Mom went to see the surgeon and the medical oncologist on Monday. The surgeon said she has improved and has regained most of her strength since the gallbladder surgery. She is also healed. YEAH!
The oncologist is pleased with her recovery from the surgery and actually set up her first chemo appointment for yesterday afternoon. Mom was a bit surprised by that, but also happy to have started with her treatment. She will currently be getting treatment once a week for two to three weeks and then a week off. The oncology team will determine if she can go for a third week depending on her white blood cell count since she occasionally runs on the low side anyway. They do not want her immune system to get too weak. The chemo drug is GEMZAR and is a higher dosage than originally planned since Mom is not doing the radiation at the same time.
Another plus with Mom's recovery is that the oncologist thinks that she is strong enough to start radiation. He is going to speak with the radiation oncologist to see what the new plan will be.
For now, all is well and back on track.
26 January 2011
25 January 2011
Sick Boy
We're currently experiencing what it is like to have a sick baby. I'd give anything for it to be me and not DJP!
This all started on Sunday morning. DJP slept until almost 10am. That should have been my first clue. He was a bit fussy while I was changing his diaper and just seemed to want to lay down again. I thought he might be hungry (since he slept in) and took him downstairs to eat. He ate his yogurt and mixed berries and still was fussy. He just wanted to be held. (That should have been my second clue.) Then the eruption occurred. I was covered in baby vomit. UGH! Somehow I got DJP and myself back upstairs and with assistance from Jason got DJP undressed and into the tub. He was perfectly fine-not being fussy and enjoyed his morning bath (a treat since we bathe him at night). After the bath, DJP wanted to be held. He eventually fell asleep on me and I put him in his crib. Poor thing.
When he woke up, we decided to get him some pedialyte and he decided that he liked it and drank half a sippycup of it. DJP was still not himself and just kind of sat around with one toy and wanted to be near us.
At dinner time, Jason and I decided to give DJP bananas and rice cereal-easy on the tummy-just in case he was going to be sick again. Dinner stayed down and DJP played a bit more than he had all day. Whew...
Then Jason and I decided to give DJP his bottle of formula before bed. Let's just say that Jason got to understand how I felt earlier in the day... We did another wardrobe change for Jason and DJP and a bit more Pedialyte before the kiddo went to bed.
So far, we've had no more vomiting however there's another problem to deal with-diarrhea. Poor little boy... Our pediatrician is not overly concerned, gave us some warning signs and said the virus just has to work its way out. I hope it works its way out soon because Jason and I have had a hard time watching DJP go through this.
This all started on Sunday morning. DJP slept until almost 10am. That should have been my first clue. He was a bit fussy while I was changing his diaper and just seemed to want to lay down again. I thought he might be hungry (since he slept in) and took him downstairs to eat. He ate his yogurt and mixed berries and still was fussy. He just wanted to be held. (That should have been my second clue.) Then the eruption occurred. I was covered in baby vomit. UGH! Somehow I got DJP and myself back upstairs and with assistance from Jason got DJP undressed and into the tub. He was perfectly fine-not being fussy and enjoyed his morning bath (a treat since we bathe him at night). After the bath, DJP wanted to be held. He eventually fell asleep on me and I put him in his crib. Poor thing.
When he woke up, we decided to get him some pedialyte and he decided that he liked it and drank half a sippycup of it. DJP was still not himself and just kind of sat around with one toy and wanted to be near us.
At dinner time, Jason and I decided to give DJP bananas and rice cereal-easy on the tummy-just in case he was going to be sick again. Dinner stayed down and DJP played a bit more than he had all day. Whew...
Then Jason and I decided to give DJP his bottle of formula before bed. Let's just say that Jason got to understand how I felt earlier in the day... We did another wardrobe change for Jason and DJP and a bit more Pedialyte before the kiddo went to bed.
So far, we've had no more vomiting however there's another problem to deal with-diarrhea. Poor little boy... Our pediatrician is not overly concerned, gave us some warning signs and said the virus just has to work its way out. I hope it works its way out soon because Jason and I have had a hard time watching DJP go through this.
21 January 2011
10 Months
Our little boy is now 10 months old! How time flies!
Current observations of DJP:
*He loves all fruits (especially bananas, blueberries and apples), vegetables and meats;
*greatly dislikes rice pilaf and one other thing that I cannot seem to remember at this moment;
*still has 6 teeth (4 top, 2 bottom) and is currently teething with more bumps present on the bottom on both sides;
*is being more and more vocal each day with more complex sounds rather than just repeating "da da da" and "ma ma ma;"
*will occasionally vocalize "orders" to the cat whenever she is nearby;
*is walking along furniture and with his walking toys;
*has occasionally let go of said furniture and toys to stand on his own for a few seconds;
*has had his first "bloody" accident in which he fell and split his lip. He is fine and the swelling has gone down thanks to the teething rings;
*has been sleeping through the night (except for last night-he woke up around 4am probably because he was hungry-he didn't eat much dinner and then threw some of it up for no apparent reason);
*is super duper curious about everything (especially the remotes and phones);
*is definitely a people watcher (going out to eat and trying to feed DJP is its own Olympic event with head twisting, food on spoon balancing, etc.);
*has started to throw all of his toys-out of the crib, into his FP Speedway and just because he can;
*has learned to climb up on boxes (that are used to blockade an area for DJP in the basement; and
*has been enjoying his time with his daddy taking care of him during the week (Jason has done a FABULOUS job!!!!).
