Holiday and Treatment Updates

This holiday season was filled with love. My mom has always been blessed by her co-workers and close friends. She got to experience more of the blessings of their love and friendship through their generous gifts to her this holiday season. Many thanks from my family and especially my mom.

Mom also got to spend a lot of time with family. We celebrated my brother's birthday by going to Dave and Buster's. Mom enjoyed playing a few games and watching all of us as well. Mom even ventured to the mall to do some last minute Christmas shopping. My parents hosted Christmas at their house this year. We enjoyed a great meal and time together.

Mom's had some regular appointments to the Cancer Center. At her last chemo treatment, she was put on blood thinners. In order to make sure her blood reaches the right level, she's had to go have her blood checked at least twice a week. Thankfully, today at her regular chemo appointment, her blood reached a high enough level that she could stop the injections. Yeah....as mom said!!! The only negative, regarding her high blood level now, is that she was unable to have any fluid drained from her abdomen today. Over the holidays, mom's abdomen began filling with fluid again. It's been very uncomfortable. She's been short of breathe and unable to eat very much. The doctors did make an appointment for her to come back this Wednesday to see if she can have the fluid drained then. Please be praying that she'll be able to have the procedure done.

12 pounds

After mom's blood transfusion last Tuesday, she began to experience some swelling in her stomach. The swelling caused mom a lot of discomfort. After a call in to her oncologist, she was scheduled to have an ultrasound on Friday. The ultra sound confirmed that there was fluid in her abdomen. The fluid is a common occurrence for patients with the type of cancer mom has. The doctors went ahead and scheduled to have the fluid removed. Once they inserted a small needle into her abdomen, the fluid just poured out. They were able to remove 12 pounds of fluid. Amazing, huh? Mom had immediate relief. She was able to move, bend, and even able to sleep on her side for the first time in months. The doctors said that the fluid will return again. Mom is supposed to call when she begins to experience discomfort again. She was encouraged to not wait as long as she did this time.

Today, mom had her regular chemo appointment. She was feeling great. In fact, she's felt wonderful all weekend long. Yea!! Having the fluid removed, increased her energy and appetite. She even ate some steak this weekend. Mom was able to have chemo today. Her blood work came back fine. Her red blood cell count was way up. The only complaint mom had today was some leg pain. A few days ago, she began experiencing some discomfort in her calf. The doctor was a little concerned and decided to send her for an ultrasound. The ultrasound confirmed that it was the beginnings of a blood clot. Thankfully we caught it early. The blood clot is located right behind her knee and causing her calf to hurt because it's cutting off the blood flow. The doctor has now put mom on blood thinners to help get rid of the clot. She has to take a pill and also give herself a shot everyday. They will continue to monitor her blood and increase/decrease the medication as needed.

Update

The holiday weekend flew by. On Thursday, mom enjoyed a Thanksgiving meal at my house along with my husband's family. Then, on Saturday, we gathered with my dad's family for desserts and a movie. It was fun getting together with so many family members. Mom really enjoyed herself. We were a little worried that she wouldn't be up for all the festivities, because she'd been feeling a little weak. Since she began her new chemo cycles, she hasn't had much of an appetite and her energy level has been low.

Thankfully we found out the reason for her loss of energy yesterday when she went in for a chemo treatment. The nurses ran her blood work and her red blood cell count came back really low. They've been watching her blood count for some time now, but this was the first time it fell below 8.0. We were told before that she'd have to have a blood transfusion if it fell below 8.0. Her blood cell count was 7.1. So, that explained her loss of appetite and especially her loss of energy. The nurses canceled her chemo and scheduled a blood transfusion.

Today, mom went in for her blood transfusion. They gave her two bags of blood. Each bag took 3 hours. They were able to give her the blood through her port as well. Everything went well. She didn't have any immediate reactions to the new blood. The nurses noted that her hands and face were a little pink after the transfusion, which I guess is a good thing. Mom went home after the transfusion and rested. So far, she's been feeling fine. She is scheduled to receive her next chemo treatment on Monday.

Please be praying that her body continues to respond well to the blood transfusion and that her energy level increases.