2nd Out-Patient Visit Update

Mom went to the oncologist's office today, got blood drawn, and had an appointment with him. When he came in with the results, he said, "...perfect CBC...you're fixed..." He later said that if he showed the results to any other doctor and asked them what was wrong with this patient, they would say, "Nothing." Since being taken off all the chemo, those drugs actually continued to work.  So Mom will begin the maintenance phase now (which will be lower doses of the same treatment).  Because monitoring her heart is crucial, she'll be in the hospital for the next treatment. It would be too complicated for her to stay home and go in for treatment every day.

So, Mom returns to the hospital for one month on July 5th for maintenance. It's a good thing he's letting her wait til next week, too, because she's making the dessert for the 4th!

Monday Out-Patient Appointment Update

To recap, Mom had a bone marrow biopsy performed one week ago today, and was released from the hospital to go home. She has definitely been enjoying the unplugged life.

She went to her appointment on Monday to learn the results of the biopsy and to discuss what lies ahead.  One of the tests is called a FISH panel. (FISH probes are for detecting gene mutations typically associated with Acute Myeloid Leukemia.) When she was admitted to the hospital, her count was 200 out of a possible 200. After the 38 days of treatment, she is at 9/200.  That number has to be a zero. 

The plan going forward is to stay home with no treatment for one week, which will take her through this weekend. Then, she will remain at home and restart the Vesanoid (pill chemo). She'll take that for two weeks, then take nothing for 1-2 weeks after that. Within that one to two weeks, she will return to the hospital for 28 more days of the same combination of treatments she was on before, which is Vesanoid and Arsenic Trioxide (drip). The hospital stay couldn't be avoided, unfortunately. This time, she will have the treatments M-F/off Saturdays and Sundays. Another bone marrow biopsy will be performed at the conclusion of that round. Her doctor tried very hard to figure out a way to keep her out of the hospital this time. For her safety, though, he needs her there in order to continually monitor her heart. 

Mom's not thrilled with this news, however, she's grateful there's still an option to get rid of this stuff. She's planning what to pack for her second stay and swears it will be much less than the loads we brought home.  We'll keep you updated on that. Please continue praying and sending your support. 

God is bigger. He is not surprised by this. And He is still good, no matter what. 

 

Home Again!

Mom was discharged this afternoon. After 38 days, she’s home with Lewis, and they are grateful. Naps are in their very near future.  

Mom was told to go home and rest. She’s not taking any medications this weekend, and will go to her oncologist’s office Monday.

As a family, we cannot tell you how much we appreciate your love and support. So much of her healing had to do with her uplifted spirit, and that came from you. She depended on you daily. The care she received at Harris HEB was also outstanding. Though we’ll miss the team, we’re glad to be leaving them.

God has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. (Psalm 126:3) No matter what happens, He is still good, but we are especially thankful that Mom’s cure was His will for her. We praise Him for what He’s done.

Tuesday, 6/14/22

Well, friends, the time has come!  

Mom's having a bone marrow biopsy done and going home some time Thursday, 6/16/22!

Her oncologist stands by his statement that she is now cured. Her last drip chemo will be Wednesday, and

she'll continue a low dose of chemo at home (in pill form) for an undetermined amount of time. 

Friday, she'll go for her first Oncologist's office visit. 

As you can imagine, she is super eager to get home. Currently, no road trips or anything are being planned. Mom and Lewis are being very cautious, even though the doctor said her only restriction right now is to stay away from sick people. And shouldn't we all stay away from sick people? 

Thursday, 6/9/2022

We got a nice long visit from Mom's oncologist this morning. He was very encouraging. Some things he said in addition to yesterday's great news:

1) she's ahead of the curve as far as healing is concerned 

2) her immune system is essentially restored

3) he suspects if we tested blood marrow today, it would be normal

4) platelets have reached the level we want several days ahead of what was anticipated

She should be going home sometime late next week.  Whooohoooo!

Wednesday, 6/8/22

 GREAT NEWS!!!

 Mom’s oncologist just visited and said these things:

1) blood results are rapidly approaching levels we’ve been waiting for

2) looks like her bone marrow is rid of a bulk of the disease/rapidly clearing

3) both types of chemo will be reduced from every day to 3-4 times this week

4) she may be able to go home in a week

They will do another bone marrow biopsy in seven days to determine if she can go home.

Glory to God. Please continue praying for complete healing.

Tuesday, 6/7/22

29 days in: Mom's oncologist said she's going to be here for another couple of weeks. She'll continue this chemo regimen. Since being admitted, her CBC results have continued to improve considerably. She's been feeling extremely tired the last few days, although the transfusion helped ease that some. She received two pints of plasma last night that took until 2am to finish, so she's more tired today because of that. She's also battling a bit of congestion that she can't take anything for right now. Lewis has had to put his foot down to make her take her much-needed naps. She doesn't like to sleep during the day, but she knows it helps her heal, so she's decided to go ahead and do it. Food doesn't taste like it should, she says, and her appetite is weak. But she eats well, anyway, because she knows she needs the fuel. 

