Eve

Mom had her PT today and she went at it vigorously. She is so competitive that I think she believes she has to "beat" the therapist by showing that she can do whatever is thrown her way.

Of course, the result of this attitude is tiredness. But, all in all, Mom does the PT well and it is good for her.

Otherwise, things are going pretty well. Mom continues to feel okay and her appetite is good. All positive signs.

Her lucidity remains consistent and even though she is really tired, she knows what is going on. We are thankful for that.

Tomorrow will mark six weeks since all this began. So much has happened and so much in Mom's life has changed. It's a surreal feeling.

Oh, and I guess tomorrow also marks the beginning of a new year. Let's hope it's a damn sight better than the end of this one has been.

In all things, change is the only constant. We should all get used to that.

The Day Before The Day Before

There is little new to report on Mom today. She is doing about the same as prior days: sometimes more lucid, sometimes less. Today was a bit less. Dad and I had to do quite a bit of repeating and reinforcing what we were telling her, but that's just part of what we have to do sometimes.

Mom is still napping a lot and is very tired. All part of the chemo regimen that she is undergoing.

The continued good news is that she has not experienced any nausea from the chemo treatment that she received earlier. Her eating and appetite remain consistent. She does continue to worry that she is gaining weight, but she's not. Then again, Mom has always been concerned about that. Always.

PT tomorrow, and I expect there will be more napping.

Marking Time

Another short update.

Mom continues to do about the same as before. She is fatigued, but did do her PT today and did it well, according to Dad.

As a matter of fact, Dad also mentioned that Mom read the newspaper today and they actually discussed it a bit, too. This is eventful because lately, Mom has been just "reading" the newspaper, and has not been interested in talking about it.

No news from the doctor's office about the blood counts, so unless we hear otherwise, we'll assume they are where they need to be for her to get her next treatment on the 11th.

The food continues to come and continues to be very much appreciated. Thank you all for your support and help.

Simple Sunday

Not much to report today. Mom is doing about the same as she has been.

I believe that her mental faculties are about leveled-off. Meaning, to me, that she is essentially stabilized in her ability to remember (or not remember) things. It's not 100%, certainly, but at least it has not worsened.

Tomorrow, we go to the doctor's office for a quick lab visit. They will draw blood there and send us home. We will know the results likely during our next doctor's visit, which should be on the 11th of January. That's when she goes in for her second infusion. The blood work is done to monitor her blood counts: red cells, white cells, and platelets. All are important and they have to be in a certain range for Mom to be able to get her next infusion.

Continued thanks to the ESC Region XI team for the support and meals. It is truly appreciated more than I can adequately express here.

It Must Be Saturday

I have to confess that coming up with titles for these blog posts is becoming a bit of a challenge. So, apologies if they start to get a little odd.

Mom was doing okay today. Still napping and feeling tired. No other side effects have presented themselves, so that is a positive thing.

She continues to ask me to review with her what we are doing about the cancer. She understands the treatment and what is going on, but she doesn't retain the information very well. So, I review it with her.

Dad is hanging in there. I mentioned to him that I guess he's now un-retired, and experiencing a new career of managing the household. He's not enjoying it. But he is doing a very good job at it, and taking good care of Mom.

At this point, no real news is good news. Mom keeps on keeping on, and we take it one day at a time.

A Quick Christmas Note

Just a quick message to let everyone know that Beth, the kids, and I went over to Mom and Dad's this evening to share a little Christmas spirit and deliver some gifts.

Mom was tired, but looked good. She had worked hard to put on some makeup so our youngest son, Zachary, wouldn't feel uncomfortable seeing her. She didn't have to do that, but it was a nice gesture. And, it apparently worked, as Zach gave her a big hug when we were leaving. He hadn't done that in a couple of weeks. I know it made Mom happy, too.

Beth always does a great job on Mom's presents and I am so thankful for that. Mom got a Snuggie and two pairs of slippers. One to keep her feet warm and fuzzy, and one for when Mom wants to look cute. Which is most of the time.

Beth also put together some pictures of the kids for Mom and Dad to have. Those were a big hit as well.

I printed out all the comments that everyone has made on the blog and gave them to her. She was reading them, too. So be on your best behavior. I know she really appreciated all the thoughts from everyone. So thank you for that.

To date, Mom is just really tired. That's the only real side effect that she's experiencing at the moment. We are thankful for each day that she naps. And boy, does she nap. But that's a good thing and I am glad that she is getting the rest that she needs.

