Truely Home

On behalf of the Strubbe family (Eugene, son in law)

It is with a heavy heart, but with an encouraged spirit that I am writing to let everyone know that Sue passed away last night. It was at 8:15 pm on March 5, 2010. Friends and family were gathered around her as she drew her last breath and peacefully answered the Lord's calling to come home. Tears and hugs were shared through the night as we all grieved a loss and understood that everyone was blessed from the love of a wonderful woman.

Earlier in the day, the hospice nurse had tended to her and recognized that her condition was declining to a critical state. Some other medicine was administered to aid with the pain and some labored breathing at which point she began to rest easier. There were moments where it seemed that she began breathing in time with the ocean waves on the beaches of Gulf Shores. It is fitting since that was one her favorite destinations where she could describe her fondest spots with such detail that you could feel the ocean breeze and take in the aroma of the local cuisine. This was even more evident as all who were gathered could share how Sue had brought life into all of her stories and loved to bring you into it. From a sister, wife, mother, aunt, grand mother, childhood friend to recent friend, mother in law...she never changed and believed that hugs and love could solve anything and if it didn't work the first time, hug and love some more. Sue fought and fought harder from knowing that her loved one's were around. Pastor Jerry from Old Bethel United Methodist Church came over and led a time of prayer.

For all who have been reading and offering your support in prayer, the family has been blessed by you all. It is these overwhelming times that the overwhelming care being received leaves everyone humbled. Please join us as arrangements have been made at

Legacy Funeral Center at Memorial Park
9350 East Washington Street
Indianapolis, IN 46229

http://www.legacyfuneralcenter.com/

www.flanner-buchanan.com/ObituariesGuestBooks/tabid/56/Default.aspx

The calling will be held on Monday, March 8th from 4:00 to 8:00.
On Tuesday, the service will be preceded by an additional time for the calling at 12:00 with the service to start at 1:00.

In the end, I know that Sue was at peace and had to smile that her work here was complete as we continued to share hugs and love. Thank you for joining in this journey and being a part of our lives.

Home Sweet Home

Today mom got to go home. She was very excited and ready to be in some familiar surroundings.

We were not discharged until around 3:00 this afternoon. My dad left the hospital earlier in the day to be at home to receive the supplies provided by hospice. Dad had to move around some of the furniture in our family room to make space for the bed.

Mom was taken home in an ambulance. This was her first time in one. Before the trip, she was given some pain medication to make the trip a little easier. As we were leaving the hospital, she told me that when we got home she wanted to go to bed and sleep. :) What's funny is that is exactly what she did.

After we arrived at the house, a member of the hospice team came out to check over mom and to bring us some final supplies. Her hospice nurse will be coming tomorrow to let us know what her schedule will be and to make sure mom is comfortable.

Rolling Around :)

"I'm ready to get up!"

Those are the words mom spoke earlier today. We got the "lift team" to come and assist mom in getting out of bed around noon. We started with the recliner and then later moved her into a wheelchair. We took her for a stroll...or I guess a roll around the hospital. We stopped by the piano for a bit downstairs in the lobby and then went to hang out in the atrium across from her room. After almost 3 hours of being out of bed, mom was ready to return to bed. The lift team returned again to get mom back into bed. I think she wants to hire them to be her personal lift team. :)

Today the hospice doctor spoke about the possibility of transitioning mom from inpatient hospice care to home hospice care. We were excited to here that news. Mom would really like to be at home. We should know by the end of the week whether or not that will be possible. Please be praying for this possible move and for the transition. We want to make it smooth and easy for mom.

Another Room....but this one has a view

Yesterday we made another move in the hospital to a large room with a view. Mom is now in a room that looks like a hotel room. It has hard wood floors and a large bathroom with beautiful tile. The best part about the room happens to be the atrium right across the hall. It is an enclosed atrium with bamboo trees and flowers. We were able to take mom in there to sit and relax. It was great. We sat in there for about 3 hours enjoying the sunlight pouring in through the skylight.

Mom continues to do well. She feels very comfortable and she's eaten a bit here and there. We've been picking up anything that she's craving. I believe today the craving was shrimp scampi. :)

Mom's had a lot of friends and family visiting the past couple days. She's enjoyed spending time talking and laughing with all of them. We've also met with the hospice doctors and nurses daily. Mom's been making them laugh with her sense of humor. :) They are all very helpful and nice. They are taking great care of my mom.

