Post 11

Mom and Dad had a nice quiet Thanksgiving. Dad made his famous Alton Brown turkey that soaks in brine overnight. They said it was tender and juicy. Mom could only eat turkey and green beans on Thanksgiving because she had a PET scan on the Friday after Thanksgiving and had to keep her blood sugars down. She went to the PET scan and they sent her home because her blood sugars were 207 and their cut off was 200. So they re-scheduled it for December 14th.

She talked to her doctor about the blood sugars. Mom thought she was going to get in trouble because the blood sugars were too high. However, her doctor said it happens when people are on steroids. So she wrote a prescription for insulin until the end of her chemo treatments. Hopefully the insulin will bring down her blood sugars for the next PET scan.

The PET scan is supposed to show if the tumor is gone. They compare it to the first PET scan that was taken back in September. The last couple of treatments are supposed to make sure that the cancer does not come back in the future.  Surgery and radiation were not an option because of the location of the tumor on the roof of her mouth. Dad likes to say that Mom is 80% finished with her treatments. It seems like all of the treatments are going by really fast. But the treatments will still not be done until the first week in January.

Aunt Leah took time off from teaching to help Mom out in Ohio and mom said they had a great visit. Aunt Leah cooked a lot. Mom says that they have plenty of meals prepared in the freezer, which will be a big help to the folks. The two of them laughed a lot and mom helped Aunt Leah grade her student’s papers. They also watched the Downton Abbey series and started the new BBC Sherlock Holmes series. Aunt Leah did the grocery shopping, ran errands, and she was definitely a huge help to Mom and Dad. Dad was really busy at work trying to get the catalog out. Mom said she could not help Aunt Leah very much because she was still having headaches every day. The good news is Mom has reported that she has not had a headache for four days in a row. That has not happened since September. So hopefully the headaches are gone from the intrathecals permanently.

Mom is doing really well. The steroids have not been bothering her this week. Her headaches are gone. And she says she can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Thank you for all of the prayers, good thoughts and gifts. Mom and the rest of the family really feel the heart felt wishes.

Below are pictures from mom's treatments and lovely flowers and gifts mom has gotten.

Love, Keah

Happy Dad

Hat and Scarf from Mom's Sister Sherie

Last Intrethecal

Mom and Dad

Mom with Nurse T and Nurse Dixie

Comfy Chemo Chairs

Flowers From Grandma Pat and Grandpa Ron

Flowers From Dad

Flowers From Dad 2

Flowers From Dad 3

Flowers From Dad 4

Post 10

Hello Everyone,

Sorry for the time lapse between blogs. I am in Las Vegas doing an internship for event planning. I am in school in the morning and work different events in the afternoons and evenings. This past week I got to fill in for a show girl at one of the events I was helping with, which has nothing to do with even planning, but this is Vegas and I have learned you have to be prepared for anything. (I'll post a picture if I can get my hands on one)

Mom had a good report on Monday, Nov. 5^th. It was her last intrathecal spinal. Yay! They did not take much fluid out again so her headaches are minimal. She also had her third chemo treatment on the same day. Between the four intrathecals and the three chemos Mom’s cancer is suppose to be gone. She has another PET Scan in two weeks to check for any remnants of the tumor. The final three chemotherapy treatments are suppose to make sure that the tumor does not come back.  (Because of its location in the palate of the mouth there were no options for surgery or radiation).

She went in for her Neulasta shot on Tuesday, Nov. 6^th, which is her booster shot for her white blood cells. Wednesday, Nov. 7^th, she went to see the Ear Nose and Throat doctor. She was convinced that she needed a tube in the left ear, now that she could hear so much better with the right one in. The doctor checked, there was no fluid, he gave her hearing test and there is hearing loss in her left ear. He said it could be because of the chemotherapy, or some other cause, but they are not going to do anything until after she is done with the chemotherapy treatments. So Mom will have to put up with hearing loss in her left ear, as well as a little bit of dizziness, and tinnitus. (She will be getting good use out of her ear plugs). And Dad will have to put up with “what did you say,” for a couple more months. She still likes to watch TV with the sound off so the sound doesn’t rattle around in her head.

Aunt Leah is in Ohio to help Mom. She drove down from Canada after her class on Thursday, Nov. 8^th. She will be able to stay for about a week, which will be a great time for the both of them to catch up. Aunt Leah was teaching about fast growing cells a couple of weeks ago and her class was very interested about the treatments. (Especially the medicinal use of marijuana). Aunt Leah had to explain to her students that if her patients were prescribed marijuana for medicinal treatments that they had to smoke their joints before or after she came for her treatments with them, because she did not want to get high nor did she have any control over that part of the treatment. When her students found out that Mom had cancer they sure tried to help Aunt Leah by letting her know they knew where to get some marijuana for her sister and could teach her how to roll the joints off of YouTube. Aunt Leah’s students were trying to be so helpful. It sure made Aunt Leah and Mom laugh.

No pictures this week. Perhaps Aunt Leah and Mom can get some taken between the two of them.

Love to all,

Keah

Post 9

I have a good report from Mom.

Dr. Gowda was concerned about her headaches so she did take not any spinal fluid out at yesterday’s intrathecal (or very little). I think it worked because she has been talking to me today and she says she can even sneeze without feeling like her brain will burst. She is still on bed rest today and she has a sense of humor despite the steroids.

Mom told me that she received three beautiful, soft hats from Doug and Ed yesterday. The lady who made them, Arlyth, is 90 and makes the hats for the local cancer center. Before the church takes the hats to the hospital the congregation prays over them during Sunday service.

They arrived yesterday and she had no trouble finding something to wear with each one of them. Mom loves purple and they must of have found out somehow. She will be taking pictures with her camera from now on. So depending on the type of camera and who takes the pictures, some will be out of focus and/or artistic, which I am sure we will all be grateful for.

She also received some beautiful flowers from Papa Paul and Nana Kerry. She said they sure perked up the room. She also mentioned that it was one of the things that she could smell and was appreciative for it. Can you image if she was getting flowers and the smell bothered her?

I wanted everyone to have some pictures of Mom with her bald head. I have some pictures from when I was in Ohio but they look too sad. She was feeling bad from her headaches. So here are some happier pictures.

Mom with Nurse “T.” She is so sweet to Mom. We just love her.

Mom and Dad

Flowers from Tutu and Tutukane (Kay and Bruce)

Mom received a Temporary Honorary Membership from the No Hair Club...

Flowers from Dad

Flowers from Papa Paul and Nana Kerry

Hats from Doug and Ed