We should have a smooth weekend, with a visit to the oncologist for lab work upcoming on Monday.

Some Interesting Research

Today I was crawling the Internet, looking for some information on treatment options for Mom. She is always asking me if the treatment she is getting is the best that she can get, for her situation.

I think I've found a positive answer to this question. Remember, Mom is getting a two-drug combination of cisplatin and pemetrexed (Alimta).

Here is what I found:

"Several 2-drug combinations have been compared in clinical trials and found to be similar in response rate and survival benefit. Click here for more information about the phase III clinical trials in which various drug combinations have been compared. Overall, no "best" combination has been identified. One possible exception is the combination of pemetrexed (Alimta®) and cisplatin for patients whose histologic type is adenocarcinoma or large cell carcinoma. Recent clinical trials have confirmed that pemetrexed is an active drug against adenocarcinoma and large cell carcinoma and may be more effective than other options. The combination of pemetrexed and cisplatin has been approved for those histologic types. The pemetrexed combination is not an option for patients whose histologic type is squamous cell cancer." - Source: Nexcura (profiled for Mom's type of cancer).

Pay particular attention to the highlighted section (emphasis mine). 

I thought this was particularly encouraging and want to express my thanks to Dr. Aurora for fighting to get this treatment for Mom. 

I will be sure to let her know what I found and hopefully this will provide some additional comfort to her and instill more confidence in her fight. 

Today, Christmas Eve, Beth, the kids, and I are going to go over to Mom and Dad's and bring them their presents. If Mom feels up to it, she is going to try and come over to our house tomorrow (Christmas). 


She is still feeling okay, albeit extremely fatigued, since her first infusion on Monday. It is unclear at this point when we could expect any additional side effects to show up, so we are just rolling with the punches at the present time.

Quick Trip

Mom is doing well today. No effects from the chemo have surfaced, yet, so we are happy about that. That is not to say that there won't be any, but at least they haven't shown up to this point.

Mom spent the morning doing her physical therapy and exercises. She is really conscious about how important it is for her to do the exercises, and in case you didn't know, she is a little competitive. So, combine those two aspects of her personality and you end up with someone who is bound and determined to do what she needs to do in order to stay active.

We talked a little bit today about her long-term goals. Her main goals are to be able to swim and do things outdoors next summer. She believes that she will be able to and is treating her situation accordingly.

Today was a quick trip to the doctor's office for her white blood cell booster shot. We were in and out in under 15 minutes, so that was a definite plus. Mom enjoyed getting outside and, as she put it, "getting her posterior in a different chair."

Our next appointment is the 28th for lab work. So until then, we will just keep an eye on how Mom is doing and see what we can work out for Christmas.

I told her that if she wanted to come to our house, and felt up to it, that I would make that happen. If not, then Beth, the kids, and I will go over there on Christmas Eve and visit for a little while. That is very up in the air at this point.

Thank you, again, for the continued support and meals. It is making a huge difference in my Mom and Dad's sanity. And for those of you who know my Dad, you know how important that is.

Chemo Treatment One Complete

As far as days go, this one could have been a lot worse. Mom, Dad, and I were expecting a rash of delays and crowded conditions at the oncology office, due to the shortened holiday week and everyone's desire to get their treatments in before Christmas.

Boy, were we wrong.

Mom arrived, and the lab did a blood draw to make sure her blood counts would support the chemo treatment today, then we met with Dr. Aurora to go over any last minute questions or concerns.

Then it was off to the infusion room. Yes, it was nearly full of people, but Mom had a seat right away and the nurses got busy doing what they do. They first give her a big dose of anti-nausea medication via her port, then follow that with the cisplatin and Alimta. We were told the cisplatin alone would take three hours to infuse, so I took Dad off to lunch and to kill some time running some errands. Mom was in good hands with the nurses, and Dad I would just get in the way.

Dad and I arrived back at the oncology office three hours later, and Mom was done. We were surprised, but happy to be getting out as quickly as we did. Apparently, there was a change in the dosage, according to Mom, that reduced the infusion time. She has now requested that I talk to Dr. Aurora's office tomorrow to find out why. She is curious and wants to make sure she's getting what she should be getting. So, I will do that.

Tomorrow, Mom has a follow up appointment to get a white cell booster shot. Then, on December 28th we go back to do more blood work.

Her second chemo treatment is set for January 11th, so she'll have a bit of a break.

Overall, she was feeling fine when she got home. She was tired, of course, but beyond that all was well. We don't know yet how many side effects will manifest themselves, or to what degree. We'll see about that.