A Bit of Sunshine

Mom woke up today so clear and coherent. She was not able to remember anything that had happened to her. She didn't know that she'd been so sick. We were all so surprised by that, but then quickly gave praise to God. We know that God was with her and protecting her from all that pain and discomfort. We spent the most of the morning/afternoon filling her in about the week and sharing with her about the decisions that were made regarding her care.

Mom was also able to eat some food for the first time in a week. She requested a Big Mac, fries, and a small coffee. :) She definitely enjoyed it. We did pick up a strawberry shake for her later in the evening from Dairy Queen as well.

Our family enjoyed the time we had to talk and laugh with mom today.

Care for Mom

Yesterday Mom was given more plasma and platelets in order to increase her INR level, so that a paracentesis could be given to her. Everything went well with the new blood; however, by the time she was finished getting it.....it was too late for the procedure. Mom was very uncomfortable and having trouble breathing. Around 8:30 she began to have more trouble breathing. The nurses had to put her on 100% oxygen and they began calling her oncologist and other doctors to see if we could get the fluid removed from her stomach to relieve some of the pressure on her lungs. Thankfully, they were able to find a doctor to do the procedure. He ended up performing the procedure in her room and hooked up a type of drain to her stomach so that the fluid could be continually removed from here on out. We were so thankful for his help. Mom has already shown huge improvements in her breathing and she was really able to rest comfortable for the first time in about 5 days.

Today we spoke with the nurse practitioner that works with her oncologist. We had the discussion about next steps for mom. At this time, there is not much more that can be done for her. We spoke a lot about wanting to keep her comfortable and being able to manage any pain that she has. We are planning to speak with someone regarding hospice care later today. The doctor has recommended that we keep her in the inpatient hospice care here at the hospital. At the hospital, she'll continue to receive care from the nurses as well as having a hospice nurse that will check in with her daily. The goal will be to keep her as comfortable as we can. We are so thankful for all the staff here at the hospital. They have been very helpful and caring during this time.

We continue to give thanks to our family and friends for supporting us.

Some more news

Over the night Mom continued to feel a little restless and found it difficult to sleep. In the morning she started to feel the effects of fatigue and low blood sugar. Initially she began to suffer through moments of disorientation. The staff began to treat the blood sugar by giving her a supplement through the IV every 6 hours. In addition, they continued administering antibiotics and saline. As the day progressed, she felt a little more settled but is still dealing with the swelling from the fluid build up in her abdomen. The on call doctor conferred with her Oncologist regarding the treatments for her current conditions and shared that there was not much more that could be done. They advised that treatments should be scaled back and directed towards keeping mom comfortable. The goal right now is to get her blood back under control and then to remove the fluid from her abdomen.

Mom continues to find comfort from all the support and love that has come from family and friends. We are grateful that she has been blessed with such great friends. As well, we would also like to thank everyone who has helped the rest of my family.

Moving to a new room

Today, Mom got moved off of the ICU unit. Her blood pressure continues to be stable. We are really excited about that. She's still having a little trouble breathing every now and then. She uses the oxygen at times, usually when she's resting. Since she got moved, she was able to get the arterial line removed. Her arm is all black and blue and does hurt. However, she's glad that it's gone. More than anything she's just tired. Mom wasn't able to get much rest again last night, so the lack of sleep is catching up with her. Her new room is a little quieter and darker, so I think she'll be able to rest more.

Tomorrow we are hoping to hear that she'll be able to get the fluid removed from her abdomen. As long as her blood looks good, it should be possible.

News from the Doctor

On Friday morning, we were able to meet with mom's oncologist to talk over what's been going on. Thursday evening she had a CT scan, so he was able to speak with us about that as well. The CT scan showed that the cancer has grown. Her doctor also advised to stop chemo treatments at this time. He talked a lot about maintaining treatments to make mom comfortable, such as her medications and getting the fluid removed from her abdomen as needed. The bacteria in her blood and her drop in blood pressure were other factors that also lead her doctor to move away from any chemo treatments.

