4th Chemo 12/27/10 & Lots of News and Announcements

First and foremost Mom's 4th chemo went well and without incident!!! She was first administered an ultrasound to make sure that the swelling in Mom's ankle was not a blood clot and was only the lingerings from your falling down on her knee. (I'll return to that later) That is exactly what the ultrasound concluded. We were thankful for the thoroughness of Dr. Pritchard. Paul was able to accompany Mom and Victor and was a big help. This treatment brought the new drug that was introduced on the last blog entry and is lovingly termed, "Devil's blood" because of the appearance. It is introduced through two syringes and is done by the nurse over a twenty minute period. The good news is that there was no allergic reaction. Mom had been a little nervous because of the prior treatments. She was able to relax and enjoy, as much as one could, the rest of the treatment. They even brought her lunch that she really enjoyed. There is an increased chance of nausea and a slight possibility in some of sores appearing in the mouth. We'll see how it goes.

Now the news! First mom's fall. Many of you might have already heard that Mom while getting up in the morning on Monday to start her day with her morning routine she slipped off the side of the bed as she sat up and landed on the tile floor on her knee. Dad struggled to help her up and they had to call Tim who rushed over to aid Mom up. Victor was out of town with his family in D.C. to pick up their daughter, Victoria who was coming home from BYU for the holidays. Mom thought that it was nothing serious and she was able to get around the rest of the day rather normally. But by Tuesday, the 21st, her knee had swollen up rather huge and was in a lot of pain. She already was going in for her blood work check up and an electrocardiogram of the heart in preparation for the new chemo drug. So it was decided to stop by the emergency room after all that for an x-ray just to make sure that there was nothing broken with the knee. Sure enough Mom only sprained it but she was advised to keep off it and ice it. Things are better now though. Mom is able to bend the knee normally and get around. She has been convinced that the aid and support of a walker is okay and she is getting use to it.

Other news. Tuesday morning on the 21st, before leaving for the hospital, Mom received a phone call from Gerry Gilliam, Mom's sister in-law, and was told that her brother, Martin passed away late Monday night. Because of Christmas and not being able to have access to chapel at their Lutheran church, Gerry had to plan to go ahead quickly with the funeral on the 23rd. Gerry and Mom talked and decided in light of Mom's knee and other condition and also because of the relatively short notice that it would be better that Mom did not attend. Her is the link to Martin's obituary notice in the local paper.


http://www.oakridger.com/obituaries/x1682032342/Martin-L-Gilliam

Mom did have an opportunity to be with her brother a year or so ago at Sharon's funeral. Sharon was the daughter of Martin and Gerry.

Some other news. A couple of weeks ago Tim, Paul, and Bart were able to take a little trip down to Southwestern VA and see the places of Mom and Dad's growing up. On their way down they stopped in Christiansburg and visited aunt Lois who while in her nineties is still agile and lively. Time recorded this video greeting that she sent to Mom and Dad. She even danced the jitterbug. It makes you appreciate life and relationships. Thanks again for all you prayers and love. Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!




I'll include the jitterbug in the next blog.

