What we know (12/23)

This has been a long week for the family.  We appreciate all the family and friends reaching out to share encouragement and prayer.  Keep them coming, especially the prayer.

Here is what we know, where we are at, and what’s next.

• Mom has many masses throughout her abdomen and some that are very large.

• It took the doctors and lab a long time and many tests to nail down the type of cancer.  As you can imagine brought a lot of stress and waiting.

• Her cancer is called carcinoma.  

• It has not metastasized to any organs

• The masses are pushing on Mom’s GI track making it difficult to consume or process food.

• To make sure kidney function stays strong, nephrostomy tubes were placed in her back to allow her kidneys to drain easily.  

• On Thursday evening, the doctors started nutrition via IV (i.e. TPN) to help mom regain strength for the possibility of chemo.

• On Friday the macular panel on the type of cancer came back and brought news that the type of cancer had a better reaction to certain types of chemo drugs than what we originally thought.  And the side effects of these chemo drugs were less severe than the initially planned treatment.  This was a blessing to hear on many levels.

• With the coming holiday week there was lots of scheduling risk around when chemo could be started.  We were initially looking at chemo starting Thursday after Christmas.  

• We were very blessed with Doctors getting chemo started Saturday (12/21) evening late and was 6 hour IV drip of two types of drugs.  

• The next five days are important.  The first two shouldn’t be major side effects but days 3-5 will be very draining on mom.  She will need to stay hydrated.  

• She will have 3 weeks before her next round of chemo.

• Pray for

• IV nutrition to continue to help improve strength

• Nausea has been a challenge - pray for this to lessen

• Mom to be able to drink Ensure for helping with nutrition

• That the chemo drugs are highly effective on slowing and shrinking the tumors. 

Feel free to share your encouragements and prayers in the comments.  We will share with Mom when possible.  As the Doctor told us, “we know strong networks and encouragement provide better outcomes.”

Mom always told us something on our way out the door in the morning.  She would say “Remember whose you are.”  In that statement she would mean two things. Remember you’re God’s and he loves you.  And remember you’re mine.  So we continue to remember “whose” mom is.