Tuesday, April 29, 2008

A Week's Worth of News


It has been a little more than a week since my last blog posting. What has happened this past week? What in our crazy life are people interested in? What do we have to share?


Last week on Tuesday April 22 Mom had another round of chemo. This was her third treatment and the first one without other health issues bogging her down. We are able to notice a pattern now in her week. We are starting to be able to predict what days will be harder and easier. There is some comfort in a routine.


Last week Saturday April 26 Steve and I accepted an offer on our house. There was much relief and rejoicing. We went to Maya and Elias' soccer games with big smiles on our faces. Packing felt more exciting. We had a celebration dinner.


Last week Sunday April 27 my Grandma was out alone on her evening walk and fell. My Dad and Granddaddy took her to the emergency room. She was admitted to the hospital and stayed the night. The next day she learned that her pelvis cracked in two places. She is home now and using a wheelchair and walker to get around. She is doing really well. She is such a strong woman.


Today April 29 Mom had her fourth dose of chemo. She thinks her hair might be beginning to come out. She had an appointment with her oncologist after completing her chemo. He said that he can see and feel that the chemo is working!


Today we had our home inspection. I nervously wait for the results. When the inspection results are negotiated then we are another big step forward in completing this sale.


We are still following the schedule of closing on our Buchanan St house Thursday May 15 and moving Saturday May 17. Thank you to everyone who is writing me to let me know that we can use their pick-ups and their person power on this big day. I really believe that we can use everyone who can come. For just a short list of big items we have to move consider these things: 3 water beds, 2 freezers, a greenhouse, a kiln, 2 pottery wheels, over 20 outdoor whisky barrel planters, couches, loves seats, 6 chests of drawers, a loft bed, desks, hutches, and boxes and boxes of toys, books, and dishes. We are getting rid of lots of stuff, but there is a ton to move and we can use all of your help.


We have added another event into the agenda and that is an open house at my parent's place on Sunday May 18. Yes, this is the day after we move. Unfortunately it is really the best day to do it. So, in addition to moving on May 17 we also need to clean house! Please help!


Then the next weekend May 24 we will be having a garage sale.


Our house on Dixon st. is scheduled at this point to close on May 30.


Yes, we are involved in many stressful things. Possibly some of you think we are completely out of our minds. Sometimes we are! But, we continue to believe that Mom's cancer has provided us with an awakening and opportunity to live our lives in a way that strongly supports our beliefs and values. Thank you for all of you who are loving and supporting us on this journey.


Love, Emily



Monday, April 21, 2008

Snowy Sunday





Yesterday morning I woke up at 5:00 am to see the snow falling and accumulating around my house here on the valley floor of Corvallis. What a strange spring with plenty of surreal experiences and the snow outside my window yesterday was one more.


Yesterday after dinner Mom, Dad, Steve, and I did some calendering. Here is a schedule of events for the moving process:


Thursday May 15 we close on the house on Buchanan St.

Saturday May 17 we will have a moving party and move into the Buchanan St. house.

Saturday May 24 we will have a garage sale. It will probably be a two day garage sale.


I will contact those of you who have offered to help me pack up these houses. I may not be ready for help until next week. When I do ask for help it will probably be Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9:00 - 11:30 am. That is a time I have available when both kids are in school and I could actually get a good bit of packing done. Feel free to contact me if you read this and would like to help me out during one of those times.


We will need as many people as would like to help out on moving day. We will try our best to move everything on that one day. Pick-ups and other cars that can take our stuff the few blocks from Dixon St. or Division St. to Buchanan St. would be very helpful. We are two household moving into one. Because of this we know we have a lot of stuff to get rid of and we rejoice in the massive unburdening of STUFF that is about to take place. On the other hand, we still have plenty of STUFF to move and will need as much help as we can get.


We hope that this week Mom will just be able to deal with her next dose of chemo and not have to struggle with other health issues. She will go into the Neville Building on Tuesday morning to receive her next round of Taxol and Herceptin. So far, she is not loosing any hair or even noticing any thinning. She does experience different kinds of flu like feelings on different days and certainly tiredness.


Time for me to start my day.

Love, Emily

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Thursday Update


Today I got an email from my good friend Rose in Hawaii who is keeping a close watch on our family situation. The beginning of her email went something like this:


"How are things going? I keep checking the blog site - does it look like the lung will heal? Is the breathing easier? Is your Mom in lots of pain? Does she still look more pink and less ashen?"


Rose continues with more questions from there. I love her questions. They transmit her love and concern for me and my family across the ocean and into my heart. Her recent round of questions has prompted me to give you this Thursday update. I need to remember that even though the story goes on in real time for Mom and my family, many of you are still stuck at where I last left you in the story. I need to catch you up!


