Perhaps we overdid it taking Cathy to the Rockford area for Thanksgiving to be with her family. The food and warm fellowship were excellent as always and not something Cathy or the rest of our small family could stand to miss. But in light of how comprimised Cathy has felt since returning it sure makes me second guess staying too long or Cathy indulging too much [extra pressure on her liver causing extra pressure on her lungs]?
On Friday we finally reviewed her labs from Monday's chemo. They weren't good: platelets below 100 and other factors above or below norms. It caused me to do some more internet research about Triple Negative and I was smacked into reality at just how pernicious this cancer is. Stories of other triple negative breast cancer patients with similar stories to Cathy's: faithful, young, vibrant, healthy, active women inflicted with this insidious stuff. Please continue to pray for her strength, response to chemo, the doctor's wisdom, timely medical advances and God's overarching grace and mercy.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
WOW!
"WOW!!", Dr. Bayer exclaimed while feeling Cathy's abdomen during last Monday's chemo appointment. He followed that up by facetiously saying, "We don't even need to have a CT scan". Evidently the swelling in Cathy's liver has noticeably receded. Cathy then asked if she could have her chemo [got both the nab-paclitaxel and Avastin this time] sans the steroids. Dr. Bayer, knowing his model patient is tough, in tune with her body and capabilities, and able to take the "risk", agreed.
Since it had been 11 days since Cathy's last chemo and she felt strong, she skipped the steroids feeling they caused side effects worse than any perceived benefit, and she proved quite perceptive - she slept better after the chemo, exhibited none of the "shakes" she had after previous chemos and was unfazed by the chemo's nasty effects until about Wednesday afternoon.
Tonight Cathy felt she may have regressed a little bit but I think it's due to the increased activity she has exhibited over the last 3 days and the protracted time she has avoided the oxygen [generator or mobile backpack unit]. Cathy's voice is stronger, aforementioned energy and activity increased and resolve renewed. She ate quite well today, too!
Tomorrow brings another chemo [nab-paclitaxel only] and we hope the side effects will be minimized so Thanksgiving with family can be maximized, for we have MUCH to thank the Lord for. We wish you dear and faithful "followers" a blessed Thanksgiving as well and thank you for your prayers, cards, letters, phone calls and support in so many ways.
Since it had been 11 days since Cathy's last chemo and she felt strong, she skipped the steroids feeling they caused side effects worse than any perceived benefit, and she proved quite perceptive - she slept better after the chemo, exhibited none of the "shakes" she had after previous chemos and was unfazed by the chemo's nasty effects until about Wednesday afternoon.
Tonight Cathy felt she may have regressed a little bit but I think it's due to the increased activity she has exhibited over the last 3 days and the protracted time she has avoided the oxygen [generator or mobile backpack unit]. Cathy's voice is stronger, aforementioned energy and activity increased and resolve renewed. She ate quite well today, too!
Tomorrow brings another chemo [nab-paclitaxel only] and we hope the side effects will be minimized so Thanksgiving with family can be maximized, for we have MUCH to thank the Lord for. We wish you dear and faithful "followers" a blessed Thanksgiving as well and thank you for your prayers, cards, letters, phone calls and support in so many ways.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Hark, is that light?
Well, Cathy reacts like anyone/most would when she gets chemo, but as she "digests" the nasty stuff and "emerges from the" she looks and acts much like the Cathy I know and love. Well, that may be stretching it with regards to the "looking" aspect [she still has oxygen support, is VERY thin and has lost her hair] but the sparkle is back in her eyes, her face shows little effects from the crud she's been through over the last few weeks, and her wit, charm and spunk are effervescent as ever. Her voice is much stronger as she's overcome the thrush and perhaps gained lung capacity as [we're hoping & praying] her liver swelling may be receding.
Couple the physical / relational improvement with platelets that continue their ascent to normalcy and liver enzymes that have begun to fall and optimism has returned to our home. It's all anecdotal for now as we'll not know anything conclusive until sometime in early December when Cathy will get another CT scan, but it sure seems we're moving in the right direction.
