Complete Remission

Well, I am a few days behind in posting this great news....... 

Mom went to the doctor last week.  We got the results of her latest CT scan.  The doctor used the term "complete remission."  Wow, we couldn't have asked for anything better.  It was the best news that we could have gotten.  In fact, it was Dad's birthday.  I don't think he has ever gotten a better birthday present in his life.

What is next.... mom continues on her regiment of infusions every three weeks.  She will also continue on the oral chemo (2 weeks on and 1 week off).  Talking to the doctor, he didn't want to change something that we know is working.  The medication is now for prevention of the cancer coming back.  She will also continue periodic monitoring tests every few months to make sure that things are still going well.

Mom and dad plan on heading to Rainbow Village in Florida on their normal schedule.  They will be flying down the first week in December to take in some of that nice Florida weather.

Mom has recovered remarkably well from surgery.  She is feeling good and is back to many of her normal activities.  She still goes in every couple of weeks to drain some excess fluid, but that is getting better too.

So, thanks for all of the prayers and support. 

How is Mom doing?

Ok, I know that it has been weeks since my last post.  Since then, any time I run into someone, they ask.... How is your mom doing?  Well, I wanted to wait to post until after mom's drainage tubes were taken out.  We sort of were assuming that this would be somewhere around 3-4 weeks after surgery.  Mom just had the drainage tubes out on Thursday.  It was just over 7 weeks that she had them in.  Yeah, it is a long time.  No, the doctors were not too worried.  She had the tubes in so long because of the amount of volume of drainage that was still coming out.  I wouldn't call it typical, but it is not really unusual.  Some people just take a bit longer to heal. 
The tubes came out because mom developed a bit of an infection around the incision.  It is a few days after and it is looking better already.  Amazing what antibiotics can do.  She will be going to the doctor on a weekly basis to have any excess fluid aspirated until the drainage stops.  Hopefully this won't be for too long.
Mom was off of the chemo drugs for about 8 weeks (3 weeks before surgery and 5 weeks after surgery).  This 8 weeks gave her some much needed time to regain feeling and strength in her fingers and toes.  Her energy level was better too.
She is back on her 2 weeks on chemo, one week off chemo.  This will be her long-term treatment.  In addition, every 3 weeks she will go in for an infusion.  Every 3-4 months she will have a CT scan to make sure that things are held at bay.  It has been a long road to get here, but we are here.

Pathology Results

GREAT NEWS:  The pathology results came back "clean."  There was no cancer detected in either breast that was removed.  The months of treatments have been doing their job! 
Mom is recovering from surgery very well. She is 9 days post surgery.  She is feeling better and stronger each day.  We even went out for lunch today (to celebrate the good news).  This was her first outing outside of doctor visits since her surgery.
She did have a minor set back a couple of days ago (on Wednesday).  Her knee swelled up and was very painful.  I was concerned about blood clots so she went to the doctors office to have them check it out.  Thankfully, it was not a clot, it was "only gout."  Actually, we are waiting for this to be confirmed by lab tests, but the doctor thinks it was gout.  After draining some fluid and a shot of steroids, she is feeling MUCH better already.
We followed up with the Cardiologist today.  He was running a bit late.  He even apologized to us that he was running late.  I haven't had too many doctors do that before.  Anyway, he will be putting mom on a blood thinner medication to help regulate the heart rhythm problem that she had in the hospital.  She will be starting that medication as soon as the surgeon thinks it is ok.  While she is healing from surgery, they will not be starting the blood thinner.  As soon as she is healed enough, it will be added to her growing list of daily medications.  In the mean time, she is on a different heart medication to prevent the rhythm problem.
So, all in all, it has been a really great week.  We really couldn't have asked for better pathology results.  We meet with the oncologist next week to talk about how this will effect her treatment going forward.
Thanks for reading.

Post Surgery Update

Sorry that this is a couple of days later than I wanted.
Mom is doing really well.  She came home from the hospital on Thursday evening.  We meet with her cardiologist later this week.  The doctor at the hospital indicated that the abnormal heart rhythm was caused by the surgery.  Apparently this is somewhat common.  Her heart rhythm returned to normal late on Wednesday evening.  She has been feeling a lot better ever since. 
She is definitely sleeping better in her own bed.  The pain level has been pretty tolerable for the last couple of days.  She has already started some arm excercises at home.  Her range of motion at this point is a lot better than I expected.  She needs to obviously build up some strength, but that should come over time.  The left side (the one with the cancer) is not as strong as the right, but we sort of expected that.  The radiation on that side might make the recovery a bit longer. 
The drainage tubes will be in for some time.  They told us that she could have them for a couple of weeks.  So, we just wait and see what happens.
Dads been a pretty good nurse so far.  Moms not complaining about the level of care.  In fact, I even heard her compliment him.
Thanks to all of you for caring so much.