Tuesday after Mom was done with chemo she spent the rest of the day at various medical facilities dealing with her lung tube. A big part of this was more chest x-rays to look at her lung. After looking at the most recent x-rays the doctors decided that Mom could have the lung tube removed. Mom said that as soon as the tube was removed the pain went away. Then she had to wait another hour and have another x-ray to make sure that the lung stayed inflated. This last x-ray showed that her lung was doing just fine and she could go home.


Wednesday Mom spent the day trying to recover from the previous 24 hours of taking big doses of pain medication. Of course this was also the day after chemo and she had all those drugs in her body too. It was a very sleepy day for her. Other than sleepiness, she did not have many negative chemotherapy side effects. Last time Mom was given a steroid with her chemotherapy. This caused her to have a rather negative reaction of feeling like she was going to crawl out of her skin with antsiness and anxiety. She could not relax. This time they did not give her any steroid and it has been much better. She has been able to sleep and relax.


Today Mom has continued to recover from the events of earlier this week. She is walking and eating and watching TV with the grand kids. Her cheeks are pink. She is not in pain. I think I am right to say that at this moment she is doing better with all of of this than any of us dared hope.


Now an update on our real estate life!


We have decided to go ahead with the purchase of the house at 1555 NW Buchanan Ave., despite the fact that we have not sold either of our houses! We have spent a good deal of time today getting our financial ducks in a row and we are ready to go. We will close on the new house May 14th. We still hopefully anticipate the sale of one or both of our houses this Spring or Summer. Spread the word, two great houses for sale!


I will let you all know when we are ready for the big pack. Thank you to everyone who has brought us boxes and food and support.


Love, Emily





Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Collapsed Lung


Dear Everyone,


We have had another turn of events. Mom had to be treated in the Emergency Room yesterday for a collapsed lung. She has had trouble getting a deep breath ever since the surgery where they put the port in 2 weeks ago Thursday. When she was in the hospital last Tuesday for her first chemo the hospital nurses were a bit dissatisfied that she could not get her oxygen level above 94% or so. But, they chalked it up to stress. Then after the chemo she got congested in her breathing and antsy and feeling like her skin was crawling and they believed all those symptoms, including the congestion, were a reaction to the steroids they gave her with the chemo.


Yesterday while Mom and I were out shopping I encouraged her to call the nurse about her breathing issues so that there could be some resolution before this next round of chemo. We both thought it would be bad news for her breathing and congestion to get any worse. The doctor had her come in at 3 pm and they walked her around and measured her oxygen and listened to her and were generally unimpressed with the congestion. But, while she was there Dr. Kenyon searched for a chest x-ray that should have been taken after the port surgery to make sure everything was okay and could not find that particular x-ray. Because of this he sent her over to get a chest x-ray at the hospital.


An hour or so later when we were all eating dinner at American Dream Pizza, because doctor's appointments and work schedules had once again limited our ability to cook dinner, Dad got a call from the hospital. They were calling to say that Mom had a collapsed lung and that she needed to go to the ER fast. She was met there by Dr. Kenyon, the cancer doctor, (who held her hand) and the partner of the doctor who did the port surgery. There she had to undergo a very painful procedure where they re inflated her lung by placing a tube in it through her chest. This tube drained the air that was trapped between the lung and the lining of the lung and thus allowed the lung to re inflate. There was a possibility that she would have to have surgery and be admitted to the hospital, but no one wanted this to happen since it would mean added recovery time and a delay in her chemo treatment. Instead she suffered great pains in the ER and was sent home with the tube still inside her and a bunch of pain pills.


Today the tube is still in and draining any last air that is stuck between the lung and the lining of the lung. She is still in pain and needing frequent pain meds. Dr. Kenyon did not know if she would feel like doing the chemo today, but she has decided to do it anyway. It is very important to her to keep on the chemo schedule. I am here in the chemo room with her right now as she is hooked up to the chemo and is sleeping. When this is over she will go get another chest x-ray to make sure that her lung is still inflated and if everything looks good she will be able to get the tube out later today.


Oh, the cause of this is that they punctured the lining of her lung when they put the port in. I guess it happens sometimes, not often, but it does happen.


On another note, I believe that last night after Mom got home from the ER her cheeks and lips finally looked pink and healthy again. I had thought that her grayness had to do with cancer, chemo, etc, but I now believe it was because she wasn't getting enough oxygen. She has been doing the morning walk, watching the kids, going to soccer games, doing chemo all on one lung.


After reading this some of you might feel angry with the Doctors and the medical establishment. I think that our family really cannot afford to be angry. We need these doctors and their expertise. We know they are human and we know that things happen that they cannot control. All the doctors have done everything they can to help Mom through this next hard situation. For this we are thankful.


Love, Emily

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Chemo Round One


It is 8:30 pm and Mom and Dad are finally home. They left the hospital at 7:30 pm. Then they came over to my house, ate some dinner, said goodnight to Maya and Elias, and filled Steve and I in on their most recent experience. Let me now take the time before I go to bed to fill you all in too.


