Friday Jan 30, 09 7 pm
Dad and Val left at 8 and got home around 5pm from chemo #3. Their favorite nurse Tony was sick so Joanne administered the chemo treatment. She received 20% less of the dose today and will at every 3rd chemo to give her body a break. Everything was given the same as the second chemo so Val should have the same results and feel "as good as she did last time". The CA-125 marker was 245 last month and now after the 2nd chemo is 146 (Yea!). The MD listened to her lungs and felt that her R lung presented with less fluid compared to last time. She still requires oxygen, but this deserves a (Yea!) also. The MD palpated her stomach and decided it was less hard than last month...what this tells us I am unsure. Except to tell you that the yesterday Dad reported her abdominal pains as worse. She still takes her two pain pills a day apparently. The chest x-ray and abdominal C-T scan which we thought were happening after the third round of chemo is not happening until after the 8 chemo. He originally told us these tests would be repeated after 3 and that she would get only 6 rounds so why he changed his mind on these two factors is an answer yet to get. Thank you to Baine and Denise who met Dad and Val at chemo and who drove them back to Barre after it was over. (Denise followed them as Baine drove their car). Dad went to lunch for Mexican with Alison. She reports he is still in many phases of coping: angry, sad, angry, sad. Thank you to Nancy who spent some time visiting Val during her chemo today (Nancy please comment on this blog if you could. Thank you ).
Val apparently looked like a million dollars today. She wore a great pink hat, pink outfit, lipstick and jewelry. She has them fooled down at chemo. No one would know that she doesn't leave her bedroom, refuses to walk downstairs or take care of her animals, and eats all her meals with Dad looking at the back of the television in their bedroom. So if anyone can encourage her to take some steps to "live while she is living" that would be much appreciated from myself as she won't do it for me or my father. Love and prayers to Val always Salynn
2 comments:
Salynn,
Thanks so much for the very encouraging update. It does really sound good. The physical markers as well as the jewelry and lipstick are great signs. I understand your concern about the going downstairs, etc. Lloyd and I tried when we were there but obviously she isnt ready....maybe baby steps and a kind of retreating is how she can deal right now.
It is frustrating when the MD plan changes but after working with them all these years it is something they do for not always heavy duty reasons so I'm trying not to read into it.
So again, thank you to all.
Fran and Lloyd
Salynn,
In my phone conversation with Val on Thursday night before the chemo, she told me that she is just starting to feel like herself and have an interest in living.
I will be seeing her this week and will work on getting her ooutside the bedroom.
Cindy Catto
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