Hello All, I am back from Africa. I know this blog is about my mom, but I at least wanted to let you know that we had an incredible, amazing trip. The animals, scenery and people were wonderful. It was definitely a trip of a lifetime.
Mom had her 26th treatment today. She is continuing on her same weekly dosage of chemo.
Today we had some really great news, the results from her MRI came today. The large mass on her liver has continued to shrink. It is roughly half the size it was several months ago. So, it appears that this treatment has been effective so far for her. At this time she will maintain her current treatment and we will reevaluate in several weeks.
Mom has continued to feel well over the last few weeks. Her energy level has been really good. She takes a moderate amount of pain medication to ease the pain in her hands and feet. She even made a batch of Nectarine jelly while I was gone. It is nice to see that she is able to do more of the things that she loves. She also recently started knitting another afghan. All good things.
On a separate note, my Uncle Ed fell off the roof at church and broke his femur. He is coming home from the hospital today. Recovery will be several weeks.
Please keep both of them in your thoughts and prayers.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Treatment #23
Today was mom's 23rd treatment. She is presently on a one week on and one week off of the full chemo treatments. Today was the week on. She felt good this week and this course of treatment seems to be working well for her. Her energy level has been better than in weeks past. She is able to do more things around the house. She now only takes 2 pain pills a day for her feet.
Mom's hair is growing back considerably. I'd describe it as a good miliary length. The gray is starting to come back and she is looking more like her old self.
I won't be around for treatment 24 or 25. I am traveling to Africa with my family and in-laws. We will be gone for a little over 2 weeks. Dr. Margolis will continue mom on her present treatment until I get back. Hopefully, she will still continue to feel well while I am gone.
Mom and dad volunteered to watch our guinnea pig (Buck) while we are gone. The girls and I delivered him to their house this morning. Mom and dad seemed pretty happy to have the company while we are gone.
Mom's next MRI of the liver is scheduled for Aug. 27th (the day after I get home). We should have the results a few days later.
So, I am signing off for a couple of weeks. Just remember, no news is good news.
Mom's hair is growing back considerably. I'd describe it as a good miliary length. The gray is starting to come back and she is looking more like her old self.
I won't be around for treatment 24 or 25. I am traveling to Africa with my family and in-laws. We will be gone for a little over 2 weeks. Dr. Margolis will continue mom on her present treatment until I get back. Hopefully, she will still continue to feel well while I am gone.
Mom and dad volunteered to watch our guinnea pig (Buck) while we are gone. The girls and I delivered him to their house this morning. Mom and dad seemed pretty happy to have the company while we are gone.
Mom's next MRI of the liver is scheduled for Aug. 27th (the day after I get home). We should have the results a few days later.
So, I am signing off for a couple of weeks. Just remember, no news is good news.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Treatment #22
Today was a very uneventful visit to the doctor. Dr. M was out of town, so we saw another doctor in the practice.
Mom got a dose of Herceptin only today. We were out of there in no time.
The nurse sent home an afghan for mom to fix. There are several that are in desperate need of repair. Mom will be bringing her hook next week and some yarn to start the repairs of the ones that are still in the treatment area.
Thankfully, she is feeling well enough to take on this task. Her feet and hands have been much better this week. In fact, I would say that she had a very good week all around.
Mom got a dose of Herceptin only today. We were out of there in no time.
The nurse sent home an afghan for mom to fix. There are several that are in desperate need of repair. Mom will be bringing her hook next week and some yarn to start the repairs of the ones that are still in the treatment area.
Thankfully, she is feeling well enough to take on this task. Her feet and hands have been much better this week. In fact, I would say that she had a very good week all around.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Treatment #21
Mom had a good week. I think there was just one day that she was feeling really bad. Otherwise, most days she felt good.
Today she received both drugs (Herceptin and Abraxane). Next week, she will only get the Herceptin. We will only be getting the one drug every other week.
Dr. Margolis is a really nice man. I think we make him laugh more than most other patients. He always has a smile on his face when we leave. Today was a pretty classic checkup appointment. He asked mom how her energy level was. Mom's response was "really good, I was able to clean the toilets and sinks yesterday." Dr. M basically didn't know what to say, he managed a good laugh and a "I don't even know what category to put that in." He indicated that most patients talk about being able to get dressed or feed themselves. In all of years of practice, no one ever mentioned a good week being able to clean toilets. Actually, I am still chuckling about his reaction.
Well, so glad that you are taking a little bit of time to check in with us. We appreciate all of the support.
Today she received both drugs (Herceptin and Abraxane). Next week, she will only get the Herceptin. We will only be getting the one drug every other week.
Dr. Margolis is a really nice man. I think we make him laugh more than most other patients. He always has a smile on his face when we leave. Today was a pretty classic checkup appointment. He asked mom how her energy level was. Mom's response was "really good, I was able to clean the toilets and sinks yesterday." Dr. M basically didn't know what to say, he managed a good laugh and a "I don't even know what category to put that in." He indicated that most patients talk about being able to get dressed or feed themselves. In all of years of practice, no one ever mentioned a good week being able to clean toilets. Actually, I am still chuckling about his reaction.
