A bad hair day?

When all this started I said there would be good days and bad, some days we would laugh and some days we would cry. Today we are going to laugh... at that hat! It's made out of yarn that has frizzies off of it (Most people make scarves out of it). It's funny because at first glance, it looks like her hair. When I first saw her today I thought "Didn't your mama ever tell you not to stick your finger in a light socket?"

In the hat's defense, when you hold it by itself, it looks very expensive and it's very warm. She also has a tan one with different colors weaved into it. Maybe it won't resemble her hair so much.

Today was 2.2. (We are starting to get hip with the lingo – 2.2 means second round, second treatment) So, Friday will be 2.3. It went pretty well. She used more cream on the spot they stick the needle, but it still hurt when they poked it – but not as bad as Monday. I took in an iPad in so she could read some e-mails. Doesn't she look sporty and high-tech?! 

People are doing all sorts of things to pass the time. Reading, sleeping, working on laptops, talking on the phone, eating McDonald's, talking with the friend/family who is with them, and some just talk amongst themselves. In this room, there are probably 20 recliners all side-by-side lining the perimeter of the room. 

Today it was a full house, only a couple empty chairs when we got there at 1:00 p.m. Some people had been there since 8:00 a.m. and some only an hour or two. As I looked around the room, I noticed no pattern, no similarities, no reason to group all these people together. Cancer doesn't care your age, gender or race. Doesn't care if you're a mother, daughter, brother or only child. And most of the people had their real hair! 

But that's only because most people couldn't sport a hat like Mom!

April showers bring May flowers

I hope everyone had a good Easter! This year our celebration was full of firsts. I cooked my first ham and made my first batch of au gratin potatoes. Hadley made her first plate of deviled eggs and Mom DIDN'T do any dishes for the first time! The Easter Bunny left some chemo pills instead of jelly beans this year. She starts taking 8 pills a day for the next 14 days.

We had a quiet lunch and the sun peeked out enough for an egg hunt. Then the kids helped plant some flowers in Mom's planters. That was enough to wear her out and need a nap!

Today (Monday) we went to the Cancer Center for chemo. We didn't really know what to expect - the first chemo was all done in the hospital. She had the mediport (or Power Port for all you car-buffs out there) put in last Wednesday and they said it would be ready to use today. The incision is above the port, so they weren't poking in that area. She has some cream to put on 1 hour before she gets to the Cancer Center. It is suppose to make it numb so it doesn't hurt when they poke the needle through. Well, we are still learning about how all this stuff works and here is what we learned today: You can't use too much cream! 

The nurse asked if she had put the cream on and Mom said yes. So, the nurse said "on the count of 3 you'll feel a prick." One, two, three... Oh, that was a prick all right! Mom's eyes got real big and she opened her mouth real wide - but nothing came out. I think it took her a minute to catch her breath. The nurse asked "Does it hurt?" With white knuckles gripped on the chair arm and a tense voice she said "Yea, more than I expected!"

Everyone keeps saying that port is so much better... but we have yet to experience that. We are hoping Wednesday is a little better. There was a lady in the next chair getting treatment and her daughter was with her, they were both about me and Mom's ages. The mom said "Mine hurt the first time, too. The trick is to goop the cream on real thick, then it don't hurt! I didn't even feel the poke the second time."

The rest was pretty easy, she got a small bag of nausea medicine and a bag of fluids. While the fluid went in they gave her the chemo in the syringe. This time the syringe was about half the size it was that first time in the hospital (see that post and photo). Dr. Jeong said this was less-intense, so I guess that means less of it. She can already feel her mouth drying out from the chemo pills, but this time we are armed with gel, sponges on a stick and mouth spray!

We'll go back for another treatment Wednesday, so stay tuned for Wednesdays update to see if more cream does the trick!

Did we take a wrong turn at Jiffy Lube?

Here is what we did today: We went to Same Day Service and got a Power Port put in. They sealed it with super glue and said come back if we have any problems. They took the old hose out and patched that hole, too. Now, doesn't that sound like we took the car in for repair? 

Well, we didn't. We went to BroMenn Outpatient Surgery (they now call it Same Day Service) and they put in a mediport (they call it a Power Port).  They made a small cut and stitched it on the inside. They put glue on it from the outside to hold it together. As for the old hose, that's the picc line she's had since March 16 - they took that out because they will use the mediport from now on.

The surgery went well. It was cold in the pre-surgery room, so they let her keep her sock hat on. She was in recovery for about 45 minutes. Once she woke up and could stand up, she could go home. 

It all reminds me of a 15-minute oil change! But I think that visit will be a little more than $19.95.

A little mental floss

Here is Mom and Dr. Jeong (aka: VA and Dr. J)! This has been one heck of a journey and you never know quite where the next turn will take you, but you just hang on for the ride! We have really gotten attached to Dr. Jeong. Every time he comes in to talk with Mom, in the hospital or in the Cancer Center, he gives 110% of his attention. He answers any question ... from Aunt Judy's big-word medical-terms to my hand-gesture "thingy" descriptions.

