Greetings Everybody! And Happy Holidays!
Well, it's been a while since I've written anything, and why?! It's the holidays again! Actually, it's been a lot of fun and very, very busy. My husband Jim and I went to visit his daughter in Connecticut for Thanksgiving. A ten day stay at her home . . . what a saint she is ... and a lovely vacation for us. Now, as you all are well aware, we are in the countdown to New Year's. I feel very joyous this year. And you all know why!
As I type Mother and John are on their way north to Napa for Mother's booksigning event and party. In case some of you haven't heard, her previous novels have been republished by the Authors Guild of New York. She is doing a Book Signing event with respect to her second novel at a Napa bookstore on the 16th followed by a party in her honor hosted by some of her dearest friends in Northern California. You should have heard the excitement in Anita's voice when I talked with her about it last night.
She feels like she is a schoolgirl, excited about a big award event. She feels doubly blessed in that not only has she been reborn into the living but that her novels - those novels that are so much a part of her and so dear to her heart - have also been reborn. And that the party and art show for John that she missed last June because she was so ill has also been reborn for her. She and John can now share together that special joy of personal achievement, the support and love of friends, and the miracle of a second chance at it all! Where Mother was absent, now she is there and with bells on! What a Christmas present! What an inspiration for the end of the year and the beginning of a whole new one! We can all rejoice with her and with John. I have never been so proud of and so happy for my one and only Mother!
As for her health, her only complaints are a runny eye and the fact that she gets tired periodically. But she is alive, vibrant, living each day to the fullest. She and John are together in heart and spirit more than ever, they have transformed their new house into their true new home, and Tristan continues to give her no end of enjoyment and amusement.
As a dear friend often says: "Ain't life grand?!" And it truly is.
I hope this posting finds all of you in good health, happy spirits, and enjoying friends and family as we all look forward to a wonderful set of holidays and the start of a brand new year!
Melissa
Friday 14 December 2007
Tuesday 6 November 2007
Post #82: Dentist Madness!
Greetings Anita fans!
How are you all doing? I hope well. I talked with Mama on November 4 (she was ironing at the time) and got an earful about - not what you think - but about the dentist! As I mentioned earlier, chemo patients develop dental problems and Anita has been no exception. However, count on her to have an exceptional dental experience.
Off she went to the dentist last Friday for what she thought would be a 1 to 1-1/2 hour session. When last she was there, she was told that she had an infected tooth and that hopefully with some treatment the tooth could be saved. Moral: Don't ever trust what they tell you! She was there FOUR, count 'em, hours for FOUR, count em', ROOT CANALS!!! Talk about adding injury to injury!
She got a very handsome dentist mind you - good looking, foreign, tall, etc. - in fact, reminded her of one of her friends from the East coast. Anita even commented to him that he "looked like a model" to which he responded, "I was!" But the work wasn't steady and he decided to go for dental security, so to speak. Meanwhile, back to the present at the dentist's office, he did a good job preparing Anita (novocaine shots, drilling the teeth, etc.) but then he turned her over to his assistant to pack the teeth etc. in preparation for the impressions.
Well, the assistant waited too long and the novocaine started to wear off before the assistant got to work. Plus she had BAD BREATH! Have any of you ever had a dental assistant with bad breath?! The assistant also kept leaving and coming back while Anita kept feeling more and more pain. Well, you can imagine what Mama thought of this development: "I'm getting out of this chair! I can't stand it! Would you take a breath mint or pull that mask over your face?!!!"
It was all a bit too much for Mama. She started sobbing. And totally understandably - this is apparently a normal reaction for people who have been through what she has been through. After all the cumulative pain she has had, as she says, she has been such a trooper. With cancer you have to be. But this? Pain at the dentist? This didn't have to be! Mama said that she should have taken some of her own "happy pills." Anyhow, after she started crying, the dentist came back in to the room. Anita: "I want to go home. I want to get this thing done! I don't think she [the assistant] knows what she is doing and she's got bad breath!!" Dentist: "I'm going to give you another shot of novocaine."
As Anita freely admits, "I got mad in the dentist chair! Afterward I took a Vicodin and I haven't needed to have one of those in a long time." But, she's glad that the ordeal is over. The only further thing needed to be done, dentally speaking that is, is for her to get the temporary caps removed and the permanent caps put on.
I think all of us can empathize with her! Dentists and happiness don't necessarily mix until you get the great results! And comparatively, our regular checkups are breezes! So keep smiling everyone and show off those teeth!
Melissa
How are you all doing? I hope well. I talked with Mama on November 4 (she was ironing at the time) and got an earful about - not what you think - but about the dentist! As I mentioned earlier, chemo patients develop dental problems and Anita has been no exception. However, count on her to have an exceptional dental experience.
Off she went to the dentist last Friday for what she thought would be a 1 to 1-1/2 hour session. When last she was there, she was told that she had an infected tooth and that hopefully with some treatment the tooth could be saved. Moral: Don't ever trust what they tell you! She was there FOUR, count 'em, hours for FOUR, count em', ROOT CANALS!!! Talk about adding injury to injury!
She got a very handsome dentist mind you - good looking, foreign, tall, etc. - in fact, reminded her of one of her friends from the East coast. Anita even commented to him that he "looked like a model" to which he responded, "I was!" But the work wasn't steady and he decided to go for dental security, so to speak. Meanwhile, back to the present at the dentist's office, he did a good job preparing Anita (novocaine shots, drilling the teeth, etc.) but then he turned her over to his assistant to pack the teeth etc. in preparation for the impressions.
Well, the assistant waited too long and the novocaine started to wear off before the assistant got to work. Plus she had BAD BREATH! Have any of you ever had a dental assistant with bad breath?! The assistant also kept leaving and coming back while Anita kept feeling more and more pain. Well, you can imagine what Mama thought of this development: "I'm getting out of this chair! I can't stand it! Would you take a breath mint or pull that mask over your face?!!!"
It was all a bit too much for Mama. She started sobbing. And totally understandably - this is apparently a normal reaction for people who have been through what she has been through. After all the cumulative pain she has had, as she says, she has been such a trooper. With cancer you have to be. But this? Pain at the dentist? This didn't have to be! Mama said that she should have taken some of her own "happy pills." Anyhow, after she started crying, the dentist came back in to the room. Anita: "I want to go home. I want to get this thing done! I don't think she [the assistant] knows what she is doing and she's got bad breath!!" Dentist: "I'm going to give you another shot of novocaine."
As Anita freely admits, "I got mad in the dentist chair! Afterward I took a Vicodin and I haven't needed to have one of those in a long time." But, she's glad that the ordeal is over. The only further thing needed to be done, dentally speaking that is, is for her to get the temporary caps removed and the permanent caps put on.
I think all of us can empathize with her! Dentists and happiness don't necessarily mix until you get the great results! And comparatively, our regular checkups are breezes! So keep smiling everyone and show off those teeth!
Melissa
Sunday 28 October 2007
Post #81: That's My Mama!
Hello Everyone!
I was able to have a long conversation with Mama on Friday and to get some more details about the results of her cat scan and her visit with the oncologist. Apparently her blood count is still low in certain categories and she is going in for follow-up blood testing either tomorrow or Tuesday. She confirmed that one of her two remaining tumors has reduced in size somewhat and the other has remained the same size. She asked the doctor how long her "remission" would last and his "guess" was that it could be anything from three months to three years.
Mama also said she has googled for information regarding the repercussions of Rituxan treatment. She found a two-year post-market study of side effects in 50 to 80 year olds. One of them is a bad rash, which Anita has developed on her chest and inside her elbow. A second side effect, which Anita also has developed and which is one of the most common delayed factors, is mucus in the eyes and nose. However, when she asked the doctor about the pain she had in her shoulder - a pain that had most concerned her - he told her that it was arthritis! Of course Mama promptly exclaimed, "But I've never had arthritis!" To which the doctor replied, "You have wrinkles on your face don't you? Well your bones get wrinkles and those hurt. And that pain is not associated with your problem."
Her overall report then is good. The doctor will see her for check-ups every three months and in six months she will have another cat scan. Anita asked, "How will I know if it has come back?" The doctor said, "Believe me you will know. If it starts coming back you will feel pain and start losing weight again."
Now what would any of you say to your doctor after all of the above?! Bet you'd never guess - or say for that matter - this:
Anita stated that she was happy that there were no more needles for awhile (except for the blood testing this week) and then turned to the doctor and stated "You know I'm in real estate. I've got a perfect house for you! You need a write-off!" [He's new to the area and she had heard that he has been renting.] Now that attitude alone is good for another five years at least!
Have a great week everyone!
Melissa
I was able to have a long conversation with Mama on Friday and to get some more details about the results of her cat scan and her visit with the oncologist. Apparently her blood count is still low in certain categories and she is going in for follow-up blood testing either tomorrow or Tuesday. She confirmed that one of her two remaining tumors has reduced in size somewhat and the other has remained the same size. She asked the doctor how long her "remission" would last and his "guess" was that it could be anything from three months to three years.
Mama also said she has googled for information regarding the repercussions of Rituxan treatment. She found a two-year post-market study of side effects in 50 to 80 year olds. One of them is a bad rash, which Anita has developed on her chest and inside her elbow. A second side effect, which Anita also has developed and which is one of the most common delayed factors, is mucus in the eyes and nose. However, when she asked the doctor about the pain she had in her shoulder - a pain that had most concerned her - he told her that it was arthritis! Of course Mama promptly exclaimed, "But I've never had arthritis!" To which the doctor replied, "You have wrinkles on your face don't you? Well your bones get wrinkles and those hurt. And that pain is not associated with your problem."
Her overall report then is good. The doctor will see her for check-ups every three months and in six months she will have another cat scan. Anita asked, "How will I know if it has come back?" The doctor said, "Believe me you will know. If it starts coming back you will feel pain and start losing weight again."
Now what would any of you say to your doctor after all of the above?! Bet you'd never guess - or say for that matter - this:
Anita stated that she was happy that there were no more needles for awhile (except for the blood testing this week) and then turned to the doctor and stated "You know I'm in real estate. I've got a perfect house for you! You need a write-off!" [He's new to the area and she had heard that he has been renting.] Now that attitude alone is good for another five years at least!
Have a great week everyone!
Melissa
Thursday 25 October 2007
Post #80: Preliminary Results
Dear Anita fans!
Many apologies for the long delay in writing. My husband and I have been dealing with all sorts of issues: business, health, family, you name it! So thanks for hanging in there. Mama told me that many of you have called her to inquire not only about how she is doing but also as to what happened to the postings! Thank you for being such faithful readers. It is a wonderful compliment!
The latest news I have is from my sister. As I am typing this, it is 12:40 a.m. in the morning California time (9:45 a.m. my time). So I have not yet had the opportunity to speak with Mother. Anita received her cat scan results in time for her meeting with the doctor which was at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday Oct. 24. Apparently her main tumors are basically the same as in her last cat scan except that one has gone down from 3.9 to 3.7 cm while the other has remained the same size. My sister reports that Anita is very positive-minded all told. She will have follow-up check-ups every three months.
I confirmed with Mama yesterday, before she went to her appointment, that she was armed with her list of questions for the doctor. I have encouraged her to not let him get by with the usual general non-answers and to really try to pin him down as much as possible. We all know that doctors these days will never say anything absolute. It exposes them to too much liability. In addition, particularly with cancer which affects every patient differently, there is no magic formula for predicting exactly what will happen to that given individual. However, he can certainly tell her what his experience has been and what the outcomes have been for patients with her type of cancer and particularly for those patients who have beaten the odds into remisssion. At least that will give her a more realistic idea of what her prospects might be.
I am happy to hear that she is still thinking positively. As my sister wrote: "She has the right attitude, anyway: live all she can as well as she can while she can!" We should all follow that mantra!
Since her last chemo treatment, she has been getting progressively better. She is still tired, but gradually getting less so, and she only feels pain now infrequently. Every time I've talked with her she is busy doing something. Getting ready to go out, to go rearrange the patio, to play with the dog, to plan getting togther with friends - in short, she's living life to the full! She recently sent me photos of the new patio, beautifully decorated now. It is an elegant outdoor living room! They have placed several of John's wonderful sculptures around the perimeter and framed the patio, as well as the whole yard, with lovely plants which by next year will have grown full and bushy and will block any views of the neighbors' houses while still permitting Anita and John to look at the mountains in the distance. I hope all of you will be able to come visit Anita & John and view the house at some point in the future.
I plan on talking with Mother later today to get more details of her visit with the doctor. I will update you as soon as possible.
Melissa
Many apologies for the long delay in writing. My husband and I have been dealing with all sorts of issues: business, health, family, you name it! So thanks for hanging in there. Mama told me that many of you have called her to inquire not only about how she is doing but also as to what happened to the postings! Thank you for being such faithful readers. It is a wonderful compliment!
The latest news I have is from my sister. As I am typing this, it is 12:40 a.m. in the morning California time (9:45 a.m. my time). So I have not yet had the opportunity to speak with Mother. Anita received her cat scan results in time for her meeting with the doctor which was at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday Oct. 24. Apparently her main tumors are basically the same as in her last cat scan except that one has gone down from 3.9 to 3.7 cm while the other has remained the same size. My sister reports that Anita is very positive-minded all told. She will have follow-up check-ups every three months.
I confirmed with Mama yesterday, before she went to her appointment, that she was armed with her list of questions for the doctor. I have encouraged her to not let him get by with the usual general non-answers and to really try to pin him down as much as possible. We all know that doctors these days will never say anything absolute. It exposes them to too much liability. In addition, particularly with cancer which affects every patient differently, there is no magic formula for predicting exactly what will happen to that given individual. However, he can certainly tell her what his experience has been and what the outcomes have been for patients with her type of cancer and particularly for those patients who have beaten the odds into remisssion. At least that will give her a more realistic idea of what her prospects might be.
I am happy to hear that she is still thinking positively. As my sister wrote: "She has the right attitude, anyway: live all she can as well as she can while she can!" We should all follow that mantra!
Since her last chemo treatment, she has been getting progressively better. She is still tired, but gradually getting less so, and she only feels pain now infrequently. Every time I've talked with her she is busy doing something. Getting ready to go out, to go rearrange the patio, to play with the dog, to plan getting togther with friends - in short, she's living life to the full! She recently sent me photos of the new patio, beautifully decorated now. It is an elegant outdoor living room! They have placed several of John's wonderful sculptures around the perimeter and framed the patio, as well as the whole yard, with lovely plants which by next year will have grown full and bushy and will block any views of the neighbors' houses while still permitting Anita and John to look at the mountains in the distance. I hope all of you will be able to come visit Anita & John and view the house at some point in the future.
I plan on talking with Mother later today to get more details of her visit with the doctor. I will update you as soon as possible.
Melissa
Sunday 14 October 2007
Post #79: Cat Scan Tomorrow!
Hello All!
Sorry for the time lapse here. I have been dealing with a variety of time-absorbing issues that have come up of late. So this post is a compilation from two conversations with Anita on Oct. 12 and today.
She has felt very tired after this last chemo session. But that is gradually getting better. It has been one of the normal aftereffects for her of the treatments and, as we all know, she does tend to overdo it a bit! She gets that enthusiasm going and look out world!
One of the issues she has been dealing with is some teeth problems. This too is a frequent side effect of chemo therapy. On Friday she commented that she had lost a couple of fillings and had a throbbing toothache. During our phone conversation, John had been on the other phone working to get her a dentist appointment. Bingo, he got one in the next 40 minutes and he and Mama had to dash out the door to get to the dentist's office.
Today I got the follow-up on how the appointment went. She has a bacterial infection near one wisdom tooth and of course will need to have the fillings replaced. Before he can replace her fillings he has to get permission from her oncologist, but that permission should be forthcoming shortly. The dentist has put her on antibiotics to clear up the infection, gave her a special mouth rinse, and thinks that he can save the tooth. Luckily, the rest of her teeth are in pretty good condition. The great news is that this is a new dentist for Anita, he's Irish, and Mama likes him. Since going to the dentist is one of the things she most hates doing, this is good news.
The better news is that she was able to nab an appointment for a cat scan tomorrow, Oct. 15 at 3:30 p.m. The results should be out in a week. Since she got the cat scan appointment earlier than she expected, her appointment with the oncologist has been moved up to Oct. 24th, also at 3:30 p.m. So things are moving along. She is in no pain - just every once in a while. She is not worried about it and is just waiting to see what the oncologist says about it at their meeting on the 24th.
Despite "eating like a pig" as she puts it, she has lost another couple of pounds putting her at 132. This is frustrating for her, but a friend who has been through chemo explained to Anita that with all those nasty chemo drugs running through your body, you simply do not absorb nutrients as well. So, in time, as the drugs work themselves out of her system, she should start putting on weight again.
One thing that really helps her spirits is how beautiful the house looks now. They have planted tons of new flowers and flowering bushes all around the yard and the new patio. There are blossoms everywhere: yellow Japanese bamboo blossoms, hibiscus blossoms, purple potatoe vine blossoms, bougainvillias, oleanders and vines with deep orange blossoms. They have new garden furniture, the patio concrete has been stained tan, the statues in the garden have been refinished, and everything is looking spectacular! And with a happy-go-lucky dog like Tristan bounding about, how can she not but have her spirits lifted!
So, she is getting tired easily and early to bed most nights. But she's always up with the sunshine and determined to think positively. Here's to all of us doing the same!
Melissa
Sorry for the time lapse here. I have been dealing with a variety of time-absorbing issues that have come up of late. So this post is a compilation from two conversations with Anita on Oct. 12 and today.
She has felt very tired after this last chemo session. But that is gradually getting better. It has been one of the normal aftereffects for her of the treatments and, as we all know, she does tend to overdo it a bit! She gets that enthusiasm going and look out world!
One of the issues she has been dealing with is some teeth problems. This too is a frequent side effect of chemo therapy. On Friday she commented that she had lost a couple of fillings and had a throbbing toothache. During our phone conversation, John had been on the other phone working to get her a dentist appointment. Bingo, he got one in the next 40 minutes and he and Mama had to dash out the door to get to the dentist's office.
Today I got the follow-up on how the appointment went. She has a bacterial infection near one wisdom tooth and of course will need to have the fillings replaced. Before he can replace her fillings he has to get permission from her oncologist, but that permission should be forthcoming shortly. The dentist has put her on antibiotics to clear up the infection, gave her a special mouth rinse, and thinks that he can save the tooth. Luckily, the rest of her teeth are in pretty good condition. The great news is that this is a new dentist for Anita, he's Irish, and Mama likes him. Since going to the dentist is one of the things she most hates doing, this is good news.