The Sunday Before

Mom had another pretty good day today. Not much going on beyond the physical therapy exercises and resting.

She is anxious about beginning the chemo tomorrow, but not in a bad way. I believe she just wants to get started. The unknown about the side-effects and if or how they will affect her is bothering her some. The bottom line there is we won't know until we know. So, we'll start the process of finding out tomorrow.

On Tuesday, we will need to take her back to the doctor's for a white blood cell booster. This is a normal thing that her doctor does for chemo patients, and we will do it after each of the four chemo infusions.

Today, her friend from work, Connie, came by and dropped of some dinner and a sack of wigs for Mom to mess with if she felt like it. That was a really nice thing to do and I know Mom appreciated it. I don't know if Mom will get on board with the wig thing, but it is nice to know she has the option.

Dad has made a few improvements around the house to help Mom get up from sitting down. He put her recliner up on a couple of 2X4s, which will surely help and he made some bathroom improvements as well.

Mom and Dad are actually doing pretty well. I'm encouraged by that, and I hope that it continues once Mom starts the chemo. Only time will tell about that, of course.

Just a note...tomorrow may be a long day. The doctor's office said to expect lots of people there and for us to be patient. Well, we're used to that but it may mean that I don't get to do an update. If not, I'll get one done as soon as I can. Or it may be later than usual. I really don't know right now. But keep reading, because I know Mom likes to keep people up to date on what is going on.

Another Easy Saturday

Mom had a good day today. She worked on her PT as assigned by the physical therapist, and took lots of naps. Naps are good.

I talked with her tonight and she sounded really good. She was making sense and carrying on what could be described as a totally normal conversation. She was happy about getting her PT work done and worrying about my Dad not relaxing enough. So, pretty much par for the course for Mom.

They enjoyed the enchiladas and rice for dinner. Even though my Dad swears up and down Mexican food isn't the best for them, I know deep down they both love it. They always have. And I suspect they always will.

Days like this make you think that it could turn out okay. It was about as normal a day as we've had, all things considered.

I hope there are many more of them.

Fun With Paperwork

Today was paperwork day. I needed to get some legal documents taken care of with respect to Mom and Dad, and I needed to work with Mom to get her application for Social Security benefits submitted. Not too terrible a task, you might think.

And I suppose it wasn't too bad. The legal paperwork was helped along by our good friend Hal. It went very smooth and now that it is done, it is a load off our minds.

The second big project, Social Security, was all handled online. The application wasn't terribly complex and the process to get it submitted was very easy. The only thing I have left to do for Mom is to get some copies of things to the local SSA office.

Dad and I worked some in the kitchen today also, to try and get things a little bit organized. Now, my folks are pack rats. No question about it. So going into the freezer to explore, I have to confess made me a little nervous. I wasn't sure exactly what we would find in there. But it was all mostly harmless. I took a couple of bags of things home to our freezer to store for them, and it helped make room for the leftovers and other items that are going to get used.

Beth bought some of those Gladware containers for Mom and Dad, and those are going to make a huge difference in my Dad's ability to manage the kitchen. It's amazing how something as simple and convenient as those containers can help.

Mom was doing really well today. She helped me with the forms and answered all my questions, even the ones that made her think a little bit. That was a good sign. She's still tired/fatigued and napping a lot. The napping isn't a problem, in fact it's a good thing. If you're tired, take a nap. She likes that.

This weekend should be relatively easy. Mom can work on her PT as much as she feels up to it, and on Monday, we'll start the chemo. She's hoping that the anticipation of what is to come is worse than the actual experience. I think we all are.

Thanks to Gay Berryman and the people at ESC Region XI for continuing the dinner rotation. It really does help Mom and Dad and we appreciate it so much.

Chemo School

Today was chemo school for Mom. We went over to Dr. Aurora's office and met with his nurse, Terry.

She took us through a very comprehensive presentation on what to expect when Mom starts the chemotherapy on Monday. Terry explained that while the side effects can be unpleasant, not everyone experiences the same level of side effects, and some people are not affected very much at all. Different people react differently.

It would appear that Dr. Aurora received the necessary approvals to administer cisplatin and Alimta. I know this made Mom happy because she feels like these are state of the art drugs and have a good chance of having a positive effect.

The cisplatin is the platinum-based drug that will likely wield the big hammer when it comes to unpleasant side effects, according to Terry. One thing that might bother Mom a bit is developing a metallic taste in her mouth. I suppose that's what you get when platinum is involved.

