done, it's all about the attitude. Mom continues to keep her spirits up and her expectations high.

Feeling kinda icky

The last 2 days have not brought a lot of change. Of course mom had hoped to get her feeding tube out before now, but so far she has not been able to eat enough food to sustain her. Yesterday she celebrated the end of her chemo and radiation treatment by getting her hair done. the stylist really captured her upbeat and happy personality by doing a few minor changes and getting the color back to her "younger self". She looks great. It's amazing what a little pampering can do to lift your spirits.
She does experience some intense burning pain when she lays down to go to sleep. We've been told that is the result of the radiation burning the esophagus.
She woke early this morning with pain again, plus her temperature was slightly elevated. She spent most of the day asleep in the reclining sofa with the feeding tube running. This evening her temp was over 101 degrees so the doctor called in another antibiotic. They are not sure what is bringing the elevated temperatures especially since she just finished a 10 day regimen of a different antibiotic on Sunday. She has an appointment at the cancer center tomorrow so hopefully they can figure it out.
Of course now that she's had all the rest today, she figures she can stay up late and watch the BYU-Hawaii basketball games on TV!
Val

A new week begins

Mom had a fairly busy Saturday. She got up early, took her antibiotic and went the the gym. She walked 1/2 mile, rode the bike and lifted a couple of minutes. Unfortunately it was a little too much. Probably a combination of the antibiotic and exercise, she came home feeling pretty ill. We hooked up her feeding tube and she fell asleep for a couple of hours. At 11:00 she was surprised by a quartet dressed in tuxes who came and sang to her for Valentine's day. After resting couple more hours, she and dad went to Provo and "partied it up" with mom's siblings. She tried her best to eat some of the yummy food; she was especially excited to see pickled beets (one of her favorites) but alas, she just couldn't eat them. She did get a little food down, but not a lot.
After an OK night's sleep she woke up and got ready for stake conference. Thankfully our stake arranged to have the meeting come to our home via the internet so it wasn't too exhausting to attend. :)
After another nap, mom was able to eat (and keep down) a small amount of food. Since it was a nice day, we all went on a walk. It was nice but tiring. Besides, the cool air was a little harsh on her face. We should have had a full face stocking cap for her, but, maybe next time.
She still struggles with nausea. Hopefully that will start to go away this week. She remains in good spirits as always and looks forward to the coming week.
Val

Happy Valentine's day To Mom from Dad

Treatment Ends!

Today was the big day. The last day of Chemo, the last day of radiation and the pic line came out. Mom was really hoping she could get her feeding tube out too, but it's going to have to stay in for a while longer. It has really helped to start the feeding tube in the morning. Today she was able to get a couple cans in before her appointment so she only had 4 to go when she got home. We think the feeding tube is causing some swelling in her throat making it harder to swallow regular food. She's already on an antibiotic so if there is infection, it should be taking care of it. She's also had a little trouble keeping regular food down. So, that feeding tube becomes essential to her health right now.
The feeding tube, however, has become a bit of a drudgery. The smell of the plastic, the smell of the canned formula that goes in, the full feeling with out the satisfaction of a meal is almost more than she can stand. But, over the next few weeks her nutrition is key to being approving her for surgery.
Right now, more than anything, she wants to eat real food. I think if we are to pray for anything we need to pray for her ability to eat enough food to keep her nutrition up to par. This way she can get her wish of getting the feeding tube out!

Two treatments to go!

Mom gets the last of her radiation treatments today and tomorrow. The doctors tell her she has tolerated the chemo and radiation really well. Most people don't look better after they've gone thru all she has. Once again, she has chemo dripping into her blood stream 24 hours a day, radiation 5 days a week and a big chemo treatment every other week. With all of this "poison" being administered, one would think she would look worse than ever at the end of treatment. It would be expected that her hair would thin, her mouth would be full of sores, she would have a grey pallor, sunken eyes, etc. But no, her cheeks are rosy and she has a healthy glow. Of course she's a little more worn out than her normal "energizer bunny" self but that's about it. She finally let us in on her secret.
She said, every day before she goes into treatment she talks to her body. She tells her good cells to "put on the whole armor of God" and fight. This way all the chemo and radiation will go only to the bad cells. Now, I post this at the risk of making my mom sound like a crazy woman. But, since she's getting results, we can call her crazy or we can call her amazing. Either way, what she's doing seems to be working. When her blood results come in, the nurses tell her it's unusual that her white cells seem to be thriving. In fact, her good cells even improve; it's just unheard of. Of course she doesn't tell them why. She just smiles like "wow aren't I lucky".
She still would like to eat regular food more but it is difficult. We've decided to try starting her feeding tube earlier in the day and get part of it done in the morning. That way it's not so depressing looking at the clock at the end of the day, knowing it won't be finished until the wee hours of the morning. We look forward to this week ending. Over then next 2 weeks she should be able to add regular food back into her diet with the goal of getting her feeding tube out in 2 weeks.
She so much appreciates your continued prayers for her. She knows they are truly working in her behalf. She would be lost without the Lord's continuing guidance and peace.

Special Moments

I often have people ask, "How is your mom doing." A question that so many have sincerely asked and it definitely has been appreciated. Almost always my response is, "She is doing GREAT" It's not that I'm covering up what is really happening, but instead it has to do with who mom is. There isn't anything in this world that could keep mom down. Not some silly little cancer, or even chemo and radiation. I've had the opportunity to help out quite a bit along with Val and Dad. I wish I could put in words how special it has been to be by mom's side through this. but it's more of getting to be right next to someone that I look up to and respect more than anyone in this world. She is my hero and hope that I can carry at least a small portion of her in me.

