09 October 2011
Latest on Mom
She is resting (as much as one can in the hospital) and working on getting better. He finally got the test results from the fluid that they drained on Wednesday. Negative for cancer cells!!!!!!! That was a HUGE relief for all of us. Mom still has a lot of fluid in her legs and it's not coming off quite as fast as the doctors want. They have increased one medication in hopes that it will help with that. If not, Mom might be doing dialysis on a temporary basis to help out her kidneys. That is not definite, but something the doctors are discussing.
02 October 2011
Catch up
So this is my first post since JULY and a lot has happened!
-We drove to FL. While there, DJP became very brave and actually put his head in the water at the pool! He also thought drinking the pool water was funny... We were also able to visit with friends on the drive home that we haven't seen in a few years which was nice.
-Our trivia team won the finals of Season 29! It was a huge surprise because we didn't think we had done well enough. However a big shout out to Jason's dad because he kept telling us that The Green Lantern is somehow related to The Lone Ranger and that was one of the four final questions. We were the only team who knew that!!!!
-School started again for both Jason and myself. Jason is working on a proposal to teach a seminar class on Baseball. I am getting used to having a new principal and going to a few new meetings. I will also be doing some curriculum writing this Fall for the Common Core Standards(adopted here in MD last year). DJP has also been to class with Jason due to an occasional babysitting issue. He likes to wonder around and even got himself up on a chair and sat at a desk!
-DJP is now 18 months old! He's weighing a hefty 27ish pounds and 33ish inches tall. He is picking up new words and sounds all the time. The newest from this week is "Gobble Gobble" because he likes to carry around the turkey from his FP farm set. DJP has learned to run from place to place and the number of bumps and bruises has increased as well! His latest stunt is climbing up the sliding board and sliding down on his tummy-no fear anymore!
-Mom was working on her follow up chemo treatments until this past Monday when she went back into the hospital. She is retaining fluid again (like she did 2 years ago) and the doctor is running every test possible. She's doing okay, just very tired because of all the monitoring and testing. She was moved to the oncology floor yesterday evening. Hopefully she will get more rest there. If you're reading this and didn't know sorry...I cannot call everyone! However if you would like to see/call Mom, let me know and I will give you contact information.
-We drove to FL. While there, DJP became very brave and actually put his head in the water at the pool! He also thought drinking the pool water was funny... We were also able to visit with friends on the drive home that we haven't seen in a few years which was nice.
-Our trivia team won the finals of Season 29! It was a huge surprise because we didn't think we had done well enough. However a big shout out to Jason's dad because he kept telling us that The Green Lantern is somehow related to The Lone Ranger and that was one of the four final questions. We were the only team who knew that!!!!
-School started again for both Jason and myself. Jason is working on a proposal to teach a seminar class on Baseball. I am getting used to having a new principal and going to a few new meetings. I will also be doing some curriculum writing this Fall for the Common Core Standards(adopted here in MD last year). DJP has also been to class with Jason due to an occasional babysitting issue. He likes to wonder around and even got himself up on a chair and sat at a desk!
-DJP is now 18 months old! He's weighing a hefty 27ish pounds and 33ish inches tall. He is picking up new words and sounds all the time. The newest from this week is "Gobble Gobble" because he likes to carry around the turkey from his FP farm set. DJP has learned to run from place to place and the number of bumps and bruises has increased as well! His latest stunt is climbing up the sliding board and sliding down on his tummy-no fear anymore!
-Mom was working on her follow up chemo treatments until this past Monday when she went back into the hospital. She is retaining fluid again (like she did 2 years ago) and the doctor is running every test possible. She's doing okay, just very tired because of all the monitoring and testing. She was moved to the oncology floor yesterday evening. Hopefully she will get more rest there. If you're reading this and didn't know sorry...I cannot call everyone! However if you would like to see/call Mom, let me know and I will give you contact information.
08 July 2011
NO!
