Doing Well!

Mom is doing well since she got home from the hospital.  She is currently on her chemo pill, sutent, again for the second round.  One of the big downsides to this is that it causes sores in her mouth.  These sores are extremely painful and really make it difficult for her to eat or talk.  So she has been learning all about protein shakes and all the different liquids you can drink! 

She has been doing well at home and getting around beautifully!  She even went grocery shopping by herself to Wal-Mart the other day and used one of those electric carts.  The boys are extremely jealous she did not invite them along for the ride!   She has a house cleaner coming every week and I told her to send her on over here! 

Thanks for the thoughts, prayers, and support.  She loves getting cards and phone calls!  Keep them coming and thanks!

Love,
Jo

Done and Done!

Mom finished her radiation treatments for a while on Monday!  Yeah!  She is now back on her sutent (chemo pill) for the next 28 days then another break.  She is at home and feeling MUCH better!  Amazing what a few little surgery's will do!  She is getting around really well!

She made a final decision this week, that she will take a semester off from school and possibly go back in January.  This will be good healing time for her to get back to "school" shape.   We drove past the hospital the other day and the boys asked if MiMi was still in there.  I said, "No she got to go home" and Jaxson replied, "It was about time!".  I think that was her and everyone's thoughts!  Thanks for the support and prayers!

Jo

Only Five More!

Just talked to mom.  She is doing great!  She drove herself to radiation this morning!  I know she is glad to have that little freedom back.  She saw the radiologist doctor this morning and he said only 5 more radiation treatments to the hip area.  She will complete those this week.

I will update as she sees all the doctors this week.  Her sister is coming in this evening to stay with her for a bit.  I know she will enjoy the company.  For some reason when I and my entourage (3 boys, 3 and under) go over it is just not relaxing. :)  We have to make our visits short and sweet! 

Love,
Jo

Home Again!

Mom called yesterday morning around 11:30 and said there was a chance she might get to go home - by 1:30 we were headed back to Canyon!  She is feeling good and enjoying the sunshine again!  Rachel headed up this way from Lubbock and we spent yesterday afternoon and evening getting mom settled back into the house. 

She will start radiation again on Monday and has five doctors appointments next week with her General Physician, Lung Doctor, Surgeon, Radiation Doctor, and Oncologist!  That is a lot of people looking after her. 

She is getting around pretty well, but there are things she will not be able to do for a while such as wash dishes and clean house.  Rach and I have been figuring out the logistics of everything.

Thanks for all of the visits, prayers, food, and love.  On to the next phase of this adventure!

Jo

Wednesday Morning

Another Wednesday in the hospital!  Mom is doing well, it just takes time to heal.  The doctor was in this morning and said maybe a Friday or weekend release date.  They are just waiting on her blood levels to get normal and for her wound to quit draining so much.

All in all she received 6 units of blood these past couple of weeks, so getting the levels back to normal has taken a bit of time.  It has also taken time to replenish her system after she came in so dehydrated and malnourished from being sick.  She has been keeping down solid foods so that is a huge blessing!

Thanks so much to the people who have been visiting her in the hospital - it has really brightened her long days!  This week I have made a couple of trips up there, but with three little ones in tow it is always a quick trip!  Funny story, mom had a potty chair in her room since she was hooked up to so many cords.  Ryan saw it and asked me later if it sang to her after she went,  like his Elmo potty does.  I said probably not and he said, that is too bad it would make her happy!

I will keep you posted as things move along.  I am guessing she will begin radiation next week after she is out and she has an appointment with her oncologist on Thursday of next week to discuss the sutent and when to start back up on that.

Love,
Jo

Monday Morning

Mom is still holding up the walls of Northwest Texas Hospital!  She is improving each day, it is just a slow process.  Her blood levels are all out of whack, so they have been giving her nutrients, lasiks, potassium, you name it it has been shot into her.  She is feeling better each day and each day provides new milestones.  Yesterday she was able to intake solid food and keep it down!  This has not happened in a couple of weeks so yeah!