We praise God for Cathy's apparent improvement and face each day with renewed optimism.
Couple the physical / relational improvement with platelets that continue their ascent to normalcy and liver enzymes that have begun to fall and optimism has returned to our home. It's all anecdotal for now as we'll not know anything conclusive until sometime in early December when Cathy will get another CT scan, but it sure seems we're moving in the right direction.
We praise God for Cathy's apparent improvement and face each day with renewed optimism.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
SO Cool, SO Sweet!
As the flu season gets underway and is heightened with added concerns due to H1N1, Dr. Bayer told us nearly two weeks ago that the swine flu would likely be deadly in Cathy’s immuno-suppressed state. Since Hope daily invades the germ-pool we know as High School and since her oral fixation makes her an even greater candidate to contract the nasty stuff, Cathy and I have debated getting the vaccination for Hope. She has the greatest likelihood in our family of getting the flu and would pose the greatest difficulty to care for and keep Cathy from contracting it
- past vaccinations have been difficult for Hope and other Angelman Syndrome patients. Do we gamble with possible complications from the vaccination or near certain extreme difficulties in the event Hope contracts the H1N1 flu?
- we had not considered getting the vaccination for Cathy as we were under the impression she couldn't get it in her compromised state
Well, on 10/22 it turns out Dr. Bayer informed Cathy that she CAN and should get the vaccine. We also decided Hope would be better served by getting the vaccine than the possible consequences if she didn't.
This is where it gets REAL SWEET AND REAL COOL:
- As difficult as it is to secure the vaccine with demand outstripping supply, Carol Casey requested that Mrs. and Dr. Erickson seek to get two of the shots for my girls
- Dr. Erickson solicited the assistance of a Vice President of our local hospital to assist in the hunt.
- Cathy has a limited window between and before her weekly chemotherapies
- On Tuesday evening, 10/27, thanks to the assistance of these aforementioned saints, Dr. Erickson administered the shots in our home on the last day before Cathy would have to wait for at least 4 more days!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Good News?
Rather than get chemo on Thursday, 10/15, we met with Dr. Bayer. They took blood and Dr. Bayer advised Cathy to eat a high protein diet. We left the office, Cathy "dined" on 1/2 of a beef sandwich from Panera and we ran a couple errands including a visit to Walmart - Cathy in tow in a wheelchair due to her compromised breathing. Upon returning home, the protein "kicked in" and we heard great news from her labs: overall her blood looked great since the infusion on 10/13 and her platelets were up to 101.
Cathy inadvertently received no additional oxygen from the generator for nearly 24 hours from 10/15 PM until early evening 10/16 [I cross-threaded the threads in the "bubble humidifier" lid and air escaped as a result]. When the cause was discovered on Friday night, Cathy opted to go without the added oxygen and breathe solely on her own and did remarkably well thru Monday, 10/19. Her oxygen saturation during the labs was ~97%, a full 1% higher than her sister's for which Cathy chided Kay! Monday was a good day but Tuesday AM the sharp pain in Cathy's side returned and the need for oxygen was once again self-evident.
Thru this last week leading up to chemo on 10/22, Cathy remarked that since she still felt so bad, she lamented not getting chemo on 10/15. Well, it's still early in the marathon, but between labs on Monday, 10/19, and additional labs pre-chemo on Thursday, it turns out her blood looks great AND it appears her elevated liver enzymes have dropped a bit! Praise God !!
Chemo is nasty and Cathy feels fatigued and nauseous but due to the steroids they give during administration, she has a pretty good 24-30 hour period before the wheels fall off. After dinner on Friday, 10/23, Megan Maertens dropped over bearing home-made scones. Upon handing me the plate of delectable scones, Megan and her boyfriend, Nate, sat on the floor at the foot of the recliner ["Cathy's Throne"] and each massaged a foot of Cathy's for ~2 hours, moved to her hands and Megan finished up with a shoulder and scalp massage. Coupled with the "healing touch" and sweet discourse we enjoyed for nearly four hours, Cathy appeared to grow stronger through the night and remained so until nearly noon on Saturday - a full 16 hours of "health" longer than her past experiences.
