Post #13: Thirteen Is NOT An Unlucky Number

Hello Everyone,

Anita had her CT angio chest cat scan around 2:15 this afternoon. All went smoothly and we brought her straight home to rest. The oncologist just called her about 15 minutes ago with the scan results: No blood clots and nothing new that could be causing this shortness of breath. In fact, the scan showed that one of her tumors in the chest area has actually shrunk in size!!!! The chemo is working. Breathe one big sigh of relief!

As to what is causing the shortness of breath, the oncologist thinks that it might be blood related. So tomorrow she is going in for blood testing. She was scheduled to have blood testing this week anyway, so it's working out well. At the moment she is propped up happily on the living room sofa (she has declared that she needs a change of scenery from the bedroom). While I was on the phone with one of her dear friends who called, she was (unbeknownst to me) putting two eggs on to hard boil on the stove and getting all settled on the sofa to read the paper. Again, while I was out of the room, she got up, drank a glass of milk, got her eggs and served herself and went back to the sofa to eat them. When I got there, she requested a sip of white wine to go with it all. Well . . . that's Anita!

John arrived home from the grocery store (Mom actually put in an order for for him to get her some Coors Light) and delivered the day's mail which Anita promptly opened and read. In addition, John brought home the most delicious fried chicken and Mama ate a piece! Said it was just like authentic SOUTHERN fried chicken, and if anyone knows good southern fried chicken, it's Anita. It is such a relief and joy to see her eating normal food again. She looks and is acting very alert and much more cheerful than she was earlier today. She is still experiencing dizziness and shortness of breath if she makes any exertions, so she is taking it easy and staying on the couch, and after our gentle reprimands, accepting that we are happy to "wait on her."

Today we have gone from gloom and foreboding to unease and faint hope and finally to relief and further hope. As I finish this posting, she and John are in the living room watching Oberman and she is doing her crosswords. Her oncologist has been instrumental in seeing her - and us - through this emotional and factual transition today. He was adamant in insisting that no major decisions be made by her until she is feeling better and it appeared to me that he was confident that she will be better. He has insisted that she call him immediately if anything goes on or anything happens - anything!

So, we will be off for the blood testing tomorrow, which results will be sent to the oncologist. I will update this site as to those results as soon as we hear. Thanks so much to all who have sent their comments on this website, cards and letters, flowers and phone calls, not to mention all the healing thoughts and wishes. She reads, sees, and/or hears read all of them. I truly believe that they are instrumental in buoying her spirits and helping her in this fight. Thank you from my heart.

Melissa