3rd Chemo & 1st Check-up Afterward - 12/13/2010

I want to first apologize for not posting last week's results of Mom's 3rd Chemo treatment until now. There has been a lot going on!!! As you see above, Mom had quite the entourage for her third treatment. Ginny came into town on the 3rd and Norman was visiting us as well. I was hoping to say that Mom's chemo was uneventful, but she had another allergic reaction. She was able to recognize the symptoms quickly and Ginny was able to notify the nurses and staff quickly so that they were able to stop the iv and administer some medication to calm her pain. Dr. Pritchard believes she indeed has an allergy with the Docetaxel (trade name Taxotere). They did not continue with the treatment of Taxotere, but went ahead with the 2nd medicine, the Cytoxan, cyclophospamide. He decided to switch out the Taxotere with a different medicine, Adriamycin (doxorubicin). He said it should do the same thing and that is good because it was the Taxotere that was having the biggest effect on the cancer. Mom's breast had a little more a pink color this week and Dr. Summers, her surgeon said that it was because she did not have the taxotere this last time. Speaking of Dr. Summers, we did get to meet with her today and she was ecstatic with how everything has been going. She did a sonogram and measured the tumor and lymph node behind it and recorded the measurements. Indeed it has shrunk quite remarkably. After she and Dr. Pritchard talked on the phone it was decided that Mom will go ahead with 3 more chemo treatments and then have her surgery. They both want to make sure that there is absolutely no trace in the underlying skin; and with the development of the pink coloring again they don't want to rush it too fast. So Mom will have her next chemo on the 27th of December. It will most likely be in late February or early March when she will have the surgery. We are grateful for the competent medical team in whose hands Mom has been placed.

2nd Check-up after 2nd Chemo - 11/29/10

Felicia was able to come up Sunday night with her daughter, Esther, and spend the night the day before Mom's checkup. Dad accompanied Felicia and Mom to the appointment where all went well. Dr. Pritchard said that he was so pleased with Mom's progression that he was possibly going to have her see Dr. Summers, the surgeon after the 3rd chemo to see if surgery could be done. He said that they would still follow up with several more rounds of chemo afterward but that things were looking great. Mom asked about her allergic reaction from that past treatment and Dr. Pritchard prescribed several steroids that she could take preceding the treatment and that they would also give her a shot of Benadryl prior to it as well. The hope is that it would counteract any possible allergies. We hope!!! : ) The group was able to enjoy the day together afterward with a little lunch.

1st Check-up after 2nd Chemotherapy - 11/27/2010

Everything was great at the appointment this past week. It was one of the quickest ones yet. All the numbers were great. Mom has had no side effects this round and we credit that to her keeping up on the medicine and not letting it lapse. She is doing wonderful and we were able to enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner together. A lot to be thankful for!!!

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2nd Chemo Treatment - 11-15-2010

Mom's 2nd treatment was pretty eventful. First the good news!!! At the evaluation before the treatment, Dr. Pritchard said that Mom's blood looked really good. He also revealed that the tumor has dramatically shrunk about 75% since starting and that if it continues then we could be seeing a quicker movement into surgery. We were really excited about that possibility. Now, the not so good news. As mom started her chemo, not more than 10 minutes into it, she had some sort of allergic reaction. Mom described it has someone spraying something burning up from her feet into her legs. It eventually settled into her back and was like a knife in her lower spine. The nurses and doctor moved quickly to assess and act in helping mom get her pain under control. They immediately stopped the chemo treatment and then started to administer doses of steriods, benadryl, and morphine all through the iv. Now some more good news, all those medicines helped to get mom back to normal. After about a half an hour started back up her chemo treatment and it went successfully with no other complications. Dr. Pritchard was unsure what caused the reaction and said that he had never seen something like it before. We are just glad that it happened where it did and that all is now better.

Post chemo treatment, Mom is doing really well. She has kept up with her medications and has had no problems. We keep our fingers crossed.

We did have quite an eventful day today but it was not with any drama of pain and suffering. On the other hand it was quite full of fun and laughs. As you know from previous entries, Mom's hair has been falling out. The last several days have been pretty aggressive. Mom said from the beginning that she would prefer just shaving it all off rather than having patches of hair and such. So this morning Mom and I and Gillette had some serious time with each other. And voila, one beautiful head!!!!


Mom then wanted to try on her wigs. She was actually given two, one more curly than the other. The one on the left is the one she likes the most, at least right now.



They did such a great job matching her hair color and with a little more time and practice she will be able to style them pretty much any way she wants.

Afterward Mom wanted Dad and I to experience a little bit of the excitement of having a new look. So at Mom's bidding: "viola"


My kids, Kalin and Vanessa, have yet to stop laughing. They have been going on for several hours.. Lucy says I look like a used car salesman. "Anybody care to purchase a Gremlin in good condition for a great deal?"