The better news is that she was able to nab an appointment for a cat scan tomorrow, Oct. 15 at 3:30 p.m. The results should be out in a week. Since she got the cat scan appointment earlier than she expected, her appointment with the oncologist has been moved up to Oct. 24th, also at 3:30 p.m. So things are moving along. She is in no pain - just every once in a while. She is not worried about it and is just waiting to see what the oncologist says about it at their meeting on the 24th.
Despite "eating like a pig" as she puts it, she has lost another couple of pounds putting her at 132. This is frustrating for her, but a friend who has been through chemo explained to Anita that with all those nasty chemo drugs running through your body, you simply do not absorb nutrients as well. So, in time, as the drugs work themselves out of her system, she should start putting on weight again.
One thing that really helps her spirits is how beautiful the house looks now. They have planted tons of new flowers and flowering bushes all around the yard and the new patio. There are blossoms everywhere: yellow Japanese bamboo blossoms, hibiscus blossoms, purple potatoe vine blossoms, bougainvillias, oleanders and vines with deep orange blossoms. They have new garden furniture, the patio concrete has been stained tan, the statues in the garden have been refinished, and everything is looking spectacular! And with a happy-go-lucky dog like Tristan bounding about, how can she not but have her spirits lifted!
So, she is getting tired easily and early to bed most nights. But she's always up with the sunshine and determined to think positively. Here's to all of us doing the same!
Melissa
Saturday 6 October 2007
Post #78: Last chemo treatment completed!
Dear Everyone,
I'm happy to report that Anita's latest blood test showed that the levels of various factors in her blood (e.g. red blood cell count, white blood cell count, etc.) had all risen enough to pass the cut-off level below which they will not administer chemotherapy. So Friday she had her final chemo session!
The session took a little longer than normal. She at first got an inexperienced nurse who didn't insert the IV needle correctly and subsequently caused Mama some pain in her arm. This was the first time she has felt pain during a chemo therapy session. Well, as you can imagine, Mama let her feelings about that be known! No shrinking violet this one!! As it happens, Anita's favorite nurse happened to be there that day as well, and he (yes, a male nurse) came over to see what was going on and insisted that the needle be removed and the whole process started over! At that point, Anita insisted that she would only allow him to administer her treatment! Good for her!
So her appointment had been for 10:00 a.m., they didn't get started until 10:40 and because of the mess-up with the needle, Anita didn't get out of there until after 1:00 p.m. Last night she didn't sleep too well, but she says that's normal for her after a treatment. However, today she is feeling pretty good. She still has a "palpable thing" on her neck (it's in the hollow part above the clavicle on her left side). It still has a pulse beat when she touches it which she describes as a "boom-boom . . boom-boom-boom." But there is no pain. In fact, the pain she was feeling in the past couple of weeks has gone away! That's wonderful news. However, next stop will be the dentist. Chemo therapy affects the teeth and she has apparently developed some toothache. I think Mama probably dreads the dentist more than the chemo therapy!
She is a little disappointed in that she has lost another pound. So she's now at 134. Her oncologist's nurse put in the request for the contrast cat scan yesterday. So Anita should be getting the go-ahead shortly from her HMO and then will arrange an appointment to have the scan taken. Hopefully the results from that will be back in time for her next scheduled appointment with the oncologist which is on October 30.
Anyhow, talking with her today, she was upbeat, in a great mood and we laughed and chatted and had a great talk. Sounds like my wonderful, normal Mama to me! And that's a beautiful thing.
Until next time, wishing all of you all the best,
Melissa
I'm happy to report that Anita's latest blood test showed that the levels of various factors in her blood (e.g. red blood cell count, white blood cell count, etc.) had all risen enough to pass the cut-off level below which they will not administer chemotherapy. So Friday she had her final chemo session!
The session took a little longer than normal. She at first got an inexperienced nurse who didn't insert the IV needle correctly and subsequently caused Mama some pain in her arm. This was the first time she has felt pain during a chemo therapy session. Well, as you can imagine, Mama let her feelings about that be known! No shrinking violet this one!! As it happens, Anita's favorite nurse happened to be there that day as well, and he (yes, a male nurse) came over to see what was going on and insisted that the needle be removed and the whole process started over! At that point, Anita insisted that she would only allow him to administer her treatment! Good for her!
So her appointment had been for 10:00 a.m., they didn't get started until 10:40 and because of the mess-up with the needle, Anita didn't get out of there until after 1:00 p.m. Last night she didn't sleep too well, but she says that's normal for her after a treatment. However, today she is feeling pretty good. She still has a "palpable thing" on her neck (it's in the hollow part above the clavicle on her left side). It still has a pulse beat when she touches it which she describes as a "boom-boom . . boom-boom-boom." But there is no pain. In fact, the pain she was feeling in the past couple of weeks has gone away! That's wonderful news. However, next stop will be the dentist. Chemo therapy affects the teeth and she has apparently developed some toothache. I think Mama probably dreads the dentist more than the chemo therapy!
She is a little disappointed in that she has lost another pound. So she's now at 134. Her oncologist's nurse put in the request for the contrast cat scan yesterday. So Anita should be getting the go-ahead shortly from her HMO and then will arrange an appointment to have the scan taken. Hopefully the results from that will be back in time for her next scheduled appointment with the oncologist which is on October 30.
Anyhow, talking with her today, she was upbeat, in a great mood and we laughed and chatted and had a great talk. Sounds like my wonderful, normal Mama to me! And that's a beautiful thing.
Until next time, wishing all of you all the best,
Melissa
Thursday 4 October 2007
Post #77: Chemo treatment postponed
Hello Everyone,
Anita was supposed to undergo her last chemo treatment yesterday, Oct. 3. However, they refused to administer it to her in that her latest blood test (taken Sept. 25) came back with white and red blood cell counts (plus apparently some other readings) that were too low for them to permit her to proceed with the treatment. She had a follow-up blood test done yesterday and her chemo treatment was rescheduled to tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. The blood test results should be available before tomorrow's appointment. If her blood readings have not improved sufficiently, they will postpone the treatment once again.
Actually, these blood readings are not too surprising in that it is a frequent occurence with patients undergoing chemotherapy. Anita has been fortunate in that she made it through 5 of 6 chemo and all 4 Rituxan treatments with very good blood test results. Anyhow, these low readings certainly help explain why she has been feeling so tired recently.
Unfortunately, there has also been a worrisome new development. She has discovered a "growth" at the base of her neck on the right side above the shoulder blade that "has a pulse." We are not certain of the significance of this development and Anita will be consulting her oncologist about it.
Assuming that she has her chemo treatment tomorrow, then in about two weeks she will have a contrast cat scan. Following that she will meet with her oncologist on Oct. 30th. She will only meet with him if she has all testing and scan results in hand. And Anita has stated that if during their consultation following the cat scan he continues with this "new attitude" of his, that she will change oncologists.
I will update tomorrow as soon as I learn whether the chemo treatment went forward or not.
Melissa
Anita was supposed to undergo her last chemo treatment yesterday, Oct. 3. However, they refused to administer it to her in that her latest blood test (taken Sept. 25) came back with white and red blood cell counts (plus apparently some other readings) that were too low for them to permit her to proceed with the treatment. She had a follow-up blood test done yesterday and her chemo treatment was rescheduled to tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. The blood test results should be available before tomorrow's appointment. If her blood readings have not improved sufficiently, they will postpone the treatment once again.
Actually, these blood readings are not too surprising in that it is a frequent occurence with patients undergoing chemotherapy. Anita has been fortunate in that she made it through 5 of 6 chemo and all 4 Rituxan treatments with very good blood test results. Anyhow, these low readings certainly help explain why she has been feeling so tired recently.
Unfortunately, there has also been a worrisome new development. She has discovered a "growth" at the base of her neck on the right side above the shoulder blade that "has a pulse." We are not certain of the significance of this development and Anita will be consulting her oncologist about it.
Assuming that she has her chemo treatment tomorrow, then in about two weeks she will have a contrast cat scan. Following that she will meet with her oncologist on Oct. 30th. She will only meet with him if she has all testing and scan results in hand. And Anita has stated that if during their consultation following the cat scan he continues with this "new attitude" of his, that she will change oncologists.
I will update tomorrow as soon as I learn whether the chemo treatment went forward or not.
Melissa
Saturday 29 September 2007
Post #76: Waiting Time
Dear all,
Well, it looks like we're into a waiting game of sorts. Anita and John went to see the oncologist on Sept. 26th to ask some questions about the recurrent pain she is having as well as about what to expect in the future given that she has only one more chemo session currently scheduled. Unfortunately, the meeting with the doctor left both Anita and John feeling unsatisfied and a bit depressed.
The doctor stated that there would be no more chemo and positively no more Rituxan treatments. This seemed odd given that some time ago he had stated that once she was through with the first round of treatments, he would then determine if she needed more treatments.
Regarding the recurrent pain she has been experiencing in the past week or so, he simply stated that in remission she can expect to have pain from time to time. As you all can tell, this is really a non-answer. His manner, according to Anita, appeared to her to be somewhat dismissive. He said that she would be undergoing follow-up cat scans every two months. However, he did not state what would happen should something negative show up on a particular cat scan.
During the meeting, Anita and John apparently were too taken aback to really press him with more detailed questions. I have suggested they prepare a detailed list of questions for their next meeting with the doctor, and that they not leave until they get satisfactory answers to all of their questions. Mama said that she would do this.
Call me a skeptic, but I have also suggested that they check with their HMO to see whether the HMO intends to pay for any additional treatments. If not, that may explain the doctor's attitude. Anita has discovered that he has submitted bills to the HMO for every single meeting or encounter that she has had with him since the start of her treatment. We know that this HMO likes to limit costs and rewards its doctors for helping cut down on costs. In my experience, this translates as cutting down on treatment for patients.
So, we are now waiting for the next chemo session which is Oct. 3rd. She will meet with the oncologist following that session. At that point we should know whether this oncologist's attitude is merely a momentary aberration or a permanent fixture.
Melissa
Well, it looks like we're into a waiting game of sorts. Anita and John went to see the oncologist on Sept. 26th to ask some questions about the recurrent pain she is having as well as about what to expect in the future given that she has only one more chemo session currently scheduled. Unfortunately, the meeting with the doctor left both Anita and John feeling unsatisfied and a bit depressed.
The doctor stated that there would be no more chemo and positively no more Rituxan treatments. This seemed odd given that some time ago he had stated that once she was through with the first round of treatments, he would then determine if she needed more treatments.
Regarding the recurrent pain she has been experiencing in the past week or so, he simply stated that in remission she can expect to have pain from time to time. As you all can tell, this is really a non-answer. His manner, according to Anita, appeared to her to be somewhat dismissive. He said that she would be undergoing follow-up cat scans every two months. However, he did not state what would happen should something negative show up on a particular cat scan.
During the meeting, Anita and John apparently were too taken aback to really press him with more detailed questions. I have suggested they prepare a detailed list of questions for their next meeting with the doctor, and that they not leave until they get satisfactory answers to all of their questions. Mama said that she would do this.
Call me a skeptic, but I have also suggested that they check with their HMO to see whether the HMO intends to pay for any additional treatments. If not, that may explain the doctor's attitude. Anita has discovered that he has submitted bills to the HMO for every single meeting or encounter that she has had with him since the start of her treatment. We know that this HMO likes to limit costs and rewards its doctors for helping cut down on costs. In my experience, this translates as cutting down on treatment for patients.
So, we are now waiting for the next chemo session which is Oct. 3rd. She will meet with the oncologist following that session. At that point we should know whether this oncologist's attitude is merely a momentary aberration or a permanent fixture.
Melissa
Tuesday 25 September 2007
Post #75: Long break but I'm back!
Hello friends and family!
I realize that it has been about ten days since my last entry and that has caused some concern among you. I am sorry if any of you became unduly worried. The reasons for the break are multiple and I won't bore you with them all, but here's the short of it:
Went on a short two-day trip to France with my husband on Sept. 17 to celebrate my birthday, had a wonderful time, but came down with food poisoning after eating some delicious, but apparently not quite up to snuff langoustines. I can truthfully say that on my birthday I got bread and water while my husband dined sumptuously on foie gras, skewered-scallops St. Jacques and a moelleux chocolat for dessert! Well, whatever bugs were in those langoustines were not user-friendly ones and it took a few days for me to finally recover. Then our dog got an eye lesion followed by a systemic skin allergy and during it all we acquired a new client for our business while another client developed urgent problems, etc., etc. In other words, life's been happening!
Additionally, although Mother has not been feeling too well the past week, she asked me not to write a post about it because she was trying to wait it out thinking that her feelings of discomfort would subside, as has been typical in the past after she has had a Rituxan treatment. As it turns out, she is still not feeling too well.
Her last Rituxan treatment was on Friday, Sept. 14. The following Sunday she started feeling lousy, which followed the usual post-Rituxan pattern, but the discomfort continued throughout all of last week and until today. Specifically, she started feeling pain again in those areas where she has her remaining (and historically largest) tumors, the upper right abdominal quadrant and on the left side around her kidney area. Fortunately, the pain has not been as bad as what she experienced back in June and she has not felt the need for morphine drops or pain patches. However, it has more or less persisted and this is of concern to her. It has also been accompanied by a tendency to get tired and achy (for example, if she sits at the computer too long she gets aches in between her shoulders). She thinks perhaps she has been doing too much.
This morning she said she awoke and "can all but feel what seems to be a new lump or mass under her ribs on the right side." This, of course, is not good news as it might indicate a new growth. However, it is possible that the pain she is feeling is the treatment working on the final and toughest areas and this "mass" may be a byproduct of that. So she is calling the oncologist today to arrange to see him regarding these latest symptoms.
In any event, she is determined to be optimistic and is "hell bent on getting remission after her next chemo session (Oct. 3rd)!" She is not happy about these "red flags" coming up, but even with them, she is remission bound! Her weight is up a bit and she is maintaining it 135 lbs. She is as active and busy as ever. Can't keep this woman down! She is excited about the improvements at the house. The new living room sliding glass door and outside patio are proving to be the perfect touch to the house. She and John are planting lots of beautiful flowers and bushes to add that extra touch of privacy and lushness. Combined with that tornado of a dog, Tristan, her spirits receive a pick-me-up everyday. So keep sending those healing thoughts and wishes her way. We all want to see her successfully through this journey!
Melissa
I realize that it has been about ten days since my last entry and that has caused some concern among you. I am sorry if any of you became unduly worried. The reasons for the break are multiple and I won't bore you with them all, but here's the short of it:
Went on a short two-day trip to France with my husband on Sept. 17 to celebrate my birthday, had a wonderful time, but came down with food poisoning after eating some delicious, but apparently not quite up to snuff langoustines. I can truthfully say that on my birthday I got bread and water while my husband dined sumptuously on foie gras, skewered-scallops St. Jacques and a moelleux chocolat for dessert! Well, whatever bugs were in those langoustines were not user-friendly ones and it took a few days for me to finally recover. Then our dog got an eye lesion followed by a systemic skin allergy and during it all we acquired a new client for our business while another client developed urgent problems, etc., etc. In other words, life's been happening!
Additionally, although Mother has not been feeling too well the past week, she asked me not to write a post about it because she was trying to wait it out thinking that her feelings of discomfort would subside, as has been typical in the past after she has had a Rituxan treatment. As it turns out, she is still not feeling too well.
Her last Rituxan treatment was on Friday, Sept. 14. The following Sunday she started feeling lousy, which followed the usual post-Rituxan pattern, but the discomfort continued throughout all of last week and until today. Specifically, she started feeling pain again in those areas where she has her remaining (and historically largest) tumors, the upper right abdominal quadrant and on the left side around her kidney area. Fortunately, the pain has not been as bad as what she experienced back in June and she has not felt the need for morphine drops or pain patches. However, it has more or less persisted and this is of concern to her. It has also been accompanied by a tendency to get tired and achy (for example, if she sits at the computer too long she gets aches in between her shoulders). She thinks perhaps she has been doing too much.
This morning she said she awoke and "can all but feel what seems to be a new lump or mass under her ribs on the right side." This, of course, is not good news as it might indicate a new growth. However, it is possible that the pain she is feeling is the treatment working on the final and toughest areas and this "mass" may be a byproduct of that. So she is calling the oncologist today to arrange to see him regarding these latest symptoms.
In any event, she is determined to be optimistic and is "hell bent on getting remission after her next chemo session (Oct. 3rd)!" She is not happy about these "red flags" coming up, but even with them, she is remission bound! Her weight is up a bit and she is maintaining it 135 lbs. She is as active and busy as ever. Can't keep this woman down! She is excited about the improvements at the house. The new living room sliding glass door and outside patio are proving to be the perfect touch to the house. She and John are planting lots of beautiful flowers and bushes to add that extra touch of privacy and lushness. Combined with that tornado of a dog, Tristan, her spirits receive a pick-me-up everyday. So keep sending those healing thoughts and wishes her way. We all want to see her successfully through this journey!
Melissa
Saturday 15 September 2007
Post #74: Down a bit but heading back up!
Hello Everyone!
Anita underwent 3-1/2 hours of Rituxan treatment yesterday. It was not the greatest session in that the atmosphere at the treatment center was depressing, given the condition of some of the other patients (such as an 18-year old boy being treated for lupus). Also, being that it was her last Rituxan treatment, Anita was rather impatient to get it over and done with. Rituxan is administered via a slow-drip method and it seemed to take forever! So not too surprisingly, she didn't feel, shall we say, her usual upbeat self nor at her most charming either while she was there or later when she got home. She was "grouchy, not feeling so hot, and went to bed!" Well, I say she's totally justified in feeling grouchy and anything else after all she's been through!
However, her spirits and how she is feeling seem to be starting to turn around today. When I talked with her she was busy preparing for a small dinner party at home tonight to celebrate the inauguration of the new patio! The concrete is all poured, the forms are coming off today and Anita and John plan to serve drinks outside on it before having dinner indoors. And what a dinner it will be! Anita is preparing pork roast stuffed with prune dressing, potatoes in olive oil, garlic, parmesan cheese and parsley, sweet & sour red cabbage, broiled tomatos dipped in Italian dressing and topped with feta cheese, not to mention big "granddaddy biscuits" and gravy for the roast. Getting hungry yet folks?! The guests are bringing champagne to help celebrate, so it should be an upbeat evening for her. She is wisely taking a long nap this afternoon in order to be rested and ready.