Here are some of the special moments that I have been apart of. There is the daily talk about how many cans she should do in her feeding tube. She is suppose to do 6 per day which means 12 hours of sitting. (2 hours per can). I'm the nutrient nazi so when she tries to say she has eaten a lot (meaning a bite of toast, 2 tsp of soup and a few calorie free cheesy rice snacks) so she only has to do 3 cans, I compromise with 5 cans. There's the moment when we are giving some kind of medication through her feeding tube and we push it too fast and it explodes all over her. (Sorry mom).

Then there is the more serious moments, like when we are just doing our daily routines and mom still says thank you with deep appreciation in her eyes. Or the moment when she was asked tonight if she was scared to go though the surgery and with confidence she said no, because I know that the Lord is in charge and everything is going to be ok. Or the moment that touched me the most, the other day when I was helping her with one of her medications and she wasn't feeling real well. All of a sudden she started crying. I asked if she was in pain ready to take whatever action that was needed..... she said no and pointed to her headphones. Her IPOD was playing "I Know that My Redeemer Lives". What a special moment it was to be with her and feel the meaning of the song.

Mom is doing GREAT!!! She smiles everyday regardless of how she is feeling. She makes me laugh each day even through this all. I'm proud to say SHE IS MY MOM!!!!!

Good news, good news and MORE good news

This weekend was not the most pleasant we've had. Mom was experiencing nausea, pain and running a low grade fever. We had to experiment with different medications to see what would work best with the least amount of side effects. By Sunday she seemed a little better and was able to eat some regular food.
This morning she looked much better, in fact at her Doctor's appointment everyone told her how good she looked. Today is her big treatment day with two types of chemo and radiation.
Now for the news from Dr. Whisenant:
First - He confirmed that this was the last week of chemo and radiation therapy. On Friday she gets to go in and have her PIC line removed. She is very excited about that.
Second - we were told that although her pain and burning especially while eating is normal at this stage of the treatment, it should start to dissipate after her treatment ends. They will monitor her diet and if she can start to eat enough regular food to keep her healthy they will be able to remove her feeding tube in two or three weeks. This was especially good news because she had expected to have it for another few months.
Third - She is scheduled at the beginning of March for another PET Scan and eval with Doctor Whisenant. He said if everything looks as good as he expects they will schedule the surgery middle to end of March.
It truly seems like we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Of course, the surgery will be no picnic, but at least it's a means to a good end.
Val

Finally the week ends

Mom has been pretty exhausted the past couple of days. Last night she was running a temp of over 101 degrees. Dad called the doctor and made an appointment for first thing this morning. They did a battery of tests. We know she does not have pneumonia again. That is good news. She came home with an arsenal of medications. Of course an antibiotic to treat what ever is causing the fever + a lot of other things she will need over the next few weeks.
At this point she is not able to keep any food down so she is trying her best to get her 12 hours of tube feeding in every day. Through this whole ordeal she has not experienced a lot of the common reactions most people have to chemo and radiation. But, the last couple of days she has started to feel some nausea. Of course there are drugs for everything...., nausea, pain, fever, sore throat, etc. She just isn't comfortable taking a lot of medications because she has lived her whole life avoiding them. She is now realizing she may have to take some of these just to make sure her body can get the strength it needs.
I imagine she is really looking forward to Saturday and Sunday; The only 2 days a week she doesn't have doctor appointments. It should end up being mostly just rest and relaxation. Hopefully we can use these two days to get her elevated temp and nausea under control so she can feel better.
Val

Mom really is Human!

Today was a day like most others. Off to the daily treatment, home again for the never ending tube feeding. The radiation is really starting to take it's toll. Mom is not one to ever complain and she has the highest pain tolerance I have ever seen, but we can tell she is really starting to hurt. It is so painful to eat even the most simple foods and when she tries, it's even more painful as it comes back up. It is to be expected of course, but this knowledge doesn't make the pain go away. Of course she forgets she's not super woman and tries to busy herself through the day as if it she has all the energy in the world. She then has to pay the price of utter exhaustion by the end of the day. We have to remind her it's ok to take a nap or three during the day. Hopefully tomorrow she'll rest and relax and let her body heal itself. We are all so proud of her and wish she didn't have to go through this ordeal. As always, she ends the day as she begins it, with a smile on her face, ready to face what ever comes.

Thank goodness for sisters

It has been a nice treat to have my sister, Grace, here from California. She came for our talks on Sunday and is staying the week. She has been wonderful to help me finish a project that I started while in Hawaii and didn't have the energy to finish. Sisters are nice like that. Yesterday she took me to my radiation/chemo appointment. We drove around this morning and returned dishes to people who had brought in food. She has been a wonderful help to me.

I am feeling the burning that they warned me of. It is not comfortable, but bearable. I am thankful that I still have the feeding tube in place, because, not much food stays down. I guess the Drs. do know what they are talking about.

Another Big Monday

Only one more Monday to go for Chemo and Radiation!!!! I saw my blood reports today. The all look good. Some have raised from when I first came. The nurse said, "I have never seen that before." I have still experienced no nausea and hair loss. I am doing well.