Mom continued to receive blood pressure medication to regulate it through out the day on Friday and into the night. She did have to have an arterial line put in her right arm, because they were unable to find her blood pressure with a cuff. Once the line was in, they were able to really pin point how much medication to give her to regulate it. Thankfully, on Saturday, she was weaned off and holding her blood pressure on her own. Her breathing rate has also increased. At times she does us the oxygen, because the fluid in her stomach does make breathing difficult. She has a lot of fluid in her abdomen right now. They would like to give her the paracentesis, but her blood work showed that she had a low red blood cell count. That result has pushed back the paracentesis for now. To help get her blood back on track, she was given 2 bags of blood today. The nurses also gave her some medications to try to take off some of the fluid. Mom's hands and especially her legs/feet are very swollen. As long as mom is able to keep her blood pressure up and her blood work comes back okay, she should be able to get the fluid removed on Monday. With all the medications, fluid, blood, and more mom's receiving, the nurses had to put in a picc line. They can only give so many things through her port, so they need another access point.

Over the past couple days, mom has had little sleep. She was only taking about 10 to 15 minute cat naps. Today she finally started taking longer naps. She still hasn't been eating very much. She has been drinking a lot of water though, so that's been good.

Please keep up your prayers for my mom. She is so thankful for all the prayers that have been lifted up and that continue to be lifted up.

I was reminded of the following verse on Friday.

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

We have trust in God in all of this. We know that He has a purpose and a plan for my mom.

Update

Mom had to be moved to ICU today due to her low blood pressure. Her blood pressure has been fluctuating all day. The doctors are still working to get it stabilized. Mom's breathing has also been a concern most of the day as well. She's been very winded still. The doctors did mention that she may have to be put on a ventilator if it doesn't improve. This evening they did discover a bacteria infection of some kind in her blood test. Thankfully she was already on some antibiotics, so they are planning to increase the dose.

We can't say thank you enough for all the prayers and love that's been poured out for my mom and family. Thank you!!

Back to the ER

Mom was able to go home on Tuesday; however, she had a rough night. She wasn't able to get much sleep after getting home from the hospital. Then, today (Wednesday) mom noticed that she was short of breathe. She was having a very difficult time doing any type of activity. She felt very winded and weak. She made a call to her oncologist and he told her to return to the hospital immediately. He was concerned that she may have a blood clot in her lung. About a month ago, her oncologist found the beginnings of a blood clot in her right leg, so he's very concerned about blood clots forming. She was on some blood thinners, but hasn't been taking them for the past week. She had to go off the medicine in order to complete the procedure to remove fluid from her stomach.

At the hospital today, we did find out that her blood is very thick, so the concern about a blood clot is still there. They were not able to do any intensive scan yet. Her kidney levels were also low, so we have to wait for those to come up. She was admitted to the hospital tonight and hopefully we will find out more information tomorrow. I will post more when I know.

Hospital Stay

Mom was able to stay at the hospital all weekend and is still there now. She's been getting a ton of fluids and sodium. I think she's on bag number 6 or 7 now. Crazy, huh? She is feeling better and has a lot more strength.

The staff at the hospital has been great. She's been able to meet with a dietitian to talk about her lack of eating as well as her oncologist. Her oncologist came by to look over her blood work and to see what happened this weekend since he wasn't on call. He did decide to postpone chemo for this week. I think she'll get back on a regular routine next week.

Thankfully mom was able to have the fluid removed from her abdomen today around noon. Her blood level was a little too high so they gave her some plasma before the procedure. They were able to remove about 20 pounds. The doctor that did the procedure talked about having her schedule a regular appointment every 2 weeks. We plan to talk to the oncologist about getting that set up next week.

Mom should be released tomorrow morning to go home. Thanks for all your prayers. Please keep them up.

Stay at the Hospital

Mom had to be admitted to the hospital on Saturday. She had not been feeling well this entire week. She hasn't eating and drinking very much. Her stomach is also very full of fluid again.

On Friday, she was very weak. She was complaining of some back pain and that it was hard to lift her legs. We made a call to her oncologist and were told to go to the ER is she got more uncomfortable. We ended up taking her Saturday afternoon, because the pain did increase and she was weak. We were there about 5 hours before she was admitted. They found that she was dehydrated and that her sodium level was dangerously low. They were not able to remove any of the fluid from her stomach yet. She was already scheduled to have that done on Monday at the hospital, so they've just had her keep that appointment. The plan is to have her be the first patient on Monday.

