An update from Thursday's last post will, again, be mixed with good and bad. Wesley and Hope accompanied me to visit Cathy on Thursday evening and Leanne joined us a little later. We were all encouraged at Cathy's coherence and improvement resulting from some pain medications and the IVIG drip.
Friday AM I was back at the hospital in the morning for Dr. Bayer's rounds. Cathy had received her chemo overnight and was responding very well. While I was at work she had some visitors and appeared to be unfazed. Friday night upon my return with Hope, we were amazed at what we saw. Leanne had come as well and remarked that Cathy looked about 80% of her normal self and I couldn't disagree. Her pain meds were changed slightly and she received her 2nd dose of IVIG.
Saturday, however, was an awful "relapse" into the pain and weakness we had been seeing prior to arriving at the hospital. Before I made it to the hospital in the morning, Cathy called to inform me of her sleepless and uncomfortable night. Her normally concave abdomen has been slightly distended due to the swelling of her liver from the cancer. Cathy is much too private and proper for me to write this but both chemo and the pain meds are each sufficient alone to cause constipation ... she had BOTH and is quite stopped up as a result, adding insult to injury in her abdomen.
The Dr. had indicated that [especially when the tumor has not been surgically removed prior to?] her chemo would present her with good and bad days. The effects of the meds on the tumor themselves might release toxins[?] and make her sick, too. In her experience, if this is the case, it seems a bit odd since she had such a great day immediately following the chemo and this day we'd all like to forget today!
While I took Hope home in the late afternoon for a change of scenery for her and dinner at home, Leanne remained with Cathy. Leanne called from the hospital and offered to care for Hope at home while I returned to visit Cathy. Upon her arrival, Leanne was visibly shaken and crying profusely by Cathy's condition. It's now 9:30 PM and Cathy is miserable with minuscule relief. Now her third night in the hospital ... we'll need to see remarkable improvement for her to come home sometime on Sunday, but not until we know she is good AND stable.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Mixed [but mostly good] News
Wow, what a day. It was over 5 hours from entry at Delnor til Cathy finally got in her room ... and another hour before Cathy saw Dr. Bayer. He is a no nonsense, smart and very compassionate [certainly to his model patient, my wife] oncologist. We got some discouraging news but nothing compared to the GREAT news he brought - Cathy's bone marrow is cancer free!! Her marrow showed no pre-leukemia, no damage from last year's chemo and it is producing "boat loads of platelets".
Thus the "bad" news: evidently her liver is "eating up the platelets" and he diagnosed her with ITP [Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura]. This is an autoimmune disease of unknown? origin and as a result her chemotherapy regimen will unfortunately change. Instead of the Loyola based trial with three chemos, she'll get two of them but with different frequency [more on that later].
We are just jazzed between the results of the bone marrow test and the fact that she's in the hospital, getting pain medication, being monitored AND getting the IVIG [platelet protector] she was supposed to get today AND BETTER YET, getting the chemo when the IVIG is finished dripping.
As for the chemo, she will NOT get Carboplatin but tonight will get Avastin along with the "nan [nano albumin bound] paclitaxel". We have no idea if / when she'll get off the chemo. She will get the nan-paclitaxel weekly and Avastin every three weeks. For at least the near term she will also get the IVIG on roughly a monthly basis.
Tonight she, and we, can all rest comfortably knowing that she is getting the proper care she needs. Tomorrow morning we'll meet with Dr. Bayer again and we are going to lobby for her to stay in the hospital until her pain is conquered and / or we can see some noticeable improvement to her abdominal pain.
Tonight our pleading has changed to praise. Thank you Lord!
Thus the "bad" news: evidently her liver is "eating up the platelets" and he diagnosed her with ITP [Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura]. This is an autoimmune disease of unknown? origin and as a result her chemotherapy regimen will unfortunately change. Instead of the Loyola based trial with three chemos, she'll get two of them but with different frequency [more on that later].
