Moving Forward

My mom went in yesterday (Friday) to get "mapped" for radiation. This is when they mark the points on your body that will receive the radiation. She also needs to set up an appointment with the oncologist to get her chemotherapy treatments scheduled. So, it looks like things are moving forward!

My mom did say that she would only get the treatments if they can find out what is wrong with her knees and ankles. They have been very swollen, red and painful. It is hard for her to walk and she hasn't been able to drive because of the pain. She doesn't want to add any more stress to her body unless they figure out how to "fix" this problem first.

She will go in on Monday to get ultrasounds of her knees and ankles. Then, hopefully, they can determine what's wrong and get moving on a solution so she can finally start shrinking those darn tumors!!

That's all for now - I'll post with more info as it becomes available. Thanks!

Hope & Encouragement

I found these stories on the web and I had to share!

"Because you believed, it has happened." Matthew 8:13

Praise God!

Mari's story: Hello! My mother has stage 4 lung cancer and is not operable. She had a few brain mets and one lymph node on her neck affected.She was diagnosed mid January and has had 2 chemo cycles and has some incredible results. The lung tumor has reduced over 60% and the brain mets are evidently gone. We all pray alot and hope for the best....maybe even a miracle!

Julie's story: How long can you survive stage 4 lung cancer without treatment? Depends on the person and the extent of the stage iv. I was told I had 2-4 months without treatment, perhaps a year with chemo.. I've so far survived 3 years with stage iv, with the help of two cycles of chemo.

Joe's story: My dad was just diagnosed in July with Stage IV adenocarcinoma in both his lungs. He is just 53 yrs old. Well from oodles of test we found that he was stage IV, in both lungs, and in his lymph nodes. He too is considered terminal. The doctor said he had until about October of '06. He still opted for chemo. He's been on cisplatin and navelbine. He started chemo Aug 5. The end of October he had his scans repeated and the only cancer detected was the large tumor in the right upper lung (and it had shrunk 1/2 the size!) The doc said this is just remarkable. I know everybody handles the treatments differently, but I hope this gives you some encouragement. He has been eating healthy and following his docs orders exactly and most of all staying positive. It has been through alot of faith and prayer that my two brothers and I are getting through this. We too still have our ups and downs, but all in all it is rough for me too. Medically, my dad should not have survived the fall, but he did and he's healed from it. He had absolutely no symptoms either. I feel that our good Lord "helped" him out of that tree so he could get this taken care of too. Good Luck and God Bless!

Ann's story: to be continued...

Yard Sale, Cont.!

Thad and I will be running the yard sale tomorrow 8am-5pm (SUNDAY 7/25) so you best be stoppin' by... even if it's just to say hey! =D

(see previous post for location)

Come on Down!

My parents are having a

Garage Sale THURSDAY 7/22, FRIDAY 7/23 & SATURDAY 7/24.

All proceeds will go toward medical bills for my Mom.

Stop by and see if anything tickles your fancy, or just stop by and say hello! There will be TONS of tools, so bring the brothers, husbands, dads and boyfriends!!

914 E. Zinnia Lane

Palatine, IL 60074

Update:

Mom saw the radiologist today. She said the radiation therapy sounds pretty awful, including burns on her skin and throat (they said she may not be able to swallow). She doesn't feel strong enough at this point to begin the treatments - it is painful for her to walk and she is convinced that if she starts treatment now, it will kill her sooner than if she chose not to do it. She has until July 30th (next Friday) to choose whether she will go forward with the chemo/radiation, or to just let the cancer take its course.

Prayer Request: Please pray that my Mom makes the "right" decision on whether to get treatment or not. Also, pray for peace in whatever she decides to do.

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

Jeremiah 29:11

more thanks!!

A special thanks to John Green for making a batch of amazing chili and the Swierczeks for bringing over a Mexican dinner!

Oncologist Appointment

We met with the Oncologist today to go over what to expect during the chemotherapy and radiation treatments. I learned a lot today - especially how time consuming these treatments are!!

There is a 28 day cycle and Mom is going to go through 2 cycles to begin with. After the 2nd cycle, we should get the results back from the Gamma Knife to see if the brain tumor was eradicated. If it was, they may proceed with more treatments with the option of surgery. If the MRI shows the tumor is still present, I don't think my Mom will be receiving any more treatments (which would result in a 3-6 month prognosis).

The first 8 days of the cycle are the most intense. During this time, Mom will get both chemo AND radiation. Days 1 & 8 are six hour treatments and days 2-5 are two hour treatments (days 6 & 7 she gets a break). Then every weekday after that she will get short (5-10 minute) radiation treatments until day 28, then they start the cycle over again.

One of the side effects of these treatments is hair loss. This is almost indefinite because of how aggressive they are in treating my Mom's cancer. Since it is Stage IV, many would argue that these treatments are solely to prolong life (maybe to 1-2 yrs). I, on the other hand, would argue that a cure could come of it!

Again, thank you for the overwhelming response to providing meals for my family!

Please keep visiting the blog for updates and ways to help. As always, keep praying! :)

YAY!

MOM IS HOME! :)

Thanks a million for all the prayers! Next appointment is scheduled for this Wednesday so I will update shortly thereafter.

