Just back from a trip to Mom and Dad's house. Mom was in bed resting and reported to me that she wasn't feeling very well. She couldn't go into much more detail than that, however.

She's spent a good bit of time in bed this past week and does appear to not be bouncing back as we had hoped she would by taking this week off from chemotherapy treatment. It's unclear right now whether or not she will get her treatment as scheduled on Tuesday afternoon.

Dr. Aurora did say that delaying two weeks would not make any difference in the effectiveness and it seemed to me that his contention was that if Mom didn't appear to bounce back this week, that we should delay one more to give her a chance to regain some strength.

When she does get up, she is pretty weak and has trouble getting from one part of the house to another. I say "trouble", but I guess I mean it is a struggle and it tires her out.

It's now been six months + ten days since her initial hospitalization and diagnosis.

For everyone who has been thinking of Mom, thank you. For those who have been helping out, in whatever way, be it food, cards, poems, thoughts, yard mowing, or simply saying hello, it is appreciated.

No chemotherapy treatment today.

After examining Mom, Dr. Aurora felt that she wasn't as strong as she should be to receive a treatment, and he recommended that we take a week off. We have a treatment scheduled for Tuesday, June 1. Dr. Aurora said that if necessary, we could even take two weeks off. It wouldn't make any difference in the effectiveness of the treatment, due to the overall amount that she has received to date.

We then discussed quantity v. quality of life again, and all agreed that we are going to have to make some decisions in the near future. Mom understands this and we talked, and she agreed that getting chemotherapy only to allow her to spend all her time wiped out and in bed isn't what she wants. We are probably nearing the point where the treatment could be as bad as the disease.

To be clear: We are not there yet, and we are not discontinuing treatment, but we are thinking about what the future holds.

Dr. Aurora is also concerned about spinal cord involvement, and has ordered an MRI to look at that.

Mom was comfortable with the decisions that were made today and seemed to be in a relaxed mood once we arrived back at their house.

Thanks to everyone for their thoughts, notes, and support. We certainly appreciate it.

It's been quite a while since I've updated everyone on Mom. Sorry for that, but I've been out of town for the last two weeks and haven't had much to add.

Today, I visited for a short time and Mom seemed to be doing about the same. She is noticeably weaker than prior "off weeks" from chemotherapy. It could be that the chemotherapy's cumulative effect is beginning to take a toll. She's not out of bed much any more, but does get up occasionally.

Tomorrow, we are scheduled to see the doctor and get another treatment. It will be interesting to see if Dr. Aurora feels that Mom can tolerate it. It would not surprise me to see him put it off for a week to see if her strength improves. Hard to say.

If I could ask those that are reading a favor: If any of you have had any experience with home health care agencies (self-pay or supplemental insurance pay) could you please drop me a note and let me know the name of the company? I have two brochures from companies that I am going to research, but if anyone has any first-hand experience, it would really help.

More updates after the doctor tomorrow.

Post-chemotherapy Update

Mom's chemotherapy treatment went well yesterday.

We saw the doctor as well, and he was very happy with Mom's condition. Her blood counts are all good, and more importantly to him, her weight is being maintained. He indicated that weight was the single most prognosticative factor for a cancer doctor. And he was very happy that hers was where it was. And no, I won't mention what it was. I don't think Mom would like that.

The plan now is to do two additional treatments with the Taxotere, which Mom seems to be tolerating better than the previous drug combination. Dr. Aurora wants to do the two more treatments and then do the scans to see where we are.

Mom appeared to be pleased with the news and happy with the results of the doctor's appointment. Her cognitive abilities are about the same as before, but the "loopy-ness" that she experiences as a result of the dexamethasone (steroid) that she takes before, during, and after chemo seems to be a little reduced this time around. Hopefully the dosage adjustment that the doctor made has helped with this.

She's giving the fight all she can and is holding her own.