Surgery update

Moms surgery went well.  The doctor was pleased with how things went.  We should have the pathology report early next week.  I never thought that I would say that mom has something in common with Angelina Jolie.  However, they now have the same bust line.
Mom has had a bit of trouble in recovery.  She had some minor heart rhythm problems. They are keeping her overnight to give her some meds to regulate her heart.  We expect to see the cardiologist tomorrow morning.  The surgery day turned into a long day at the hospital.  She will stay on the cardiology floor for monitoring tonight.  Considering the extent of her surgery, I don't think that any of us is that upset that she is staying.  She is being taken good care of.  Better to be safe than sorry.  
I'll update you all tomorrow.

Card Project

Ok, if you are reading this blog, then you probably care about my mom.  Thank you all for your months of support, prayers and kind words.  It has been my job to keep you up to date.  Now, it is your job to make mom feel special.  Her surgery is on Wednesday.  If you have the time, please send her a get well or thinking of your card.  The surgery is out patient, so she will be home on Wednesday at some point.
For your convenience, here is her address:
Ida Wolf
2411 Winkleman Drive
Waterford, MI  48329

I'll try to post on Wednesday or Thursday and let you know how things went.

The Next Step

Since my last post, we have been pretty busy.  We have had appointments to see the Oncologist, Radiation Oncologist, Cardiologist and Surgeon.  The bottom line is that mom is doing great.  She will be having surgery on May 29th.
Mom opted for a bi-lateral mastectomy, instead just one side.  Let's say that the decision was made for peace of mind.  Although the chances of getting cancer on the other side is very low, she is not taking that chance.  They will try to leave as many lymph nodes as possible.  Reconsturction was not a viable option and mom didn't want to have it anyway.  So, no more wet t-shirt contests for her :) 
Recovery from bi-lateral is not that much more than for one side.  Her skin has healed amazing well from her radiation.  The skin looks great.  The skin that has been radiated typically does not heal as well.  However, because we are couple of months after her last radiaion treatment, the skin has continued to improve.  It is still getting healthier looking at every visit.
The surgery is out-patient.  The procedure itself should take about 3 hours.  She will spend another couple of hours in recovery and then be sent home.  The recovery should be more comfortable at home anyway.
She will be off her chemo drugs for 3 weeks before surgery and 2 weeks after surgery.  The chemo drugs are a long term proposition for her.  The 5 week break should be good for her fingers and toes.
I know that she is feeling better, because she has been doing some yard work clean-up outside.  The bushes and plants are getting trimmed and the weeding is getting done.  This is a nice change from a year ago.  Maybe at some point she will start doing stuff around my yard again.

Another Update

Today we went to see Dr. Margolis.  We got the results of moms CT scan.  The news really couldn't be much better.  The spots on her liver are really close to being gone.  This is better than the doctor expected.  There is a tiny residual spot that is hanging on, but it is very tiny.  As you recall, this spot was over 6 cm just over a year ago.  He didn't use the word remission, but she is probably as close to that as she can be.  The doctor was so happy, and so were all of us :)
There is a targeted treatment that is available for the little spot on the liver, but we will see how things progress over the next few months before he recommends that treatment.
Mom also had an echogram last week.  They discovered a bit of a flutter in her heart.  Apparently, this is a pretty common side effect from the chemo.  We have an appointment to see a cardiologist next week.  Nothing to worry about, but we will be monitoring her and she will probably just add one more drug to the daily routine.  She is close to having a drug store in her house, so what is one more pill?
We were also referred back to see the surgeon.  Because the liver results were so positive and mom had such a good reaction to the radiation treatment, we are seriously talking about doing surgery (mastectomy).  We have a consultation next week with the surgeon.  Surgery was only recommended if she opted not to have reconstruction.  At this point, she cares more about her health than her figure.
So, all in all, we had some really great news today.
Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts. 