Anyhow, when I called she was busy chopping up ingredients in the kitchen and getting all the dishes prepared. And this the day after the Rituxan treatment and waking up at midnight with indigestion! She truly is amazing. Anyhow, she expects to follow the same pattern she has after all of her previous Rituxan treatments. She will feel lousy for a few days and then start daily feeling better and better. After yesterday there will be no more Rituxan and only one more chemo treatment to go!! That will be on October 3rd. Following the last chemo, she will have another contrast cat scan to see how she's doing. As she says - and as we all say - REMISSION is what she's headed toward! What a miracle to be getting ever closer to that point!
Melissa
Anita underwent 3-1/2 hours of Rituxan treatment yesterday. It was not the greatest session in that the atmosphere at the treatment center was depressing, given the condition of some of the other patients (such as an 18-year old boy being treated for lupus). Also, being that it was her last Rituxan treatment, Anita was rather impatient to get it over and done with. Rituxan is administered via a slow-drip method and it seemed to take forever! So not too surprisingly, she didn't feel, shall we say, her usual upbeat self nor at her most charming either while she was there or later when she got home. She was "grouchy, not feeling so hot, and went to bed!" Well, I say she's totally justified in feeling grouchy and anything else after all she's been through!
However, her spirits and how she is feeling seem to be starting to turn around today. When I talked with her she was busy preparing for a small dinner party at home tonight to celebrate the inauguration of the new patio! The concrete is all poured, the forms are coming off today and Anita and John plan to serve drinks outside on it before having dinner indoors. And what a dinner it will be! Anita is preparing pork roast stuffed with prune dressing, potatoes in olive oil, garlic, parmesan cheese and parsley, sweet & sour red cabbage, broiled tomatos dipped in Italian dressing and topped with feta cheese, not to mention big "granddaddy biscuits" and gravy for the roast. Getting hungry yet folks?! The guests are bringing champagne to help celebrate, so it should be an upbeat evening for her. She is wisely taking a long nap this afternoon in order to be rested and ready.
Anyhow, when I called she was busy chopping up ingredients in the kitchen and getting all the dishes prepared. And this the day after the Rituxan treatment and waking up at midnight with indigestion! She truly is amazing. Anyhow, she expects to follow the same pattern she has after all of her previous Rituxan treatments. She will feel lousy for a few days and then start daily feeling better and better. After yesterday there will be no more Rituxan and only one more chemo treatment to go!! That will be on October 3rd. Following the last chemo, she will have another contrast cat scan to see how she's doing. As she says - and as we all say - REMISSION is what she's headed toward! What a miracle to be getting ever closer to that point!
Melissa
Thursday 13 September 2007
Post #73: Not Feeling As Well This Morning
Dear all,
Anita did her two hours of chemo yesterday morning and in what has come to be her "chemo style," felt good after the treatment and went home and cleaned out her closets. Also did a little ironing! Utterly amazing!
However, as has become the pattern during her treatments, she got tired and went to bed early. She woke up in the middle of the night, got back to sleep OK but was nauseated when she got up this morning. However, she took her sure-fire nausea medication, napped a bit and then around 10:00 a.m. or so, she was able to eat a bowl of cereal and drink some fruit-flavored vitamin water. She followed that up with another nap and when I talked to her around 12:30 p.m. she sounded groggy but nevertheless positive. The shortness of breath that had come back over this past weekend (she had worn herself out the week before) has again gone away. And she realizes that the nausea and tiredness is not unusual at this point in time.
So it's on to the last Rituxan treatment tomorrow. Her appointment is at 9:00 a.m. and the treatment should last about three hours. The Rituxan will also create more tiredness and nausea, but she is prepared for it and is looking forward to recovering from this last of the double-whammy sessions soon. One item buoying her spirits is the pouring of the concrete for the new patio. The workers are there and it should be completed by this afternoon. Not to mention, her new wardrobe! Always a pick-me-up for Mama!
So I will update again following her Rituxan treatment tomorrow or if I receive additional news in the interim. Let's all keep those positive thoughts flowing!
Melissa
Anita did her two hours of chemo yesterday morning and in what has come to be her "chemo style," felt good after the treatment and went home and cleaned out her closets. Also did a little ironing! Utterly amazing!
However, as has become the pattern during her treatments, she got tired and went to bed early. She woke up in the middle of the night, got back to sleep OK but was nauseated when she got up this morning. However, she took her sure-fire nausea medication, napped a bit and then around 10:00 a.m. or so, she was able to eat a bowl of cereal and drink some fruit-flavored vitamin water. She followed that up with another nap and when I talked to her around 12:30 p.m. she sounded groggy but nevertheless positive. The shortness of breath that had come back over this past weekend (she had worn herself out the week before) has again gone away. And she realizes that the nausea and tiredness is not unusual at this point in time.
So it's on to the last Rituxan treatment tomorrow. Her appointment is at 9:00 a.m. and the treatment should last about three hours. The Rituxan will also create more tiredness and nausea, but she is prepared for it and is looking forward to recovering from this last of the double-whammy sessions soon. One item buoying her spirits is the pouring of the concrete for the new patio. The workers are there and it should be completed by this afternoon. Not to mention, her new wardrobe! Always a pick-me-up for Mama!
So I will update again following her Rituxan treatment tomorrow or if I receive additional news in the interim. Let's all keep those positive thoughts flowing!
Melissa
Wednesday 12 September 2007
Post #72: Off to Chemo #5!
Hello Anita fans!
Well, she is off as I type to a quick breakfast out and then her fifth chemo treatment. It's a 9:00 a.m. appointment, but knowing them, she probably won't really get started until 9:30 or 10:00. Following today's treatment, she will have her last Rituxan treatment on Friday the 14th, also at 9:00 a.m. She sounded tremendously upbeat when I talked with her a few moments ago, so much so that one would think she was going out to a routine doctor or dentist appointment rather than to a cancer treatment session! Well . . . that's Anita!
One reason she is feeling upbeat is that she and John went shopping yesterday for some new clothes for her. She has lost so much weight that most of her former clothes don't fit her anymore. And as you can imagine, she's happy as a clam (although when you think about it, why would a clam be happy?) and is sporting a whole new look! It's so fun to hear her talking with such enthusiasm about styles and colors and fabrics. Well, she will be looking sharp tomorrow for an 8:00 a.m. meeting with the MLS (multiple listing service) real estate crowd. Can you believe it?! That's Mama, still doing her best for her clients!
She has been fairly tired the past few days, feeling the need of having to go to bed and rest, but that's not all that surprising. She was so exhilarated and had such a fabulous week with their friend from the East Coast - there was something going on every night - that she rather overdid it! Apparently, her heart "went cockeyed" a bit - as she puts it. But she is recovering rapidly and will take a more leisurely pace in the days and weeks to come.
The forms and wires and whatnot are all set up in the side yard outside the new living room door for the pouring of the concrete which will happen this Thursday. This has caused no end of distress for Tristan Tornado as he has been relegated to the back yard until everything is finished. The good news is that he is now totally house-trained. Quite a relief (no pun intended) for the rest of the household!
So, I will be checking with Mother after her treatment to see how it went and will report back to all of you. Speaking of "you" I want to thank you all for following the blogsite so closely. I'm happy that it is helpful to you. I'm sorry I'm doing fewer postings now, but with all this improvement, there's less health-related information to report, which is a good thing! However, beware and fair warning! I may start pounding the keys everyday again! Coming from a family of writers, the bug is spreading! Besides, it's good discipline to write everyday!
Melissa
Melissa
Well, she is off as I type to a quick breakfast out and then her fifth chemo treatment. It's a 9:00 a.m. appointment, but knowing them, she probably won't really get started until 9:30 or 10:00. Following today's treatment, she will have her last Rituxan treatment on Friday the 14th, also at 9:00 a.m. She sounded tremendously upbeat when I talked with her a few moments ago, so much so that one would think she was going out to a routine doctor or dentist appointment rather than to a cancer treatment session! Well . . . that's Anita!
One reason she is feeling upbeat is that she and John went shopping yesterday for some new clothes for her. She has lost so much weight that most of her former clothes don't fit her anymore. And as you can imagine, she's happy as a clam (although when you think about it, why would a clam be happy?) and is sporting a whole new look! It's so fun to hear her talking with such enthusiasm about styles and colors and fabrics. Well, she will be looking sharp tomorrow for an 8:00 a.m. meeting with the MLS (multiple listing service) real estate crowd. Can you believe it?! That's Mama, still doing her best for her clients!
She has been fairly tired the past few days, feeling the need of having to go to bed and rest, but that's not all that surprising. She was so exhilarated and had such a fabulous week with their friend from the East Coast - there was something going on every night - that she rather overdid it! Apparently, her heart "went cockeyed" a bit - as she puts it. But she is recovering rapidly and will take a more leisurely pace in the days and weeks to come.
The forms and wires and whatnot are all set up in the side yard outside the new living room door for the pouring of the concrete which will happen this Thursday. This has caused no end of distress for Tristan Tornado as he has been relegated to the back yard until everything is finished. The good news is that he is now totally house-trained. Quite a relief (no pun intended) for the rest of the household!
So, I will be checking with Mother after her treatment to see how it went and will report back to all of you. Speaking of "you" I want to thank you all for following the blogsite so closely. I'm happy that it is helpful to you. I'm sorry I'm doing fewer postings now, but with all this improvement, there's less health-related information to report, which is a good thing! However, beware and fair warning! I may start pounding the keys everyday again! Coming from a family of writers, the bug is spreading! Besides, it's good discipline to write everyday!
Melissa
Melissa
Friday 7 September 2007
Post #71: An absolutely fabulous week!
Hello Everybody!
Well, it's been a week already . . . can't believe where the time goes! But it has been an incredible one for Anita. Yes, she still gets tired easily and still gets some dizziness - but that has all diminished in severity and frequency.
The great news is that she has been able to thoroughly enjoy the past week with her visiting friend from the East Coast including social gatherings and even a trip to San Diego on Sept. 4th. Off they went to beautiful San Diego where Anita waded in the ocean waves breaking in the sand and ate steamed clams and stuffed artichokes at The Beach House at Cardiff by the Sea - one of her all time favorite restaurants. Talk about a sure-fire cure for cabin fever! She reports that it was a long day with lots of driving but "it was like having a short trip to Heaven on Earth after these past long months and the recent heat wave!"
Not that she's not busy at home! Tristan managed to chew away the stucco on the wall of the kitchen and break the baby gate such that John and Anita had to buy a new gate to fence the little darling in more securely. Anita now calls him "Hot Dog" and "Tornado" rather than Tristan. Those names certainly sound better suited to his personality! Yesterday "Hot Dog" woke her up at the charming hour of 5:00 a.m. so by the time I talked with her (around 1:30 p.m.), she was already worn out! But happily so.
She and John are delighted with the new living room sliding doors. In the next few days, they are laying a new patio outside the doors so they will be able to shift in and out of the house with ease. Well, as you all know, they always have had an eye and knack for creating beautiful living spaces.
Yesterday afternoon she went out to a cocktail party very generously being hosted by another dear local friend in honor of the visiting friend. Anita's determination to get out there and live life in spite of everything she's been through - and is still going through - is simply amazing! I am so proud of her and so inspired by her. As she said to me again yesterday, "I am going to be well! I've made up my mind. I just don't have time for this!" We should all adopt that mantra.
So, next Wednesday, Sept. 12th she goes in for her fifth chemo treatment and on Friday, Sept. 14 she has her last Rituxan treatment. Then in approximately three weeks, around October 3rd, she should have her last chemo treatment. Now, it is possible, that the oncologist will order more treatments after that, but to hear Mama talk, she "won't stand for that! I'll be in remission!"
I will keep you all posted as to how she responds to the next round of treatments. In the meantime, we can all rejoice with her as she celebrates feeling better every day!
Melissa
Well, it's been a week already . . . can't believe where the time goes! But it has been an incredible one for Anita. Yes, she still gets tired easily and still gets some dizziness - but that has all diminished in severity and frequency.
The great news is that she has been able to thoroughly enjoy the past week with her visiting friend from the East Coast including social gatherings and even a trip to San Diego on Sept. 4th. Off they went to beautiful San Diego where Anita waded in the ocean waves breaking in the sand and ate steamed clams and stuffed artichokes at The Beach House at Cardiff by the Sea - one of her all time favorite restaurants. Talk about a sure-fire cure for cabin fever! She reports that it was a long day with lots of driving but "it was like having a short trip to Heaven on Earth after these past long months and the recent heat wave!"
Not that she's not busy at home! Tristan managed to chew away the stucco on the wall of the kitchen and break the baby gate such that John and Anita had to buy a new gate to fence the little darling in more securely. Anita now calls him "Hot Dog" and "Tornado" rather than Tristan. Those names certainly sound better suited to his personality! Yesterday "Hot Dog" woke her up at the charming hour of 5:00 a.m. so by the time I talked with her (around 1:30 p.m.), she was already worn out! But happily so.
She and John are delighted with the new living room sliding doors. In the next few days, they are laying a new patio outside the doors so they will be able to shift in and out of the house with ease. Well, as you all know, they always have had an eye and knack for creating beautiful living spaces.
Yesterday afternoon she went out to a cocktail party very generously being hosted by another dear local friend in honor of the visiting friend. Anita's determination to get out there and live life in spite of everything she's been through - and is still going through - is simply amazing! I am so proud of her and so inspired by her. As she said to me again yesterday, "I am going to be well! I've made up my mind. I just don't have time for this!" We should all adopt that mantra.
So, next Wednesday, Sept. 12th she goes in for her fifth chemo treatment and on Friday, Sept. 14 she has her last Rituxan treatment. Then in approximately three weeks, around October 3rd, she should have her last chemo treatment. Now, it is possible, that the oncologist will order more treatments after that, but to hear Mama talk, she "won't stand for that! I'll be in remission!"
I will keep you all posted as to how she responds to the next round of treatments. In the meantime, we can all rejoice with her as she celebrates feeling better every day!
Melissa
Friday 31 August 2007
Post #70: Still going strong!
Happy Weekend Everybody!
Well just got off the phone with Mother a few moments ago and after about an hour's conversation! And this when she is really tired. Sounds grim? NOT AT ALL! She is cranking! As she says, she's getting her energy back and spending it!
Apparently yesterday and today, she has been helping John move and rearrange furniture, including sofas and the heavy dining table! She's been dusting and mopping and getting ready for the coming visit of their friend from the East Coast. So her tiredness is more a product of her doing too much rather than anything doing anything to her!! Isn't that wonderful?! Quote: "I honestly am tired, but it's good for me!" Now isn't that a wonderful attitude!
She had the most marvelous afternoon yesterday (in and around all the dusting and mopping). She went to the salon near her office to have her nails done and then went to her office to attend a party that was being given for an agent who is getting married. The welcome she received when she got there!! One of those wonderful moments in life where you realize just how much you mean to other people and how much they mean to you! They welcomed her back with hugs and compliments and great cheer. We all thought we wouldn't see the day - boy were we wrong!
After the party she went back home to "revolutionize the house." With the new sliding glass door in the living room wall, a rearrangement of the furniture was called for. Can you believe she feels good enough to move furntiture?! When I think of the past few months, I am truly astounded at her resilience and resolve.
She is still getting dizzy and today had to stop and put her head down for a while but it is more due to her doing too much than anything else. She lost two pounds due to the fever she had a short while ago, but is holding steady now at 132. And fortunately, she has a great appetite. This morning she and John discovered an IHOP near them and like two kids in a candy store they decided on the spur of the moment to go in for breakfast. They had the greatest time eating - no, devouring - breakfast. Anita ate two pancakes with butter and syrup, two pieces of sausage and two pieces of bacon! She is having fun now being able to eat all of the things that in the past she had to avoid for fear of gaining weight. After grocery shopping today she staked her claim on the bag of Fig Newtons! I hope she eats every one of them. And, being the good girl she is, she is still taking her vitamins - Fig Newtons not being exactly the pinnacle of good nutrition!
So happy notes and a happy ending to August 2007!
Melissa
Well just got off the phone with Mother a few moments ago and after about an hour's conversation! And this when she is really tired. Sounds grim? NOT AT ALL! She is cranking! As she says, she's getting her energy back and spending it!
Apparently yesterday and today, she has been helping John move and rearrange furniture, including sofas and the heavy dining table! She's been dusting and mopping and getting ready for the coming visit of their friend from the East Coast. So her tiredness is more a product of her doing too much rather than anything doing anything to her!! Isn't that wonderful?! Quote: "I honestly am tired, but it's good for me!" Now isn't that a wonderful attitude!
She had the most marvelous afternoon yesterday (in and around all the dusting and mopping). She went to the salon near her office to have her nails done and then went to her office to attend a party that was being given for an agent who is getting married. The welcome she received when she got there!! One of those wonderful moments in life where you realize just how much you mean to other people and how much they mean to you! They welcomed her back with hugs and compliments and great cheer. We all thought we wouldn't see the day - boy were we wrong!
After the party she went back home to "revolutionize the house." With the new sliding glass door in the living room wall, a rearrangement of the furniture was called for. Can you believe she feels good enough to move furntiture?! When I think of the past few months, I am truly astounded at her resilience and resolve.
She is still getting dizzy and today had to stop and put her head down for a while but it is more due to her doing too much than anything else. She lost two pounds due to the fever she had a short while ago, but is holding steady now at 132. And fortunately, she has a great appetite. This morning she and John discovered an IHOP near them and like two kids in a candy store they decided on the spur of the moment to go in for breakfast. They had the greatest time eating - no, devouring - breakfast. Anita ate two pancakes with butter and syrup, two pieces of sausage and two pieces of bacon! She is having fun now being able to eat all of the things that in the past she had to avoid for fear of gaining weight. After grocery shopping today she staked her claim on the bag of Fig Newtons! I hope she eats every one of them. And, being the good girl she is, she is still taking her vitamins - Fig Newtons not being exactly the pinnacle of good nutrition!
So happy notes and a happy ending to August 2007!
Melissa
Tuesday 28 August 2007
Post #69: Full Steam Ahead!
Greetings All!