Overall, Mom is ready to get started. As I was wheeling her out of the doctor's office (more on that in a moment) she exclaimed, "I want to win." I know she does and Dad and I are very happy that she still has that competitive spirit.

On the wheeling out: The radiation treatments and the resulting steroids that she has been taking have caused a good amount of weakness in Mom's thighs. It makes it particularly difficult to get up and down, if the seat is not elevated. So, in order to minimize her fatigue, I have decided that for the last couple of doctor's visits that I would push her around in the wheelchair. It's nice to push her around, for a change.

Thanks to everyone for the continued support. My good friend since seventh grade, Billy Craft, brought food for Mom and Dad yesterday. It was much appreciated. As was the food from the Service Center team.

Thank you all so much.

Radiation Fine'

Mom finished the fourteenth radiation treatment today. She is now done with that aspect of the treatment. It is not clear at this point what effect the radiation has had, but we expect that as her chemo treatments begin, there will be some scans done to determine how things are going.

Next on the list is "chemo school". We do that tomorrow afternoon at the oncologist's office. Essentially, his nurse will take us through the procedure that Mom will undergo and give us an opportunity to ask questions.

Mom will also now be tapering off the Decadron steroid that she has been taking. It should take about 28 days to get off of it completely. That is as long as she does not have any trouble with swelling in the brain that needs to be controlled. If so, then it is back on the steroid to control that.

We still don't know for certain what chemo drugs Mom will be getting. I hope we find that out tomorrow, but at the very least, we'll find out on Monday when they put them in there.

Physical therapy continues, as does weekly visits from the home health nurse. The home health nurse monitors vital signs, and medications that Mom is taking. The home health has worked surprisingly well to this point, and hopefully that will continue as Mom needs it.

She continues to maintain that she wants to be a cancer survivor. I told her that she certainly was one, and in fact, probably has been one for quite some time. We just didn't know it. There is probably not as much solace in that as you would like to think, though.

One More Left

Today was Mom's thirteenth radiation treatment, meaning that her last one is tomorrow. She's looking forward to being done with that aspect of her treatment.

One of the things that we hope improve after that is done is her leg strength. She's having some difficulty now getting up from a seated position, but can with help. The radiation oncologist (Dr. Dubey) tells us that could be a result of the steroids that she is taking. Those will come to a gradual end once radiation is finished.

Her PT will help, also. She had a round of it today with the home health PT person. There were several exercises to do and Mom got some additional homework to do during the week.

Beyond that, it was a pretty normal day with nothing extraordinary to report. After tomorrow, we start to look ahead to the beginning of chemotherapy on Monday.

On Down The Road

Busy day today. Mom, Dad, and I went over to meet with Dr. Aurora and see what he has in store for the next steps in the treatment. Of course, that means chemotherapy.

Dr. Aurora was very clear in setting the expectation for the chemotherapy. He said that the expectation is not to get rid of the cancer, but to keep it "quiet". I believe when things are as advanced as they are with Mom, that is the best strategy that we can go with.

Mom was also very clear with Dr. Aurora that she wants as aggressive a treatment as she can tolerate. Dr. Aurora's view is that we want to strike a very important balance between being aggressive with the treatment and making sure that Mom can continue with treatment. In other words, don't hit her with so much that she gets too sick to continue on, or doesn't want to. I believe everyone is on the same page. Well, as long as it's Mom's page.

His initial desire is to treat Mom with a platinum drug (likely cisplatin) and Alimta. Of course, he has to get Medicare to agree to this course and to fund it. He is confident that he will be able to do that. However, we do have a back up plan that substitutes Taxol for Alimta. Dr. Aurora's experience with Alimta is extensive, and he has a lot of confidence in the drug. Ultimately, it will come down to how well Mom tolerates whatever drug combination they end up using. After the initial four rounds of this combination treatment, Dr. Aurora plans to put Mom on a maintenance program of Alimta alone.

We are planning on getting started on Monday, December 21st. Mom wanted to get going as soon as practical and so we will. She will have the treatment every three weeks, and do four rounds as I mentioned above. During this time, we will have blood counts checked and other tests to keep up with Mom's condition.

Mom is still in good spirits and wants to continue to fight for as long as she is able to do so.

I promised her that is what we would do.

Thanks again to the fine people at ESC Region XI for bringing dinner for my folks tonight. My Dad reports that they both really enjoyed it. You just can't know how much this helps and how much they appreciate it. Thank you.