Now, we did have one little discussion this past week regarding certain activity Mom could (or couldn't)participate in. Mom has been feeling better and better every day - but that doesn't mean we get to over-do anything! Her cousins get together every couple of months just to hang out, walk down memory lane and have a little quality time. Now, I call that a party, but Mom calls it an "intimate social gathering of family" (I wish I had thought of that when I was in high-school ... Mom, I'll be back later, I'm just going to an intimate social gathering of my classmates!) So, we let Dr. J make the call.

Since her blood numbers were continuing to go up, and if she was getting cabin fever, Dr. J said she could attend- just make sure no one had been sick recently. So, Mom and Aunt Judy and about 6 of their cousins had a nice little get-together. Mom's rule for the night was No huggin', No kissin', No cryin' (I think those were her rules for me at my social gatherings back in the day)!

So, all's well that ends well. This has been a physical journey just as much as it's been an emotional one. Seeing family did her mental health some good, and will help her to get stronger. Thanks everyone for all the e-mails and cards. Those help the mental health, too!

Tomorrow (Wednesday) she will go in for outpatient surgery to have a mediport put in. She will get her chemo through that for the next 3 rounds. Monday (the 25th) she will start round 2. Dr. J said this one will not be as intense as the first one... and we all know Dr. J is always right!

Through and through

So far, this week has gone well. Mom is resting and healing and getting a little stronger each day. We went to the Cancer Center for a check-up and to talk with Dr. Jeong about the next round of chemo.

She still has the picc line, but it decided to get infected, so they treated it and will take it out soon. Next week she will go in the hospital for outpatient surgery and have a mediport put in. It's a small, round ball put under the skin, right below the collarbone. She will get her chemo through that and they can also draw blood from it. The picc line has a catheter sticking out, and she has to wrap her arm when she showers so it doesn't get wet, and there are 2 ports where they stick the needles in that flop around all the time. Everyone says she will like the mediport so much better because, once healed, you don't know it's there. It's less trouble for the patient vs a picc line.

The following week, Monday April 25, she will start chemo again. Mon, Wed., & Mon. she will go to the Cancer Center for treatment (Sat - she'll go to the hospital as outpatient). This round should be a little easier on her. We're hoping it is!

Before, she was weak and couldn't seem to get any strength built up. This week, she gets tired, but she can rest for a bit and then have some energy. It's weird how your body reacts at different stages - what's actually weird is that she functions at all considering what her body has been through... and what's been through her body!

Ladies and gentlemen, the Beatles

Is that Ringo Star? 

Oh, it's Mom and Chad (Wendy's husband). Can you tell who is wearing a wig?

Tricked you again, they both are! Those wigs are pretty convincing... and pretty entertaining!

Let's hit the open road!

The steroid sure kicked in! Mom is getting her strength back, and Dr. Jeong has released her. It's time to head home! 

She will go to the Cancer Center to have blood tests Mon, Wed, and Fri. In 2 weeks she will start another round of chemo. They say the first round is the hardest on your body, we hope that's the case!

She is still very susceptible to germs. Thank you to all the family and friends who have sent cards and e-mails. She really enjoys getting the mail everyday and having some contact with the outside world. It's hard for her now to be so "locked up," but she knows it will only last a little while, then she'll be back on the social circuit!

Peek-a-boo

Here's a sneak peek at my biker-chick mom. Isn't she cool!

Her hair is falling out pretty quick. She's still very weak but Dr. Jeong thinks she will go home Saturday.

The other day she was talking to Hadley on the phone and Hadley said "When I'm sick, I want my mom." Mom told her "Me, too!" 

Granny has been up to visit every day. She brings food to try and tempt Mom into eating (sometimes it works!) These last couple days she has helped her with a shower. Who would think their 78-year-old mom would still be giving their kid a bath?  :)

Her blood numbers are still going up every day, that's a good sign! Friday they started her on a steroid to help her get stronger.

Get up and scream & shout!

If you are reading this, I want you to stand up, and jump up in the air at least once... come on... at least 1 jump! You can let out a "whoo hoo" if you want.  Come on.... I'm just asking for 1 jump!

Why are we jumping? Dr. Jeong came to visit this evening and said he had the results of the bone marrow test. It's all clear – no cancer cells left in the bone marrow! She is officially in remission. The chemo got them all. It was a fight to the finish, and worth the battle! What relief this feels like! 

Today is the first day her platelets increased on their own. Her white blood cells and red blood cells are up, too. That's a good sign. She got started on a steroid today to help her get stronger. She is still very weak and tired. Day-by-day her mouth is getting better, too.

Mom will continue to do 3 more rounds of chemo, so we still have a long road ahead. This chemo will make sure there are no cancer cells floating around in her blood. There will still be good days and bad days, but from now on she's a survivor! That's just awesome!

Come on...if you didn't jump the first time, you gotta jump now!

Put her on ice!

I'm happy to say that today got better as the day went on. This morning was rough. Mom had a temp of 102 and a terrible headache, which made her sick to her stomach. The nurse called it a neutropenic headache. A what?