She has been up and about and walking the halls.  I think we are all expecting a departure about Wednesday or Thursday.  A couple of days to get her blood levels back and make sure she can keep down solid foods.

Thanks for all your prayers!

Jo

Friday Morning

Mom is doing much better this morning.  She said last night out of the three surgeries this was by far the worst of the bunch.  This was also the most "real" of the surgeries with a huge incision and not just laproscopic!  She is feeling better this morning and not in as much pain.  Rachel and her have already talked to the surgeon this morning and she should be getting rid of some of the tubes today and tomorrow.  He would like to see her up a couple of times today, but mom looked at him like he was crazy so not sure if that is going to happen!

We are so blessed to have one of Rachel's best friends as mom's charge nurse for many of these days in the hospital.  It is so nice to have a familiar face and know that someone is on your side of the conversations with some of these doctors!  We love you Kaci!

I think we are looking at mid week next week for departure from the hospital.  Thanks for all of your prayers and support!

Joanna

Mom is back in her room and ornery as ever! Will update in the morning, but morphine button is her new best friend.

Thursday Morning

Mom will have surgery on the hernia spot this afternoon around 3:00.  It will be a regular surgery - completely under - again.  She is up and about and eating normal food, so that is good!  I will update the blog when she comes out and to let you know how the surgery went.  She should be in the hospital for a couple of more days.

Joanna

Wednesday Morning

I just spoke to Rachel who was up at the hospital bright and early this morning!  The kidney doctor came in and it is a hernia where her kidney use to be.  Not surprising since she has been coughing a lot since her surgery.  He is recommending surgery on it in the next day or two.  The surgeon who did her gall bladder will do this one.  We are now waiting on him and getting confirmation from him that this is what she should do.

The CT scan was clear for a blood clot in the lungs so that is good news!

Another note of good news - they did a CT scan of her lungs last week at the Oncologist and it shows that the sutent (chemo pill) is reducing those spots on her lungs!  Yeah!

So a couple of more days in the hospital.  She is up and walking around and eating normal food again, so that is progress!  She is hoping to start radiation again on Monday.

Love,
Jo

Tuesday

I just got back from the hospital checking on mom.  She is doing pretty well.  She has gotten up and walked the halls a bit with a walker.  It really helps her out because her hip is still hurting pretty badly.  The area where her gall bladder was taken out is doing pretty good.  Now the area where her kidney was taken out two months ago is another story!  It started hurting before the gall bladder surgery and these past two days has swelled up and turned red.  They did a ultrasound on it yesterday and saw that it was a pocket of fluid and maybe a small hernia.  Her kidney doctor ordered a CT scan on it for this afternoon and he will look at the results and see her today or early tomorrow.   Her main doctor came in just before I left and said her heart rate was a little elevated since the surgery - so she is also going to have a CT scan of her lungs to rule out a blood clot.  Cancer patients are more susceptible to those.  She will have that this afternoon as well.

So long story short - still in hospital - waiting on scans and doctors....as usual!

Joanna

Monday

Mom is doing really well!  Much better than the last surgery.  She had to receive three units of blood yesterday because of the extra bleeding with the scar tissue near the liver - but this morning she says she feels like a new woman!  She made a comment yesterday that maybe this new blood would make her nicer and maybe it was coming from a nice person!  I told her it would take more than that to make her nice!

She has not been able to get up out of bed yet and move around because of receiving the blood - so probably later today.

It sounds like she is feeling so much better already with that "sack of marbles" or gall bladder out.  The doctor said it was like a sack of marbles!  Crazy!

Mom is doing great and is in really good spirits.  She is calling her radiologist today to see when she can get back to receiving treatment on her hip - the more consistent in days with it you are the better.

Thanks for all of your support and prayers!

Joanna

Gall Bladder Gone!

Mom had her gb out this morning at 8. The surgery lasted a little longer than expected because of some scar tissue by the liver. They were able to do it lapriscopically. She is in recovery now. She should be in the hospital a few more days and out by mid-week.