Again, another hiatus of a few days but all for good reasons. As the title of this blog implies, Anita is doing wonderfully. She still has the tiredness and shortness of breath (which bugs her no end, believe me) but, in general as she says, she is feeling better. And that's what really counts! She tends to get tired in the afternoons and if she does too much, but she is doing so much more than before. So we can all feel great about that.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, she is busy planning for the coming visit of a dear friend from the East Coast and enjoying the new sliding glass doors that have been installed in the living room wall which are bringing tons of light as well as a stunning view of the mountains and "clouds in the sky" into the living room. And . . . . drum roll please . . . she has been going out to eat from time to time and eating with gusto! It truly is remarkable how far she has come.
Her next chemo treatment is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. on Sept. 12 and her last Rituxan treatment will be at 9:00 a.m. on Sept. 14th. After that, she has only one more chemo treatment to go!! Ever closer to remission . . . that's her goal and all of ours!
I'm finding that with all the great news about Anita, there's actually less to report! Isn't that wonderful?! So I will keep doing postings but they will be - as they have been recently - more intermittant. So do tune in from time to time, but I won't be doing daily updates. However, be assured that if anything of note comes up, I will be in step in posting the latest developments.
Hope you all are having a wonderful August, soon to be September!
Melissa
Again, another hiatus of a few days but all for good reasons. As the title of this blog implies, Anita is doing wonderfully. She still has the tiredness and shortness of breath (which bugs her no end, believe me) but, in general as she says, she is feeling better. And that's what really counts! She tends to get tired in the afternoons and if she does too much, but she is doing so much more than before. So we can all feel great about that.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, she is busy planning for the coming visit of a dear friend from the East Coast and enjoying the new sliding glass doors that have been installed in the living room wall which are bringing tons of light as well as a stunning view of the mountains and "clouds in the sky" into the living room. And . . . . drum roll please . . . she has been going out to eat from time to time and eating with gusto! It truly is remarkable how far she has come.
Her next chemo treatment is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. on Sept. 12 and her last Rituxan treatment will be at 9:00 a.m. on Sept. 14th. After that, she has only one more chemo treatment to go!! Ever closer to remission . . . that's her goal and all of ours!
I'm finding that with all the great news about Anita, there's actually less to report! Isn't that wonderful?! So I will keep doing postings but they will be - as they have been recently - more intermittant. So do tune in from time to time, but I won't be doing daily updates. However, be assured that if anything of note comes up, I will be in step in posting the latest developments.
Hope you all are having a wonderful August, soon to be September!
Melissa
Friday 24 August 2007
Post #68: Doing OK!
Hello Everyone!
Where have the days gone?! But in this case no news has been good news. Anita is doing well after her latest Rituxan treatment. She is feeling a bit groggy-headed today and has gotten really tired because of it, but she is sensibly going to take a nap and get some rest this afternoon.
Apparently yesterday she experienced some chest pain ("a sudden aching pain") when she got up in the morning. She took some aspirin which helped considerably, the pain went away, but returned around 2:00 p.m. However, it was less severe at that point and some more aspirin did the trick. Today it has diminished even more. She attibutes the pain to the Rituxan treatment and as with its other effects, this too will diminish in time.
This morning she had her weekly blood work done and afterwards she and John headed out for a drive along the Salton Sea. She really enjoyed getting out and away on an excursion. On Monday the workmen arrive to install the new French doors into the living room wall and the new dog door into the kitchen. She and John have been looking forward to this for months. It is going to be a very welcome and "enlightening" change to the house!
Anita's appetite is good and she has had no nausea. She has only two more chemo treatments and one more Rituxan treatment to go! Her next chemo-therapy session will be on Wed. Sept. 12 and the next (and hopefully last) Rituxan treatment will be on Sept. 14. So her spirits are high and she's thinking and talking REMISSION! Talking about the effects of positive thinking, well, I think Anita is Exhibit A!!! We can all certainly learn from her example!
Melissa
Where have the days gone?! But in this case no news has been good news. Anita is doing well after her latest Rituxan treatment. She is feeling a bit groggy-headed today and has gotten really tired because of it, but she is sensibly going to take a nap and get some rest this afternoon.
Apparently yesterday she experienced some chest pain ("a sudden aching pain") when she got up in the morning. She took some aspirin which helped considerably, the pain went away, but returned around 2:00 p.m. However, it was less severe at that point and some more aspirin did the trick. Today it has diminished even more. She attibutes the pain to the Rituxan treatment and as with its other effects, this too will diminish in time.
This morning she had her weekly blood work done and afterwards she and John headed out for a drive along the Salton Sea. She really enjoyed getting out and away on an excursion. On Monday the workmen arrive to install the new French doors into the living room wall and the new dog door into the kitchen. She and John have been looking forward to this for months. It is going to be a very welcome and "enlightening" change to the house!
Anita's appetite is good and she has had no nausea. She has only two more chemo treatments and one more Rituxan treatment to go! Her next chemo-therapy session will be on Wed. Sept. 12 and the next (and hopefully last) Rituxan treatment will be on Sept. 14. So her spirits are high and she's thinking and talking REMISSION! Talking about the effects of positive thinking, well, I think Anita is Exhibit A!!! We can all certainly learn from her example!
Melissa
Tuesday 21 August 2007
Post #67: Wonderful News!!
Dearest All,
Well, today I get to report wonderful news. Anita finally received copies of her latest cat scan (Aug.10) which was a comparative or "contrast" 3-part scan to her previous cat scan taken on March 9. As I reported in Post #66, her oncologist told her that she had improved by 50%. Well, Anita is thrilled to report that he was referring only to the abdominal part of the 3-part scan. The rest is astounding:
Pelvis:
- no evidence of mass or adenopathy
- no gross bladder abnormality
- no gross bowel pathology except diverticulosis of the lower descending colon and to a lesser extent the sigmoid colon (that was already there)
- no gross small bowel abnormality
Chest:
- there are focal areas of scarring in the right lung (these are from Anita's previous surgery about 10 years ago)
- no evidence of pulmonary mass or infiltrate (Yeah team!!!)
- no gross endobronchial lesions
- no evidence of mediastinal or lymphs
- no periocardial fluid (on her first cat scan she had fluid in her lungs)
- no gross abnormality
- a negative study
Abdomen:
- normal appearing liver and spleen except some calcified granulomas (Anita had a gall bladder operation in the past)
- no evidence of biliary dilitation
- normal appearing hepatic and portal veins
- normal appearing kidneys
- normal appearing adrenal glands with no evidence of hydronephrosis
- stable renal cyst on left side
- normal appearing pancreas (this is fantastic!!!)
- marked decrease in adenopathy (the mass) between the superior mesenteric artery and the aorta (this was her biggest tumor!!!) Formerly was 4.5 x 3.0 centimeters. It is now 3.3 x 1.9 centimeters in size.
- the nodal mass posterior to the renal vein used to be 3.0 x 2.6 centimeters but is now 1.9 x 1.24 centimeters in size.
- the celiac\portahepatis adenopathy has decreased as well
I don't know about you all, but both Anita and I think that this is more than a 50% improvement! And she is halfway through her treatment program! And, as they say, that's not all folks.
She had her Rituxan treatment yesterday which took exactly three hours. She hasn't had as much dizziness post-treatment and no nausea however she was a bit worn out. Today she is feeling very good, is eating well and taking her vitamins. She takes naps every day. Tonight she and John are going out to visit a friend for dinner. So it has been a great day for her! And for us!
Mother informed me that she has not been able to get into her computer, so she may not have seen recent messages or emails. So if it is important and you need to get a response from her, please call her.
Anyhow, we all can feel so blessed today. This is simply marvelous news!
Melissa
Well, today I get to report wonderful news. Anita finally received copies of her latest cat scan (Aug.10) which was a comparative or "contrast" 3-part scan to her previous cat scan taken on March 9. As I reported in Post #66, her oncologist told her that she had improved by 50%. Well, Anita is thrilled to report that he was referring only to the abdominal part of the 3-part scan. The rest is astounding:
Pelvis:
- no evidence of mass or adenopathy
- no gross bladder abnormality
- no gross bowel pathology except diverticulosis of the lower descending colon and to a lesser extent the sigmoid colon (that was already there)
- no gross small bowel abnormality
Chest:
- there are focal areas of scarring in the right lung (these are from Anita's previous surgery about 10 years ago)
- no evidence of pulmonary mass or infiltrate (Yeah team!!!)
- no gross endobronchial lesions
- no evidence of mediastinal or lymphs
- no periocardial fluid (on her first cat scan she had fluid in her lungs)
- no gross abnormality
- a negative study
Abdomen:
- normal appearing liver and spleen except some calcified granulomas (Anita had a gall bladder operation in the past)
- no evidence of biliary dilitation
- normal appearing hepatic and portal veins
- normal appearing kidneys
- normal appearing adrenal glands with no evidence of hydronephrosis
- stable renal cyst on left side
- normal appearing pancreas (this is fantastic!!!)
- marked decrease in adenopathy (the mass) between the superior mesenteric artery and the aorta (this was her biggest tumor!!!) Formerly was 4.5 x 3.0 centimeters. It is now 3.3 x 1.9 centimeters in size.
- the nodal mass posterior to the renal vein used to be 3.0 x 2.6 centimeters but is now 1.9 x 1.24 centimeters in size.
- the celiac\portahepatis adenopathy has decreased as well
I don't know about you all, but both Anita and I think that this is more than a 50% improvement! And she is halfway through her treatment program! And, as they say, that's not all folks.
She had her Rituxan treatment yesterday which took exactly three hours. She hasn't had as much dizziness post-treatment and no nausea however she was a bit worn out. Today she is feeling very good, is eating well and taking her vitamins. She takes naps every day. Tonight she and John are going out to visit a friend for dinner. So it has been a great day for her! And for us!
Mother informed me that she has not been able to get into her computer, so she may not have seen recent messages or emails. So if it is important and you need to get a response from her, please call her.
Anyhow, we all can feel so blessed today. This is simply marvelous news!
Melissa
Sunday 19 August 2007
Post #66: Rituxan Treatment On For Tomorrow
Hello all,
Just a quick note to let you know that today Anita's fever is down. A doctor friend with whom she has been talking thinks that the fever was probably caused by some tumors sloughing off which can produce inflammation and other side effects such as a fever. She is scheduled for her Rituxan treatment tomorrow, Monday August 20 at 9:30 a.m. Luckily she does not have to fast before these treatments so she is looking forward to a full breakfast before she goes in. The treatment will take about three hours, so I'll be checking in on her tomorrow afternoon sometime and update you all as soon as I can.
Melissa
Just a quick note to let you know that today Anita's fever is down. A doctor friend with whom she has been talking thinks that the fever was probably caused by some tumors sloughing off which can produce inflammation and other side effects such as a fever. She is scheduled for her Rituxan treatment tomorrow, Monday August 20 at 9:30 a.m. Luckily she does not have to fast before these treatments so she is looking forward to a full breakfast before she goes in. The treatment will take about three hours, so I'll be checking in on her tomorrow afternoon sometime and update you all as soon as I can.
Melissa
Saturday 18 August 2007
Post #65: Rituxan Postponement
Dear Everyone,
I jumped a number with the previous posting (which I've now relabeled #64).
Anita did have her chemo on on Thursday but started running a fever of 100.9 for the rest of the day. No nausea, but she "felt like something that had crawled out from under a rock." She was feeling too ill for the Rituxan treatment on Friday, so she called the oncologist to reschedule the treatment to this coming Monday which it has been. She asked for him to call her back with the cat scan results.
He finally called her and when she asked about the cat scan, he said: "Much improved." To which she responded, "What does MUCH mean if you translate that to an estimated percentage?" After his usual careful pause, he said, "I'd say about 50%." So Anita figures that since she is halfway through the treatment program, if we get the same results at the end of the second half, she'll be in remission! I must say, I like her math!!
Her appetite yesterday was not good, but today she says she is "hungry." Despite feeling lousy yesterday, she was up today at the usual 5:30 a.m. with Tristan whose apparent understanding of a waved fly swatter and the word "NO" said in a "thunderous" voice has improved dramatically. It sends him running for the security of either his bed (when he's inside the house) or the reassurance of Anita's lap if he's outside. He's stopped the puppy nipping - after a few artful fly swatter lessons - and is trying licking instead. However, he is "about to realize" (as Anita says) that digging up sprinklers and biting off the tops of the drip system means return of the dreaded fly swatter and thunderous voice!
I will keep you all posted on the status of her fever and how she does during the rest of the weekend. Certainly, from her tone and attitude she's bound to improve!
Melissa
I jumped a number with the previous posting (which I've now relabeled #64).
Anita did have her chemo on on Thursday but started running a fever of 100.9 for the rest of the day. No nausea, but she "felt like something that had crawled out from under a rock." She was feeling too ill for the Rituxan treatment on Friday, so she called the oncologist to reschedule the treatment to this coming Monday which it has been. She asked for him to call her back with the cat scan results.
He finally called her and when she asked about the cat scan, he said: "Much improved." To which she responded, "What does MUCH mean if you translate that to an estimated percentage?" After his usual careful pause, he said, "I'd say about 50%." So Anita figures that since she is halfway through the treatment program, if we get the same results at the end of the second half, she'll be in remission! I must say, I like her math!!
Her appetite yesterday was not good, but today she says she is "hungry." Despite feeling lousy yesterday, she was up today at the usual 5:30 a.m. with Tristan whose apparent understanding of a waved fly swatter and the word "NO" said in a "thunderous" voice has improved dramatically. It sends him running for the security of either his bed (when he's inside the house) or the reassurance of Anita's lap if he's outside. He's stopped the puppy nipping - after a few artful fly swatter lessons - and is trying licking instead. However, he is "about to realize" (as Anita says) that digging up sprinklers and biting off the tops of the drip system means return of the dreaded fly swatter and thunderous voice!
I will keep you all posted on the status of her fever and how she does during the rest of the weekend. Certainly, from her tone and attitude she's bound to improve!
Melissa
Thursday 16 August 2007
Post #64: Chemo Done
Hello everyone,
Anita went in this morning for her chemo treatment which did indeed start around 9:30 a.m. and lasted about two hours. All went well. Her blood pressure today was 159 over 70, so either one of two things happened yesterday: the nurse who took her pressure yesterday got it wrong or Anita's blood pressure actually went way down and then back up in the space of 24 hours. Both are possible.
Anita said that when the nurse (who seemed new and unsure of what she was doing) took her pressure yesterday, she put the cuff on, puffed it up and then walked away to look at some notes or something, came back and then jotted down the pressure reading. As anybody who's had their pressure taken knows, the nurse should have stayed and watched the gauge the whole time. So the low reading may not have been accurate. Today however, another more experienced nurse said that chemo patients frequently get these blood pressure changes - so who knows?!
Anita is still running a low-grade fever - it was 99.4 today. However, Mother says that this is not unusual for her. In any event, she doesn't feel as though she has a fever, so that's good news. The nurse also said that the results of Anita's latest blood testing were "good." And then, after leaving the treatment center, Anita felt hungry for fish so off she and John went to a bar & grill where she promptly ate an order of trout!
She's still on for her appointment tomorrow for the next Rituxan treatment. They will be taking her blood pressure several times during the process which will last about three hours due to the fact that they "slow drip" it in. She is napping this afternoon following this morning's treatment. So it appears that she will be going into her treatment tomorrow in, relatively speaking, good condition. Certainly her spirits are!
Melissa
Anita went in this morning for her chemo treatment which did indeed start around 9:30 a.m. and lasted about two hours. All went well. Her blood pressure today was 159 over 70, so either one of two things happened yesterday: the nurse who took her pressure yesterday got it wrong or Anita's blood pressure actually went way down and then back up in the space of 24 hours. Both are possible.
Anita said that when the nurse (who seemed new and unsure of what she was doing) took her pressure yesterday, she put the cuff on, puffed it up and then walked away to look at some notes or something, came back and then jotted down the pressure reading. As anybody who's had their pressure taken knows, the nurse should have stayed and watched the gauge the whole time. So the low reading may not have been accurate. Today however, another more experienced nurse said that chemo patients frequently get these blood pressure changes - so who knows?!
Anita is still running a low-grade fever - it was 99.4 today. However, Mother says that this is not unusual for her. In any event, she doesn't feel as though she has a fever, so that's good news. The nurse also said that the results of Anita's latest blood testing were "good." And then, after leaving the treatment center, Anita felt hungry for fish so off she and John went to a bar & grill where she promptly ate an order of trout!
She's still on for her appointment tomorrow for the next Rituxan treatment. They will be taking her blood pressure several times during the process which will last about three hours due to the fact that they "slow drip" it in. She is napping this afternoon following this morning's treatment. So it appears that she will be going into her treatment tomorrow in, relatively speaking, good condition. Certainly her spirits are!
Melissa
Wednesday 15 August 2007
Post #63: Chemo Postponement
Dear all,
Anita went in this morning for her chemo treatment but did not have it. Her blood pressure has dropped from an admittedly elevated level of 130 to 140 over 80 down to 95 over 54! No wonder she has been feeling dizzy and super tired! She also has a low fever of 99.5. As a consequence, after telephone consultation with the oncologist, they did not administer her scheduled chemo treatment and sent her to have another blood test. Those results, on an emergency basis, should be available in 24 hours. She was told to come in tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. for her chemo treatment. Her oncologist will be there (he is only in town three days a week) and will decide in the morning whether she should undergo chemo now or not.
Anita mentioned that the past few days she has fallen asleep at the drop of a hat. Last night she got into bed to read and watch TV about 7:00 p.m. and almost immediately dozed off. John had to wake her up around 9:00 p.m. to get her to get up and get ready to officially go to bed. She said she had to drag herself out of the bed to do that. Mother thinks that all of this is a side effect of the Rituxan. The prospectus for the drug states that dizziness and sinus infections can occur as side effects. Anita has been experiencing extreme sinus drainage in the mornings and, as you all know, extensive dizziness following the adminstrations of Rituxan.
However, on the bright side, she has a - relatively speaking - hearty appetite and is continuing to get up and do things. Yesterday she was craving rice, so she cooked up a big batch and ate the whole thing. Well . . . not quite the whole thing . . . -Tristan had to have a taste! He also hones in on her morning breakfast. Anita loves Total with raisins and a sliced up banana in the morning. Tristan wants his banana too! Most unusual dog! Today Mama had two crispy fried chicken drumsticks so her elevated appetite is continuing!
Anita and John have found a great person to come and install the new French doors in the living room and a new door in the kitchen which will contain the all-important-top-of-the-priority-list DOG DOOR for you know who!
I will post another update tomorrow as to what happens at her morning appointment as soon as I can.