One of Those Days

I guess that today is just one of those days you have every so often, where things just don't go as well as you would like. Not that things were bad, they weren't, but I think they could have been better.

Mom was somewhat more confused today than the past couple of days, and I know that this tends to happen when she's not getting her radiation treatment. The problem with that, of course, is that by next Wednesday, she will have had all of the radiation that she is going to get for the foreseeable future. It makes me wonder how she is going to be mentally after the radiation is complete. I will hope for the best, of course, but no one really knows at this point.

Other than the confusion/forgetfulness today, Mom was doing well. She was up and about doing her PT and walking her laps throughout the house. She is not having any difficulty walking or with her balance, so I am thankful for that.

She did spend some time watching football this afternoon, although I imagine that she did not watch the entire Cowboy game, since she's a self-professed "fair weather fan" and if they get behind, she likes to take a nap. I bet she napped quite a bit today.

Tomorrow is a busy day for us. We go and see Dr. Aurora for a follow-up and discussion about next steps, and we have to then go over for a radiation treatment. The appointment with Dr. Aurora will tell us a little about the future and what to expect, and more importantly, when to expect it. I don't know if they intend to start chemotherapy prior to Christmas, but I would think that they would. We shall see.

Thanks to everyone who is helping and thinking of Mom. It is appreciated, and I know that it is making a difference.

Easy

Today was an easy day, with nothing really going on except for some routine daily living items. Mom is doing well with her PT and seems to be holding it together pretty well mentally.

She's happy with the turbans and selected a black one for the first one to wear. I think these will work out really well.

Tomorrow should be another easy day as well. It's good for Mom and Dad to be able to get some rest and relax a bit. And they're doing that.

Back To Radiation

Today, Mom resumed her radiation treatments at Edwards Cancer Center. The "radiator" was broken yesterday, but apparently today all was well. She has now had eleven of the fourteen treatments that are scheduled, so we will have Monday-Wednesday of next week to get finished up.

We also met with the Radiation Oncologist (Dr. Dubey) today. He did an assessment of Mom, asked her some questions, and pronounced her in as good a shape as could be expected. Mom's biggest problem right now is weakness in her legs, which the doctor indicated could be a side-effect of the steroids that she is taking. At the conclusion of the radiation course, the doctor will prescribe a regimen of steroid reduction until she is off of them. This could help with the leg weakness.

The turbans arrived today (thanks to Aunt Jo and Kelly for arranging that). Mom will surely be happy because the hair is continuing to fall. She understands that it's inevitable and is really okay with it, because that's just the way it is.

More food was supplied by the ESC Region XI team and it was greatly appreciated. My parents are extremely grateful for the help, as am I. It makes such a difference when you have one less thing to worry about.

Mom continues to do her laps around the house, and her walking was really improved today. She is just about to outrun my Dad in the house. I guess that's not saying much. My Dad isn't the quickest guy out there. Two artificial hips will do that.

Monday we go see Dr. Aurora for a follow-up and chemo talk. We'll see where that leaves us.

Thanks to everyone who is following and commenting. It is appreciated and does make a difference.

Insert Clever Title Here

That's about the best I can come up with, title-wise. Sorry.

We had a pretty good day today. Mom met with the physical therapist this morning and got some "homework" as she likes to call it: Walking laps around the house. Dragging my dad behind her. She's moving well and not having much trouble outside of some lingering weakness from being in the hospital. The physical therapist will be coming around once a week, I believe, to work with Mom. We'll see how it goes and how much strength she can get back prior to starting her chemotherapy.

Radiation was a no-go today. We were waiting in the waiting room at the Edwards Cancer Center and after a while, the assistant who helps Mom get back to the treatment room came out and said that the machine was down. They were trying to contact an engineer to have it repaired, but in any event, we wouldn't be getting a treatment today. They will add this treatment on to the end of the current regimen, so she still gets the fourteen she is owed, but a day later. It was nice to get outside, however. Mom likes to get out whenever she can and so far the daily trips to radiation have been it. We'll give it another go tomorrow.

Mom and Dad got some good food tonight courtesy of the fine folks at ESC Region XI (where Mom works). They really enjoyed the tamales, so thank you. It is a huge help right now not having to worry about dinner plans. Again, thank you very much.

Mom's beginning to get a bit hair-challenged, which is a politically correct way of saying that her hair is beginning to fall out as a result of the radiation. So far, she's been a trooper, though, and keeping her need to look "cute" to a minimum. We have some solutions to that on the way from Lubbock, so that is good.