Back in Michigan

Ok, as you can probably tell, my blog posts are getting farther apart.  All in all, I think this is good news.  Ultimately, it means that I haven't had much to update.
Mom and dad were in Florida for 8 weeks.  They returned to Michigan about 2 weeks ago.  Their time in Florida was great.  They got to see all of their southern friends and enjoyed the warm weather.  Thank you to all of you in Rainbow Village that took such good care of mom.  All of the love and support you provided was felt all the way up here in Michigan.
The doctors office in Florida was really good.  We were happy with the staff and the facilities.  Mom had 3 treatments in Florida and the transition went really smooth.
Mom had her first Michigan treatment yesterday.  She is still getting Herceptin (a protein drug) every 3 weeks through the IV.  In addition, she takes other oral medication.  The protocol for the chemo portion is 2 weeks on and 1 week off.  All in all, mom has been doing really well in managing all of the side effects.  Most days she feels pretty good.  Yes, she has the occasional off day, but they are not really the norm. 
Mom continues to crochet pot holders.  She made over a hundred while she was in Florida.  So, if you need some, let me know and I can probably get you a set.  Also, if you supply your own yarn, for sure I can get her to make some for you.  The hand work seems to help the circulation in her fingers, so she continues making something.
She is scheduled for a CT scan next week.  She will have them about every 3 months or so to make sure that we continue to monitor the status of the tumors.  After the test next week the doctor will make the determination on her next course of treatment.
I'll post again after we get the CT results.
Thanks for reading and Happy Spring (if it ever gets here).

Florida Update

Well, it has been about a month since my last post and a few people have asked me for updates.  I guess the long wait between posts can be summed up by "No news is good news."  However, since they are no longer here, I could also say "out of sight, out of mind."
Mom and dad have enjoyed the Florida weather for a little over a month now.  The girls and I went down there to visit them last week.  The girls had a week off for their "mid-winter break."  We were lucky enough to continue our annual visit with them.  We had a nice time with them.  I think they were happy to see us even though we upset their normal routine.
Mom had her 2nd Herceptin treatment in Florida yesterday.  She will have one more treatment down there in 3 weeks.  She also has continued on the oral chemo. 
The warm weather has been good all around for her.  Her spirits are good and her side effects are very manageable.  I think you just feel better when the weather is warmer.  Your body spends less energy trying to be comfortable.
I understand that the facilities are nice at the doctor's office.  Dad was able to get in a nap in one of the reclining chairs while mom had her treatment.  We just hope that all of his snoring didn't bother too many of the cancer patients.

Florida doctor

We met moms Florida oncologist today.  He has a great PA (physicians assistant) that spent a lot of time with us.  She answered all of our questions before we even met the doctor.  She was very impressed with how well mom responded to her treatment so far.  The good news is that moms treatment seems really routine at this point.  She is just here for a bit of maintenance.  The practice is pretty big.  The treatment room was giant and seemed very comfortable.
The doctor described mom as a bit of a miracle.  I'll take that.
Although we didn't spend a ton of time with the doctor, he seemed really nice.  We talked about additional medications that are now available or will be in the next few months.  He also talked about how routine moms treatment is for them.  They have lots of snow birds that come down.  Some patients come for one shot a year.
The biggest physical attribute of moms doctor is his height.  My guess is that he is at least 6 feet 8 inches tall.  Dad is supposed to get me the actual height next week when moms goes for her treatment.  He is going to ask one of the nurses or some other clandestine way.
I fly back to Michigan tomorrow morning.  Back to the cold and snow.  But also back to Andy and the girls.  It was good to see how comfortable the new doctors office is.  I am glad that I took the time to make sure that things are all set down here.  I think she will be cared for really well, by both the new doctor and all of her wonderful friends in the park.

Off to Florida!!

Mom had a CT scan earlier this week.  We got the results today from the doctor.  He was very pleased.  The mass on her liver has been stable since last October.  That is GREAT news. 
She has a final follow-up appointment with the Radiation Oncologist on Monday.  Her breast is looking good.  The redness has faded considerably. 
Mom and Dad are leaving for Florida on Wednesday next week.  (Rainbow Village - be prepared - they are coming back.)
Mom continues on her oral chemo drug and her Herceptin every 3 weeks.  We have an appointment with an oncologist in Florida at the end of the month.  We anticipate that she will continue to be on these meds for quite some time.  However, it should be all manageable down there.  I'm flying down for a couple of days so that I can meet the new doctor.  Hopefully we like him as much as Dr. Margolis.
Let's just say that Mom and Dad have been ready to head south for some time.  I am SO HAPPY that they are finally getting to go down.  The best part is that Mom is still feeling really good. 

Done with Radiation

Well, just a quick update regarding the radiation treatment.  Mom is done with her 30 treatments.  We had a follow-up appointment with the doctor this morning. 
We had a minor complication where she developed a small infection on the outside of the breast near the end of her treatments.  Between the infection and the radiation, let's just say that mom looked like a tomato.  She got pretty toasty at the end of her treatment cycle.  She has been on anti-biotics and is looking much better after a few days.
All in all, the doctor was really pleased with how she responded to her treatment.
We will be back to the regular oncologist later this week.