DJP has added to his vocabulary as of this week the word that most parents dread hearing...
NO!
However, DJP has given the word 'no' some added enthusiasm: he says it with a smile and vivacious shakes of his head. Due to this motion, there is no picture (unfortunately)!
NO!
However, DJP has given the word 'no' some added enthusiasm: he says it with a smile and vivacious shakes of his head. Due to this motion, there is no picture (unfortunately)!
Just for good measure
Mom went to see the medical oncologist yesterday to find out what the next plan was to be.
What she found out was that she will be having chemo treatments once a week for two weeks and one week off for nine sessions, hopefully starting on Friday, July 15th. The doctor did warn her that she may experience more side effects this time (like hair loss). If all goes as planned, she will finish up in January 2012. This plan is just for good measure. What the doctors have found with pancreatic cancer is that once the chemo/radiation/surgery have been completed to rid the body of the cancer, another treatment plan of chemo diminishes the chances that the cancer will return.
Mom is upbeat about this and happy that she will not have to go to UMMC to receive her treatments. She can see one of her normal doctors (she has a list longer than Santa's) for her treatments. This means that she will be able to take herself.
What she found out was that she will be having chemo treatments once a week for two weeks and one week off for nine sessions, hopefully starting on Friday, July 15th. The doctor did warn her that she may experience more side effects this time (like hair loss). If all goes as planned, she will finish up in January 2012. This plan is just for good measure. What the doctors have found with pancreatic cancer is that once the chemo/radiation/surgery have been completed to rid the body of the cancer, another treatment plan of chemo diminishes the chances that the cancer will return.
Mom is upbeat about this and happy that she will not have to go to UMMC to receive her treatments. She can see one of her normal doctors (she has a list longer than Santa's) for her treatments. This means that she will be able to take herself.
06 July 2011
When Delilah cut Sampson's hair
DJP's hair was getting a bit long...that even he was pushing it out of his face!
BEFORE
DURING
AFTER
(Well...DJP was not very happy afterward and did NOT want his picture taken.)
And a big thank you to Ms. Clare (aka Delilah) for cutting DJP's hair!
BEFORE
DURING
AFTER
(Well...DJP was not very happy afterward and did NOT want his picture taken.)
And a big thank you to Ms. Clare (aka Delilah) for cutting DJP's hair!
27 June 2011
15 months
DJP is just a bit over 15 months old now. WOW! Time sure has flown! (And yes, he does know how to use the iPad and the iPhone!)
We had a well visit to the doctor today in which DJP did another first: he has been able to reach our door handles and pull them down (they are of the lever variety) but has not been able to pull the handle and open the door at the same time. DJP apparently wanted out of the exam room, reached up for the handle, pulled it down, opened the door and dashed out. Jason went to follow him. The receptionists got a big chuckle out of the spectacle. Of course, DJP went straight for the toy box and picked out a truck to push around.
DJP's current stats:
Height: approximately 32 inches (he becomes Mr. Squirmy Wormy when you try to lay him flat when he doesn't want to be flat)
Weight: 23 lbs 14 ozs (which doesn't seem to be a lot until you hold Mr. Squirmy Wormy)
DJP is also acquiring quite a vocabulary: Hi, woof, Ma-ma, Da-da, no (said with smiles), more (without the "r" and signing), Grandma (sounds like Ma-ma but different because he's not saying it to me!) and various other sounds that we have yet to decipher.
DJP is eating pretty well except for the fact that meat gets pushed away as do noodles and bread. Some new favorites are pretzels and Craisins as well as any freeze-dried fruit (justtomatoes.com has a wonderful variety) including cherries (which I think are the tartest things ever).
DJP enjoys having Ophelia around again (she has returned from Spa Grandma) and likes to lean in and attempt to give her kisses. Ophelia is not so sure about that and tends to shrink away as fast as she can. He also enjoys that the cat's water bowl is on the floor and becomes his own personal water table when Jason and I are not quick enough to stop him. I've never seen a bowl of water emptied so fast!
