Mom had her PET and CT scans last week and she got the results back today. They were clean so we can hope that means they got it all and it hasn't spread. We had a bit of fun yesterday, the American Cancer Society provides wigs and all kinds of other support for people who are fighting the fight. We got to help mom pick out a wig, hats, turbons, etc....helps to keep things on the fun side.
Also, Mom starts chemo on 01/05/11 and gets the port put in on 12/28/10....told her she will have both arms sore and dad will really have to help her get dressed, maybe even do her hair. She said it might be easier to just wear the wig. :-)
IT WILL BE A GOOD CHRISTMAS!!!! Many things to celebrate! Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers! Power of prayer! Everyone have a safe and happy holiday! And remember we are celebrating the birthday of Jesus and having a great family!! Many blessings!!!
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
December 1, 2010...oncology visit
Mom had her first appointment since the surgery with her oncologist today. Lots of information. First, she has Stage IIB ductal carcinoma. Not the best but it could be a lot worse. She may only have to do chemotherapy but the doctor is going to check with the radiologist to be sure he doesn't have any new tricks up his sleeve. She is going to still have a CT and PET scan to be sure the cancer isn't hiding in numerous other spots but the doctor is hopeful that it was only contained in the one area. So right now, the plan is for Mom to have FEC (acronym) chemotherapy. It is usually given for breast cancer and is a combination of three chemotherapy drugs called 5Fluorouracil (5-FU for short...nothing like cussing the cancer...LOL), Epirubicin and Cyclophosphamide. These are usually given once every three weeks as slow injections into a vein, as an outpatient. She will have 6 cycles of this treatment so Mother's Day 2011 will be a true day of celebrating....we hope.
The plan is for Mom to have a port-a-catheter put in which eliminates her getting stuck in the vein numerous times. Surgeon will probably do this right after Christmas and the chemotherapy will start then. Doctor says it's OK to wait for treatment, studies prove that if treatment is started within the 12 weeks after surgery, outcomes are about the same. This will let mom have a good Christmas without the side effects of Chemo dragging her down. One side effect of the Chemo is her white counts may go down, so as a GREAT favor to us Rehagens, please try not to visit Mom and Dad if you are feeling ill in any way....her low counts will make her more susceptible to infections of any kind. So we will be celebrating Christmas with the gift of Mom.
Mom's right hand is getting better and Dad says she is getting back to her grumpy self :-) ....he loves her that way so all is well. She seems to be back to bossing Dad around because as soon as her appt was done today, Dad had doctor's appt she made for him because he is getting hoarse again. I think it's because he has been bossing her around too much but they were going to have it checked to be sure it's nothing else. I think that's all the news from the Mimosa Lane area so everyone take care and Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers.
I posted on Facebook...Life seems to have it's cycle...your parents take care of you when you are young so when you become an adult, you can return the favor tenfold. But what happens when you become that adult and don't know how to make it better? Hold on tight and pray for the best!!! Seems to be working so far.....Hope everyone has a great Holiday season!
The plan is for Mom to have a port-a-catheter put in which eliminates her getting stuck in the vein numerous times. Surgeon will probably do this right after Christmas and the chemotherapy will start then. Doctor says it's OK to wait for treatment, studies prove that if treatment is started within the 12 weeks after surgery, outcomes are about the same. This will let mom have a good Christmas without the side effects of Chemo dragging her down. One side effect of the Chemo is her white counts may go down, so as a GREAT favor to us Rehagens, please try not to visit Mom and Dad if you are feeling ill in any way....her low counts will make her more susceptible to infections of any kind. So we will be celebrating Christmas with the gift of Mom.
Mom's right hand is getting better and Dad says she is getting back to her grumpy self :-) ....he loves her that way so all is well. She seems to be back to bossing Dad around because as soon as her appt was done today, Dad had doctor's appt she made for him because he is getting hoarse again. I think it's because he has been bossing her around too much but they were going to have it checked to be sure it's nothing else. I think that's all the news from the Mimosa Lane area so everyone take care and Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers.
I posted on Facebook...Life seems to have it's cycle...your parents take care of you when you are young so when you become an adult, you can return the favor tenfold. But what happens when you become that adult and don't know how to make it better? Hold on tight and pray for the best!!! Seems to be working so far.....Hope everyone has a great Holiday season!
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