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.
Friday, June 7, 2013
Saturday, June 1, 2013
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.
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.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
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.
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.
Sunday, May 26, 2013
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.
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.
Saturday, May 11, 2013
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.
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.
Monday, April 22, 2013
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.
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.
Friday, April 12, 2013
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).
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).
Friday, March 1, 2013
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.
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.
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