Joanna

Gall bladder will be coming out tomorrow morning at 8:00. Now just waiting. We are at Northwest Texas hospital in Amarillo. Will keep you updated! Jo

I am going to quit updating...

I am going to quit updating this blog because every time I do, something else happens!  This morning Rachel took mom to radiation and they spoke to the nurses/doctors.  They decided to send her to the hospital ER to get her hydrated and to take out that darn gall bladder!  Even though the doctor had said he wanted to treat the cancer first, I think this pain and side effects were counter productive to that!  So right now they are in the ER getting fluids and waiting to be admitted.  I am assuming they will do surgery this evening or tomorrow morning, depending on her fluid levels......then I expect a couple of days in the hospital...but I will let you know.

Jo

Half-Way Through Radiation!

Mom is half-way through her radiation treatment as of Wednesday.  She is going through three weeks of treatment to her hip area.  She is off her sutent (cancer pill) right now until the next round starts next Thursday.  So a little 14 day break from that.  She has been having extreme stomach pain and they did a CT scan for it and say everything looks good except for the gall bladder.  Those gall bladder stones must be painful!  The oncologist said that we would ignore that right now, because the cancer comes first.   She had some blood work done to check out her liver because she is looking a bit jaundice.  We should hear back on the blood work and CT scan on her chest mid-next week.  This is to check and see if the chemo pills are doing their job. 

Prayer requests right now:
1.  Comfort in the hip area and better mobility - we are getting her a walker and shower chair today, so hopefully that will help
2.  Gall Stone pain
3.  CT scan results on her chest - that they would show improvements on the spots on her lungs.

Thanks everyone for your support and on-going prayers!

Joanna

Update to the Update!

Just spoke with mom, they will be starting radiation Monday. They want to agressively try to get this, with more than just a pill. She will do it everyday for the next couple of weeks. Appreciate the prayers!

Jo

Update

I talked to Mom this morning and she had talked to the oncologist. They are going to keep her on her chemo pill for another couple of rounds to see if they are going to help. It is in her bone now, behind her right hip. They are giving her some pain pills so hopefully she can walk a little bit. Right now, getting around is extremely hard for her. It is the same type of cancer, renal cell, so it is not a new cancer. Same old thing just spreading! She goes back to her General Physician on Tuesday and back to her oncologist mid-July. I will keep everyone posted!

Love,
Jo

Prayers Flowing Please!

Update on mom. That little hip pain that she has been having since the end of May - well her General Physician pushed for a MRI and she had it done yesterday. They called her a moment ago to let her know that the cancer has metastasized and that has been what is causing her pain and not being able to walk. She has a call into her oncologist to see what the next step would be. I am not sure exactly where it is at this point, but will know more later. Please pray for pain maintenance and clear guidance on what the next treatment steps should be. I will update as I learn more.

Joanna

Sorry for the delay!

Sorry for the delay in postings! Mom did come back from Vegas, no ring on the finger! She had a great time but I have heard I don't get to see some of the pictures! The day she left for Vegas she started her chemo pills. She will be on these for four weeks, so she is about mid-way into them. Today she pegged it when she said it is not "good" days or "bad" days but "good" hours or "bad" hours. It really comes and goes. Some days she feels like she could conquer the world and then a couple of hours later cannot get out of bed because of the stomach cramps and hip pain. She has had a pain in her hip since right before she left for Vegas. She went to her General doctor this week to get it seen and he put her on an anti-inflamatory medicine which has seemed to help. she thinks it is a pinched nerve. The stomach cramps and ache are because of the chemo pill and she has been treating it as best as she can. The boys and I have been over to "destroy" and clean her house all at the same time! My hopes are that she can get through this first round of pills and feel improvement. They will do a scan to see if they can see any improvement. As always, your prayers and support are so appreciated! Thanks for everything!

Jo

Update! and Vegas Baby!