Mom handled the chemotherapy experience very well. Her chemotherapy consisted of two drugs. One is called Taxol and it is a type of chemotherapy drug used primarily in the treatment of breast and ovarian cancer. The second drug is called Herceptin and it is not even called chemotherapy. Instead it is called biotherapy or an antibody drug. This drug targets the cancer cells and their specific receptors and destroys them. It starts working almost immediately. It is because of the Herceptin that Mom had to have this first dose in the hospital. The staff monitored her blood pressure, pulse, and temperature very closely to make sure that she did not have any adverse side effects to this aggressive medication.


There is another piece of new information about the chemotherapy schedule. Mom learned today from Dr. Kenyon that her chemotherapy will last for around 24 weeks. She will have the Taxol/Herceptin chemotherapy every week for 12 weeks. After that she will have another combination of drugs four times, but this time three weeks apart. The hope is that the cancer will be gone before they do the mastectomy. The doctor says that current research shows that in cases like my Mom's, that by using this specific chemotherapy regime the cancer can be completely eliminated 50% of the time before going to surgery.


So, this is where our good thoughts and prayers need to focus. We can focus on the fantastic hope that she Mom could be cancer free in 6 months.


We will see what the next few days bring in terms of side effects to the chemotherapy. The doctor also gave Mom hope that her side effects might not be as bad as someone in a more traditional every 2 week chemotherapy regime because she is getting a lower dose of the Taxol by taking it weekly.


Good Night,

Emily


Hurry Up and Wait


We are in hurry up and wait mode.


Hurry up and tidy the house for a showing because the people will be here SOON and then wait around somewhere doing something until we can go back home.


Hurry up and get to the hospital early Monday morning to have all the critical heart tests done before chemotherapy starts and then a long anxious wait until the next morning (Tuesday) to go to the hospital to actually do the first round of chemotherapy and see what that is like.


But here it is Tuesday morning when the long wait should be over and we are still in hurry up and wait mode. Mom and Dad were scheduled to go to the hospital this morning at 8:30 am so that Mom could be admitted to the hospital for this first round of chemo. But, the hospital called around 7:30 to let them know that all the hospital beds were FULL and that they would call them back and let them know when they had a bed open. Mom and I spent the morning trying to get some errands done and pass the time. The hospital called back at around 10:00 am with the news that Mom and Dad could come to admitting at 11:30 and begin the process of being admitted and doing this chemo thing.


So, the dogs and I are now here at home waiting to pick up Elias from preschool. The four of us will then try to be productive until it is time to get Maya from school. I wish I could be there at the hospital with Mom and Dad, but probably it is best for me to be here with the kids and the dogs holding down the home front.


I think the lesson of "Hurry up and Wait" is adaptability. This whole journey we are on is one that will go easier on us if we are able to adapt and not expend too much energy being upset when we have to hurry up or when we have to wait. We need to use our energy for the journey, whatever that happens to be at any given moment.


I will write late after we have our first look at chemo.


Love, Emily

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Houses for Sale

I have been reluctant to write this week because every minute or so something changes. I do not want to be spreading information that has the potential to be wrong an hour or two later. Now that it is Thursday I feel that I have a few things to report.
I will start with the real estate news. Both Mom and Dad's house and Steve and my house are for sale. As I said before, we are planning on relocating together to a bigger beautiful house on Buchanan St. that sits on a town size mini farm of .5 acres. Mom and Dad have been working with an offer that was made on their house. Nothing is final yet in that situation. Steve and I just got our house listed yesterday after running through a few potential buyers that decided not to buy from us directly. We have great hopes of selling two houses in the near future!
A second piece of news is about a change in Mom's chemotherapy treatment. Originally Mom was told that she would have chemotherapy every two weeks. This schedule has now changed dramatically because of the particular kind of cancer that she has (H+ if that means anything to anyone). Now she will be having chemotherapy treatments every week on Tuesdays. She will start this Tuesday up at the hospital where they can monitor her as she has her first dose. This treatment can be very successful, but it is also hard on the heart while it is going on. She will have baseline heart tests done on Monday and then these tests will be repeated throughout her treatment to make sure that her heart is okay.
Next I want to report that Mom successfully had her "port a cath" put in today in a short surgery up at the hospital. This port is how the chemotherapy will be administered to her. The surgery was fairly short and everything went well, though she is now a bit sore.
Finally I want to thank everyone that has helped us out this past week. We had two great meals brought to us by Vicki and Bob and then Carolyn Dyer. Those were a tremendous help. Somehow we keep forgetting to feed ourselves and having some food brought solves that problem! Also, thank you to the folks who have dropped boxes off to us or allowed us to come pick up boxes. We are in packing mode and all the boxes that come our way will be put to great use.
Thank you to all of you once again. I appreciate all the comments and responses that you have left on this blog. They are uplifting to Mom and to all of us. I think this blog is already a success and I am devoted to keeping it up as long as it is useful to all of us.
Love, Emily