We are just jazzed between the results of the bone marrow test and the fact that she's in the hospital, getting pain medication, being monitored AND getting the IVIG [platelet protector] she was supposed to get today AND BETTER YET, getting the chemo when the IVIG is finished dripping.
As for the chemo, she will NOT get Carboplatin but tonight will get Avastin along with the "nan [nano albumin bound] paclitaxel". We have no idea if / when she'll get off the chemo. She will get the nan-paclitaxel weekly and Avastin every three weeks. For at least the near term she will also get the IVIG on roughly a monthly basis.
Tonight she, and we, can all rest comfortably knowing that she is getting the proper care she needs. Tomorrow morning we'll meet with Dr. Bayer again and we are going to lobby for her to stay in the hospital until her pain is conquered and / or we can see some noticeable improvement to her abdominal pain.
Tonight our pleading has changed to praise. Thank you Lord!
Where do I begin?
As I post, we are attempting to get Cathy admitted to the hospital [Delnor]. Here for almost 2.5 hours and she's just beginning to get labs in the ER. Cathy has been in significant discomfort and distress with inability to breathe, coughing and abdominal and chest pain due the cancer on her liver. Evenings of late have been very difficult as she tries to get to sleep but finally this morning [to the relief of many, especially me] thru consultation with Dr. Bayer, he thought it best to admit her. Now let me back up.
Monday 9/28 Cathy made her way back to LaGrange Oncology [in Geneva @ Delnor] to have her platelet levels checked and review the PET scan results from Saturday. After taking Dexamethasone [steroid] to help restore her platelets, they actually FELL from 70 on Friday to 58 on Monday. As a result, Dr. Bayer took bone marrow from her hip - OUCH! The full body PET scan showed no advance of the cancer to anywhere else in her body, praise God.
Tuesday saw Cathy at Central DuPage Hospital to get the mediport installed. Between the sedation, pain medication and oxygen, Cathy reports she felt GREAT. But from Tuesday night til now, all of her distress got worse.
Based upon Cathy's weakness and my observation of her Tuesday night and Wednesday morning I called her from my office to inform her I was calling Dr. Bayer to see if they could observe her or admit her to the hospital after chemo on Thursday. Although Cathy told me "NO", against her wishes I called. The nurse said chemo is really only on an outpatient basis [as we knew from her earlier chemo] and informed me she had no chemo scheduled! An appointment was scheduled for 2:00 but Cathy declined when I informed her of it. She called the Drs. office, cancelled the appointment, took a Tylenol and enjoyed a brief sunbath which seemed to help. Evidently Dr. Bayer is awaiting the results of the bone marrow test and will not give her chemo until her platelets are increased ... they scheduled an infusion of some super dooper platelet producing drug for today, 10/1 at 11:00.
Monday 9/28 Cathy made her way back to LaGrange Oncology [in Geneva @ Delnor] to have her platelet levels checked and review the PET scan results from Saturday. After taking Dexamethasone [steroid] to help restore her platelets, they actually FELL from 70 on Friday to 58 on Monday. As a result, Dr. Bayer took bone marrow from her hip - OUCH! The full body PET scan showed no advance of the cancer to anywhere else in her body, praise God.
Tuesday saw Cathy at Central DuPage Hospital to get the mediport installed. Between the sedation, pain medication and oxygen, Cathy reports she felt GREAT. But from Tuesday night til now, all of her distress got worse.
Based upon Cathy's weakness and my observation of her Tuesday night and Wednesday morning I called her from my office to inform her I was calling Dr. Bayer to see if they could observe her or admit her to the hospital after chemo on Thursday. Although Cathy told me "NO", against her wishes I called. The nurse said chemo is really only on an outpatient basis [as we knew from her earlier chemo] and informed me she had no chemo scheduled! An appointment was scheduled for 2:00 but Cathy declined when I informed her of it. She called the Drs. office, cancelled the appointment, took a Tylenol and enjoyed a brief sunbath which seemed to help. Evidently Dr. Bayer is awaiting the results of the bone marrow test and will not give her chemo until her platelets are increased ... they scheduled an infusion of some super dooper platelet producing drug for today, 10/1 at 11:00.