2nd Checkup after 1st Chemo - 11/8/2010

Today's checkup went amazingly! We actually went a bit earlier than the time so we could first visit the "Mariannes' Room." It is a wonderful part of the Hope Center at Martha Jefferson in which those receiving chemo can have free hats, scarves, and even wigs. Mom's hair has slowly began to start falling out. No worries, not in great clumps, but just noticeably on things she wears and in her comb. Dr. Pritchard had said that if it would start to fall out, it would start about the 2nd to 3rd week. We are exactly in the time frame. Mom was able to order a beautiful wig with her present hair color and similar style. It should be here before her next appointment. The room is made available by loving donations by those connected with Marianne Zirkle, who also suffered and eventually died at 39 with cancer. (see the following link for more info - http://www.mjhfoundation.org/atf/cf/%7BAA5D0B03-82D8-46EA-B586-15CB9292C79B%7D/MariannesRoom_Tabloid.pdf )

At the appointment, Mom's blood work came back good, and her temperature, blood pressure, and heart rate were all great! Besides feeling a little fatigued, which is quite normal, and some loss of feeling in her fingers, which is also normal and the Dr. says if it gets worse then they might be able to do minor changes with her chemo drugs to help that, Mom is doing great!!! Upon examining the breast the Dr. noticed that the tumor is indeed softening and shrinking, and the color is not as inflamed. All things that you hope for as a part of the treatment, but is always good to see when it is happening. It looks like the chemo is doing its job! The Dr. also told us that the test results to see if the tumor was hormonally based or not did come back and it was negative. So they will not be able to introduce hormonal treatments as part of her procedures. But, that is OK!

All in all things are going well. Many have come by and visited and called to check in. It has been a blessing for Mom and Dad. Dad suffered a period of gout this past week and himself was out of the loop a little. He is doing better this week. They are hoping to get out a little more this week. Paul has taken some time off and will accompany Mom to her next chemo treatment this upcoming Monday. Felicia is going to take her to her Monday visit after that. Ginny is planning on coming out for her 3rd chemo treatment for a week to help out. Becky is looking to visit when the surgery takes place for two weeks and Glen is planning in February to visit. Everyone's concerns, prayers, and communications have been wonderful and have been enjoyed!

1st Checkup after 1st Chemo - 11/1/10

Sorry about the lateness of this post. This week has ran by fast. Mom went in Monday for your blood work and quick check up. It was very positive. She had a 98.9 temperature and all her blood cells looked good. Dr. Pritchard checked in on us and asked about how things were going and gave some advice on certain issues. They are still waiting on the results if Mom's tumor is hormone receptive or not and hope to get that back before our next visit, this upcoming Monday. One more bit of good news was that Mom's blood pressure has been low for a while. I don't mean low in a bad way either. she has been on two medicines for a quite a while for her high blood pressure. We asked the Dr. if they were still needed being that her pressure has been so great for quite a while. He decided that she could stop taking one of her medicines and he would see about the other in the weeks to come. Mom was excited about that. : )

Overall Mom has done well this week. She was a little more tired and fatigued the first week after because of the chemo but everyday she says she gets a little more of her energy back. She is a trooper!!

Mom's Words - 10-27-10

Our lives are filled with blessings and trials! I guess we have had our share of both throughout the years, always grateful for the gospel and what it means to us. In this latest trial we see many blessings. We have three wonderful Doctors, the best facilities in the world filled with sweet and kind people, plus we have been surrounded with family, friends, and love ones with their love and prayers. We thank you and feel it all working together for good.

I am glad you are enjoying the "Blog" - a great name for an old granny. ;) I wasn't sure how I first felt about it, being on stage and such, but it is working great and we are thankful for Jon and Victor for setting it up.

Thank you for all your kind words and sweet thoughts and prayers! Keep them coming. Bob and I have found that if we just, "be still and know that I am God," he will "arrange" things. Take care and God bless!! We love you all.