Speaking of kisses, the cat is not the only recipient of kisses from DJP. He will occasionally give Jason and me kisses at bedtime when asked but the cutest thing happened over the weekend. My mom was visiting and we told DJP to give Grandma kisses before going to bed. He not only went over to her and gave kisses but also walked over to me and to Jason and gave us each kisses before we took him upstairs.
DJP also went to his first Orioles v. Rays game. He spent most of it walking around with me or wandering around the open areas on the club level. We did take him out into the stands for about an inning and a half, but he was not fond of the music nor the cheers/jeers from the surrounding crowd. We did happen to bribe him a bit with some ice cream...
...and then once we left the game, it didn't take more than five minutes before he was asleep.
28 May 2011
Time has flown
...and so much has happened!
At the end of April, Mom had her scans done to see what was going on with the tumor in her pancreas. At the beginning of May, she met with her team of doctors and they determined that she was strong enough to go through surgery and recovery. However they did not know when the surgery would be done and only had about a 2 week window in which to do said surgery (due to when she finished her radiation and chemo treatments). The surgeon asked if he called one day would Mom be ready the next for surgery. She said she'd like to have this done by her birthday (May 18th). He said that he could do that for her.
We found out the Friday before Mother's Day that Mom's surgery would be scheduled for the Monday after Mother's Day. So we switched our plans around for Mother's day (because Mom couldn't eat anything solid after breakfast). We went to Bonefish Grill and had about an hour wait. Entertaining DJP was exhausting because all he wanted to do was walk up and down the sidewalk in front of all the stores and restaurants. He also made quite a few friends with his quick smile and wave. (Yes, DJP is walking...he started the week of his birthday with a few tentative steps here and there-much faster if you had a cellphone in your hand though and is now extremely confident and doesn't need to hold on to anything or anyone.)
On the day of the surgery, Chris, Tom and I went to be with her. We waited a long time for them to even take her back to get ready for the surgery but once they did things went quickly. We got to walk with her and the anesthesiologists until the elevators to the waiting area. The surgery was supposed to take about 6 hours however the surgeon was out talking to us in less than 5 because there were no complications and there wasn't a need for any blood transfusions (which the surgeon thought he would definitely have to do). While the doctor was talking with us, he was bouncy/giddy because of how well the surgery went and how well Mom did. Chris and I got to see her about an hour later. Her first question to us (still coming out of the anesthesia) was "Is is snowing?" Chris and I busted out laughing and the nurse just looked at us like we were crazy. We explained to her that Mom had been in the hospital in December and she was remembering that.
The day after surgery, I went to see Mom after work and found her sitting up in a chair with color in her face! Not what I was expecting after the gallbladder surgery! Each day she got better and surprised everyone, even the physical therapist because he thought he was going to have to help her out of bed and she did it all by herself! Jason and I took DJP to visit his Grandma on Friday for an hour or so. He did really well-definitely enjoyed pushing the buttons on the hospital bed that make it go up and down! By Saturday of that week, Mom had one of the drains removed, was off of some of her medicine and walking circles around the hospital floor that she was on (at her speed, not mine!). Before I left to see her that Sunday, she called to ask for me to bring a few items to her and that the team was still thinking about letting her go home on Monday. An hour later, I got to the hospital found Mom getting ready to go for a walk and she says, "I can go home today." Let's get everything together and make that happen. After all the paperwork was taken care of and Mom's stuff was all together, the nurse said she could wait for a wheelchair or walk out of her own accord. Mom said she could walk, so she did. She came home with me.