The chemo is killing off the white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets. Neutrophils are a type of white blood cell. Neutropenic is when the number of neutrophils in the bloodstream drops very low. It stops the ability to fight infection (why she has limited exposure to people/germs). Mom has been neutropenic for so long (over 10 days), her body is just reacting to the stress. How was that for an explanation!  :)

The nurses brought in some ice and packed it all around her. It dropped to 100 by 10:30 a.m. and by noon it was down to 98. Fever means infection, and infection is what we don't need. She doesn't have anything to fight it. The headache finally went away this afternoon, too.

Dr. Jeong did not like that fever, either. He seemed very concerned... which really gives you a pit in your stomach! He is having an infection specialist come in and check her over. We still don't have the results of the bone marrow biopsy. "Thursday or Friday we'll get it" he said today. He also explained how this type of leukemia/chemo is different from others. Most of the time, you do a bone marrow test on the 14th day and you can see if all the cancer cells are gone. What Mom has differs in that there is no certain day to do the bone marrow biopsy. Did he do it too early? Possibly. If the results come back and there are still cancer cells swimming around, then he will do another biopsy in a week and be able to tell if they will all disappear. Either way she will have a couple more rounds of chemo.

For now, we make sure to keep Mom as comfortable as we can. Once that headache and temperature were gone, she perked right up, ate a little lunch and read some cards. Thank you to everyone out there who sends her cards, e-mails and good wishes. They sure do boost her spirit!

What could these dime store items mean?

What do these things have in common? 

Nothing really, but they came in handy today. Between the dry hospital air and the medications drying Mom's breathing passages out, a little vaseline up the nose feels good! So, today's invention: Q-tips with medicated vaseline on the ends. For use up-the-nose only, please.

On Sunday, Chad was chewing gum. "Boy, that looks refreshing" Mom thought. The only kind of gum we had was spearmint. That was a little too spicy for her sore mouth. But juicy fruit really hit the spot today! It's bland, but has enough kick to make you spit a little.

Mom's platelets dropped again yesterday so last night she got another platelet infusion. The results of the bone marrow biopsy were suppose to be in today, but Dr. Jeong wanted to run another test on the bone marrow. We should have the results Thursday. 

Slowly, she's trying to get back to "real food." She ate pancakes for breakfast and a cheeseburger for lunch... and not just a hospital cheeseburger, a DQ cheeseburger! 

Caution, Caution...

This bracelet just cracks me up every time I see it, so I had to share. It's on her left wrist and says "LIMB ALERT." So, if you get queasy by the sight of a limb, take caution!  :)

It's not like she has an extra limb, this is just her left arm. But, what if there was no limb, where would they put the bracelet? 

Actually, the bracelet is to alert the tech not to take her blood pressure on the arm with the PICC line... but I would think they would see it... but again, I have an art degree not a medical degree!  :)

Can't we just cut them off?

The bone marrow biopsy went well. Mom was real groggy most of the day. Just when you think there can't be anymore wires or tubes attached to you, they attach some more. After the biopsy, and Mom was awake, she had to tinkle. I helped her get up... and boy did we have knot. She has a tube to her IV for the pain pump, and a tube for 3 bags of antibiotics and 1 bag of sugar water. For the biopsy they put electrodes on her chest to monitor her heart, so that meant more wires. We successfully rolled an IV pole, heart monitor and 80 feet of tubing into the bathroom, and Mom, of course!

We will get the results tomorrow. Today, her platelet number was back down to 16. She just got an infusion on Saturday, so Dr. Jeong was a little concerned. He did explain how the blood infusions work: the first time she got platelets, her number jumped to 82. This time it only jumped to 58 (on Sunday). He says the health of the blood donor is a factor in how the blood does. Maybe she had a young, super healthy donor the first time and maybe the second time the donor was a little older. We have learned nothing is exact science, everything is a gray area. We'll see what tomorrow brings!

The best medicine...

Since Mom (Grandma) had been a good girl all week, we scrubbed, cleaned and de-germed the kids and brought them up for a quick visit on Sunday. Mom says they do more help than any pill. 

Dr. Jeong said he would do another bone marrow biopsy tomorrow morning. It will show if all the cancer cells are gone. That's what we are hoping for!

Lunch Lady

Doesn't Granny look cute with her mask and gloves on?! She comes to visit, and sometimes brings lunch from the outside. Baked Potato Soup is a favorite!

Tough chicks!

The rest of the week went pretty smooth. Every day was a little better than the day before. Slowly her mouth was getting easier to move, but it still hurt like the dickens!

Friday was April Fool's Day (Happy Birthday Uncle Denny!). Hadley and Chad went to the LeRoy Girl Scouts' Father/Daughter dance. I think Mom was just as excited as Hadley was. I took pictures and brought them in Saturday morning and we hung them on her board to brighten up the room. Hadley looked so pretty!

Her platelet number kept dropping so Saturday she got 2 bags of platelets again. What should have taken 1 hour actually took 4. Hopefully it will give her a little energy!

And I must say, when all this first started, I had to step out of the room when they started doing anything with blood. Now I'm not only in the room, but I handed the lab girl the blood tubes! And Mom doesn't pass out at the sight of blood, either. We are both tough chicks!