Cathy looked no better [worse?] this morning when I left for work but I figured she'd see the Dr. @ 11:00 and they could go from there. Instead, based upon Cathy's own discomfort and Leanne Maerten's urging, Cathy called Dr. Bayer and they decided she should be admitted.
That's the good, bad & ugly [mostly bad & ugly] of our situation. Cathy has now had some pain meds delivered and is resting a bit more comfortably now. More to come as we get more care but for now, please continue to plead to the Lord that we'll get some answers, action and healing.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
It's Official :(
Cathy and I had a long day at Delnor Hospital on Friday. Arriving at 10:00 AM, we eventually met with Dr. Bayer [onoclogist]. He confirmed Cathy's Triple Negative cancer has returned ... this time as a "nodule" in her right lung and on her liver. We saw the CT scans and biopsy reports and it appears the cancer on her liver is larger and producing the most discomfort.
Surgery is out of the question. While there are two other regimens Cathy could pursue, we opted for the trial Dr. Bayer offered us as he confirmed it was the route he'd suggest if it was his wife he was treating. This chemotherapy features the use of nanoparticles to focus the killing effects of the chemo directly to the cancer. This will feature a nine week course of a 3 drug chemo administered at the beginning of week 1, 4 and 7 followed by a scan at the end of week 9. Additional meds will be administered on the other weeks as well. When that's done, she'll start the process over again. We're not sure when she'll be weaned off the stuff, though.
In addition to the meeting with our Dr., we also made calls to providers and our health insurance company for additional tests. Blood was drawn, X-Rays were taken and an EKG was performed. Due to abnormally low platelets, Cathy also began taking an oral steroid.
A P.E.T. scan was performed today. Cathy will return to the Dr.'s office on Monday to review the PET scan and check her platelet levels. If OK, she'll get another "mediport" installed in her shoulder so that the chemo can begin next Thursday.
That's it for now ... thank you for your interest in and prayers on behalf of Cathy.
Surgery is out of the question. While there are two other regimens Cathy could pursue, we opted for the trial Dr. Bayer offered us as he confirmed it was the route he'd suggest if it was his wife he was treating. This chemotherapy features the use of nanoparticles to focus the killing effects of the chemo directly to the cancer. This will feature a nine week course of a 3 drug chemo administered at the beginning of week 1, 4 and 7 followed by a scan at the end of week 9. Additional meds will be administered on the other weeks as well. When that's done, she'll start the process over again. We're not sure when she'll be weaned off the stuff, though.
In addition to the meeting with our Dr., we also made calls to providers and our health insurance company for additional tests. Blood was drawn, X-Rays were taken and an EKG was performed. Due to abnormally low platelets, Cathy also began taking an oral steroid.
A P.E.T. scan was performed today. Cathy will return to the Dr.'s office on Monday to review the PET scan and check her platelet levels. If OK, she'll get another "mediport" installed in her shoulder so that the chemo can begin next Thursday.
That's it for now ... thank you for your interest in and prayers on behalf of Cathy.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
AARRRRGGGGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, first my apology for those of you who checked in to Cathy's blog since April 1st, but things kinda wound down quietly last spring. Cathy completed her radiation on 4/15 and Dr. Bayer [oncologist] declared her in remission in early June. Cathy and I enjoyed a four day "break" over Memorial Day [thanks to Karen Carr's sacrifice of service in caring for Hope] while we enjoyed the marriage ceremony of Mark and Emily DeLew. And before we knew it, we were in the full throes of an enjoyable summer!
For those of you who haven't heard yet, however, things took a nasty turn in late August. Cathy [and I] came down with a cold that she could not shake. After experiencing a rash travelling around her torso for a few days, Cathy and I visited our dear friend and accomplished dermatologist, Carol [Tharpe] Almy at her home. Since her office is many miles away [Wilmette], she did not do the skin biopsy she felt was appropriate but suggested Cathy get it done the following day nearer our home. Wouldn't you know it, the rash was not there when visiting our local dermatologist so a biopsy was not done then, either.