Even though the days sort of run together now, at least tomorrow is Friday. For whatever that is worth.

O Christmas Tree

Tonight, Beth, the kids, and I all went over to Mom and Dad's house to take them dinner and bring them over a small Christmas tree. We decided to let the kids decorate it, which they enjoy, and just let my folks sit there and watch. It worked out very well. Of course, I didn't bring my camera, but I did take some pictures with Mom's. I just need to get the pictures onto the computer and I can post some. The kids were cute. Well, two of them. Ethan (19) is way beyond the cute phase. But he was there, and I was happy for that.

The home health nurse came out this morning and did her assessment of Mom and came to the conclusion that she was doing pretty good and only needed checking on once per week. So, we'll go with that for the time being. We can adjust if needed.

The physical therapist will be out tomorrow morning to do her assessment and come up with a PT plan for Mom. I know that she is missing doing her exercises and being more active. She really loves to be up and going and doing things. Hopefully, we can get her back to some level of that.

Radiation treatment was very smooth again today. Those are going well and, I believe, having a positive effect. She has four more to go. We should be done on Tuesday, December 15th.

Today was a good day and with the way things are, you're thankful for those.

And we are.

First Day Home

Mom's first full day home from the hospital went very smooth. She was up and around, had it together mentally, and went about her business without any real issue.

Dad and I took her over to her radiation treatment and that went very well. She walked in and back out when she was done and did great. Okay, she's not walking alone, of course. Dad and I were right there.

We now have some meals arranged with some of Mom's friends from ESC Region XI and we are very thankful for that.

Also, thanks to our friends Kathy and Pat for providing a meal tonight. I know my folks enjoyed it.

Tomorrow, Beth and the kids and I are going to put up a small Christmas tree and have dinner over there. Mom is missing seeing her grandkids, and being Super Grammy. I told her not to worry about the Super Grammy part, but I figure she'll still try and do something with them if she's up to it. The kids want to see her, too. They know she's sick, and that she has cancer. But they know she's trying to get better and they miss her. It should be a nice time.

More Details

As I posted before, Mom is home. She is managing okay, getting around slowly but surely and able to get up and down pretty easily. I know she's happy being home instead of the hospital.

Dad is doing pretty well taking care of things. We got all Mom's medications organized and made some phone calls today about getting a wheelchair and physical therapy at home. Mom is pretty weak and needs the PT to help build her strength back up.

They decided to celebrate being home tonight by having Whataburger for dinner. Who am I to argue?

Now, I do need to mention something. And it is important.

Yes, Mom is home and she is doing okay with most day-to-day tasks. However, she is still extremely sick and her condition is serious. I just want to make sure all who are reading this understand that. Coming home from the hospital was a great step and we are happy for that, but there is a long, hard road ahead.

We will continue with the radiation treatments through Tuesday, Dec 15th. After that, we will see about starting chemotherapy. Her oncologist did mention that she would be likely to receive a combination of Carboplatin and Taxol. This combination therapy is supposed to work better than just one drug alone on non small-cell lung cancer. More about this after we meet with the oncologist on Dec 14th.

Even though Dad won't readily admit it, I'm sure he would appreciate anyone that wanted to bring a dish by the house. If that is something you would like to do, feel free to contact me via email. Or, if you have their phone number, give them a call and see what they say. Sometimes we're not all that good at asking for help, but appreciate it when it appears.

Again, thanks for all the kind thoughts and prayers. We'll take all we can get.

Mom is home

Quick note to let everyone know that we brought Mom home from the hospital this morning.

We're getting situated right now and Mom is happy to be home.

More details later.

A Small Dose of Reality

I want to start tonight by making sure everyone understands that there won't always be good news.

Today was a little rough for Mom. She was a bit more confused today than usual, which may indicate something, or may indicate nothing. Such is the information that you get on the weekends in the hospital. It may just be that her mental faculties ebb and flow as she deals with this disease.

Other than that, she was okay. She was up and about again today and we watched some football this evening.

We are still hoping to be able to go home tomorrow. The decision is pending the results of the CT angiogram that she had done today. The doctor believes it won't show anything, but they want to be sure there is nothing going on with her lung.

There's not much else to report at this time. She's still fighting, still has her sense of humor, laughs, and makes sure to tell Dad and I not to worry about her. But we do. And we will.

Here's to tomorrow and the hope that we'll be able to get her home.