Current observations of DJP:
*He loves all fruits (especially bananas, blueberries and apples), vegetables and meats;
*greatly dislikes rice pilaf and one other thing that I cannot seem to remember at this moment;
*still has 6 teeth (4 top, 2 bottom) and is currently teething with more bumps present on the bottom on both sides;
*is being more and more vocal each day with more complex sounds rather than just repeating "da da da" and "ma ma ma;"
*will occasionally vocalize "orders" to the cat whenever she is nearby;
*is walking along furniture and with his walking toys;
*has occasionally let go of said furniture and toys to stand on his own for a few seconds;
*has had his first "bloody" accident in which he fell and split his lip. He is fine and the swelling has gone down thanks to the teething rings;
*has been sleeping through the night (except for last night-he woke up around 4am probably because he was hungry-he didn't eat much dinner and then threw some of it up for no apparent reason);
*is super duper curious about everything (especially the remotes and phones);
*is definitely a people watcher (going out to eat and trying to feed DJP is its own Olympic event with head twisting, food on spoon balancing, etc.);
*has started to throw all of his toys-out of the crib, into his FP Speedway and just because he can;
*has learned to climb up on boxes (that are used to blockade an area for DJP in the basement; and
*has been enjoying his time with his daddy taking care of him during the week (Jason has done a FABULOUS job!!!!).
12 January 2011
Paying It Forward
I'm sure you've all seen the commercial were little acts of kindness are done while someone else is witness to the act and then they continue to pay it forward. After the start of the New Year on FB, a friend from high school posted about Paying it Forward of the handmade variety.
The deal is that if you responded to the post, they are to "pay it forward" with something handmade to you and then you are to continue in that vein. I decided that this was something that I wanted to do since I am a bit crafty and have two of those XL Ziploc bags (plus some) full of yarn. I have my five respondents to send handmade to already (check out status on FB) and have decided that once I have those finished (which will be a challenge with an almost 10 month old) I will post again, one project at a time.
Currently, I am about 1/2 way finished my first project. It's a pattern that I've wanted to complete, helps me de-stash some of my yarn and I love how it's turning out! I have two recipients in mind that the colors will fit perfectly...decisions! The decision might not be too difficult since I have enough of this particular yarn to complete two of this pattern...we shall see!
Once projects are finished and presented to their intended recipient, I will post pictures here as well as information on the patterns. (Finally, a knitting post!)
The deal is that if you responded to the post, they are to "pay it forward" with something handmade to you and then you are to continue in that vein. I decided that this was something that I wanted to do since I am a bit crafty and have two of those XL Ziploc bags (plus some) full of yarn. I have my five respondents to send handmade to already (check out status on FB) and have decided that once I have those finished (which will be a challenge with an almost 10 month old) I will post again, one project at a time.
Currently, I am about 1/2 way finished my first project. It's a pattern that I've wanted to complete, helps me de-stash some of my yarn and I love how it's turning out! I have two recipients in mind that the colors will fit perfectly...decisions! The decision might not be too difficult since I have enough of this particular yarn to complete two of this pattern...we shall see!
Once projects are finished and presented to their intended recipient, I will post pictures here as well as information on the patterns. (Finally, a knitting post!)
11 January 2011
Some Good News
Mom had another CT Scan done on Friday and got the results yesterday. There was some good news from that. The tumor is still encapsulated in her pancreas AND has moved slightly away from the blood vessel that the doctors were concerned about.
The medical oncologist wants Mom to start with chemo (probably at the earliest in two weeks) because he doesn't think she is strong enough as of yet to go through radiation. He will be conferring with another doctor Mom sees closer to home to see if he will be able to monitor the chemo and her blood levels (due to her being chronically anemic).
I went to visit Mom over the weekend and I took her on a small outing to the bank. She did very well walking and even got herself up on the curb (with a little assistance from the cane). Mom will be seeing a physical therapist starting today to help strengthen her legs as well as overall so that she will be able to do the radiation.
Every day that I speak to Mom on the phone, she sounds better and more like herself. She misses her grandson and will get to see him this weekend as we celebrate Christmas (since she was in the hospital for the official date).
