Lori went to Indy today and completed all of her scans. She had a CAT scan of her chest and abdomen as well as a full-body bone scan. The results won’t be ready for a couple of days, and we probably won’t hear about them until Monday morning when we visit with Dr. S again. We’re praying for good news (neutral development would be considered good news), and we’ll likely start the next round of chemo the same day. Continue reading
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Pathology couldn’t see any cracks or breaks on Lori’s ribs, so that is good news. Mostly, I’m just relieved that she doesn’t have ribs as frail as they seemed. It would be nice to know, however, what is causing her added pain (she can feel it through the morphine). The May 13 full bone scans and MRI may show us more. Continue reading
The infusion went well yesterday. Same routine with no problems.
We didn’t get a Dr. to look at her ribs, so we’re going back to Indy tomorrow to have X-Rays done to check on that possible crack.
I still haven’t heard back from the MDA POC, so I’ve sent some follow-up emails. We expect to hear back soon.
Lori and I are just about to head out for another infusion appointment in Indy. This week, Lori has felt pretty good overall with the exception of one rib that hurts more than the others. Even through the morphine (she uses a slow release morphine now instead of the hydrocodon)she feels that rib hurting. She suspects it may be broken or cracked, so we’re going to ask about that today. She heard it pop the other day when she was leaning down to pick something up. It’s very possible that it was just very frail and it now may have a small fracture or something. Other than that, she’s doing very well. Hair is thinning more and more, but it isn’t falling out in clumps as it does for many chemo patients.
We had our first check-up visit with Dr. S. yesterday morning. He examined Lori’s tumor and found that it is definitely smaller than it was three weeks ago! Also, the lymph nodes felt normal, and Lori felt no pain when he examined her there. Three weeks ago, the lymph nodes were sore and there were solid lumps. This week, the lymph node lumps are either gone or much much smaller, and it isn’t sore. So, Dr. S. seemed very happy about her progress under Taxol, and we are relieved to hear such good news! I had begun to think the tumor had actually grown since her first appointment last month. I certainly didn’t expect to hear a good progress report this early. Continue reading
This morning, Lori is in Indy getting her port installed. The port will sit just under the skin at the top of her chest. The port has a silicone bubble through which the chemo will be injected in the future. It feeds directly into the blood stream. It’s an easier way of administering the drug vice using the IV method. The install requires a minor surgery using local anesthesia. Continue reading
Last Monday, Lori had her third chemo infusion. She has begun to fall into a bit of a routine as far as her reaction to the drugs. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, she is still very lively due to the steroids. On Thursday and Friday, she tends to sleep much more. On the weekends, she does very well with pain medications, and life seems pretty much normal. Now that her third infusion is done, that wraps up the first cycle. She’ll likely go through two more cycles of three infusions each. Continue reading
Lori’s second appointment went well. Her brother and sister-in-law were in town visiting, and they drove to Indy with us Monday morning. On the following Tuesday and most of Wednesday, Lori felt great due in large part to the steroids, I assume. Today, the steroids will have run their course, so I’m interested to see how she will feel. This morning very early, she was awake with some pain in her ribs, but she slept well overall. Continue reading
Things are going well over all. Lori is more tired than usual, but she is able to rest whenever she needs to rest, so that is good. Her pain is mild while the hydrocodon keeps on doing its thing. Other than soreness and some extra fatigue, she isn’t showing any other symptoms from the Taxol. We try to take a short walk every night just to keep her active, and she is typically able to accomplish that without too much trouble. Continue reading
Everything went well today. We left Lafayette for Indy at 1045, and we arrived at 1200 for a 1230 appointment. In the lobby, they have puzzles set out for patients awaiting their appointment times, and Lori and I crushed one puzzle (smallish one), started another, and found 11 missing pieces from the first puzzle mixed into the second puzzle’s box! So needless to say, we were feeling pretty proud of ourselves. They say pride comes before the fall, but we just kept on whipping those puzzles. Continue reading