Well, so glad that you are taking a little bit of time to check in with us. We appreciate all of the support.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Treatment #20
Wow, 20 weeks of treatment seems like a lot. Looking back, I can't believe that it has been that many treatments already.
I would classify this week as decent. The end of the week was definitely better than the beginning. Her hands and feet started bothering her a bit more and fatique was an issue for several days.
Dr. Margolis opted to skip the Abraxane treatment (Chemo) and just give mom the Herceptin (Protein) today. I think we might be starting an every-other week of chemo treatments. This will give mom's body a chance to recover a bit more between treatments.
Her hair is starting to grow back. The back is gray, but the front and top are completely white.
Mom and Dad made a short road trip to have lunch with some of her Florida friends (about a 45 min drive) this week. It is really great that she is still getting out and enjoying life. She continues to have a great spirit. The smile on her face continues to shine (most days).
I would classify this week as decent. The end of the week was definitely better than the beginning. Her hands and feet started bothering her a bit more and fatique was an issue for several days.
Dr. Margolis opted to skip the Abraxane treatment (Chemo) and just give mom the Herceptin (Protein) today. I think we might be starting an every-other week of chemo treatments. This will give mom's body a chance to recover a bit more between treatments.
Her hair is starting to grow back. The back is gray, but the front and top are completely white.
Mom and Dad made a short road trip to have lunch with some of her Florida friends (about a 45 min drive) this week. It is really great that she is still getting out and enjoying life. She continues to have a great spirit. The smile on her face continues to shine (most days).
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Treatment #19
I am happy to report that mom had a really good week. Probably the best week in some time. Her feet and hands are hurting less and she has more feeling in them. She even started knitting again this week. She hasn't been able to do any hand work in several weeks. So, it appears that she is handling this dosage of chemo pretty well. She did receive another dose today and we are keeping our fingers crossed for another good week.
Mom's hair is starting to grow back considerably. The peach fuzz has turned into a buzz cut. However, she definitely won't be needing to go to the hair salon for a while.
Today we talked to the doctor about what the next 4-6 weeks will look like. I am leaving in 4 weeks for a two week family trip (to Africa). He anticipates that she will continue on the same course of treatment (dosage will be dependent on how she is feeling) for the next 6 weeks. At that point, he will schedule another MRI to see how the tumors are progressing. He is considerate enough to wait until I get back so that I can be there for the results. Normally we talk about things week to week, at least now we know what the rest of the summer will look like.
Mom's hair is starting to grow back considerably. The peach fuzz has turned into a buzz cut. However, she definitely won't be needing to go to the hair salon for a while.
Today we talked to the doctor about what the next 4-6 weeks will look like. I am leaving in 4 weeks for a two week family trip (to Africa). He anticipates that she will continue on the same course of treatment (dosage will be dependent on how she is feeling) for the next 6 weeks. At that point, he will schedule another MRI to see how the tumors are progressing. He is considerate enough to wait until I get back so that I can be there for the results. Normally we talk about things week to week, at least now we know what the rest of the summer will look like.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Treatment #18
Sorry for the delayed post this week. A storm that came through the area knocked out our cable/internet for several days. Thankfully, we had power, unlike many of our neighbors. However, we all needed to adjust our life a bit with no WiFi or TV. As you can see, I am happily back.
Mom had a good week. A good enough week that Dr. Margolis gave her a Chemo treatment along with the Herceptin. The good news about my delayed post is that she is about 2 days past her treatment and I can report that she is still feeling well this morning. The doctor gave her a little bit of a reduced dose from the previous treatments. We are hoping that she continues to tolerate the treatment well.
We had a nice time at Dave's house over the 4th of July. Mom had a great time catching up and spending some with some friends and family that she hasn't seen in a while. I think she really enjoyed herself. Remember, life is about living.
Mom had a good week. A good enough week that Dr. Margolis gave her a Chemo treatment along with the Herceptin. The good news about my delayed post is that she is about 2 days past her treatment and I can report that she is still feeling well this morning. The doctor gave her a little bit of a reduced dose from the previous treatments. We are hoping that she continues to tolerate the treatment well.
We had a nice time at Dave's house over the 4th of July. Mom had a great time catching up and spending some with some friends and family that she hasn't seen in a while. I think she really enjoyed herself. Remember, life is about living.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Treatment #17
Mom had a decent week this week. She has been having a few bad days. Her feet continue to bother her enough that the doctor did not give her a chemo treatment again this week. She only got the Herceptin.
Believe it or not, but mom's hair is just starting to grow back. It is not very long. I would say it is like peach fuzz. It is completely white. Any colored hair that she had has now turned white. I won't even call the hair gray; it is all white. One of my neighbors rubbed mom's head for good luck last week. She is a doctor. Today, Dr. Margolis did the same thing. So, I guess doctors have some crazy superstitions. If you are in the area and need a bit of luck, I am sure that mom will let you rub her head.
We will be traveling to Baroda to spend a few days with Dave and family for July 4th. We are all looking forward to getting the family together.
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