The medical oncologist wants Mom to start with chemo (probably at the earliest in two weeks) because he doesn't think she is strong enough as of yet to go through radiation. He will be conferring with another doctor Mom sees closer to home to see if he will be able to monitor the chemo and her blood levels (due to her being chronically anemic).
I went to visit Mom over the weekend and I took her on a small outing to the bank. She did very well walking and even got herself up on the curb (with a little assistance from the cane). Mom will be seeing a physical therapist starting today to help strengthen her legs as well as overall so that she will be able to do the radiation.
Every day that I speak to Mom on the phone, she sounds better and more like herself. She misses her grandson and will get to see him this weekend as we celebrate Christmas (since she was in the hospital for the official date).
04 January 2011
Latest on Mom
Mom had a follow up with the Oncology Team at UMMC yesterday. Here's what she learned:
*Throw out the low-fat diet from the gallbladder surgery; she needs to eat many small meals during the day filled with calories. The doctor said, "If you want ice cream, eat it!" He wants Mom to gain some more weight and he also said that eating more will help with losing some of the fluid that she retained after the surgery.
*Mom needs to move around and do stuff during the day. She is not allowed to just sit around and be waited on. The doctor said that she needs to build up her strength.
*She is scheduled to meet again with the oncology team next Monday and Tuesday to have a follow up appointment and possible get her scans done in radiation oncology. (The ones for this week were canceled.)
*She needed to have another blood transfusion yesterday because her red blood cell count was low due to being anemic. This is in place of the shots she was getting at the hematologist's office every two weeks.
*The doctors still are not 100% sure what type of chemo Mom will have but they are leaning more towards giving her IV chemo. This will probably start before the radiation since Mom is still recovering from the surgery.
That's all I know for now...
*Throw out the low-fat diet from the gallbladder surgery; she needs to eat many small meals during the day filled with calories. The doctor said, "If you want ice cream, eat it!" He wants Mom to gain some more weight and he also said that eating more will help with losing some of the fluid that she retained after the surgery.
*Mom needs to move around and do stuff during the day. She is not allowed to just sit around and be waited on. The doctor said that she needs to build up her strength.
*She is scheduled to meet again with the oncology team next Monday and Tuesday to have a follow up appointment and possible get her scans done in radiation oncology. (The ones for this week were canceled.)
*She needed to have another blood transfusion yesterday because her red blood cell count was low due to being anemic. This is in place of the shots she was getting at the hematologist's office every two weeks.
*The doctors still are not 100% sure what type of chemo Mom will have but they are leaning more towards giving her IV chemo. This will probably start before the radiation since Mom is still recovering from the surgery.
That's all I know for now...
Happy New Year!
Jason and I (as well as DJP, if he knew) want to wish all of you a happy and healthy New Year! We spent a very quiet New Year by putting DJP to bed (a bit later than his usual time), having a wonderful dinner of steak (yum!), potatoes and green beans & almonds (my fav!) and watching two movies from pay per view on DirecTV-Easy A (about a high school girl who learns the effects of rumors and perpetuating them-very good!!!) and The A-Team (which wasn't quite the same but good for what it was).
New Year's Day was spent running some errands (must have more formula for DJP) and visiting with Mom/Grandma. DJP loved crawling around Grandma's living room and hallway but was intrigued with the door between the kitchen and living room (a pocket one) and that all the doors in the hallway were closed. You would think he wouldn't have much to get into. HA! DJP found the wires to the TV, etc. underneath an end table (he was not stopped by putting his diaper bag over top of the wires) and he also found that he could reach into Grandma's potted plants and find the dirt (so much fun to clean his fingers!)
Grandma gave DJP two Christmas presents-a stacker that has stars and plays music (he really loves to chew on the star at the top) and a stuffed puppy dog that plays music and talks about different body parts if you press on them (like the heart, foot, tummy, etc.). It even giggles when you press the tummy! We'll finish celebrating Christmas in about 1 1/2 weeks when Jason's dad and step mom come to visit. Hopefully, Mom will be feeling better and more like herself than she did in December.
New Year's Day was spent running some errands (must have more formula for DJP) and visiting with Mom/Grandma. DJP loved crawling around Grandma's living room and hallway but was intrigued with the door between the kitchen and living room (a pocket one) and that all the doors in the hallway were closed. You would think he wouldn't have much to get into. HA! DJP found the wires to the TV, etc. underneath an end table (he was not stopped by putting his diaper bag over top of the wires) and he also found that he could reach into Grandma's potted plants and find the dirt (so much fun to clean his fingers!)
Grandma gave DJP two Christmas presents-a stacker that has stars and plays music (he really loves to chew on the star at the top) and a stuffed puppy dog that plays music and talks about different body parts if you press on them (like the heart, foot, tummy, etc.). It even giggles when you press the tummy! We'll finish celebrating Christmas in about 1 1/2 weeks when Jason's dad and step mom come to visit. Hopefully, Mom will be feeling better and more like herself than she did in December.
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