Melissa
Anita went in this morning for her chemo treatment but did not have it. Her blood pressure has dropped from an admittedly elevated level of 130 to 140 over 80 down to 95 over 54! No wonder she has been feeling dizzy and super tired! She also has a low fever of 99.5. As a consequence, after telephone consultation with the oncologist, they did not administer her scheduled chemo treatment and sent her to have another blood test. Those results, on an emergency basis, should be available in 24 hours. She was told to come in tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. for her chemo treatment. Her oncologist will be there (he is only in town three days a week) and will decide in the morning whether she should undergo chemo now or not.
Anita mentioned that the past few days she has fallen asleep at the drop of a hat. Last night she got into bed to read and watch TV about 7:00 p.m. and almost immediately dozed off. John had to wake her up around 9:00 p.m. to get her to get up and get ready to officially go to bed. She said she had to drag herself out of the bed to do that. Mother thinks that all of this is a side effect of the Rituxan. The prospectus for the drug states that dizziness and sinus infections can occur as side effects. Anita has been experiencing extreme sinus drainage in the mornings and, as you all know, extensive dizziness following the adminstrations of Rituxan.
However, on the bright side, she has a - relatively speaking - hearty appetite and is continuing to get up and do things. Yesterday she was craving rice, so she cooked up a big batch and ate the whole thing. Well . . . not quite the whole thing . . . -Tristan had to have a taste! He also hones in on her morning breakfast. Anita loves Total with raisins and a sliced up banana in the morning. Tristan wants his banana too! Most unusual dog! Today Mama had two crispy fried chicken drumsticks so her elevated appetite is continuing!
Anita and John have found a great person to come and install the new French doors in the living room and a new door in the kitchen which will contain the all-important-top-of-the-priority-list DOG DOOR for you know who!
I will post another update tomorrow as to what happens at her morning appointment as soon as I can.
Melissa
Tuesday 14 August 2007
Post #62: Ready for Tomorrow
Greetings Everyone!
The days are passing so swiftly, it's hard to keep up with everything! But happy to be able to type up a good report today!
Anita's pattern now - not unusual for her even before she became ill - is to awake around 5:00 a.m. and to be up by 5:30! And that means dressed and ready for action. And "action" means Tristan the wonder dog! (For those of you who may have missed some earlier postings, Tristan is a four month old wire hair fox terrier that Anita & John brought (to their formerly quiet) home as the newest family member on July 15th.) Apparently, Anita and Tristan have reached an understanding: he doesn't do things on the carpet - or other naughties - and she doesn't have to get tough. Amazing what a quick wave in the air of a plastic fly swatter will do! But Anita has a problem now. She was trying to throw his favorite toy as far as she could in the yard, but managed to pitch it up on the roof! How does one explain this to the dog? We wish her luck!
Other than enjoying Tristan's many antics, she has been quite busy. She has made two trips to her office, has a real estate listing in the works (John is also a licensed agent and is helping her out), and she has been doing some exercises for the past three days. She is determined to firm up her arms and legs. As you all know, after being sedentary for such an extended period, muscles tend to get weak. So she gets up every day and tries to do as much as she can around the house. She has been eating pretty well with lots of fresh fruit and keeping up with her vitamins. She sounds cheerful and very positive.
She is very excited about getting the results of her contrast cat scans which were done last Friday. It is possible that the results will be available tomorrow but it is more likely that she will receive them this coming Friday. The cat scan was done in three parts, starting at her neck and going all the way down to her lower abdominal area and should reveal the extent to which tumors have receded and the existence of any new or increased growth areas. These scans will give a firm indication of whether she is headed toward remission or not.
Tomorrow Anita is scheduled for her fourth chemo-therapy session at 8:45 a.m. Her next (3rd) Rituxan treatment appointment is this coming Friday at 10:45 a.m. In the past week, as previously noted, she has had dizziness and some shortness of breath. In the past two days she has been feeling very tired and has also experienced some other discomfort that as of this morning has gone away. At this point therefore, we cannot assume that she is totally out of the woods, but her progress to date has been phenomenal and I believe totally due to the phenomena that is Anita. She has heard that most people who have received the diagnosis that she has received (Stage 4 Type 1 B-Cell Lymphoma) do not make it and that the difference between those who do and those who don't, aside from individual overall health and genetic differences, is the mental attitude of the person. And as we all know and have seen demonstrated she has an attitude and a life force that can't be beat! So on to remission!!!
Melissa
The days are passing so swiftly, it's hard to keep up with everything! But happy to be able to type up a good report today!
Anita's pattern now - not unusual for her even before she became ill - is to awake around 5:00 a.m. and to be up by 5:30! And that means dressed and ready for action. And "action" means Tristan the wonder dog! (For those of you who may have missed some earlier postings, Tristan is a four month old wire hair fox terrier that Anita & John brought (to their formerly quiet) home as the newest family member on July 15th.) Apparently, Anita and Tristan have reached an understanding: he doesn't do things on the carpet - or other naughties - and she doesn't have to get tough. Amazing what a quick wave in the air of a plastic fly swatter will do! But Anita has a problem now. She was trying to throw his favorite toy as far as she could in the yard, but managed to pitch it up on the roof! How does one explain this to the dog? We wish her luck!
Other than enjoying Tristan's many antics, she has been quite busy. She has made two trips to her office, has a real estate listing in the works (John is also a licensed agent and is helping her out), and she has been doing some exercises for the past three days. She is determined to firm up her arms and legs. As you all know, after being sedentary for such an extended period, muscles tend to get weak. So she gets up every day and tries to do as much as she can around the house. She has been eating pretty well with lots of fresh fruit and keeping up with her vitamins. She sounds cheerful and very positive.
She is very excited about getting the results of her contrast cat scans which were done last Friday. It is possible that the results will be available tomorrow but it is more likely that she will receive them this coming Friday. The cat scan was done in three parts, starting at her neck and going all the way down to her lower abdominal area and should reveal the extent to which tumors have receded and the existence of any new or increased growth areas. These scans will give a firm indication of whether she is headed toward remission or not.
Tomorrow Anita is scheduled for her fourth chemo-therapy session at 8:45 a.m. Her next (3rd) Rituxan treatment appointment is this coming Friday at 10:45 a.m. In the past week, as previously noted, she has had dizziness and some shortness of breath. In the past two days she has been feeling very tired and has also experienced some other discomfort that as of this morning has gone away. At this point therefore, we cannot assume that she is totally out of the woods, but her progress to date has been phenomenal and I believe totally due to the phenomena that is Anita. She has heard that most people who have received the diagnosis that she has received (Stage 4 Type 1 B-Cell Lymphoma) do not make it and that the difference between those who do and those who don't, aside from individual overall health and genetic differences, is the mental attitude of the person. And as we all know and have seen demonstrated she has an attitude and a life force that can't be beat! So on to remission!!!
Melissa
Saturday 11 August 2007
Post #61: Cat Scan Complete
Good afternoon all!
The cat scan was accomplished yesterday, but not without some bureaucratic delays. When Anita and John arrived at the cat scan place, they were greeted by a sign that announced that they were "behind schedule!" Oh, great! Anita had just hastily swallowed 1/2 of the bottle of gunk they told her to drink pre-scan before she and John arrived at 12:45 p.m. to fill out the paperwork in preparation for her 1:15 appointment. Didn't get in until 2:00 p.m.! Mind you, she had had nothing to eat or drink - except the gunk of course - since 9:00 that morning!
Once inside the inner sanctum she was faced with a Romanian technician who was going to plug in the IV drip! Luckily, the woman was wonderfully skilled and the process didn't hurt a bit. In fact, Anita says it's the least painful needle procedure she's had in quite a while. So now finally into the process, Anita had to hold her arms over her head to keep them from bumping into the scanner as she was scanned from neck to abdomen for one hour! The results should be out within 5 days to one week.
Meanwhile, she has talked with her oncologist who assured her that the dizziness she has been experiencing is a normal part of the chemo-therapy. She told him that in this hot weather she feels dizzy when she's outside. He told her to just sit down if she starts feeling dizzy. Anita asked: "what if there's no chair?" to which he replied: "Just grab something!" Sounds like pretty practical advice! She is due for another chemo treatment this coming Wednesday Aug. 15th and her third Rituxan treatment on Friday Aug. 17th. She will call the oncologist's office on Monday to find out the exact time.
Anita actually went down to her office today! Amazing. When I was talking with her on the phone she said she had just finished a Coors Light. Her sheer will power and determination are so inspiring. Anita quote for the day: "I can't let the grass grow under my feet while my feet are still moving! Got to oil the gears again!" Don't we all!
Melissa
The cat scan was accomplished yesterday, but not without some bureaucratic delays. When Anita and John arrived at the cat scan place, they were greeted by a sign that announced that they were "behind schedule!" Oh, great! Anita had just hastily swallowed 1/2 of the bottle of gunk they told her to drink pre-scan before she and John arrived at 12:45 p.m. to fill out the paperwork in preparation for her 1:15 appointment. Didn't get in until 2:00 p.m.! Mind you, she had had nothing to eat or drink - except the gunk of course - since 9:00 that morning!
Once inside the inner sanctum she was faced with a Romanian technician who was going to plug in the IV drip! Luckily, the woman was wonderfully skilled and the process didn't hurt a bit. In fact, Anita says it's the least painful needle procedure she's had in quite a while. So now finally into the process, Anita had to hold her arms over her head to keep them from bumping into the scanner as she was scanned from neck to abdomen for one hour! The results should be out within 5 days to one week.
Meanwhile, she has talked with her oncologist who assured her that the dizziness she has been experiencing is a normal part of the chemo-therapy. She told him that in this hot weather she feels dizzy when she's outside. He told her to just sit down if she starts feeling dizzy. Anita asked: "what if there's no chair?" to which he replied: "Just grab something!" Sounds like pretty practical advice! She is due for another chemo treatment this coming Wednesday Aug. 15th and her third Rituxan treatment on Friday Aug. 17th. She will call the oncologist's office on Monday to find out the exact time.
Anita actually went down to her office today! Amazing. When I was talking with her on the phone she said she had just finished a Coors Light. Her sheer will power and determination are so inspiring. Anita quote for the day: "I can't let the grass grow under my feet while my feet are still moving! Got to oil the gears again!" Don't we all!
Melissa
Friday 10 August 2007
Post #60: Continued Dizziness But Upbeat
Good Morning Everybody!
Just got off the phone with Mother who is getting ready to go get her "CT Contrast Studies," or in other words, a cat scan of her lungs and abdominal/intestinal area. So she has to fast from 9:00 a.m. this morning onward, only drinking that yummy concoction they gave her that once imbibed allows the cat scan to show something! She gets to drink one full bottle of it (somewhere around a pint of liquid) at 11:15 a.m., a half a bottle at 12:15 p.m., and then the remaining half during the scanning process which is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. this afternoon. Results probably won't be out until next week at the earliest.
She reports that she has continued to have the dizziness, accompanied by some shortness of breath, over the past two days. A day and a half ago, she was doing something at the kitchen sink, turned around to walk away and got so dizzy that she felt her knees were going to buckle. This is the worst episode of this nature that she has experienced. The good news is that her shortness of breath at the time was not as bad as in prior episodes. So yesterday she phoned the oncologist's office to inquire about why she is having these episodes (she was thinking that it could be blood related), but the doctor was out that day. She will try to contact him again today. However, she was able to speak with his assistant who assured her that her blood test results from this past Friday were good.
Anita said that, as of yesterday, she weighed 132 lbs. which means she has lost two of the four pounds she recently gained. She has not weighed herself yet today so I don't know if she has lost more or is holding steady. Ultimately, she hopes to get her weight up to 140. She said that as it stands now, she will have two more Rituxan treatments and three more chemo treatments. So she is halfway through the program!!! That is a wonderful achievement.
On an amusing, if irritating for Anita note, yesterday they had a couple over to play a little bridge. So Anita put Tristan out in the back yard. A point came in the game where she was dummy, so she got up to go check on the dog. Lo and behold, he was covered in mud from his ears to the tip of his chin and all four legs! She doesn't know how he managed to do it! So telling the bridge trio to "wait a minute," off went her white jacket and into the sink went Tristan for a complete scrub down followed by a vigorous toweling-off. Thinking all was safe, she put him back in the grassy part of the yard this time and went back to the game. Bidding (no pun intended) the couple goodbye, after they left Anita went out to check on the little darling having completely forgotten about the sprinklers which had gone off in the interim! Well, he was having a grand time, proudly standing there dripping wet! Vigorous toweling-off Number 2!!! That called for a bourbon - Jack Daniels of course! Which, in a diluted version, she tolerated quite well and reports "tasted wonderful!"
She remains upbeat and positive despite the dizziness and is pacing herself to get through the rest of the treatments. We can all raise a toast to that!
Melissa
Just got off the phone with Mother who is getting ready to go get her "CT Contrast Studies," or in other words, a cat scan of her lungs and abdominal/intestinal area. So she has to fast from 9:00 a.m. this morning onward, only drinking that yummy concoction they gave her that once imbibed allows the cat scan to show something! She gets to drink one full bottle of it (somewhere around a pint of liquid) at 11:15 a.m., a half a bottle at 12:15 p.m., and then the remaining half during the scanning process which is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. this afternoon. Results probably won't be out until next week at the earliest.
She reports that she has continued to have the dizziness, accompanied by some shortness of breath, over the past two days. A day and a half ago, she was doing something at the kitchen sink, turned around to walk away and got so dizzy that she felt her knees were going to buckle. This is the worst episode of this nature that she has experienced. The good news is that her shortness of breath at the time was not as bad as in prior episodes. So yesterday she phoned the oncologist's office to inquire about why she is having these episodes (she was thinking that it could be blood related), but the doctor was out that day. She will try to contact him again today. However, she was able to speak with his assistant who assured her that her blood test results from this past Friday were good.
Anita said that, as of yesterday, she weighed 132 lbs. which means she has lost two of the four pounds she recently gained. She has not weighed herself yet today so I don't know if she has lost more or is holding steady. Ultimately, she hopes to get her weight up to 140. She said that as it stands now, she will have two more Rituxan treatments and three more chemo treatments. So she is halfway through the program!!! That is a wonderful achievement.
On an amusing, if irritating for Anita note, yesterday they had a couple over to play a little bridge. So Anita put Tristan out in the back yard. A point came in the game where she was dummy, so she got up to go check on the dog. Lo and behold, he was covered in mud from his ears to the tip of his chin and all four legs! She doesn't know how he managed to do it! So telling the bridge trio to "wait a minute," off went her white jacket and into the sink went Tristan for a complete scrub down followed by a vigorous toweling-off. Thinking all was safe, she put him back in the grassy part of the yard this time and went back to the game. Bidding (no pun intended) the couple goodbye, after they left Anita went out to check on the little darling having completely forgotten about the sprinklers which had gone off in the interim! Well, he was having a grand time, proudly standing there dripping wet! Vigorous toweling-off Number 2!!! That called for a bourbon - Jack Daniels of course! Which, in a diluted version, she tolerated quite well and reports "tasted wonderful!"
She remains upbeat and positive despite the dizziness and is pacing herself to get through the rest of the treatments. We can all raise a toast to that!
Melissa
Tuesday 7 August 2007
Post #59: Doing About the Same
Hello Everyone!
Sorry about the two-day layoff here! Sunday Jim and I attended a formal Catholic baptism of a friend's two children with an elaborate reception afterwards and yesterday we attended what is called the Festa Major - or annual town festival - of a small town near us in which the featured main dish is "caracoles" which translates as "snails!" Each person, over 300 attendees, receives a heaping plate full of them and in a special sauce! Oh yum! The locals love them however, including the children! As for me, it is most definitely an acquired taste! For you statistics types: To feed all those people they had to buy 130 kilos of snails!
Finally talked with Anita and John today. Her condition can be best described as "more of the same" at the moment. For the past two days she has been experiencing the same dizziness and shortness of breath as noted in earlier postings, but it is still better than it has been in the past. She also is still feeling those sharp fleeting pains on her left side from time to time. So the past two days and today she has been taking it easy, but she still gets up and gets dressed every day, has playtime with the dog and in general is determined to lead as normal a life as she can.
Her view is that she is not as good as she hoped she would be at this point in that she had very strictly told her body, and in no uncertain terms, that "you are going to do better this week!!!" However, she figures that by next week her body will finally get the message and feel better - just in time for the next chemo session!
She had her weekly blood testing this past Friday and she is scheduled for a cat scan this coming Friday August 10th at 11:30 a.m. They will be checking to see what growth and/or shrinkage has occurred in her tumors.
However, her spirits are high. Today she and John are off to the vet so that Tristan can get a check-up. She is so conscientious about that little guy and so energized by him. He may be a little terror, but he's a blessing in disguise.
Hope you all are having a pleasant summer. We finally got a cooling wave of rain. Very needed and very refreshing!
Melissa
Sorry about the two-day layoff here! Sunday Jim and I attended a formal Catholic baptism of a friend's two children with an elaborate reception afterwards and yesterday we attended what is called the Festa Major - or annual town festival - of a small town near us in which the featured main dish is "caracoles" which translates as "snails!" Each person, over 300 attendees, receives a heaping plate full of them and in a special sauce! Oh yum! The locals love them however, including the children! As for me, it is most definitely an acquired taste! For you statistics types: To feed all those people they had to buy 130 kilos of snails!
Finally talked with Anita and John today. Her condition can be best described as "more of the same" at the moment. For the past two days she has been experiencing the same dizziness and shortness of breath as noted in earlier postings, but it is still better than it has been in the past. She also is still feeling those sharp fleeting pains on her left side from time to time. So the past two days and today she has been taking it easy, but she still gets up and gets dressed every day, has playtime with the dog and in general is determined to lead as normal a life as she can.
Her view is that she is not as good as she hoped she would be at this point in that she had very strictly told her body, and in no uncertain terms, that "you are going to do better this week!!!" However, she figures that by next week her body will finally get the message and feel better - just in time for the next chemo session!
She had her weekly blood testing this past Friday and she is scheduled for a cat scan this coming Friday August 10th at 11:30 a.m. They will be checking to see what growth and/or shrinkage has occurred in her tumors.
However, her spirits are high. Today she and John are off to the vet so that Tristan can get a check-up. She is so conscientious about that little guy and so energized by him. He may be a little terror, but he's a blessing in disguise.
Hope you all are having a pleasant summer. We finally got a cooling wave of rain. Very needed and very refreshing!
Melissa
Saturday 4 August 2007
Post #58: Improvement!
