X-TREE, X-TREE. Read all about it-Bloggers Return!

Well,
Eileen had had an unusually busy day yesterday. She insisted on doing several loads of laundary (& folding mine, bringing it up & putting it away). I was working on calenders for Dad & Eileen's schedules so I wasn't watching her too closely. We had slept a bit late but once up, she was eating & doing & phoning. She was also noticing a large amount of hair loss suddenly so I did some research & we selected a short wig, styled & colored like her hair Then I made a pork roast & she couldn't wait for the Doc to get home so she could eat b /c it smelled soooo good. (Very unusual). She ate well & chatted for quite some time w/ Phil so she was tired when she went to bed. (I've never seen her so active since she arrived 11/17).
This morning, our question list made for Dr. Cross - her big one "Do you think I'm going to beat this thing?" - we were ready for the appt so when she wasn't getting up, I let her sleep in. Meanwhile, I ordered the wig & accessories & got Phil's calender posted & current on the fridge (He said he thought it was Eileen's calender) We put the wreath & elf away & all of a sudden it was 11:30 & our appt was @ 1:00! I got her up, got a shower while she downed some Boost, she got showered & dressed & we were there a fashionably 10 minutes late. She had her blood drawn, weighed in @ 93 lbs on their scale (91 last weigh-in) & we waited for Dr. Cross in the treatment room. She was uncomfortable - had awakened during the night w/ pain in her R arm, R shoulder, R scapula & across the midline of her back to the L scapula area (where Henry, Jr. had been - he's since disappeared) But she had to take 2 Vicodin which is probably why she slept in.
Anyway, Dr. Cross asked lots of questions re: her reactions to treatment, energy, pain , location, any edema, new pain sites plus appetite & eating regimen. Then it was her her turn. She asked about hair loss. He said he was surprised b/c this combo of drugs doesn't usually cause loss of hair - except in the presence of general malnutrition, especially protein deficiency. So she had to fess up re: her treatment of Boost as meals, not supplements, & promised to eat more meals - like the pork roast last nite. But. He seemed genuinely happy that her wt. had gone UP b/c he had expected a drop from post chemo nausea & diarrhea. (Of course, he had covered that w/ a new anti-nausea drug given w/ the chemo so she's had NO nausea or diarrhea.)
Then she asked (after telling him how wonderful & efficient the care was Saturday @ Va. Oncology) whether she could make that her home base & have her treatments on Tues., Wed., & Thurs. w/ Bld work on Monday. He said, "SURE! and we can draw your blood Tuesday - I get the results right away & can change your dosage if necessary." We were @ Beach Gen. from noon until 9 PM Thursday & she was there from 8:30 AM until 6:30 PM Friday.Saturday, her fluid treatment was started @ 1:15 & finished @ 3:15. Her NEW schedule for the last round of round 2 is Gemzar x 1, ie, Wednesday, and NO IV fluids b/c no Carboplatin)(platinum)(got it last wk), then )her week off
So, let's follow along: Leenie is on a 3 wk (21 day) regimen of chemo. She only gets platinum once. So wk 1, Day 1 (Tuesday) = Gemzar; Day 2 (Wednesday) = Carboplatin - platinum, which depletes fluid - and Day 3 (Thursday) IV fluids. Day 4 is the following Tuesday, when she gets only Gemzar & therefore does not need IV fluids or a "day 5". The following week is her week off. In this case, at the conclusion of cycle 2 (2 wks of chemo; 1 wk off (21 days), she will have the CT's & x-rays of the neck, thorax (lungs) and C-spine, if indicated.
This last evaluation was sparked by the persistence/exacerbation of pain in R arm, now radiating to mid-back @ scapula level and the to L scapula area. Dr. Cross said the cause of this pain pattern can be 1) the radiation treatment which damaged the R brachial plexus nerves OR 2) pathology in the Cervical spine at the neck level such that the exit holes for the nerves leaving the spinal column & going out to supply the R & L shoulders & arms are being pressured by a cancer metastatic node causing interruption/aberrant signals to the muscles of both arms & shoulder areas. If this is the case, those cancer nodes must be eradicated so that nerve supply is normal again. Dr. Cross has ordered an MRI of the C-Spine to be done this Thursday @ Beach General so that he will have the results on Monday, 02/02, her next office visit.
Her White Blood Count (WBC) went from an initial 2.1 (very low) to 5.1 (very good) this wk and her Hemoglobin was 35 and Hematocrit 10 (low, but OK red blood cell count.) Don't know today's results.
When Leenie asked him how he thought she "was doing" - a toughy -, he said, "Really well. You haven't had any ill effects from the chemo; your weight is going up; you seem less tired. I'm very pleased." Eileen responded, "That makes me feel GREAT!" to which Dr. Cross did his shy smile. Then she asked, in that she's been taking all these pills, but not THE pill, could she be pregnant, and dear Dr. Cross, blushed & finally laughed, saying, "Anything's possible!"
She was flying - & craving a corned beef sandwich. So we went to "No Frills Grill", she chowed down, came home & took a nap & is contentedly reading.
And that's the truth. . . .
Lorane

PS: These words will have to be worth 1,000 pictures b/c I'm too pooped to mess w/ it.

