It's Been a While...

Hello Friends,

It has been months since my last post - sorry! I had a crazy summer (a move, a severe car accident, a new baby, etc) but here is the latest on my Mom...

We are at it again. Mom started acting a little "loopy" again so my Dad brought her to the hospital. Sure enough, they detected brain swelling, suspected to be caused by the same tumor they operated on back in March (in the right frontal lobe).

I believe she is going in to see the neurologist tomorrow (Tuesday, Sept 27th) so hopefully we can get some answers - at least discuss options for treatment if there are any. My family - with our 22 month old & 1.5 week old in tow - went to see her last weekend, since my Dad made this possible return of the tumor sound pretty grim. It was nice that she got to see her grandkids again, and of course I always love spending time with her, too. It's been an adjustment for me - we used to live 35 minutes away and I'd go there at least once a week. Now, being 5 hours away the visits have become few and far between.

Now we wait again.... wait to see if the steroids and other medications she is on is to help prepare her for another surgery, round of radiation, or to just add to her quantity of life.

I'll keep everyone in the loop. Thanks, as always, for your prayers and support.

Radiation Complete...for now...What's Next?

Mom completed 3 weeks of whole brain radiation last month. She had most of her hair on Easter, but by Mother's Day it was all gone except for a few hairs. Yesterday, May 16th, she shaved her head clean! She wears a blue knit hat most of the time, and has two head scarves. She bought a wig, but is waiting for a hair stylist to make some changes to it. Her head is still sore from the treatments and what not, so she isn't in a hurry to wear it.

She spent a few nights in the hospital last week and got home on Sunday (May 15th). Her oxygen was low, so they put her back on the oxygen machine at home. She has an appointment on May 23rd to determine where to go from here. Originally, the next step was to do a gamma knife (or cyber knife) procedure on the tumor on the back of her brain. Test results will reveal whether or not they will stick to that plan (which is what they hope to determine on the 23rd).

How can you help? Obviously, prayer is always welcome. If you'd like to drop off a meal for a family of 4-5 (my brothers and sister are home now) they would greatly appreciate that. Finally, Thad and I are hosting a moving sale this weekend and 10% of the money we raise will go toward my Mom (either for meals, head scarfs/hats, medical bills, etc). If you can, stop by and see us at: 1354 Carriage Lane Lake Villa, IL on Sat May 21st from 9-3pm.

It's Time for the Percolator...

Mom just underwent her first week of whole-brain radiation. On Wednesday, they found she had pneumonia. They are going to continue the treatments, but this obviously adds to her already feeling weak and tired. She's on a lot of medication for a lot of different things, but my dad is taking great care of her! The title of this entry refers to my dad and brother saying she sounds like a coffee pot when she breathes - and I have to say it's true! She has a good sense of humor about it - anything to keep things light considering the circumstance.

I'm not really sure if she's been completely honest with me. When she told me she had pneumonia, she kept saying, "but don't worry, don't worry... this is nothing, it doesn't seem as bad as last time..." etc. I wasn't worried until she emphasized that she didn't want me worrying!

I'm not really sure which I would want... for her to be completely honest, or for me to live in ignorance. Which is true bliss? I suppose the only one who knows the "truth" is God - no matter when we or the doctors speculate she'll leave us. I just don't want her ripped out of my life I guess. On the other hand, a slow release can't be any less painful...

Here We Go Again...

Well, it's been a while since my last post. As far as we knew, Mom was "clean" of cancer. Her latest MRI told a different story...

To sum it up, they found two brain tumors on Monday March 21st - one in the front and one in the back. They were able to remove the front tumor with brain surgery on Wednesday March 23rd. The doctors believed that one more week may have killed her.

The second tumor makes things a little more complicated. Mom started whole-brain radiation on Monday April 11th. She will get this 5 days a week for 14 days. Hopefully this will shrink the existing tumor and stifle any other tumors from growing.

Mom is anxious about this radiation treatment. She saw her mother go through it and watched her deteriorate before her eyes - forgetting things, needing to learn how to walk again, write again, etc. Mom basically said that when it comes down to it, she will choose quality over quantity. So, if the treatments start taking a significant toll on her physically and mentally, she will stop.

Right now, she is in good spirits. She is two days into her treatment and, as far as I can tell, sounds like herself! The steroids she is taking to reduce the brain swelling have ironically caused the rest of her body and face to swell. Other than that, she seems pretty "normal." Doc says she will lose her hair, but he said that last time, too, and she didn't! Only time will tell...

So that's the update. I wish it were more positive, but there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Nobody can know what the future holds, all we can do is hope for the best. We've seen her beat this before...

Oops... I was misinformed!

So.... the 'test' that she's getting this week is not on Friday, it's on Thursday and it's only an X-ray to see if the fluid and air pockets in the lung are gone.

She won't get a scan for cancer for another few months. I guess they need to give the cancer cells a time to grow (if there are any). If they test too soon, nothing will show up because the cells haven't had enough time to multiply to the point that they would develop a tumor that we can actually detect. I hope that makes sense! You would think a Science teacher could explain this a little better... sorry! ;)

Keep Mom in your thoughts, please. The recovery is taking a lot longer than she thought - she is in a lot of pain still and some days can't even get dressed because of it. Even a shirt touching her back or chest is very painful. She is discouraged that she is still in this much pain.

That's all for now... I'll keep you posted!

Stay Tuned!

Stay tuned.... Mom gets tested on Friday to see if she can be declared "Cancer Free." Fingers crossed and hands folded in prayer! I'll post as soon as I know more...

How does that saying go? ...

One step forward, two steps back!

Talked to Mama today... she had a rough night of pain. She was vomiting because of the intensity of it. It turns out that the lung that was operated on isn't inflating and has water in it - double whammy :( Aside from the pain, it's hard for her to breathe. They are monitoring it and if it doesn't improve tomorrow, she needs to go in for a procedure to fix it. I'm not sure of all the details, she may have been sparing me some information so I don't get too worried. I just may call the nurse again tomorrow and see what he/she has to say...

*Sigh* I'm sure my Mom is frustrated, but I asked her if she regretted getting the surgery and she said no - that's good at least!

If you'd like to visit her, I'm sure she'd love the company! She is in room 373 in the East Wing. If you'd like to give her a call, just text me and I'll text you the direct line.

Keeping the faith...