Mom (Alice Jo) & Dad (Bob)

P.S. - the picture is of our front door to our apartment adorned with some beautiful yellow mums given by a dear friend. Each time we have approached our home in process of going and coming they have brightened our day and filled our souls with warmth.

1st Chemo Treatment - 10-25-10

Well we finally moved to treatment!!! Mom's temperature was 99.8 and the Dr. was excited to get her in and we were too. The antibiotics seemed to have worked along with all the prayers. The whole chemo process from start to finish took about 3 hours and everyone there were was amazing. They helped Mom to feel very comfortable and to make sure she had all the information she wanted. She is on two chemo medicines: 1) docetaxel (doe-se-TAX-el) and 2) cyclophosphamide (sye-kloe-FOSS-fa-mide). These prevent cancer cells from dividing and growing, and can eventually cause the cancer cells to shrink and die. They are administered intravenously along with saline. They also gave her some preparatory medicines, about 6 tablets, to help with nausea and other side effects. Once they got her all prepped and medicines flowing, we set her up with her Ipod and the movie Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Vanessa donated her bright pink head phones for the cause so Mom wouldn't have to use the Apple earbuds. She loved it. She said if afterward, "if this is being treated with Chemo, it is not half bad!" : )

The wonderful thing is that she has had no nausea or discomfort at all. She came home and has rested the rest of the day. She did feel a little more tired by the end of the day, but nothing to worry about. We will keep watching her. She was sworn to speak up about any discomfort or change in status, and the nurse said that it is not considered "complaining." They need the information to be able to treat her. Mom was told that it is not the time to be a soldier and endure. It could compromise her situation the longer something is delayed. One thing that she and all of us will have to watch out for is that her immune system will now be compromised and she will have to be vigilant in watching out for contact with colds and germs and such. A small cold for someone could possibly be life threatening to her. So plenty of washing hands and limited contact with anyone with a cold or flu-like symptoms is part of the plan.

All in all it was a wonderful day!!! Thanks for everyone's prayers.

1st Treatment - 10/22/2010

Well things continue to have twists and turns. As we showed up today and was getting checked in Mom was found to have a temperature of 102. The Doctor did a quick check and determined that she has an infection. He was not quite sure exactly what but Mom was feeling a little strange, but thought it was nerves. We had to reschedule the treatment until Monday and he ordered some blood work and an intravenous antibiotic treatment to be done. It was a little dissapointing, but we were thankful to be in Dr. Pritchard's care. It did give Mom a chance to get use to the facilities and the nurses. One other blessing was for us to be put next to a good friend of Tim's Heather. Her name is Jennifer Saylor. She was there getting treatment for Lymphoma. This is her third time with her cancer. She helped us understand a lot of what's going on. Mom will be on some oral antibiotics through the weekend to help with the infection and we hope to be back on Monday.

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PET Scan - Oncology Consultation II - 10-18-10

Well we had finally some good news given to us. Truly it is an answer to many prayers. This morning we went for the PET Scan. We arrived early and they took us immediately. It ended up lasting about an hour and forty-five minutes. It then took another hour waiting for the results to be sent up to Dr. Pritchard's office, but he finally got them. About 11:00 am, he came in to report the results. First off, the PET Scan showed no other signs of cancer anywhere else beside the left breast!!! It did reveal that there is a lymph node behind the tumor in the left breast that has cancer, but nowhere else in the body. Second, the blood test revealed that the low iron was not the result of some internal bleeding rather what the doctor called Anemia of chronic disease, probably the result of the body fighting the cancer!!! He said that they would only have to monitor the blood work regularly but felt we could now go forward with treatment. Dr. Pritchard went onto describe his recommendation as to treatment which was what Dr. Spalding had reviewed with us, and what we have posted previously. It was asked if instead of chemo, could there be just the mastectomy. He said of course, but this would entail more extensive surgery to make sure that all of the cancer was removed and probably skin grafts to repair the area. He also said with this type of cancer, being more superficial, it has a high rate of returning and reinfecting the area. Questions were asked about the chemo treatments and Dr. Pritchard gave us some great information as to what would be the routine and effects on the body. He then left us alone to make some decisions. After counseling with one another we felt impressed to go ahead with the chemo treatments. They are scheduled to begin this Friday at 9:40 am. Dr. Pritchard said that we would have 3 to 4 treatments of 3 weeks each and then begin looking to surgery. The hope is to shrink quite considerably the cancer to allow the surgery to be less intensive than it would be. All in all, we felt peaceful with the news and the decisions. We celebrated with Tim, Heather, Felicia, Doc, Lucy and Victor. Of course the place was Vinnies!!!