She will be staying at the hospital at least through Monday. We are not sure if they'll keep her after the fluid is removed or not. Thankfully all the fluid and sodium she's been given has made her feel better. We think that she'll feel even better once all the other fluid is drained from her stomach.

Please pray that she continues to improve and that the doctors will be able to help her as much as they can.

Treatment Update

Mom has completed two rounds of her new chemo treatment. She has her third treatment this coming Monday. This new chemo treatment has been a little rough. Mom has had a lot of new side effects.

After her first treatment, she was very nauseous. Thankfully the doctor was able to give her medicine to help with the nausea. Mom also noticed that she's continued to be sensitive to cold items. She drinks and eats most items at room temperature now. The doctor said that the sensitivity to cold was a very common side effect.

After her second treatment, mom developed mouth sores. The mouth sores have made eating very challenging. Her checks and lips are also a bit swollen. She was able to get some medicine for the mouth sores, so we are hoping that it will help.

On a positive note, the fluid build-up in her abdomen seems to have slowed some. She did have to have another paracentesis about two weeks ago. The doctor removed 25 pounds this time around. That's the highest amount she's had removed at one time. Since the procedure, the fluid retention seems to be less. She still has been receiving treatments twice a week to help decrease the fluid and we do think those treatments are helping.

On January 24, Mom celebrated her birthday with family and friends. She got to have two birthday dinners. One with friends and the other with our family. She had a great time at both.

Here's a picture of the birthday girl.

New Chemo

On Monday, mom began a her new chemo treatment. We spent about 6 hours at the cancer center learning about her new treatment while she received her first dose.

Mom's new chemo treatment will always begin at the cancer center with 2 chemo drugs given simultaneously over 2 hours. Then, a home care nurse will come to hook up a pump with the remaining chemo drugs that will be administered over 46 hours. After the 46 hours, the home care nurse will go to unhook the pump in the comfort of my mom's home. Mom's chemo treatments will take place every other week now. The doctor is planning to have another CT scan done once she's had about 4 cycles of this new treatment.

Everything seemed to go well with her first treatment; however, mom has experienced some nausea. She did go to the cancer center today for another treatment to help with the fluid retention, so she was able to get a prescription for 2 new nausea medications. Hopefully those medications will help. We are really glad that the doctors decided to treat her fluid retention twice a week now. She will go on Mondays and Thursdays for a 2 hour treatment on a regular basis.

Updates

Sorry it's been so long since an update. Here a few....

Mom ended up having another paracentesis to have more fluid drained from her abdomen on December 31st. She had to wait a week before the procedure could be preformed due to her INR or blood clotting factor. The procedure went really well and they were able to remove 20 pounds. Mom felt very week and sore after she was back in her room. The doctors gave her some more fluids and protein before releasing her. We learned that the fluid being taken out of her abdomen is protein, so when that much is removed she needs to have a supplement.

The week after her paracentesis, she was unable to get chemo due to her white blood cell count, being a little dehydrated, and her blood pressure had also dropped a lot. She's been taken off of her blood pressure medicine now and her blood pressure has been going up. Since she didn't get the chemo, her doctor decided to have her get a CT scan. Due to her dehydration, she had to get a total of 7 hours of fluid along with the scan. She had to get an hour before and six hours after. It was a long day.

On Monday of this week, mom got the results from the CT scan. The scan showed that the cancer has grown. It has not spread to any other organs, but has increased in size. The doctor decided to stop her current chemo treatment, because it's not working. He briefly mentioned a few options and set up an appointment to discuss the options in more detail on Friday. Mom did have some more fluid built up in her abdomen, so the doctor scheduled her for another paracentsis on Thursday. She had the paracentsis on Thursday and everything went well. The doctors only removed 10 pounds from her this time. She felt great.

Today, Friday, we met with the doctor to discuss some options. We are planning to have her start another chemo treatment this coming Monday. This treatment will involve receiving chemo and then being on a pump for 48 hours after chemo. Since she'll have to bring the pump home, we are going to be assigned a home health care person as well. We are scheduled to have a chemo teach on the day of her appointment to learn some more about the drug and possible side effects. We already know that this drug will make her very sensitive to cold. She is not looking forward to that.

Please continue to pray for my mom and our family as we continue to battle this cancer. We pray that mom responds well to this new treatment. Many thanks.