Greetings all!
Today (Saturday) Anita is feeling much improved over yesterday, particularly comparing how she felt at the same time yesterday! She continues to be tired, have shortness of breath and some dizziness, particularly when bending over, but all in all, each day has seen steady improvement.
She believes that she may have a stubborn little area of growth on her left-side ribcage area under her arm. Periodically, when she moves her left arm in a certain manner, but more frequently when she least expects it, she gets a sharp nerve-like pain - like "OUCH!" But luckily it is a fleeting pain that goes away quickly. She is going to ask the onocologist about this when next they meet.
Friday she had her weekly blood work done. The blood people alternate doing one big test and one smaller one from week-to-week. Yesterday she had the smaller one. Going into the lab building she had to stop and take a rest, but she went to the lab reception desk herself to sign in. In the past, John has usually signed in for her as she did not have the stamina or energy to go do that.
Following the blood test they went out for breakfast. She was really looking forward to a big eggs Benedict feast! Wouldn't you know it? It was awful! The dish had the worst gravy on it with an olive on top of all things! To add insult to injury it came with your choice of hash browns or fruit. Anita opted for the fruit which turned out to be bulk cantalope. Well, needless to say, they won't be back to that restaurant anytime soon!
Meanwhile, John has been out shopping for lots of books, so they're reading up a storm at home. That is, when they have a moment between jumping up to find out what the dog's gotten himself into next! Sometimes their timing has been rotten - like letting the dog out into the yard just as the sprinklers are going off! Tristan loves it of course - lots of mud to play in! But of course that means another bath! Well, he'll get his come-uppance. Tuesday is vet day! Time for a distemper shot and some deworming. He is apparently growing like a weed and developing his adult coloration. Now if his behavior would only catch up with his coloration!
Next Friday August 10th will be three weeks from Anita's last chemo treatment. She announced to me today that: "Next week is going to be my rambunctious week! On Wednesday we're going to take a big ride somewhere - hopefully to San Diego where we can take the dog to the beach!" But if that destination turns out to be a bit too ambitious, then they will probably drive up to Idlewyld (may have spelled that wrong) to a favorite restaurant. In any event, she has stated emphatically that: "Monday, it's [feeling lousy] going to be gone! I'm getting out of this and am going to feel better!"
Now that's the ticket!
Melissa
Today (Saturday) Anita is feeling much improved over yesterday, particularly comparing how she felt at the same time yesterday! She continues to be tired, have shortness of breath and some dizziness, particularly when bending over, but all in all, each day has seen steady improvement.
She believes that she may have a stubborn little area of growth on her left-side ribcage area under her arm. Periodically, when she moves her left arm in a certain manner, but more frequently when she least expects it, she gets a sharp nerve-like pain - like "OUCH!" But luckily it is a fleeting pain that goes away quickly. She is going to ask the onocologist about this when next they meet.
Friday she had her weekly blood work done. The blood people alternate doing one big test and one smaller one from week-to-week. Yesterday she had the smaller one. Going into the lab building she had to stop and take a rest, but she went to the lab reception desk herself to sign in. In the past, John has usually signed in for her as she did not have the stamina or energy to go do that.
Following the blood test they went out for breakfast. She was really looking forward to a big eggs Benedict feast! Wouldn't you know it? It was awful! The dish had the worst gravy on it with an olive on top of all things! To add insult to injury it came with your choice of hash browns or fruit. Anita opted for the fruit which turned out to be bulk cantalope. Well, needless to say, they won't be back to that restaurant anytime soon!
Meanwhile, John has been out shopping for lots of books, so they're reading up a storm at home. That is, when they have a moment between jumping up to find out what the dog's gotten himself into next! Sometimes their timing has been rotten - like letting the dog out into the yard just as the sprinklers are going off! Tristan loves it of course - lots of mud to play in! But of course that means another bath! Well, he'll get his come-uppance. Tuesday is vet day! Time for a distemper shot and some deworming. He is apparently growing like a weed and developing his adult coloration. Now if his behavior would only catch up with his coloration!
Next Friday August 10th will be three weeks from Anita's last chemo treatment. She announced to me today that: "Next week is going to be my rambunctious week! On Wednesday we're going to take a big ride somewhere - hopefully to San Diego where we can take the dog to the beach!" But if that destination turns out to be a bit too ambitious, then they will probably drive up to Idlewyld (may have spelled that wrong) to a favorite restaurant. In any event, she has stated emphatically that: "Monday, it's [feeling lousy] going to be gone! I'm getting out of this and am going to feel better!"
Now that's the ticket!
Melissa
Thursday 2 August 2007
Post #57: Hangin' in there!
Dear Anita Fans,
Just got off the phone with Anita who is resting in bed at the moment (1:45 p.m. California time). She is still experiencing the shortness of breath, but all in all is doing better post-treatment this time around than she did after the the second round.
Yesterday, although "teetery-legged" as she puts it, she went out to get her nails done and then went to a local Thai restaurant for some soup and a luncheon special. She also was able to have some visitors over as well. Her stamina is amazing.
This morning she woke up bright and early determined to mop the kitchen floor, which she did, cleaned the counters, and went outside with Tristan for their morning toss-and-fetch games on the grass! But - big surprise - that really wore her out! She then managed to watch some news, check her emails and finally went to bed for a well-deserved nap. Her spirit and determination to DO is really inspiring!
She has not yet been scheduled for her follow-up cat scan, so she will be contacting the oncologist regarding when that's going to happen. She is not exactly bubbling over with enthusiasm to call his offices. And given past history, not surprising. Getting through those staff receptionists has always required a major effort in diplomatic relations and guerilla tactics when necessary!
But she is in an upbeat and positive mood which is great. Tomorrow will mark one week since the most recent Rituxan treatment and based on past history she knows that next week she is going to be feeling better! We are all rooting for that! As some dear friends say frequently to her: "You go girl!!"
Melissa
Just got off the phone with Anita who is resting in bed at the moment (1:45 p.m. California time). She is still experiencing the shortness of breath, but all in all is doing better post-treatment this time around than she did after the the second round.
Yesterday, although "teetery-legged" as she puts it, she went out to get her nails done and then went to a local Thai restaurant for some soup and a luncheon special. She also was able to have some visitors over as well. Her stamina is amazing.
This morning she woke up bright and early determined to mop the kitchen floor, which she did, cleaned the counters, and went outside with Tristan for their morning toss-and-fetch games on the grass! But - big surprise - that really wore her out! She then managed to watch some news, check her emails and finally went to bed for a well-deserved nap. Her spirit and determination to DO is really inspiring!
She has not yet been scheduled for her follow-up cat scan, so she will be contacting the oncologist regarding when that's going to happen. She is not exactly bubbling over with enthusiasm to call his offices. And given past history, not surprising. Getting through those staff receptionists has always required a major effort in diplomatic relations and guerilla tactics when necessary!
But she is in an upbeat and positive mood which is great. Tomorrow will mark one week since the most recent Rituxan treatment and based on past history she knows that next week she is going to be feeling better! We are all rooting for that! As some dear friends say frequently to her: "You go girl!!"
Melissa
Wednesday 1 August 2007
Post #56: Small Setback
Dear All,
Anita had a small setback today (Tues. July 31st) but, as she says, it was to be expected. It is her reaction to the Rituxan. She started feeling tired on Sunday (went to bed very early), Monday she was "dragging" (napped a lot during the day), and Tuesday the shortness of breath, a little arrhythmia and some dizziness returned so she spent most of the day in bed. Quote: "I just don't feel good today!"
However, she realizes that this appears to be her "normal" reaction now to the Rituxan treatment. These side effects kick in about the third day after the administration of the drug. She has done some reading on the internet about the side effects of Rituxan and apparently they can continue until two to three months after the last treatment. Anita has three more treatments to undergo so she is prepared for the long haul.
She has again lost some appetite but was able Tuesday morning to eat her usual breakfast of Total cereal, a glass of OJ and a banana and had some noodle soup for lunch. That was about all she could get down and so she just rested in bed for most of the rest of the day. She had taken a nausea pill Monday night, but none on Tuesday morning and has had no recurrence of nausea. She is just short of breath and exhausted.
But her attitude is very positive. She realizes that she is going to go through these episodes and she takes encouragement from the fact that following each treatment session, she has progressively been getting better and, so far, having less acute reactions to each treatment. May that progress continue!
Melissa
Anita had a small setback today (Tues. July 31st) but, as she says, it was to be expected. It is her reaction to the Rituxan. She started feeling tired on Sunday (went to bed very early), Monday she was "dragging" (napped a lot during the day), and Tuesday the shortness of breath, a little arrhythmia and some dizziness returned so she spent most of the day in bed. Quote: "I just don't feel good today!"
However, she realizes that this appears to be her "normal" reaction now to the Rituxan treatment. These side effects kick in about the third day after the administration of the drug. She has done some reading on the internet about the side effects of Rituxan and apparently they can continue until two to three months after the last treatment. Anita has three more treatments to undergo so she is prepared for the long haul.
She has again lost some appetite but was able Tuesday morning to eat her usual breakfast of Total cereal, a glass of OJ and a banana and had some noodle soup for lunch. That was about all she could get down and so she just rested in bed for most of the rest of the day. She had taken a nausea pill Monday night, but none on Tuesday morning and has had no recurrence of nausea. She is just short of breath and exhausted.
But her attitude is very positive. She realizes that she is going to go through these episodes and she takes encouragement from the fact that following each treatment session, she has progressively been getting better and, so far, having less acute reactions to each treatment. May that progress continue!
Melissa
Monday 30 July 2007
Post #55: Doing great!
Hello All!
Well, the amazement continues. On Sunday Anita was sort of kicking herself because she didn't "bother taking her nausea pill" Saturday night." Then Sunday morning she took her now usual morning outing in the yard with Tristan and drank her usual morning glass of OJ and cup of coffee. Well . . . let's say it all didn't mix too well! But quickly realizing the error of her ways, she promptly downed one of her powerful nausea pills and all was restored to her new normal order!
And that "normal" is a wonderful one. By Sunday afternoon she was up and about and ready for a dear friend who came over to visit and came bearing presents for the puppy, and an orchid and champagne for Anita of which Mama drank a glass!
Today (I just spoke with her about 3:10 p.m. California time Monday the 30th) she is feeling a bit tired but otherwise in fine form and great spirits. As we all know - she overdid yesterday - big surprise - but had a wonderful time doing it! She started off well this morning with 1/2 a banana, cereal, vitamins, and electrolyte solution. She again didn't take a nausea pill this morning, but so far no problems. Just a general fatique which she attributes to the Rituxan. The same thing happened after the first Rituxan treatment - she started feeling tired a day or two after the treatment. She has also developed some blisters around her mouth, kind of like cold sores, but this happened after the first Rituxan treatment as well.
But the wonderful news is that she has NO PAIN - not even a twinge. She has some "crackly" sounds in her voice but her breathing is so much better (you've all read by now the Home Depot trek story)! She only gets woozy every once in a while and usually it's when she's "looking under the sofa for one of Tristan's toys." Even better news is that she has gained four - count 'em - pounds! Go Mama! She is taking Lexapro each morning which is maintaining her on an even keel emotionally. Last night she did not take a tranquilizer but still slept soundly all night long! Now if they can just keep the dog out of the mud so that Anita doesn't have to keep giving him baths!!! And apparently rapid progress is being made in that department as well.
So I can sign off today feeling joyful and happy at Mother's continued progress. And again, the continuing well wishes and healing and loving thoughts from all of you are doing their part in aiding the healing process! Thank you!
Melissa
Well, the amazement continues. On Sunday Anita was sort of kicking herself because she didn't "bother taking her nausea pill" Saturday night." Then Sunday morning she took her now usual morning outing in the yard with Tristan and drank her usual morning glass of OJ and cup of coffee. Well . . . let's say it all didn't mix too well! But quickly realizing the error of her ways, she promptly downed one of her powerful nausea pills and all was restored to her new normal order!
And that "normal" is a wonderful one. By Sunday afternoon she was up and about and ready for a dear friend who came over to visit and came bearing presents for the puppy, and an orchid and champagne for Anita of which Mama drank a glass!
Today (I just spoke with her about 3:10 p.m. California time Monday the 30th) she is feeling a bit tired but otherwise in fine form and great spirits. As we all know - she overdid yesterday - big surprise - but had a wonderful time doing it! She started off well this morning with 1/2 a banana, cereal, vitamins, and electrolyte solution. She again didn't take a nausea pill this morning, but so far no problems. Just a general fatique which she attributes to the Rituxan. The same thing happened after the first Rituxan treatment - she started feeling tired a day or two after the treatment. She has also developed some blisters around her mouth, kind of like cold sores, but this happened after the first Rituxan treatment as well.
But the wonderful news is that she has NO PAIN - not even a twinge. She has some "crackly" sounds in her voice but her breathing is so much better (you've all read by now the Home Depot trek story)! She only gets woozy every once in a while and usually it's when she's "looking under the sofa for one of Tristan's toys." Even better news is that she has gained four - count 'em - pounds! Go Mama! She is taking Lexapro each morning which is maintaining her on an even keel emotionally. Last night she did not take a tranquilizer but still slept soundly all night long! Now if they can just keep the dog out of the mud so that Anita doesn't have to keep giving him baths!!! And apparently rapid progress is being made in that department as well.
So I can sign off today feeling joyful and happy at Mother's continued progress. And again, the continuing well wishes and healing and loving thoughts from all of you are doing their part in aiding the healing process! Thank you!
Melissa
Saturday 28 July 2007
Post #54: Not to be believed, but true!
Hello Anita Fans!
Well, she's amazing! Today's quote from just a few minutes ago:
"Right now, I can't tell you how good I feel!"
Now, how she got there! Yesterday she went in for her second Rituxan treatment. It was administered over the course of three hours. A long haul, but they included some Benadryl in the administration and she says she conked right out and slept through a lot of it. That made the time speed by!
She and John got home by 6:30 p.m. or so and by 7:30 she started feeling sleepy again - but no nausea, from either the Wednesday chemo treatment or from the Rituxan. (This time she was fully prepared and had taken strong anti-nausea medication the night before and the morning of the Rituxan treatment.) She woke up around 2:30 a.m. Saturday morning, got up (without waking John), went to the computer and wrote my sister Marcia and I some emails and then went back to sleep about 3:30 a.m. Then she was up again at 6:30 a.m. this morning!
Had to let the dog out! And she's been cranking ever since! Her email to me stated that "I'm feeling much better than expected and hope to see the weekend without any sudden untoward developments. I know I'm better when my brain starts dreaming up all this stuff I want to get done." And boy is she!
The gasping for breath problem she has been experiencing "disappeared" yesterday afternoon. She still gets short of breath but now only after more extensive exertion, relatively speaking. As of 3:00 p.m. this afternoon, she is still not experiencing any nausea, is free from pain, and is feeling fine. She and John went to Home Depot today to get some fencing to keep Tristan in the back part of the yard and she walked the full length of the store (and you all know how big those stores are!) with no problems whatsoever and without having to stop and sit down. Today she also washed, fluffed up and dried the dog (it's a real mud lover), straigtened up her office and bedroom, weeded a bit and clipped some overhanging greenery in the yard! And she had pizza and beer for lunch!
She may still feel quite ill again in the next few days as the effects of the latest chemo and Rituxan treatments fully kick in, but this is the longest period of time that she has felt good after treatments to date. It all seems part of a progressively improving pattern in her overall health. How wonderful! It makes me so joyful to hear her so positive, so full of life! As she says, she is going to beat this thing!
Melissa
Well, she's amazing! Today's quote from just a few minutes ago:
"Right now, I can't tell you how good I feel!"
Now, how she got there! Yesterday she went in for her second Rituxan treatment. It was administered over the course of three hours. A long haul, but they included some Benadryl in the administration and she says she conked right out and slept through a lot of it. That made the time speed by!
She and John got home by 6:30 p.m. or so and by 7:30 she started feeling sleepy again - but no nausea, from either the Wednesday chemo treatment or from the Rituxan. (This time she was fully prepared and had taken strong anti-nausea medication the night before and the morning of the Rituxan treatment.) She woke up around 2:30 a.m. Saturday morning, got up (without waking John), went to the computer and wrote my sister Marcia and I some emails and then went back to sleep about 3:30 a.m. Then she was up again at 6:30 a.m. this morning!
Had to let the dog out! And she's been cranking ever since! Her email to me stated that "I'm feeling much better than expected and hope to see the weekend without any sudden untoward developments. I know I'm better when my brain starts dreaming up all this stuff I want to get done." And boy is she!
The gasping for breath problem she has been experiencing "disappeared" yesterday afternoon. She still gets short of breath but now only after more extensive exertion, relatively speaking. As of 3:00 p.m. this afternoon, she is still not experiencing any nausea, is free from pain, and is feeling fine. She and John went to Home Depot today to get some fencing to keep Tristan in the back part of the yard and she walked the full length of the store (and you all know how big those stores are!) with no problems whatsoever and without having to stop and sit down. Today she also washed, fluffed up and dried the dog (it's a real mud lover), straigtened up her office and bedroom, weeded a bit and clipped some overhanging greenery in the yard! And she had pizza and beer for lunch!
She may still feel quite ill again in the next few days as the effects of the latest chemo and Rituxan treatments fully kick in, but this is the longest period of time that she has felt good after treatments to date. It all seems part of a progressively improving pattern in her overall health. How wonderful! It makes me so joyful to hear her so positive, so full of life! As she says, she is going to beat this thing!
Melissa
Thursday 26 July 2007
Post #53: Treatment Changes
Hello Everyone,
Sorry for the delay in a new posting. My life here at home has resumed its normal course and gotten very busy. You all know the feeling - not enough time to do everything you want to do!
Just got off the phone with Mother. Her condition is pretty much as it has been the past few days: great appetite, up and moving about more, no nausea and no pain per se, but some chest congestion, still feeling dizzy when she bends over and still experiencing the shortness of breath. She says that today she is, on the whole, feeling great. However, the past few days she has been experiencing some "teary" spells that come without warning and at odd times. But she realizes that this is most likely the byproduct of the treatment and the oncologist says that it is normal given her condition. So she is fighting off these episodes by actively trying to think in a positive way.