One week later, 9/14, as a result of her constant cough, a positive X-Ray and other factors, Cathy was diagnosed with pneumonia and blood was drawn for additional tests. On Wednesday, 9/16, the results came back with elevated liver enzymes and other irregularities. Consultation between our family doctor and Dr. Bayer resulted in a CT scan Cathy did that evening [no Obamacare here ... yet]. On Thursday afternoon we learned that a nodule was in Cathy's lung and a spot appeared on her liver ... thus a biopsy was ordered for today, 9/22 with concerns of metastasized cancer.
Over the weekend as a result of my prayer request in Sunday School, Carol Almy [also in my class] suggested after class that Cathy could have a fungus in her lung due to her compromised immune system and potential inhalation of spores from mold, gardening "dust" with bird or bat droppings or time around the lake. Fungi such as Aspergillus, Blastomycosis or Histoplasmosis. Although these can be deadly if not caught in time, this gave us hope for something less than cancer. [BTW, we do have a parakeet and Cathy cleaned her cage a number of times over the summer]
WELLLLL, today was the biopsy. Cathy continues her chronic cough and her lethargy is so un-Cathy-like! The medical staff at the hospital didn't seem to encourage us with the thought of fungi but we are now bracing, once again, for the probability of cancer. Cathy was a model patient but it was a long day due to the need for proper recovery time and an emotional one to boot.
God is God and we continue to believe in His sovereignty for our lives. We are praying for fungi [caught before it's too progressed] but, not knowing the will of our Heavenly Father, are preparing for the "C" word. Dr. Bayer suggested a new drug that may be more helpful for her triple negative breast cancer [likely that is what's gone elsewhere in her body]. So now we covet your prayers once again ...
For those of you who haven't heard yet, however, things took a nasty turn in late August. Cathy [and I] came down with a cold that she could not shake. After experiencing a rash travelling around her torso for a few days, Cathy and I visited our dear friend and accomplished dermatologist, Carol [Tharpe] Almy at her home. Since her office is many miles away [Wilmette], she did not do the skin biopsy she felt was appropriate but suggested Cathy get it done the following day nearer our home. Wouldn't you know it, the rash was not there when visiting our local dermatologist so a biopsy was not done then, either.
One week later, 9/14, as a result of her constant cough, a positive X-Ray and other factors, Cathy was diagnosed with pneumonia and blood was drawn for additional tests. On Wednesday, 9/16, the results came back with elevated liver enzymes and other irregularities. Consultation between our family doctor and Dr. Bayer resulted in a CT scan Cathy did that evening [no Obamacare here ... yet]. On Thursday afternoon we learned that a nodule was in Cathy's lung and a spot appeared on her liver ... thus a biopsy was ordered for today, 9/22 with concerns of metastasized cancer.
Over the weekend as a result of my prayer request in Sunday School, Carol Almy [also in my class] suggested after class that Cathy could have a fungus in her lung due to her compromised immune system and potential inhalation of spores from mold, gardening "dust" with bird or bat droppings or time around the lake. Fungi such as Aspergillus, Blastomycosis or Histoplasmosis. Although these can be deadly if not caught in time, this gave us hope for something less than cancer. [BTW, we do have a parakeet and Cathy cleaned her cage a number of times over the summer]
WELLLLL, today was the biopsy. Cathy continues her chronic cough and her lethargy is so un-Cathy-like! The medical staff at the hospital didn't seem to encourage us with the thought of fungi but we are now bracing, once again, for the probability of cancer. Cathy was a model patient but it was a long day due to the need for proper recovery time and an emotional one to boot.
God is God and we continue to believe in His sovereignty for our lives. We are praying for fungi [caught before it's too progressed] but, not knowing the will of our Heavenly Father, are preparing for the "C" word. Dr. Bayer suggested a new drug that may be more helpful for her triple negative breast cancer [likely that is what's gone elsewhere in her body]. So now we covet your prayers once again ...