Lazy Saturday

Mom did not have to go home today. Instead, she had a nice, relaxing day only broken up by physical therapy and her own walking around. She was doing fine, and up and about without much assistance at all.

The fill-in doctor (weekend duty) came in this evening while I was there and I made sure that I mentioned that Mom had a little shortness of breath every now and then. Especially when she's walking and sometimes when she's visiting on the phone.

The doctor (Dr. Patel) took a listen to her lungs and said everything seemed okay, but he would order a chest x-ray for tomorrow morning just so they could be sure. He said it was likely just an artifact from the collapsed lung that Mom suffered last week. And, this might just keep her in the hospital until Monday for sure.

Mom is ready to go home, though. No question about that. She's wondering if she'll be able to get back online and resume that part of her day to day life. I know she misses it. Up until today, though, she hadn't really expressed that much interest in it.

Here's hoping that tomorrow is nice and relaxing as well.

Happy Friday

Mom had another pretty good day today. I think she was tired from all the walking around that she did yesterday. Her confusion comes and goes, but overall, she's got it together pretty good.

She's doing so well, in fact, that the hospital case worker who oversees Medicare patients wants her discharged. The sooner the better. Like tomorrow. Mom's doctor, Dr. Aurora, would prefer that she stay until Monday and is fighting the case worker for that. Doctors are the only ones that can admit or discharge patients, so the decision is ultimately his, but I don't know how often they win these kinds of fights. When I was leaving this evening, Mom said she would try to do good tonight, but not too good. Gotta love that.

We also spoke with the hospital social worker about some support programs and resources that are available. It was a good conversation and I learned some things that I did not know.

We are going to go ahead and get a wheelchair ordered just to have it, in case Mom needs it going forward. Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

I saw the giant get-well card that the folks from ESC Region XI put together. Very nice. Mom was really happy with that. Thanks.

So, she may go home tomorrow, or Sunday, or Monday. We just don't know, yet. But in any case, it will be pretty soon.

Closer to Going Home

Mom had another good day today. She's up and walking around the floor and Dad mentioned that "she walked my ass off this afternoon." The doctor has indicated that we will likely take her home on Monday. This gives us some time to get a few things organized and meet up with the hospital social worker about some things.

Dad said that mentally, Mom was sharper than she's been in a while. That really is encouraging to hear.

We did hear that once she is done with radiation, she has seven more to go, then they will get going with the chemotherapy. According to the doctor, she will have chemo every three weeks, with each treatment occurring over a three-day period. One day for the actual treatment and then two days for tests and blood work. I don't know much more than that right now, but intend to try and find out.

Thank you to everyone for the comments and suggestions. I am going to talk to Mom about an iPod for use with audio books to see if she would be interested in that. She has been reading a little bit while in the hospital, but I don't know if she is going to want to get back to the level of reading that she was doing prior to all of this.

All in all, another good day. We'll take it.

Small Steps

Mom is making small improvements. Today was more physical therapy and radiation. I noticed today (and Dad did, too) that she is more lucid and not as confused as before. It's not a major difference, but it is enough to notice if you have been with her on a day to day basis.

I took a robe up to the hospital tonight. This was a gift from her sister, Joveta (my aunt). Mom had bought Joveta a robe when she was in the hospital last year and so Mom was "owed one". Mom liked it very much. So, thanks to Aunt Jo for that.

Mom and I spent a good deal of time talking tonight about school districts in Texas and how they are governed. We discussed this at length. I am now fully versed in the ins and outs of the Texas School Board Association. Thank goodness for that.

We also talked about the Education Service Center, where Mom works. She told me several things about it that I did not know, but was glad to learn. It's an interesting place doing good things for continuing education of the teachers in the area. She is very proud to work there and happy with what she has accomplished during her career.

Overall, I would say that today was even better than yesterday. I would imagine that is a result of the treatments that she is receiving, plus being able to get up and around. The white board was correctly updated today, so that bit of direction to the staff apparently took hold.

I believe her memory is slowly improving as well. She was able to tell me that Donny Osmond won Dancing With The Stars. Fortunately, she didn't make me watch it.

As far as I know, we are still on course for a possible release from the hospital this weekend. I know she wants to get back home and is tired of the walls that don't change in her hospital room.

I did mention that there were several very nice comments here and that I would print them off and give them to her to read. If she gets to the point where she can get on the computer again, and has the desire, then maybe she'll even post here. We'll see.

Thanks for all the kind comments. I know Mom will appreciate them.