Oncology Consultation - 10-14-10

Today's meeting with Dr. Pritchard went well. We were pleased with him and what he is doing. He had reviewed all the data that had been previously collected and had consulted with previous doctors prior to our visit. He revealed to us two concerns that were going to require further research before moving forward with any treatment. The first concern was that the blood work that was run yesterday showed anemia. Previous blood tests had never shown any signs of anemia, the last one being drawn in May by Dr. Murray, the primary care physician. Dr. Pritchard was not sure if this was either low iron or anemia of chronic disease. Both scenarios would have to be properly diagnosed and treated before starting chemo. He ordered more blood work to be drawn, which was done before we left, and said that there was a specific test that was exactly for this and he would know the results by Monday. The second concern was the scale that they use to judge the cancer itself. The results were so high that Dr. Pritchard has ordered a PET scan to be performed this upcoming Monday. This full body x-ray will allow him to be able to know for sure the extent to which the cancer has spread. The PET scan is scheduled for 10:00 am. Right after the scan we will meet with Dr. Pritchard and discuss the results of both blood work and PET scan. We will then know better the next steps to be taken. One thing that also was given more clarification was our understanding of the chemotherapy. We had mistakenly thought that the treatments were going to be for three weeks total. It is actually three weeks per each chemo therapy treatment. Which there will be between 3 - 4 treatments needed before the surgery. So it looks like no surgery will be performed this year but early next year. We will keep everyone posted Monday after the PET scan and next consultation. We greatly appreciate all the kind comments and kind words from everyone. The picture was of our group after the consultation enjoying a little time at Mom and Dad's favorite local restaurant, Vinnies.

Radiology Consultation - 10-13-10

Today we met with Dr. Spalding, Radiology Oncologist at Martha Jefferson Hospital. (http://www.mjhcancer.org/roncologists.php) She told us that the cancer is Inflammatory Breast Cancer, which so happens to be an extreme, uncommon, and progressive breast cancer. She was very nice but direct in what it will take to take care of it. She reassured us that it could be taken care of. It would take a 3 step process of: 1st - 3 weeks of chemotherapy or hormonal therapy (we'll find out tomorrow which will be the best when we meet with Dr. Pritchard, the Oncologist, http://www.mjhcancer.org/moncologists.php); 2nd - surgery to remove the entire left breast and lymph nodes under the left arm; and 3rd - 5 weeks of radiology to blast any remaining lingerings. We'll know more tomorrow as to when this could all happen. Depending on how she does with each step the timing could be as outlined or extended up to 9 months. They went and took x-rays and more blood work to get a head start on somethings. The picture was in the waiting room at Martha Jefferson. We'll keep all posted.

Introduction

Hey everyone! It was suggested that a blog be started to allow those who would like to have up-to- date information about Mom's progress. We hope that this helps so that all can be informed and feel a part of what is going on. It has been difficult for Mom to write recently as she has also developed a numbness in her fingers and hands. Writing has been a therapy for her over the years and she really misses it. We hope that this will be something that she might be able to use to still feel that she can connect with her children and grandchildren and great-grand children. Please feel free to post comments or questions or suggestions. Thanks for your love, concern and prayers.