Post 2

Sunday

I headed from Flagstaff to Ohio to help Mom and Dad. Dad has been working seven days a week and extra hours in the evening to be able to take Mom to her appointments. I’m so very glad to be close to them at this time and be able to hold Mom's hand.

Monday

Mom checked into surgery at the hospital yesterday morning to have her port put in. She seems to be excited about the whole thing. Number 1 - the port is purple, which is her favorite color. Number 2 - she does not like IVs because they hurt, so having a port will allow liquids to be injected or withdrawn without discomfort. Number 3 – it sounds mysterious if you can say that you have a port implant.

I had not seen the new surgical wing at our local hospital. It is very nice. There is a lot of glass so it’s light and airy and there’s a big water wall that makes a “babbling brook” sound. They have a big screen in the lobby that tells you how far along the patient is in the surgery circuit. Similar to the arrival and departure screens at the airport. Except this one tells you if the patient is done checking in (paperwork), going to surgery, in surgery, in recovery, checking out…).

Mom’s Purple Power Port is in. It only took about 12 minutes to insert in surgery.

They super glued her 2” incision closed. So she can take a shower if she wants to. (Don’t know if I trust it). It’s black and blue, swollen and looks uncomfortable. She says it hurts now that the “happy medicine” aka anesthesia had worn off. It is not supposed to be noticeable in a couple of days. Some people live with them for years after they need them because they are so convenient. We will see….

Here are some pictures from the morning she got her port put in.

Tuesday

Dr. Gowda - Today I met Mom’s Oncologist. She is barely 5 feet tall, from India and hard to understand verbally at times. She does not hesitative to repeat herself if you do not get what she says the first time and gladly answers any questions. She seems to be very knowledgeable and very thorough. Dr. Gowda has been practicing this type of medicine for many years so that makes us feel more at ease. She is also qualified to do an extra procedure that Mom needs to have so we don’t have to go to OSU in Columbus for that.

Diagnosis and treatment plan:

Good News Today, as far as cancer goes - Mom has a treatable one. It is called Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma. Apparently the tumor started at the palate (the roof of the mouth). There are only two small glitches.

Glitch Number One - is that the cancer has spread to the lymph node area around her ear, sinus, jaw and tonsil area and is starting to spread to the other side of her face. Since it is not localized in one area it is considered to be a Stage Two cancer (but still considered to be in the early stages).

Glitch Number Two - is the location. Because of the location is on her palate it could come back as brain cancer if it were to ever come back. So she will receiving an extra spinal tap procedure to go along with her chemotherapy each cycle to help prevent the cancer from ever coming back. Also because of the location they do not recommend radiation treatment since there is the possibility of weakening the bones in her jaw and face. Instead they double the length of normal treatment cycle, which will be a total of six cycles instead of three cycles. A cycle is 21 days.

All of the above information is subject to change and adjustment according to how she reacts to the mixtures of chemicals. The side effects of one drug will counter the side effects of another drug.

She will start her first treatment next Monday, September 24^th. The, soon to be, ritual will take all day. They start with blood work and vitals, then do the spinal tap which takes about an hour, and proceed into the chemo which could take 3 to 5 hours depending how she tolerates the cocktail drip being given to her. The advantage of getting the extra spinal procedure is that she gets her own room where she has to lay down since this course of action can cause really bad headaches.

Dad, mom, and I were also able to get a tour of the part of the hospital where she will be getting her chemo. It has just been newly remodeled and it was nice to see where we will be going on Monday. I met some of her nurses she will be with during her treatment...all of which were incredibly nice and have a lot of experience. The nurse that gave us the tour is named Thereasa, but we call her "T". She is wonderful and loves hugs just as much as our family does.

Thank you everyone one for all of your emails and well wishes, I have been passing them onto Mom and I know she feels all of your love.

Will keep you posted. Love Keah