Another Pretty Good Day

Mom had a pretty good day today. She started physical therapy and had a good session. The physical therapist was impressed with how good a shape Mom was in and Mom was able to do everything that she was asked to do. They did some exercises and walked around the floor.

Her mental state seems to be holding steady, or maybe slightly improving. Tonight, she told me that she was getting interested in watching TV again and we watched President Obama's speech about the Afghanistan plan. Mom was paying close attention and seemed very interested in what was being said.

She's concentrating hard on keeping herself organized while in the hospital room. She's already chewed out the staff (in a good natured way) about keeping the white board updated with the correct date. I think part of her disorientation comes from not having a good sense about what day or time of day it is. I can understand that. Not much changes inside that room.

The doctor is talking about possibly going home this weekend. We'll see how that goes.

I've told her about the blog here and she made me promise that I wouldn't write anything that she didn't want to read. I'm okay with that. Beth said that Mom just wants to control her press.

Monday Update

Mom got the chest tube removed this afternoon. That's a big relief and should really help improve her comfort and ability to move around. I'm not sure at this point when she might get to go home from the hospital, but the chest tube issue was a big barrier.

She continued with radiation treatment today and has ten remaining. We expect that she will begin her chemotherapy after completion of the radiation treatment.

Dr. Aurora said that tomorrow they would start some physical therapy and maybe by the end of the week think about letting her go home.

She was in good spirits this evening and less confused than before. I would classify today as a good day. Let's hope for more.

Hospital Time

Mom is still in the hospital, which we expected, but are not enjoying all that much. Everything around here happens in what I call "hospital time." Things just happen when they happen and schedules are rarely kept. I know the hospital is doing the best it can, but it is frustrating.

Today, Mom is supposed to get the chest tube removed. This will be a good step towards getting her ready to go home, I hope. This issue has lingered on longer than we had hoped, but you have got to do what you have got to do.

Mom is sleeping a lot, and appears comfortable. When she's awake, she's in good spirits and seems to have most of her mental faculties about her. I know she is frustrated when her mind doesn't work the way she wants it to. She told me about that. She also told me long ago that one of her greatest fears was losing her mind. She's always been someone who really enjoys reading, working on the computer, and doing puzzles. If she can't get her mind situated, this is going to be particularly hard for her.

Monday, we will start the radiation treatments up again. She has 12 remaining. Once those are complete, we will begin the chemotherapy. I have not gotten a chance to speak with Dr. Aurora in a few days, since this has been a holiday week (and some holiday, sheesh).

We'll keep after it.

It Begins Again

My mom has lung cancer.

Sounds simple and to the point, doesn't it? Well, I don't think it is quite that cut and dried.

On November 20, 2009 my Dad called. He said he was taking my Mom to the hospital. She was disoriented and he was worried. It turns out he was worried with good reason, but we didn't know what that reason was.

In the Emergency Room (ER), the staff did a chest X-Ray and a CAT scan of Mom's head. These are normal tests, and all along we were expecting that the result would be a stroke or mini-stroke, based on her symptoms.

We were shocked when the ER doctor came into the room and stood inches from my Mom's face and pronounced in a loud, clear voice that they were looking at metastatic lung cancer that had spread to the brain.

Mom, Dad, and I were stunned.

Mom had no symptoms. None. Zero. Had it not been for the disorientation, we would have probably not found out about this until who knows when. She also never smoked or had any of the other common risk factors for lung cancer.

She was admitted to the hospital and thus began a litany of tests, scans, and procedures.

The main procedure was the biopsy of the tissue in the lung. That would tell us many things, including the type of cancer that she has. So, on Monday, November 23rd the biopsy was done.

It was determined that she has adenocarcinoma. This was a small relief, as we were very concerned that she would be diagnosed with small-cell lung cancer. Small-cell is very aggressive and can be one of the exclusionary factors when being considered for clinical trials.

Other scans and tests revealed that the cancer had spread and was affecting several different parts of her body.

 The title of this post is "It Begins Again." More on that later, but suffice it to say that this family has had an intimate and devastating prior experience with cancer. I really thought that after that, we might get a pass. I guess not.

I will try and keep this up to date, more as a therapeutic exercise and record of what happened than anything else.

If you happen to have found this and read it, and would like to leave a comment please feel free to do so. If you know my Mom (having been directed here) and would like to leave her a message, I will make sure she gets it.

Her main approach to all of this is that she wants to win. She is in good spirits, healthy, and wants to fight. So we will fight. Hard.