She had her appointment with the oncologist yesterday. In a surprise move, rather than scheduling her for her next chemo treatment in the next few days, he had her go in for it right then and there. She was there from about 10:30 a.m. to a little past noon, so a bit over an hour and a half of chemo. He also decided to change her treatment plan a bit. She is now scheduled to go in tomorrow morning at 10:15 a.m. for her second Rituxan treatment. Including tomorrow, she will be receiving four more Rituxan treatments in addition to chemo. Her doctor is also going to order another cat scan for her to determine what is happening with her, particularly in the abdominal and chest areas.
Two humorous side notes: Anita asked the onoclogist about how her blood was doing and he told her that "you have the blood of a superwoman!" When she mentioned to him that when she bends over she gets dizzy and the feeling over her heart is like "a frog trying to jump out of my chest," her doctor said: "Well, actually two frogs!"
On a more serious note, she asked him point blank what he thought her chances for remission are. He really thought about it before answering her and then stated that personally he thinks she will go into remission - "that is what we've been doing this all for." As to how long the remission will last, he said that no one can say for sure as it all depends on the individual. But in general, it could be 6 months, 2 years, or even longer.
Anita was feeling so good today that she decided to take advantage of that fact, given that the effects of yesterday's chemo treatment and of the Rituxan treatment tomorrow will probably hit her sometime Saturday. So today, to shake off some of her cabin fever, she went out with John to Lowe's to check out some home improvement materials. She said that she is feeling and getting stronger and was able to walk through Lowes to Aisle 20 by pushing a cart and taking it slow. Along the way, she saw some stools on sale and pulled one off the rack for an impromptu rest stop! Ever resourceful, that's Anita! Then on the way out of Lowes she decided she wanted a Coke and a Woody's Chicago hot dog! Ate the whole thing!
She didn't take that swim the other day because she and John had not been given keys to the gate to the pool area. They have now corrected that situation and are well armed with their pool keys. Ever listening to prudent suggestions of others, I passed along to Mama the concern that she probably should check with her oncologist about how safe it is for her to be swimming given her lowered immune resistance. Additionally she should probably be careful about cleaning up after the puppy. Don't want to take any unnecessary risks.
As for Tristan, he is doing somewhat better in the comportment department and is still providing lots of laughs and solace to both Mother and John.
Anita will not be home from her Rituxan treatment until late in the afternoon tomorrow. As she mentioned, her post-treatment pattern seems to be that she feels fine until the next afternoon the day after the treatment. So I will be sure to update all of you as her condition changes.
Melissa
Sorry for the delay in a new posting. My life here at home has resumed its normal course and gotten very busy. You all know the feeling - not enough time to do everything you want to do!
Just got off the phone with Mother. Her condition is pretty much as it has been the past few days: great appetite, up and moving about more, no nausea and no pain per se, but some chest congestion, still feeling dizzy when she bends over and still experiencing the shortness of breath. She says that today she is, on the whole, feeling great. However, the past few days she has been experiencing some "teary" spells that come without warning and at odd times. But she realizes that this is most likely the byproduct of the treatment and the oncologist says that it is normal given her condition. So she is fighting off these episodes by actively trying to think in a positive way.
She had her appointment with the oncologist yesterday. In a surprise move, rather than scheduling her for her next chemo treatment in the next few days, he had her go in for it right then and there. She was there from about 10:30 a.m. to a little past noon, so a bit over an hour and a half of chemo. He also decided to change her treatment plan a bit. She is now scheduled to go in tomorrow morning at 10:15 a.m. for her second Rituxan treatment. Including tomorrow, she will be receiving four more Rituxan treatments in addition to chemo. Her doctor is also going to order another cat scan for her to determine what is happening with her, particularly in the abdominal and chest areas.
Two humorous side notes: Anita asked the onoclogist about how her blood was doing and he told her that "you have the blood of a superwoman!" When she mentioned to him that when she bends over she gets dizzy and the feeling over her heart is like "a frog trying to jump out of my chest," her doctor said: "Well, actually two frogs!"
On a more serious note, she asked him point blank what he thought her chances for remission are. He really thought about it before answering her and then stated that personally he thinks she will go into remission - "that is what we've been doing this all for." As to how long the remission will last, he said that no one can say for sure as it all depends on the individual. But in general, it could be 6 months, 2 years, or even longer.
Anita was feeling so good today that she decided to take advantage of that fact, given that the effects of yesterday's chemo treatment and of the Rituxan treatment tomorrow will probably hit her sometime Saturday. So today, to shake off some of her cabin fever, she went out with John to Lowe's to check out some home improvement materials. She said that she is feeling and getting stronger and was able to walk through Lowes to Aisle 20 by pushing a cart and taking it slow. Along the way, she saw some stools on sale and pulled one off the rack for an impromptu rest stop! Ever resourceful, that's Anita! Then on the way out of Lowes she decided she wanted a Coke and a Woody's Chicago hot dog! Ate the whole thing!
She didn't take that swim the other day because she and John had not been given keys to the gate to the pool area. They have now corrected that situation and are well armed with their pool keys. Ever listening to prudent suggestions of others, I passed along to Mama the concern that she probably should check with her oncologist about how safe it is for her to be swimming given her lowered immune resistance. Additionally she should probably be careful about cleaning up after the puppy. Don't want to take any unnecessary risks.
As for Tristan, he is doing somewhat better in the comportment department and is still providing lots of laughs and solace to both Mother and John.
Anita will not be home from her Rituxan treatment until late in the afternoon tomorrow. As she mentioned, her post-treatment pattern seems to be that she feels fine until the next afternoon the day after the treatment. So I will be sure to update all of you as her condition changes.
Melissa
Tuesday 24 July 2007
Post #52: A Swimming Day!
Hello all!
Just finished talking with Mother. She was up and at 'em early this morning, mainly because the dog was! She and John are investing in a baby gate today so they can confine the little darling to the kitchen when he's being on less than perfect behavior! Tristan's contribution to interior decorating this morning was to teepee the living room by unrolling a whole roll of toilet paper! Ah, the joys of puppy ownership!
Today Anita is a little dizzy, coughing somewhat, and is short of breath but nevertheless "doing" as usual! Yesterday she rested quite a bit. She has found that she needs a nap every afternoon. A friend, who is going away on a long trip, came to visit them yesterday afternoon and Anita was able to enjoy some champagne in honor of the visit. She said she had a wonderful time!
She has started drinking electrolyte solution again and is finding that it helps and is eating a papaya a day. She has an appointment with the oncologist tomorrow morning, July 25, at 10:00 a.m. She is looking forward to talking with him and getting some answers to those questions and issues which I've mentioned in earlier postings. Ironically, she's also looking foward to her next chemo treatment because she thinks it will help a lot. Her attitude is good and optimistic, as she says, about everything! She told me: "I have made up my mind I am going to go into remission! I won't have it any other way!" And knowing Mama, she won't!!
This morning she is going to have John drive her down to the swimming pool and she is going to try to swim at bit! She has always been very muscular and due to her illness has lost muscle mass and tone. So she is determined "to make muscle out of flab!" She has always enjoyed swimming so this will be a great way for her to tone up. "Now," she says, "if I can only keep my bathing cap on!" Since she's lost her hair, she's not sure the cap will stay put! So no underwater swimming for her! She's going to cruise along on her back or do the breast stroke and keep her head out of the water!
Mother said that she would report back to me in an email how the swimming adventure went this morning! I'll fill you all in as soon as I find out!
Til then,
Melissa
Just finished talking with Mother. She was up and at 'em early this morning, mainly because the dog was! She and John are investing in a baby gate today so they can confine the little darling to the kitchen when he's being on less than perfect behavior! Tristan's contribution to interior decorating this morning was to teepee the living room by unrolling a whole roll of toilet paper! Ah, the joys of puppy ownership!
Today Anita is a little dizzy, coughing somewhat, and is short of breath but nevertheless "doing" as usual! Yesterday she rested quite a bit. She has found that she needs a nap every afternoon. A friend, who is going away on a long trip, came to visit them yesterday afternoon and Anita was able to enjoy some champagne in honor of the visit. She said she had a wonderful time!
She has started drinking electrolyte solution again and is finding that it helps and is eating a papaya a day. She has an appointment with the oncologist tomorrow morning, July 25, at 10:00 a.m. She is looking forward to talking with him and getting some answers to those questions and issues which I've mentioned in earlier postings. Ironically, she's also looking foward to her next chemo treatment because she thinks it will help a lot. Her attitude is good and optimistic, as she says, about everything! She told me: "I have made up my mind I am going to go into remission! I won't have it any other way!" And knowing Mama, she won't!!
This morning she is going to have John drive her down to the swimming pool and she is going to try to swim at bit! She has always been very muscular and due to her illness has lost muscle mass and tone. So she is determined "to make muscle out of flab!" She has always enjoyed swimming so this will be a great way for her to tone up. "Now," she says, "if I can only keep my bathing cap on!" Since she's lost her hair, she's not sure the cap will stay put! So no underwater swimming for her! She's going to cruise along on her back or do the breast stroke and keep her head out of the water!
Mother said that she would report back to me in an email how the swimming adventure went this morning! I'll fill you all in as soon as I find out!
Til then,
Melissa
Sunday 22 July 2007
Post #51: Small relapse yesterday but better today
Hello Everyone!
Was super busy yesterday so didn't get a chance to talk with Mama or do a posting, but I've got one today!
Apparently she had a small relapse yesterday and spent most of the day in bed. It was the shortness of breath that came back accompanied by intermittent pain in her left lung/heart area that "sweeps" around and up under her left arm area. She also has been experiencing the urge to cough - also from that same left lung area - but nothing is coming up at the moment. It was somewhat discouraging for her yesterday inasmuch as she had had such a wonderful day on Friday. But, thank goodness, today has gone much better. She mentioned that she had stopped taking electrolyte solution, so on the premise that maybe that is contributing to the relapse, she will start drinking it again.
She has been up and about more today and tonight she and John are even getting out of the house to have dinner at a friend's house who lives nearby. This is an extraordinary event for Anita and it will take a lot of energy for her to do it. But her "cabin fever" is fairly high at this point and I think the change of scenery will do her - and John - a world of good.
She has an appointment with her oncologist this Wednesday July 25th and she plans to discuss with him many issues: referral to a cardiologist, when she will get more cat scans, what the signifigance is of her cough and the pain in her left lung/heart area, etc.
Tristan continues to provide both of them with much needed merriment. They've had to alter their household routine and habits a bit to adjust for a furniture-chomping, trash-can-diving, if-I-see-it-chew-it kind of puppy, but they're loving the activity. Apparently, the dog has not gone in the house for the past two days, so Anita and John are hopeful that they have turned the corner on the housetraining part! Luckily, I can offer advice on puppy tactics - my husband and I have had a Jack Russell terrier since her puppy days and we know all the horror stories!
Til next time,
Melissa
Was super busy yesterday so didn't get a chance to talk with Mama or do a posting, but I've got one today!
Apparently she had a small relapse yesterday and spent most of the day in bed. It was the shortness of breath that came back accompanied by intermittent pain in her left lung/heart area that "sweeps" around and up under her left arm area. She also has been experiencing the urge to cough - also from that same left lung area - but nothing is coming up at the moment. It was somewhat discouraging for her yesterday inasmuch as she had had such a wonderful day on Friday. But, thank goodness, today has gone much better. She mentioned that she had stopped taking electrolyte solution, so on the premise that maybe that is contributing to the relapse, she will start drinking it again.
She has been up and about more today and tonight she and John are even getting out of the house to have dinner at a friend's house who lives nearby. This is an extraordinary event for Anita and it will take a lot of energy for her to do it. But her "cabin fever" is fairly high at this point and I think the change of scenery will do her - and John - a world of good.
She has an appointment with her oncologist this Wednesday July 25th and she plans to discuss with him many issues: referral to a cardiologist, when she will get more cat scans, what the signifigance is of her cough and the pain in her left lung/heart area, etc.
Tristan continues to provide both of them with much needed merriment. They've had to alter their household routine and habits a bit to adjust for a furniture-chomping, trash-can-diving, if-I-see-it-chew-it kind of puppy, but they're loving the activity. Apparently, the dog has not gone in the house for the past two days, so Anita and John are hopeful that they have turned the corner on the housetraining part! Luckily, I can offer advice on puppy tactics - my husband and I have had a Jack Russell terrier since her puppy days and we know all the horror stories!
Til next time,
Melissa
Friday 20 July 2007
Post #50: Feelin' better all the time . . .
Hi Everyone!
I do like these "continuing to improve" reports. Makes all of us feel good!
Anita was up early this morning, but not quite as early as Tristan wanted! He started whining around 4:30 a.m. apparently. But Anita was firm - the dog can wait until she gets up! And up she did get around 5:30 a.m. or so. She got up, got dressed, and went out into the yard with Tristan. Nothing like a young puppy to get you going in the morning!
Mother had a comprehensive blood test done this morning. She was able to walk all the way in to the lab offices and back out to the car without losing her breath! She reports that her breathing is better and she is able to do more and more and that her appetite has greatly increased. Still no weight gain, but she is maintaining at least and not losing more weight. She does have intermittent pain in her chest area plus more chest congestion which indicates that the chemo is really working on the stuff in there. So this is good news!
She loves going into the yard in the morning to play with and watch the puppy's antics. Tristan loves going into the yard too, but for him, the main attraction is digging in the dirt and mud! Poor Anita and John - they're rapidly becoming experts at giving the puppy a bath! The dog has energy to burn which wears Anita out a bit, so Anita's technique is to pull a lounge chair into the yard, have a sit and from the comfort of her observation post, be able to enjoy watching the dog and staying out of the line of the flying dirt!
What a great image! And Mother is already talking about a trip to the beach with John and Tristan when she feels a bit better! Now that's talking!
Hope you all have a wonderful day today,
Melissa
I do like these "continuing to improve" reports. Makes all of us feel good!
Anita was up early this morning, but not quite as early as Tristan wanted! He started whining around 4:30 a.m. apparently. But Anita was firm - the dog can wait until she gets up! And up she did get around 5:30 a.m. or so. She got up, got dressed, and went out into the yard with Tristan. Nothing like a young puppy to get you going in the morning!
Mother had a comprehensive blood test done this morning. She was able to walk all the way in to the lab offices and back out to the car without losing her breath! She reports that her breathing is better and she is able to do more and more and that her appetite has greatly increased. Still no weight gain, but she is maintaining at least and not losing more weight. She does have intermittent pain in her chest area plus more chest congestion which indicates that the chemo is really working on the stuff in there. So this is good news!
She loves going into the yard in the morning to play with and watch the puppy's antics. Tristan loves going into the yard too, but for him, the main attraction is digging in the dirt and mud! Poor Anita and John - they're rapidly becoming experts at giving the puppy a bath! The dog has energy to burn which wears Anita out a bit, so Anita's technique is to pull a lounge chair into the yard, have a sit and from the comfort of her observation post, be able to enjoy watching the dog and staying out of the line of the flying dirt!
What a great image! And Mother is already talking about a trip to the beach with John and Tristan when she feels a bit better! Now that's talking!
Hope you all have a wonderful day today,
Melissa
Wednesday 18 July 2007
Post #49: Fifth Good Day and Counting!
Good afternoon everyone!
Just talked with Anita. She was out in the yard early this morning reading her newspaper, drinking coffee, and watching the puppy playing and investigating. At 8:00 a.m they both went back into the house and the puppy promptly did his business on the floor! Oh well . . . always takes a little time to housetrain!
She is continuing to "eat like a horse" as she says. This morning she had scrambled eggs and some Jimmy Dean patty sausage! She is nausea and pain free but still has the shortness of breath. She said that she has had five lovely days of walking more and more each day!
As for the cardiologist, she has decided to get a referral or recommendation from her oncologist first. Her next chemo treatment will be either Tuesday July 31st, or if her oncologist thinks she should wait another week, Tuesday August 7th.
There is an important cautionary note for those of you who want to visit Anita or who are planning to visit her in the future, and this applies throughout the entire time she is undergoing chemotherapy treatment: IF YOU ARE SICK IN EVEN THE SLIGHTEST WAY, DO NOT COME TO VISIT HER. The chemo is working on the tumor masses in her lungs. As a consequence she has a certain amount of lung congestion resulting from the breakdown of all the bad stuff. The good news is that she is beginning to cough it up since, unlike stomach or abdominal residues, the stuff in her lungs can't easily get out of her body. As a consequence, however, she is highly susceptible to inflammation in her lungs and to developing pneumonia. Chemotherapy also is severely depressing her immune system making her extremely susceptible to infections. Consequently, no person who is ill in even the slightest way should come to the house. That means if you have a cold (even a mild one), sore throat, skin rashes, infected wounds, or infections or illnesses of any other sort, you should delay seeing Anita until you are completely cured.
So thank you for heeding this precaution. None of us want to impede her progress toward remission! And although nothing is totally certain, in her own mind and in John's and mine, we think that's the road she is on!
Melissa
Just talked with Anita. She was out in the yard early this morning reading her newspaper, drinking coffee, and watching the puppy playing and investigating. At 8:00 a.m they both went back into the house and the puppy promptly did his business on the floor! Oh well . . . always takes a little time to housetrain!
She is continuing to "eat like a horse" as she says. This morning she had scrambled eggs and some Jimmy Dean patty sausage! She is nausea and pain free but still has the shortness of breath. She said that she has had five lovely days of walking more and more each day!
As for the cardiologist, she has decided to get a referral or recommendation from her oncologist first. Her next chemo treatment will be either Tuesday July 31st, or if her oncologist thinks she should wait another week, Tuesday August 7th.
There is an important cautionary note for those of you who want to visit Anita or who are planning to visit her in the future, and this applies throughout the entire time she is undergoing chemotherapy treatment: IF YOU ARE SICK IN EVEN THE SLIGHTEST WAY, DO NOT COME TO VISIT HER. The chemo is working on the tumor masses in her lungs. As a consequence she has a certain amount of lung congestion resulting from the breakdown of all the bad stuff. The good news is that she is beginning to cough it up since, unlike stomach or abdominal residues, the stuff in her lungs can't easily get out of her body. As a consequence, however, she is highly susceptible to inflammation in her lungs and to developing pneumonia. Chemotherapy also is severely depressing her immune system making her extremely susceptible to infections. Consequently, no person who is ill in even the slightest way should come to the house. That means if you have a cold (even a mild one), sore throat, skin rashes, infected wounds, or infections or illnesses of any other sort, you should delay seeing Anita until you are completely cured.
So thank you for heeding this precaution. None of us want to impede her progress toward remission! And although nothing is totally certain, in her own mind and in John's and mine, we think that's the road she is on!