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Wednesday - 01/21/09 - much ado about nothing, save sleep deprivation

Up @ 5:30 to wait for the call telling us to go to Norfolk or Virginia Beach General for 3 hours of Gemzar Infusion plus IV fluids. And at

10 AM a frazzled Marylyn called to say, "I guess Wednesday is a very busy day." Sooo busy that Leenie will have to wait until tomorrow. Also Dr. Cross has changed the regimen from Gemzar on day 1 and Platinum on day 2 to Gemzar days 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 and Platinum ONLY on day 6 of week 3. Apparently her blood work indicated that she responds better to Gemzar and he is quite convin ced that the Primary is lung for which Gemzar is the best bullet, Platinum attacking pancreatic more effectively. The dosage will be higher (if bld work permits) and the side effects less severe. So tomorrow & Friday = Gemzar & Saturday is IV fluids. Naturally, the disappointment was palpable all day and for toppers she was having increased pain on the Right rear shoulder. She DID eat well and rest with a little help from chemistry.

So here's to tomorrow and the 0utfi t that will become de rigueur in every Infusion Department in the country!

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Move Update

As expected, last weeks temperatures. were too low to move. Friday was the coldest day in Cleveland in 15 years, 13 below zero. We will be moving this weekend and I decided to go with a 10x15 locker. . Its going to come to $133/mo including insurance and tax, not too bad compared to other prices I looked at.

I'm still having trouble with the post-office and forwarding the mail. I filled out the change-of-address form and I am still receiving mail. I'll be going to the post-office Friday morning to straighten it out (hopefully the "change" the new president promised has motivated the postal workers to "change" their work ethic and attitude. I won't hold my breath)

Mom, it might help speed up the mail process if you contact the important people- Board of Education, Credit Card Company, The hospitals, etc. and have them change your address. I'll keep working on the union workers up here and see if I can get any help from them.

I hope the visitors over the weekend lifted your spirits! Please let us know how today's chemo treatment went.

Go Cardinals!

Tuesday - 01/20/09

There is the cutest pic of Leenie in these absurd pink clarabelle slippers . . .
But since it's late & I can't upload it, I'll just say the visit was fun, hectic and crowded with funny little people wanting to play with everything/body showing NO interest in the Steeler game.
Tomorrow, Leenie begins round 2. (She went from 88 to 91 lbs during the festivities!). She had blood work done today. Tomorrow, she will hav3 a 3 hr. infusion of Gemzar & IV fluids; Thursday, the Platinum & IV fluids & Friday IV fluids.
She is not as tired but this session will take its toll. I'll be force-feeding & generally bitching @ her b/c nutrition is her only armor.
She enjoyed the inauguration today but is tense about the chemo session so boot those prayers up. It's freezing and grey which really gets her down but I keep telling her it's great weather for lots ofr hot "Boost" & long, cozy naps with Bridie whose job is to warm Leenie's feet & negotiate a few potato chips.
Soooo sorry about the font color - must have had sun /hapiness on my mind - "burning", Brian? (By the the by, Bri, Molly called 2 days ago wanting to know if B-r-i-a-n was here. . .)
And Tim, great job with the sale. I guess you sold the heater separately b/c Uncle Phil just had to buy one for our dryer. "and the plane crashes. Then nobody wins. . ." Forget you wrote that, Tim. I'm trying to.
L
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Wednesday - 01/14/09

Hey,
Quiet day. Leenie's intake - fluids & solids - continues to be good. So good that she refused to weigh in this morning, as promised, b/c she was eating (& talking snippily with food in her mouth). She really seems to be getting better. The mass on her left scapula is now GONE. Very pleased about that.
She rested, read & got her room in order while I had STEELERS' gold highlights put in my hair. Quiet evening, making possible/changeable plans for the weekend visit of Kath & the twins. Emotions are running high - hell, what isn't these days - but I trust the rewards will be commensurate. . .
Lorane
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Update on the Move

-Queen Size Mattress.......................................................$75
-Queen Size Box-Spring w/ Frame
(sold separately from mattress).....................................$40
-Chevy Lumina w/ 155,000 miles, No
Heat, Poor Tires, an Oldsmobile Steering Column,
Broken Locks, a smoking engine that has
been sitting in below freezing temps for 6 weeks.........$200
-Watching two Spanish guys named
Ricardo and Alex spend 45 minutes getting
the frozen Chevy Lumina to start...................................Priceless.


Sunday was packing day and with the Help of Betsy, Linda and Zubin, we were able to finish wrapping, boxing, and organizing all the contents of Mom's Apt. Most everything was placed in boxes and prepared for the move. With the help of Craigslist, I was able to acquire some extra moving cash by selling the above items. Still have a couch and entertainment center posted and I am accepting offers. You wouldn't believe the amount of phone calls I received on just the car alone. And, I'm sorry to inform Aunt Lorane and Uncle Phil, you were the last two to use the queen size bed as a whole, the parts were sold separately.

The move, which was originally going to happen this past weekend was moved to next weekend. Unfortunately, the Cleveland weather forecast is calling for single digit temperatures with negative wind chill temps all weekend. Needless to say, the move might get bumped back another week (sorry landlord) unless my small army and I muster up the courage to brave the frigid temps. (nothing a few shots of whiskey can't handle). Either way, the packing is done and all is ready to be moved.

I plan to rent a U-Haul of the 16-17 foot variety which should accomodate all of Mom's belongings in one trip. We will be storing it all, with the exception of some clothes, the china, silver, crystal, a few paintings, and two mirrors, in a storage facility near-by (still needs to be reserved). I'm going to guess that with the number of guys that volunteered (hopefully they show) to help and the first-floor layout of Mom's Apt, the move shouldn't take too long. That is all for now--back to torts, contracts, legal writing, and criminal law.


Tim H

Mom's New Email Address

Eileenhuber@gmail.com