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
Friday 31 August 2007
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
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