She's now at home and has seen the doctor again. She had the staples removed and was given the report on her surgery and the pathology of the cancer. I have not seen the reports yet myself, but Mom said that the tumor was 4.3cm and still had a few live cells. Some of the lymph nodes tested positive and the pathologist recommended more chemo and radiation. However the surgeon doesn't know what to radiate since there is no more tumor and is not concerned about the lymph nodes. Mom will meet again with the team later in June to see what happens next. She will be able to drive again in about a week and is supposed to resume her normal activities at once! All is good at this point! Many, many, many thanks to the team at UMMC and thank God for Dr. Alexander's steady hands during surgery! The team made life a bit easier during this difficult time for my family as did so many others who I will never be able to thank enough for their love, support and time.
At the end of April, Mom had her scans done to see what was going on with the tumor in her pancreas. At the beginning of May, she met with her team of doctors and they determined that she was strong enough to go through surgery and recovery. However they did not know when the surgery would be done and only had about a 2 week window in which to do said surgery (due to when she finished her radiation and chemo treatments). The surgeon asked if he called one day would Mom be ready the next for surgery. She said she'd like to have this done by her birthday (May 18th). He said that he could do that for her.
We found out the Friday before Mother's Day that Mom's surgery would be scheduled for the Monday after Mother's Day. So we switched our plans around for Mother's day (because Mom couldn't eat anything solid after breakfast). We went to Bonefish Grill and had about an hour wait. Entertaining DJP was exhausting because all he wanted to do was walk up and down the sidewalk in front of all the stores and restaurants. He also made quite a few friends with his quick smile and wave. (Yes, DJP is walking...he started the week of his birthday with a few tentative steps here and there-much faster if you had a cellphone in your hand though and is now extremely confident and doesn't need to hold on to anything or anyone.)
On the day of the surgery, Chris, Tom and I went to be with her. We waited a long time for them to even take her back to get ready for the surgery but once they did things went quickly. We got to walk with her and the anesthesiologists until the elevators to the waiting area. The surgery was supposed to take about 6 hours however the surgeon was out talking to us in less than 5 because there were no complications and there wasn't a need for any blood transfusions (which the surgeon thought he would definitely have to do). While the doctor was talking with us, he was bouncy/giddy because of how well the surgery went and how well Mom did. Chris and I got to see her about an hour later. Her first question to us (still coming out of the anesthesia) was "Is is snowing?" Chris and I busted out laughing and the nurse just looked at us like we were crazy. We explained to her that Mom had been in the hospital in December and she was remembering that.
The day after surgery, I went to see Mom after work and found her sitting up in a chair with color in her face! Not what I was expecting after the gallbladder surgery! Each day she got better and surprised everyone, even the physical therapist because he thought he was going to have to help her out of bed and she did it all by herself! Jason and I took DJP to visit his Grandma on Friday for an hour or so. He did really well-definitely enjoyed pushing the buttons on the hospital bed that make it go up and down! By Saturday of that week, Mom had one of the drains removed, was off of some of her medicine and walking circles around the hospital floor that she was on (at her speed, not mine!). Before I left to see her that Sunday, she called to ask for me to bring a few items to her and that the team was still thinking about letting her go home on Monday. An hour later, I got to the hospital found Mom getting ready to go for a walk and she says, "I can go home today." Let's get everything together and make that happen. After all the paperwork was taken care of and Mom's stuff was all together, the nurse said she could wait for a wheelchair or walk out of her own accord. Mom said she could walk, so she did. She came home with me.
She's now at home and has seen the doctor again. She had the staples removed and was given the report on her surgery and the pathology of the cancer. I have not seen the reports yet myself, but Mom said that the tumor was 4.3cm and still had a few live cells. Some of the lymph nodes tested positive and the pathologist recommended more chemo and radiation. However the surgeon doesn't know what to radiate since there is no more tumor and is not concerned about the lymph nodes. Mom will meet again with the team later in June to see what happens next. She will be able to drive again in about a week and is supposed to resume her normal activities at once! All is good at this point! Many, many, many thanks to the team at UMMC and thank God for Dr. Alexander's steady hands during surgery! The team made life a bit easier during this difficult time for my family as did so many others who I will never be able to thank enough for their love, support and time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)