Positively Giddy

Mom had her "usual" appointment today. Dr. Dy was beyond giddy. Mom's swelling is almost completely gone. Her blood counts have increased. Her wheezing has decreased significantly and her overall spirit is better. It was awesome to hear the excitment coming from the doctor himself. I am not sure I have seen him smile so much in one sitting before.

He did recommend mom scale the breathing treatments back to twice a day unless her breathing is bad. Then she is supposed to have it four times a day. When mom has too much, she gets shaky afterwards and is prone to falling for a few moments after her treatment is over.

Mom will continue on the Arixtra shots to insure the stent stays in place in the Superior Vena Cava.

She had a great weekend over the holiday. We were hoping for good weather on Saturday so mom could get in the pool but, well, it was crap weather. But there was lots of food, friends, and family. And Fireworks!

Jonathan's wedding is a mere 2 months away.

I'm looking for mother-son songs for him and momma.

And I'm in tears.

Why is this so hard?

More of the Same

Mom had her usual weekly chemo check-up yesterday. For the most part, all was well.

The nurses had problems drawing her blood due to the clotting she still has. After a multitude of sticks and still no luck, she was sent to the lab where the nurse drew the blood from her ankle. Until the swelling goes down in her arms and the clotting subsides, the ankle should be the blood site.

Mom is back on steroids as she is wheezy and congested. Dr. Dy believes she has emphysema which explains the constant need for steroids to relieve the inflammation. She is also to do breathing treatments four times daily instead of three times.

She did get her chemo and took her customary nap ;-)

Shots, Shots, and More Shots. Not Alcohol Related.

Mark, Jonathan, and I are learning how to do the Arixtra injections so mom is not confined to Effingham. This way, she can go anywhere with one of us and be fine. My cousin Stacie came over yesterday and went over everything with Mark and I. Today, Mark attempted to do the injection. Mom started crying. She did not sleep well last night. I'm not sure if everything was just too much or if she was in actual pain. Needless to say, Stacie finished the injection. Tomorrow and Sunday brings mine and Jonathan's turns. I hope it goes better for us. I'm not a nurse-type person. I don't do blood. I don't do shots. I'm doing this because I love my mom and I want her to still be able to have a life. If she starts crying while I'm giving the injection, I'm not sure I can handle it.

More Than Weeks

Mom started a new chemo yesterday. CPT-11. Now that the Superior Vena Cava is stented, we have more than weeks. We have hope. This new chemo is very strong and can cause severe diarrhea. Worries about dehydration abound. But hope has been renewed. And that's all we wanted.

Dr. Dy started mom a new blood thinner. Arixtra. It's supposed to be better than the Lovenox. She will be on this indefinitely until all the blood clots are gone. The swelling in her face is pretty much gone. She still has swelling in her neck and arms. Dr. Dy stated this would go away as her circulation increases and the blood clots decrease.

Mom did lose one pound from last week. That was to be expected considering she couldn't eat last week. However, her appetite is increasing. She was able to chili the night before yesterday. She ate a cherry pie for breakfast and ate lunch at Martin's. Now that she is able to eat, her dizziness and weakness is slowly but surely going away.

We have more than weeks. Hospice is not required.

Thank you.

Mom did not see Dr. Dy today. He did prescribe her some medicine to stop the nauseau and to boost her appetite. She did get her blood thinner injection. We will see him tomorrow as planned. She has slept most of the day as yesterday's events wore her out and she didn't sleep well last night.

I am nervous about tomorrow. Anxious. Scared. Terrified.

Will she continue chemo? What is our next plan of action? How much did the tumor grow from the last CT scan? Will she regain her strength? If so, when? When will the remaining swelling go down? Will the dizziness go away? The weakness?

We have video of mom seeing the quilt for the first time. I am hoping to figure out how to post it. Or rather have my husband do it ;) I plan to take pictures of the quilt tomorrow and post them soon. I still plan on posting the memories that everyone else sent in.

In the meantime, love and thanks.

Many Thanks and Questions

We gave mom the quilt today. Lots of tears were shed. Her plethora of brothers and sisters and their sons and daughters along with their children visited off and on today. Mom's spirits were uplifted. The quilt was finished in perfect timing. Thank you to everyone who contributed in any way: fabric, money, stories, and prayers. I thank you for all of them. She thanks you for all of them.

Her swelling is going down. She is still sore from the surgery and she has no appetite. I am calling Dr. Dy to tell him all that has happened since we last spoke. She is hoping for steroids so she can eat. Right now, nothing sounds good. If she attempts to eat, she gets sick. And she is hungry. The lack of sustenance is making her weak. She is down to a size 6 pant, and she says she could probably wear a size 4. That's my size. We've never been the same size. My mom was always well-built. Full of muscle. Strength. It's all gone now.

I am hoping that now that the Superior Vena Cava has been stinted, she can continue on her chemo, in hopes to control the tumor growth. Hopefully Dr. Dy has answers tomorrow. So many questions.