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
18 down, 10 to go
She's experiencing some discomfort and discoloration, but Cathy remains the resilient, energetic and determined model of a patient. As of today Cathy has accomplished the first 3.5 weeks of radiation and has only 2 weeks left.
A couple more picts have been added of Cathy with her sisters from this past weekend. We enjoy the benefit of loving and supportive family, friends and brothers and sisters in Christ. Thank y'all !!
A couple more picts have been added of Cathy with her sisters from this past weekend. We enjoy the benefit of loving and supportive family, friends and brothers and sisters in Christ. Thank y'all !!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
She's GLOWING!
Cathy has resumed her standard "perky mode" now that she is 4 weeks removed from her final chemo, so she is back to her "old" glowing personality.
However, I'm referring to the fact that she has now completed her 3rd [of 28] day of daily radiation therapy so I'm thinking somewhere along the line she'll be able to light up a room literally!
Yesterday, 3/10, was another one of those busy multi-tasking medical days. Cathy left home at 7:00 AM for an 8:30 surgery appointment including general anesthesia to remove her "medi-port", was home by late AM and made it for her 1:30 PM radiation. After dinner she walked [in a rather yucky mid-western late winter rain] for nearly an hour!
Today Cathy spoke to her small group at Women's Bible Study about her experience and growth through this "journey", put in an hour or two at work and then returned home to take Hope off the bus and get her situated after school. When I got home after work I found her working on orthodontic "models" before leaving to have dinner at Gino's East [pizza] with her High School youth group girls ... right now she's back to a [nascent] red-headed whirling dervish!
And speaking of red head, her "chrome dome" is now getting fuzzy and there are distinctly pigmented areas in her scalp. THIS IS GONNA BE FUN seeing her hair grow back!
By the way, the four of us were able to get away for a 4+ day extended weekend in the sun at the end of February. It was great to have some sun, sand, warm weather and rich family time together. THIS was a few days after Cathy, against my prior stated wishes, pulled off a completely surprise party for her husband's monumental birthday [one with a "0" after it]. While languishing thru her chemotherapies over the prior 2.5 months, she had been planning for what turned out to be an outstanding evening for me ... that feat alone was overwhelming.
Thanks for your on-going concern, reading these posts and praying for Cathy's restoration.
However, I'm referring to the fact that she has now completed her 3rd [of 28] day of daily radiation therapy so I'm thinking somewhere along the line she'll be able to light up a room literally!
Yesterday, 3/10, was another one of those busy multi-tasking medical days. Cathy left home at 7:00 AM for an 8:30 surgery appointment including general anesthesia to remove her "medi-port", was home by late AM and made it for her 1:30 PM radiation. After dinner she walked [in a rather yucky mid-western late winter rain] for nearly an hour!
Today Cathy spoke to her small group at Women's Bible Study about her experience and growth through this "journey", put in an hour or two at work and then returned home to take Hope off the bus and get her situated after school. When I got home after work I found her working on orthodontic "models" before leaving to have dinner at Gino's East [pizza] with her High School youth group girls ... right now she's back to a [nascent] red-headed whirling dervish!
And speaking of red head, her "chrome dome" is now getting fuzzy and there are distinctly pigmented areas in her scalp. THIS IS GONNA BE FUN seeing her hair grow back!
By the way, the four of us were able to get away for a 4+ day extended weekend in the sun at the end of February. It was great to have some sun, sand, warm weather and rich family time together. THIS was a few days after Cathy, against my prior stated wishes, pulled off a completely surprise party for her husband's monumental birthday [one with a "0" after it]. While languishing thru her chemotherapies over the prior 2.5 months, she had been planning for what turned out to be an outstanding evening for me ... that feat alone was overwhelming.
Thanks for your on-going concern, reading these posts and praying for Cathy's restoration.
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