Mom is doing really well with her post surgery healing. She will go to the kidney doctor tomorrow for her final checkup. She received her first round of chemo pills today and will begin taking them tomorrow. These pills do not have "typical" chemo reaction. She will not lose her hair but will experience fatigue. The oncologist said she should be able to tell with just the first round that these are working and will help with her breathing. Her bronchial tubes are being blocked by the masses right now. Not a complete block, but enough it affects her breathing. She will be on the pills for 4 weeks then off for 2 weeks.

Mom leaves for Vegas on Thursday. Rach and I hope she does not come back married to Elvis! She is going with her "Bunch" friends from high school and will return on Monday. So glad she feels up to it and can enjoy this time with her friends!

Thanks for all the prayers!

Jo

Home!

Mom got to go home today. Rachel called about 10:30 and said she was breaking out of the joint! I went over to the house this afternoon and she is doing great. Took a 3 hour nap in her own bed without nurses taking vitals! She will rest and relax for the next couple of weeks before we tackle the next hurdle. Thanks for all the prayers!

Love,
Jo

Post Surgery

So technology is great when it works! Sorry folks, blogger, which I do this off of has been down since yesterday afternoon. Update on mom. She is doing terrific! She was out of recovery and to her own room yesterday afternoon around 2:00. I knew she was alright when they were talking about her "clear liquid" diet yesterday and she asked if that included light beer! Yesterday was all about her one and only kidney realizing it is her one and only now. It has recognized that as of this morning and all systems are go!

Last night she was a little tired but not too tired for Greys Anatomy! We had a good time watching that. Too bad McDreamy is not at NWTH!

This morning the doctor touch base with her bright and early and is pleased with everything. Rachel has been staying with her the majority of the time and the boys and I treked up to go see her at lunch time today. She is officially "cord" free, no iv's or anything, just those lovely leg things that keep your blood circulating. She has been up and around and will be taking afternoon jaunts down the hallways.

It looks like she will either go home tomorrow or Sunday. She will have to take it easy for 2-3 weeks with no driving. The sudden movements are what we need to watch. As the doctor stated last night, now all we have to worry about are the lungs! As I mentioned before she will start the pill treatment in two weeks, which will give her enough time to recover from this.

Thanks for all of your continued prayers!

Jo

Out of surgery. All went well and they were able to do it all by laproscopic. Will update more later. Thanks for the prayers! Jo

We are a Go!

We just met with the oncologist this afternoon and bombarded him with questions! He is a very patient and understanding man! This type of cancer is very vascular and does not react to chemo or radiation. He confirmed again that it was Stage 4 renal cell carsinoma, since it had moved from one major organ to another. He said standard is to take out the large tumor (the one on her kidney) then we can treat the other spots, but getting the big tumor out with this type of cancer has proven to be good. So we are taking the tumor out on Thursday! Surgery is scheduled for 8:00 at Northwest.

Two weeks after surgery mom will start taking pills to help shrink and contain the other spots. She will do a couple of cycles of these and then we will look at other treatment options as well. These pills will have a few side effects, but nothing like chemo or radiation. She will take these from home.

Thanks for the continued prayers!

Jo

New Blog!

This is Joanna, Marilyn's oldest daughter. I am going to use this to keep everyone updated on my mom. Most of the time it should be me posting, if not we will let you know who is posting. Mom was diagnosed officially last Friday with Renal Cell Carsinoma or in people terms "Kidney Cancer". She underwent a lung biopsy last week and it was confirmed. The cancer is in her left kidney and in her lungs. This Thursday she will undergo removal of her kidney then we will proceed with treatment of the spots on her lungs. We are meeting with the oncologist today to make sure all of the doctors are talking and that this is the right way to go, before we remove a major organ!

Function with just one kidney is perfectly normal and the doctor said that she probably will never be able to tell, she will just have to treat her one and only kidney very nicely. :)

We covet your prayers and thank all of our friends and family for support during this time. I will update this as soon as we hear anything new.

Love,
Jo

“the joy of the LORD is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10 KJV)