Today has been rough, her liver continues to be painful and she produces a fair amount of phlegm [by-product of the chemo?] Although the liver has been bothering her for nearly 10 weeks now, it seems she is more aware of a different pain after chemo - we hope and continue to believe that it is the cleansing effect of the "nan-paclitaxel" destroying the tumor.
I hope to post some pictures on the blog, once again, if I can only figure it out without wasting precious hours. It's been a long weekend and I'm going to join Cathy in slumber now. Thanks for checking in and keeping Cathy in your prayers.
Cathy inadvertently received no additional oxygen from the generator for nearly 24 hours from 10/15 PM until early evening 10/16 [I cross-threaded the threads in the "bubble humidifier" lid and air escaped as a result]. When the cause was discovered on Friday night, Cathy opted to go without the added oxygen and breathe solely on her own and did remarkably well thru Monday, 10/19. Her oxygen saturation during the labs was ~97%, a full 1% higher than her sister's for which Cathy chided Kay! Monday was a good day but Tuesday AM the sharp pain in Cathy's side returned and the need for oxygen was once again self-evident.
Thru this last week leading up to chemo on 10/22, Cathy remarked that since she still felt so bad, she lamented not getting chemo on 10/15. Well, it's still early in the marathon, but between labs on Monday, 10/19, and additional labs pre-chemo on Thursday, it turns out her blood looks great AND it appears her elevated liver enzymes have dropped a bit! Praise God !!
Chemo is nasty and Cathy feels fatigued and nauseous but due to the steroids they give during administration, she has a pretty good 24-30 hour period before the wheels fall off. After dinner on Friday, 10/23, Megan Maertens dropped over bearing home-made scones. Upon handing me the plate of delectable scones, Megan and her boyfriend, Nate, sat on the floor at the foot of the recliner ["Cathy's Throne"] and each massaged a foot of Cathy's for ~2 hours, moved to her hands and Megan finished up with a shoulder and scalp massage. Coupled with the "healing touch" and sweet discourse we enjoyed for nearly four hours, Cathy appeared to grow stronger through the night and remained so until nearly noon on Saturday - a full 16 hours of "health" longer than her past experiences.
Today has been rough, her liver continues to be painful and she produces a fair amount of phlegm [by-product of the chemo?] Although the liver has been bothering her for nearly 10 weeks now, it seems she is more aware of a different pain after chemo - we hope and continue to believe that it is the cleansing effect of the "nan-paclitaxel" destroying the tumor.
I hope to post some pictures on the blog, once again, if I can only figure it out without wasting precious hours. It's been a long weekend and I'm going to join Cathy in slumber now. Thanks for checking in and keeping Cathy in your prayers.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Catching Up
Quick updates since it's been so long since we weighed in:
Saturday, 10/3: turns out Cathy's platelets were at 35 [normal range 160-400] and in pain. Quite a reversal from Friday.
Sunday, 10/4: platelets fell to 21 and she got a platelet infusion late that night
Monday, 10/5: platelets at 58 and Cathy dismissed late afternoon with oxygen support. Also had bladder infection [a first]. Wall unit O generator to arrive 6-7 PM. Portable cylinder ran out of O ~9:00 and plug in unit arrived about 10:00 FINALLY
Tuesday, 10/6: Cathy is thin in hands, arms, shoulders and ribs but abnormally bloated in her abdomen, hips, bottom, legs and feet. In addition to inflamation in her liver, additional inches causing significant discomfort.
Wednesday, 10/7: labs revealed platelets fell to 40 and liver enzymes unchanged [at least no increase]. Decent evening but severe pain late in her left kidney
Thursday, 10/8: Cathy got chemo [nan-paclitaxel] with steroids and came home full of energy.