We've started planning for a July 2023 European River Cruise. Mom loves looking forward to a trip! As soon as she's released to do so, of course, we're planning to start road-tripping again. Making short-term and long-term goals is helpful to the healing process, too!

Please continue praying. We're grateful for all of you.

  

6/6/22

 Well, today and tomorrow are the last two days of the current chemo. We should know this week what the plan will be going forward.  Mom got another blood transfusion yesterday, and the hospitalist said this morning that her blood results were better than yesterday.

My sweet friend Bev crocheted Mom a beautiful coral shawl.  It's great for her

to just pull it up on her shoulders for a few minutes whenever she needs it. 

Saturday, 6/4/22

No news is good news. Keep that in mind, because that's the reason when there's no update, and why this might be short today. Mom's blood results are still good, EKGs are good, lungs are clear (tested neg for pneumonia), shortness of breath and cough are not a concern. As of today, she has 4 more treatments before reevaluation. There's no way to tell how much longer she may have to stay here until the blood results after that last treatment. The oncologist has told us that it could possibly be another two weeks. Mom's not thrilled with that, but she wants to do whatever it takes to be healed. Your love and support are definitely a component of that, and she's so grateful for you.

We have a regular tea time each afternoon after a walk and patio time. It's a great break in the day, and keeps us all from falling asleep in our chairs. That afternoon sluggishness is no joke. Mom's diet is restricted, but she enjoys one or two cookies with her tea (low sodium and low fat, of course). She's looking forward to some of her favorites, like the almond windmill cookies she's always loved. It's the least I can do to eat her share for now.  

Please don't hesitate to contact Mom at any time of day, or come visit. You're not bothering her. If you do come visit, please remember: 1) no plants or fresh flowers 2) no fresh fruits or vegetables 3) wear a mask.  

last two IV names: Ivy Flo, Ebenezer  (To submit more names for the daily drawing, text me at 817-300-0414.)

wall hanging from JoAnne:

pics

  

 

Thursday, 6/2/22

Mom's blood results showed significant improvements today, except her white blood cell count, which was a little bit lower, but not alarming. Her EKG continues to be good. She has 6 more chemo treatments before they reevaluate to make a plan going forward. Most people need more after this initial 20-day cycle, but she has already proven she's not like most people, so we'll see. Her oncologist said she'll have more than 6 more days in here. Her doctors and nurses are surprised daily by how well she looks and feels.  Glory to God.

Thank you for your continued prayers, visits, calls, texts, cards, gifts, sweet thoughts, etc. We're all so grateful that Mom has such a large and caring support system.  It is helping her more than you can know. It is helping us, too. Yesterday, her friend Donna came to start a quilting project with her. The quilt is for Donna's new great granddaughter. Mom loves a new project! Last week, a couple of quilting friends of hers, Lynnell and Karen, visited. Lynnell brought a "chemo quilt" she made with some of the fabric Mom donated to Quilters For Christ at FBCH. The fabric was from Mom's sister, Jean, in Phoenix. Often during chemo treatments, patients get chilly, so these lap quilts are meant to cover the patients in warmth and prayer. This one gorgeous. Mom loves it and uses it every day. Today, another quilting friend, JoAnne, brought her a beautiful quilted wall hanging with panels that contain scripture verses. We're hanging it in her room today. We're convinced that her surroundings are helping her stay encouraged and brave and hopeful. 

Please don't hesitate to visit or contact Mom at any time of day. You're not bothering her; she loves it. If you do come visit, please remember: 1) no plants or fresh flowers 2) no fresh fruits or vegetables 3) wear a mask.  She's been told that her doors have to remain closed at all times.  We had been keeping them wide open to reduce cabin fever and increase air flow. Cabin fever is better than sick fever, so she's being positive about it. She continues to take walks throughout the day, as well. "Do what you have to do to get it done." She also has a really great medical team that we feel confident is taking the best care of her. Her oncologist, in particular, is a brilliant and highly respected man. 

IV names: Lincoln, Theo

Two funny stories:

1) One of the nurses is hilarious. She's just a cut up and has gotten really comfortable with us. She seems to have no fear, bordering on trouble. She shoved one of the other nurses, a very tall, large man, into Mom's room saying,"Just ask them! They don't care!" As he stumbled through the door, she then said, "He wants a snack and won't ask for it!" The staff had ordered lunch together, but it was late in arriving, so he was starving. Now, we have quite a stash of snacks in here, and we have offered snacks to every nurse every day.  They are all so respectful and appropriate, never partaking, so this was very funny.  The man was sooo embarrassed.  In the end, he only took a small bag of chips.  She walked away shaking her head. He'll probably never speak to his coworker again. 

2) We've given the staff some sort of small appreciation treat each week. This week, it was chips and queso from Fuzzy's. That same funny nurse from story #1 came and told us that she walked into their lounge and saw one of the other nurses eating the queso with a spoon right out of its container. There were several of these containers on the table. The one eating the queso said, "This is the best soup I've ever eaten!" She was unfamiliar with queso, apparently, even though there were huge bowls of chips there too.