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!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Update....
November 23
Mom is now drain free...LOL! She went back to the surgeon on Monday and they removed the last drain and she said it wasn't painful at all...of course I didn't ask how many vicodain she took before she went, but she said it didn't hurt as bad as the last one. Next week, she has one more appt with her surgeon and then back to the oncologist. That's when we will probably find out what the treatment plans are.
And to make matters a little more complicated, my brother decided he needed a hospital stay for a couple of days last week. He was having an allergic reaction to the antibiotic they have him on. Guess when it rains, it pours :-). Still thinking we just need to reserve that room at Cap Region....
Hope everyone has a blessed and safe Thanksgiving! Thanks again for all the thoughts and prayers!
Mom is now drain free...LOL! She went back to the surgeon on Monday and they removed the last drain and she said it wasn't painful at all...of course I didn't ask how many vicodain she took before she went, but she said it didn't hurt as bad as the last one. Next week, she has one more appt with her surgeon and then back to the oncologist. That's when we will probably find out what the treatment plans are.
And to make matters a little more complicated, my brother decided he needed a hospital stay for a couple of days last week. He was having an allergic reaction to the antibiotic they have him on. Guess when it rains, it pours :-). Still thinking we just need to reserve that room at Cap Region....
Hope everyone has a blessed and safe Thanksgiving! Thanks again for all the thoughts and prayers!
Monday, November 15, 2010
News of Relief...
Mom had her follow up visit with the surgeon today...they removed one of the drains and the surgery site is healing well. The biopsy on the 16 axillary lymph nodes were clear of cancer!!! Blessings with prayers have been answered!! Mom has to go back to the surgeon again next week to see if the last drain is ready to come out but otherwise she is doing great. Some numbness in the shoulder area and the hand isn't quite right as far as small movements but hopefully that will get better with her PT exercises. Want to Thank everyone for all the prayers!! We couldn't have asked for better news!!
"When we reach out to celebrate and appreciate others, we will always receive more than we give."
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Day after surgery
November 10, 2010
Mom went home about noon today. She didn't get any sleep last night....just couldn't sleep. She hasn't been in too much pain but things are still pretty sore. PT came in to show her the exercises she will need to do and gave her a whole list of dos and don'ts that she will have to follow for the rest of her life. Missing those axillary lymph nodes will cause you to change a lot of things in your life---no shots in that arm, no repetitive motions like painting, has to wear thick gloves when she gardens, and to be careful not to cause any kind of trauma to that arm because the infection won't drain away as fast. Who knew???? BUT, if that's the worst she has to deal with, then it will be a blessing. And small compared to other things. I talked to Dad later this evening and he said she had taken a good nap and she is enjoying her two youngest grand babies...what a blessing they are....Delaney with her big beautiful blue eyes and "yep" to everything and Cooper who is quiet and very polite. So good to have them home!! Best medicine in the world right now! Take Care and God Bless!
Mom went home about noon today. She didn't get any sleep last night....just couldn't sleep. She hasn't been in too much pain but things are still pretty sore. PT came in to show her the exercises she will need to do and gave her a whole list of dos and don'ts that she will have to follow for the rest of her life. Missing those axillary lymph nodes will cause you to change a lot of things in your life---no shots in that arm, no repetitive motions like painting, has to wear thick gloves when she gardens, and to be careful not to cause any kind of trauma to that arm because the infection won't drain away as fast. Who knew???? BUT, if that's the worst she has to deal with, then it will be a blessing. And small compared to other things. I talked to Dad later this evening and he said she had taken a good nap and she is enjoying her two youngest grand babies...what a blessing they are....Delaney with her big beautiful blue eyes and "yep" to everything and Cooper who is quiet and very polite. So good to have them home!! Best medicine in the world right now! Take Care and God Bless!
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
After surgery
11/9/10....3:30 pm
The surgeon brought us news-mom did well through surgery and we will get to see her soon. The sentinel node was positive for cancer so they took the axillary lymph nodes out which will have to be biopsied. They should know by next week's post op office visit, what those results will be. Please continue to keep mom in your prayers. Take care and God bless and I will post more after we get to see her.
11/9/10....9:00 pm
A long day....everyone got to see mom, she is in good spirits and only has a little pain...she says morphine is a good drug :-). They only gave her a little while she was in recovery but by the time I left the hospital, it was wearing off. She has 2 drains on the right side and the nurses were teaching us all how to take care of them so between all of us kids, in-laws, and grandkids, we should get her taken care of. Dad was going to stay with her tonight and she should be able to go home tomorrow. So, we are once again in the waiting stage. Again, Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers! I'll post again tomorrow. Take care and God Bless!
The surgeon brought us news-mom did well through surgery and we will get to see her soon. The sentinel node was positive for cancer so they took the axillary lymph nodes out which will have to be biopsied. They should know by next week's post op office visit, what those results will be. Please continue to keep mom in your prayers. Take care and God bless and I will post more after we get to see her.
11/9/10....9:00 pm
A long day....everyone got to see mom, she is in good spirits and only has a little pain...she says morphine is a good drug :-). They only gave her a little while she was in recovery but by the time I left the hospital, it was wearing off. She has 2 drains on the right side and the nurses were teaching us all how to take care of them so between all of us kids, in-laws, and grandkids, we should get her taken care of. Dad was going to stay with her tonight and she should be able to go home tomorrow. So, we are once again in the waiting stage. Again, Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers! I'll post again tomorrow. Take care and God Bless!
Important day...
Please Please Please...keep my mom and dad in your prayers today! I will post more later after surgery is done. Take care and God Bless....and if you get a minute or two, watch the clip I attached to a previous post....to my Mom's Interdependence!!!
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