Friday, 10/9: PM the wheels fell off. Called me at the office to say her liver hurt. Different than general / continued pain? We surmised that perhaps the targeted chemo was taking effect!
Weekend was quiet as Cathy felt awful and throat became sore
Monday, 10/12: labs moved to Monday. No news on liver enzymes but orders for blood transfusion [2 units] for Tuesday.
Tuesday, 10/13: Outpatient infusion took 7 hours for two units of blood - all day! Nurses determined throat / mouth sores as THRUSH - she didn't need that!
Wednesday, 10/14: White blood cell count reported too low that Cathy will NOT get chemo on Thursday. Sweet evening, however, in that a HOST of High School youth group ["HYACKS"] students and adult leaders came to pray collectively outside our home for Cathy and our family. A concert of prayer which we appreciate so.
My prayer request specifically for Cathy's health is divided into short and long term. Long term that the chemo would have full effect and remove the tumors and full remission would result. Short term is for Cathy to avoid infection of any flu or other colds and to be able to bear up with all the pain of cancer and side effects of chemo.
Saturday, 10/3: turns out Cathy's platelets were at 35 [normal range 160-400] and in pain. Quite a reversal from Friday.
Sunday, 10/4: platelets fell to 21 and she got a platelet infusion late that night
Monday, 10/5: platelets at 58 and Cathy dismissed late afternoon with oxygen support. Also had bladder infection [a first]. Wall unit O generator to arrive 6-7 PM. Portable cylinder ran out of O ~9:00 and plug in unit arrived about 10:00 FINALLY
Tuesday, 10/6: Cathy is thin in hands, arms, shoulders and ribs but abnormally bloated in her abdomen, hips, bottom, legs and feet. In addition to inflamation in her liver, additional inches causing significant discomfort.
Wednesday, 10/7: labs revealed platelets fell to 40 and liver enzymes unchanged [at least no increase]. Decent evening but severe pain late in her left kidney
Thursday, 10/8: Cathy got chemo [nan-paclitaxel] with steroids and came home full of energy.
Friday, 10/9: PM the wheels fell off. Called me at the office to say her liver hurt. Different than general / continued pain? We surmised that perhaps the targeted chemo was taking effect!
Weekend was quiet as Cathy felt awful and throat became sore
Monday, 10/12: labs moved to Monday. No news on liver enzymes but orders for blood transfusion [2 units] for Tuesday.
Tuesday, 10/13: Outpatient infusion took 7 hours for two units of blood - all day! Nurses determined throat / mouth sores as THRUSH - she didn't need that!
Wednesday, 10/14: White blood cell count reported too low that Cathy will NOT get chemo on Thursday. Sweet evening, however, in that a HOST of High School youth group ["HYACKS"] students and adult leaders came to pray collectively outside our home for Cathy and our family. A concert of prayer which we appreciate so.
My prayer request specifically for Cathy's health is divided into short and long term. Long term that the chemo would have full effect and remove the tumors and full remission would result. Short term is for Cathy to avoid infection of any flu or other colds and to be able to bear up with all the pain of cancer and side effects of chemo.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Welcome ERABS
Fellow classmates of '79. As Cathy's husband I want to thank you for checking her blog & your concern for her well being. You can bet both she and I would have much rather been catching up with you on this reunion night than where we are now. Cathy is /no, WAS resting comfortably as I write this. I'll not go into much of her current dilemma [you can read about it here] or our last 10 years since the 20th, but I can tell you she is, as she was in High School, well loved, interested in other's well being, energetic, fun and fun-loving. She has grown, however, since High School into a wise, loving and discerning mother, church youth leader, employee, friend and wife [we celebrated our 28th anniversary on August 1st]. Just a little context, as you read: our son Wesley is 22 and attempting to get into the Air Force to pursue special forces in S.E.R.E., our 19 year old daughter, Hope, is handicapped with a genetic defect called Angelman Syndrome and is our constant and sweet companion. Please join our little "community" in praying for Cathy's full recovery and Lisa or Erin can let you know how to get in touch with Cathy during/after her recuperation.
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