Hospital = New Home??

Well, Mom is STILL in the hospital. It looks like they have the bacterial infection under control, but they found pneumonia in her right lung. So that, coupled with the continued fevers, is keeping her in the hospital a lot longer than anyone anticipated.

I am overwhelmed by the response of help from our friends! Thank you so much for providing meals for my family - they all look amazing and I wish I could enjoy them! haha Just as Paul said to the Philippians, "...you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty" (Phil 4:13)

"You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35) but I have to say, I feel pretty blessed to have received these meals so my Mom has one less thing to worry about!!

Thanks again - in particular Jamie, Barclay, Somer and my Stanton family for putting things together so quickly. Also, thank you to the many others who offered to help in a variety of other ways - every act is sooooo appreciated!

Prayer Request: Please pray for a quick return home for Mom, and strength and peace for my

Dad.

If you would like to visit my Mom, she is at Northwest Community Hospital room S909 (take South elevators to 9th floor)

Still in the Hospital...

Mom is still in the hospital and can't be released until she is fever-free for 24 hrs. She has been ducking and dodging nurses who will take her temperature because she wants to go home so badly! She's been in since Monday night, so she is more than ready to just be home!

The infectious disease specialist did say it was not MRSA (staph) after all, so it must be a form of strep cellulitis.

Thank you Jamie, Barclay and Somer for preparing food for my family! You ladies are the best! And Jamie... I must confess that Thad and I had a spoonful each of your macaroni salad and is was DELICIOUS! :)

As far as I know, my Mom still has her appointment with the Oncologist on Wednesday to determine a course of action for a treatment plan (starting chemo/radiation). We will know more then.

An Opportunity to Help

Hey all!

I talked to my Mom this morning and she sounded a lot better. She said her temperature has been a steady 99.0. They are keeping her another night to make sure she continues to respond to the antibiotics.

If you would like to help, prepared dinners would be greatly appreciated! I already have a baked penne pasta casserole waiting for them when they get home, but would anyone be able to make a meal for 7/8 (Thursday), 7/9 (Friday) or 7/10 (Saturday)?

If you can and would like to drop it off yourself in Palatine, I can give you the address. Or, you can drop it off at my house in Grayslake and I will deliver it personally :)

Please e-mail me at smnurmi05@yahoo.com if you would like to make a meal for a family of four (my mom, dad, brother and sister) for one of the above dates!

Hospital Update

Mom is still in the hospital - at least for one more night. They said she has cellulitis ( http://www.medicinenet.com/cellulitis/article.htm ) and are trying to treat it with some antibiotics through her IV. Her fevers are still spiking though - one got to 105.5 this evening, so it seems like we are back at square one.

I went and saw her today. The swelling in her face has gone down, but she doesn't look quite like herself yet. She stayed under the covers the whole time and didn't move much. She seemed pretty tired - even in her voice.

Hopefully the doctors can figure things out quickly. I know all my mom wants right now is to be home!

Keep those prayers coming, please!

An Unscheduled Hospital Visit

Mom knew there was going to be swelling in the face due to the Gamme Knife procedure. Today, though, I guess the swelling got worse and she started running a fever of about 102.0. My Dad wanted to be safe and took her to the Immediate Care Center in Lake Zurich. The doctors then sent my parents over to Northwest Community Hospital where they are now.

They are admitting Mom tonight. They want her to be seen by an Infectious Disease Specialist and will be calling her Oncologist in, too. She is on an IV and oxygen and has undergone numerous tests including two bouts of bloodwork, x-rays, and a CAT scan. She had an incredible pain on her right side when she inhaled - so bad it made her cry (her tumor is on her right side, too). She said she is getting new symptoms as the day/night goes on and it is just making her more paranoid since they don't know what is wrong. Afterall, if you don't know the problem, how can you work toward a solution??

We'll just have to wait for another update from Dad. Amanda and I are going to visit her tomorrow morning. Until then, please pray for some answers!

Gamma Knife Procedure

Mom underwent her gamma knife surgery July 1st. Basically, it was an outpatient radiation treatment that directly targets the tumor in the brain. She went in at 5:30am where they ran some tests then did 35 minutes of radiation. She was home by 9:30am. She has been feeling okay aside from some localized pain and swelling where they had to insert the pins.

You can read more about the gamma knife procedure here:

http://www.gamma-knife-surgery.com/

The results of this test are imperative. If the next MRI (about 2.5 months from now) shows that the gamma knife eliminated the cancer in the brain, then she can be considered for surgery to remove the mass in her lung and surrounding lymph nodes. If the MRI shows there is still abnormal tissue in the brain, then Mom will no longer be a candidate for surgery.

In the meantime, she will be receiving chemo/radiation treatments for 6 weeks starting mid-month to target the lung tumor and cancerous cells in the lymph nodes. The doctor said not all patients lose their hair with chemo, but due to the types of medicine they will be using, her hairwill fall out. The treatments are five days a week with a longer session on Monday, then shorter sessions the other days of the week.

That's all the information we have right now. I'll be sure to update the blog as soon as any news becomes available.