Melissa
Tuesday 17 July 2007
Post #48: The dog days of summer . . .
Hello all!
Great report from Anita (tonight for me, noonish for Californians, and afternoon nap time for you East Coastians). She was up and cranking again today! Blame it on her over-exuberance but what a great thing it is that she has that! Anyhow, she says she has a "fierce appetite!" Can you believe it?! It's been months since she's been in the mood to "chow down!" Anyhow, yesterday morning she had a brunch-size breakfast of 2 eggs, ham and rice with curry and a full papaya. She plans to eat a whole papaya daily. Today she is planning on devouring pasta (lasagna to be specific), and has also treated herself to caramel ice cream! She says that it's the first time in her life where she's eaten "to put on weight" instead of taking it off and she's having a grand time doing it! How wonderful!
Still no pain in particular and no nausea. She has shortness of breath (had to stop and rest today because of overexertion with the puppy and other things this morning), but even that is better. She had her Neupogen shot yesterday. It is supposed to boost her white blood cell count. She hasn't noticed any negative effects from the shot, so hopefullly it is working its full magic. Her next appointment with the oncologist is scheduled for July 25. At that time they will schedule her next chemo session which will most likely be sometime in the first week of August.
She occasionally has a let-down moment, but that soon passes. All of your continued good wishes and thoughts help her tremendously during those times!
Til next time,
Melissa
Great report from Anita (tonight for me, noonish for Californians, and afternoon nap time for you East Coastians). She was up and cranking again today! Blame it on her over-exuberance but what a great thing it is that she has that! Anyhow, she says she has a "fierce appetite!" Can you believe it?! It's been months since she's been in the mood to "chow down!" Anyhow, yesterday morning she had a brunch-size breakfast of 2 eggs, ham and rice with curry and a full papaya. She plans to eat a whole papaya daily. Today she is planning on devouring pasta (lasagna to be specific), and has also treated herself to caramel ice cream! She says that it's the first time in her life where she's eaten "to put on weight" instead of taking it off and she's having a grand time doing it! How wonderful!
Still no pain in particular and no nausea. She has shortness of breath (had to stop and rest today because of overexertion with the puppy and other things this morning), but even that is better. She had her Neupogen shot yesterday. It is supposed to boost her white blood cell count. She hasn't noticed any negative effects from the shot, so hopefullly it is working its full magic. Her next appointment with the oncologist is scheduled for July 25. At that time they will schedule her next chemo session which will most likely be sometime in the first week of August.
She occasionally has a let-down moment, but that soon passes. All of your continued good wishes and thoughts help her tremendously during those times!
Til next time,
Melissa
Post #47: "Wired Day" Number 2
Greetings Everyone,
Well, Monday morning Anita was up at 5:00 a.m. (this has been her normal wake-up time in recent years), got dressed, and took Tristan out to the front yard for a little puppy training. Big surprise: she wore herself out! That's Anita! Boundless enthusiasm and excitement over a new project (i.e. the new puppy) and prompt action re same. And as usual, her mind is way ahead of her body. So she came inside, rested, and then promptly wrote some letters!
She did get a little short of breath and had to sit down, but overall she reports that she is feeling better, has no nausea and no pain. She's not even wearing a pain patch. She is sneezing a bit and coughing up some congestion but that is a good thing! It means she's clearing out some of that nasty stuff that has been in her lungs.
She was due for another Neupogen shot for her immune system at 3:45 p.m. Monday afternoon and also said she was going to call her primary care physician for a referral to a cardiologist. Hopefully she will be able to get an appointment soon. She will also be making an appointment to see the oncologist before her next round of chemotherapy which will be around July 24th or so.
So, it looks like Mother's phenomenal constitution is serving her well. As each day passes and she continues to show improvement, we can all take heart that she will beat this thing!
Melissa
Well, Monday morning Anita was up at 5:00 a.m. (this has been her normal wake-up time in recent years), got dressed, and took Tristan out to the front yard for a little puppy training. Big surprise: she wore herself out! That's Anita! Boundless enthusiasm and excitement over a new project (i.e. the new puppy) and prompt action re same. And as usual, her mind is way ahead of her body. So she came inside, rested, and then promptly wrote some letters!
She did get a little short of breath and had to sit down, but overall she reports that she is feeling better, has no nausea and no pain. She's not even wearing a pain patch. She is sneezing a bit and coughing up some congestion but that is a good thing! It means she's clearing out some of that nasty stuff that has been in her lungs.
She was due for another Neupogen shot for her immune system at 3:45 p.m. Monday afternoon and also said she was going to call her primary care physician for a referral to a cardiologist. Hopefully she will be able to get an appointment soon. She will also be making an appointment to see the oncologist before her next round of chemotherapy which will be around July 24th or so.
So, it looks like Mother's phenomenal constitution is serving her well. As each day passes and she continues to show improvement, we can all take heart that she will beat this thing!
Melissa
Monday 16 July 2007
Post #46: A "Wired" Day
Hello Anita Fans!
Now that I'm back home in Spain, I am nine hours ahead of PDT (Pacific Daylight Time). Which actually works out well in terms of reporting on Anita. 5:30 p.m. my time is 8:30 a.m. her time and as time and events permit, that is when I'll be talking with her each day. I last talked with her this Sunday morning July 15 around 10:30 a.m. her time.
The day started out great for Anita because she and John now have A DOG!!! Specifically a wired-haired terrier puppy approximately 3 months old that they have named "Tristan." The story:
Anita has been thinking about this for quite some time. She and John have owned dogs in the past, so having one is not a new experience. As a terrier owner myself (a Jack Russell mix), I know what an energy force and spirit booster a terrier can be. Mother studied up on possible breeds and settled on the wired hair terrier. While I was there I bought her some books on terriers, and one in particular on wired hairs. I also got her "Puppies for Dummies." This is a fabulous book, filled with incredibly good advice on how to raise and train puppies and Anita and I recommend it to anyone contemplating getting a puppy.
Anita reported that she had been up all day Saturday [her energy is returning!], that she slept like a log Saturday night, was feeling better Sunday morning, got up, made her own breakfast and then she and John got in the car and went to get the puppy. She says it felt so great getting out of the house - she felt like she was getting out of jail!
When I called they had just been home for about a half hour and the puppy was exploring the whole house and carrying on with amusing antics. I haven't heard Mother laugh so delightedly and wholeheartedly for quite some time! What a wonderful mood lifter!! And John too has fallen in love with the puppy. Although a puppy is work, I think it is a great idea for them. It gives them both a positive focus outside of Anita's illness. And there is no doubt that it brings bouncing life and action into their home!
What a trooper! Anita's nausea is gone. Her shortness of breath is better and she can now walk through the house only having to stop and sit down periodically to catch her breath. Saturday night she had some pain on her side, but she thinks it was related to heartburn and it later went away. Other than that, she has no pain. Since I left on the 10th she has read two books! And I know that each morning she and John sit together while they read the newspapers, drink their morning coffee and Mother does her crossword puzzle.
On Monday July 16th, she will get another shot of the Neupogen. She will also get a referral to a cardiologist. Given her symptoms, she shouldn't take chances with her heart, so she is going to get that thoroughly checked out! She will continue to have weekly blood testing. Her next chemotherapy session (the third and without Rituxan) should be somewhere around July 24th. After that she will have three additional sessions spaced three weeks apart.
So, I close this posting feeling joyful. To hear the joy and vibrancy in Mother's voice is the best restorative to the stress and uncertainty we have all felt - not to mention the jet lag!
Melissa
Now that I'm back home in Spain, I am nine hours ahead of PDT (Pacific Daylight Time). Which actually works out well in terms of reporting on Anita. 5:30 p.m. my time is 8:30 a.m. her time and as time and events permit, that is when I'll be talking with her each day. I last talked with her this Sunday morning July 15 around 10:30 a.m. her time.
The day started out great for Anita because she and John now have A DOG!!! Specifically a wired-haired terrier puppy approximately 3 months old that they have named "Tristan." The story:
Anita has been thinking about this for quite some time. She and John have owned dogs in the past, so having one is not a new experience. As a terrier owner myself (a Jack Russell mix), I know what an energy force and spirit booster a terrier can be. Mother studied up on possible breeds and settled on the wired hair terrier. While I was there I bought her some books on terriers, and one in particular on wired hairs. I also got her "Puppies for Dummies." This is a fabulous book, filled with incredibly good advice on how to raise and train puppies and Anita and I recommend it to anyone contemplating getting a puppy.
Anita reported that she had been up all day Saturday [her energy is returning!], that she slept like a log Saturday night, was feeling better Sunday morning, got up, made her own breakfast and then she and John got in the car and went to get the puppy. She says it felt so great getting out of the house - she felt like she was getting out of jail!
When I called they had just been home for about a half hour and the puppy was exploring the whole house and carrying on with amusing antics. I haven't heard Mother laugh so delightedly and wholeheartedly for quite some time! What a wonderful mood lifter!! And John too has fallen in love with the puppy. Although a puppy is work, I think it is a great idea for them. It gives them both a positive focus outside of Anita's illness. And there is no doubt that it brings bouncing life and action into their home!
What a trooper! Anita's nausea is gone. Her shortness of breath is better and she can now walk through the house only having to stop and sit down periodically to catch her breath. Saturday night she had some pain on her side, but she thinks it was related to heartburn and it later went away. Other than that, she has no pain. Since I left on the 10th she has read two books! And I know that each morning she and John sit together while they read the newspapers, drink their morning coffee and Mother does her crossword puzzle.
On Monday July 16th, she will get another shot of the Neupogen. She will also get a referral to a cardiologist. Given her symptoms, she shouldn't take chances with her heart, so she is going to get that thoroughly checked out! She will continue to have weekly blood testing. Her next chemotherapy session (the third and without Rituxan) should be somewhere around July 24th. After that she will have three additional sessions spaced three weeks apart.
So, I close this posting feeling joyful. To hear the joy and vibrancy in Mother's voice is the best restorative to the stress and uncertainty we have all felt - not to mention the jet lag!
Melissa
Saturday 14 July 2007
Post #45: Improvement!
Hello Anita fans!
Well I am happy that I can report that she has started to improve! She is eating and today even got up to make herself some breakfast! She no longer is having bad nausea. She still has shortness of breath but she will be getting a referral on Monday to see a cardiologist to make sure that nothing is happening heartwise for her.
Yesterday she went in for her weekly blood testing and she also received a shot of Neupogen which is supposed to help her immune system. She will get a second shot of it on Monday.
Today she said she is feeling better and even got dressed, put on a new wig, and added some jewelry! Amazing as usual! I today read to her over the phone all of your comments that have been posted over the past few days. Since I no longer have access to her computer, I cannot access her email. However, Mother informed me that she intends to look at her email either later today or tomorrow. In the meantime, feel free to send me an email and I will make sure she hears about it!
Well I'm off to the airport in a few minutes. I will be back with another posting tomorrow. Mother and I plan to talk daily, so I will be able to keep all of you updated while she undergoes further treatments.
Melissa
Well I am happy that I can report that she has started to improve! She is eating and today even got up to make herself some breakfast! She no longer is having bad nausea. She still has shortness of breath but she will be getting a referral on Monday to see a cardiologist to make sure that nothing is happening heartwise for her.
Yesterday she went in for her weekly blood testing and she also received a shot of Neupogen which is supposed to help her immune system. She will get a second shot of it on Monday.
Today she said she is feeling better and even got dressed, put on a new wig, and added some jewelry! Amazing as usual! I today read to her over the phone all of your comments that have been posted over the past few days. Since I no longer have access to her computer, I cannot access her email. However, Mother informed me that she intends to look at her email either later today or tomorrow. In the meantime, feel free to send me an email and I will make sure she hears about it!
Well I'm off to the airport in a few minutes. I will be back with another posting tomorrow. Mother and I plan to talk daily, so I will be able to keep all of you updated while she undergoes further treatments.
Melissa
Friday 13 July 2007
Post #44: Slightly better, but basically the same
Hello Everyone,
Yesterday I was unable to get to a computer so I'm glad to be able to give you an update today. I talked with Anita and John this morning. They were in the process of leaving to take her for her weekly blood testing as well as hopefully to go to the oncologist's office this afternoon so that she can get a shot. I am not sure what "the shot" contains but it is something that should help her immune system. I asked John to find out exactly what drug(s)the shot consists of and I will report that when I find out.
The good news is that her nausea has abated somewhat. However, the extreme shortness of breath has continued and she feels woozy and dizzy when she gets up. The oncologist has advised her to stay in bed resting as much as possible. I asked her if she is feeling worse or about the same as she did after her first chemo treatment. She told me that she feels worse. In a way, that is not surprising given that she received the Rituxan on top of a heavy-duty chemo dosage.
So it is a waiting game at the moment. I think that she will follow the same progression as she did after the first treatment, that the symptoms will gradually lessen and that she will start feeling better, more slowly than the first time, but steadily.
Tomorrow will be a busy one for me as I will be flying home. I am hoping to post something tomorrow morning before I leave. My next update after that will be on Sunday the 15th.
Keep thinking healthy thoughts and wishes!
Melissa
Yesterday I was unable to get to a computer so I'm glad to be able to give you an update today. I talked with Anita and John this morning. They were in the process of leaving to take her for her weekly blood testing as well as hopefully to go to the oncologist's office this afternoon so that she can get a shot. I am not sure what "the shot" contains but it is something that should help her immune system. I asked John to find out exactly what drug(s)the shot consists of and I will report that when I find out.
The good news is that her nausea has abated somewhat. However, the extreme shortness of breath has continued and she feels woozy and dizzy when she gets up. The oncologist has advised her to stay in bed resting as much as possible. I asked her if she is feeling worse or about the same as she did after her first chemo treatment. She told me that she feels worse. In a way, that is not surprising given that she received the Rituxan on top of a heavy-duty chemo dosage.
So it is a waiting game at the moment. I think that she will follow the same progression as she did after the first treatment, that the symptoms will gradually lessen and that she will start feeling better, more slowly than the first time, but steadily.
Tomorrow will be a busy one for me as I will be flying home. I am hoping to post something tomorrow morning before I leave. My next update after that will be on Sunday the 15th.
Keep thinking healthy thoughts and wishes!
Melissa
Wednesday 11 July 2007
Post #43: Same as the past two days
Hello Everyone,
Sorry for no post yesterday, but I was traveling. I am now in the San Francisco Bay Area staying with friends for the next few days. Finally got to a computer this morning.
Yesterday, Anita stayed in bed all day. She is feeling very nauseated most of the time. She was able to eat a few things, such as white rice with butter, some liquids, etc. but very little. I called John this morning. Last night she got sick again and this morning as well. Although I suspect it is, we have no idea if this is an expected reaction to the combo chemo and Rituxan treatment or not. Today John is going to call the oncologist to get his views on it as well as to request a stronger anti-nausea medication.
It is interesting to me that she was "fine" for the first two days after the Rituxan treatment. As I have reported, she was "up and cranking." Then, whammo, the past two days (today is now Day #3) she has hardly been able to get out of bed. So we shall see. I will keep you all posted as often as I can.
Melissa
Sorry for no post yesterday, but I was traveling. I am now in the San Francisco Bay Area staying with friends for the next few days. Finally got to a computer this morning.
Yesterday, Anita stayed in bed all day. She is feeling very nauseated most of the time. She was able to eat a few things, such as white rice with butter, some liquids, etc. but very little. I called John this morning. Last night she got sick again and this morning as well. Although I suspect it is, we have no idea if this is an expected reaction to the combo chemo and Rituxan treatment or not. Today John is going to call the oncologist to get his views on it as well as to request a stronger anti-nausea medication.
It is interesting to me that she was "fine" for the first two days after the Rituxan treatment. As I have reported, she was "up and cranking." Then, whammo, the past two days (today is now Day #3) she has hardly been able to get out of bed. So we shall see. I will keep you all posted as often as I can.
Melissa
Monday 9 July 2007
Post #42: Still Under the Weather
Good evening all,
It has been one of those "down" days in the up-and-down cycle we can expect in the course of chemotherapy and Rituxan treatment. She had a great two days post-Rituxan, and then today the combined effects of Rituxan and the chemo and her overachieving energy levels caught up with her. She has spent the balance of the day in bed, not eating much, and not feeling very well. I am hopeful that tomorrow she will be better.
However, I just got interrupted in this email by her getting up to wish me good night (around 9:00 p.m.) and then she got sick again. Clearly there is a process going on here. Tonight, we will wait and see what happens. Overall, she is very much improved and continues to improve. I think today is just one of the low points that only leads to the next high point. And this "low" is much, much better than how she was back in early June. However, John and I are staying very alert to the possibility of any truly new or increased negative symptoms which would merit prompt medical attention.
So, in the morning, I expect to be posting an update by 9:30 -10:00 a.m. or so after I've had a chance to see how she's doing. Although she feels a bit discouraged - we had two of her dear friends over for dinner tonight and she just didn't have the energy to be out of bed for very long - I think her discouragement is more due to her frustration at not being able to participate in the evening after looking forward to it for the past couple of days and especially since it followed an amazingly energetic day yesterday as well as her impatience with being ill at all!
So, here's to a more feel-good day for Anita tomorrow!!
Melissa
It has been one of those "down" days in the up-and-down cycle we can expect in the course of chemotherapy and Rituxan treatment. She had a great two days post-Rituxan, and then today the combined effects of Rituxan and the chemo and her overachieving energy levels caught up with her. She has spent the balance of the day in bed, not eating much, and not feeling very well. I am hopeful that tomorrow she will be better.
However, I just got interrupted in this email by her getting up to wish me good night (around 9:00 p.m.) and then she got sick again. Clearly there is a process going on here. Tonight, we will wait and see what happens. Overall, she is very much improved and continues to improve. I think today is just one of the low points that only leads to the next high point. And this "low" is much, much better than how she was back in early June. However, John and I are staying very alert to the possibility of any truly new or increased negative symptoms which would merit prompt medical attention.
So, in the morning, I expect to be posting an update by 9:30 -10:00 a.m. or so after I've had a chance to see how she's doing. Although she feels a bit discouraged - we had two of her dear friends over for dinner tonight and she just didn't have the energy to be out of bed for very long - I think her discouragement is more due to her frustration at not being able to participate in the evening after looking forward to it for the past couple of days and especially since it followed an amazingly energetic day yesterday as well as her impatience with being ill at all!
So, here's to a more feel-good day for Anita tomorrow!!
Melissa
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