Postponement

Well, after consulting with the doc on the 23^rd, mom has decided to postpone her stem cell transplant so that she can do a little recuperation.  It looks as if  she will be waiting for two weeks to see if it makes any difference.  With the pain in the legs and her being tired so much, they felt a little rest would do her good.  He did prescribe Lyrica for her legs and still on the Vicodan. 

After talking with her myself, I think she wasn’t quite at peace with this transplant at this time.  I am hoping that once she feels a little better, the fighting spirit will return and she will dive head on into the unknown.

Thank you for the continued prayers and support for my family.  This Christmas has been especially meaningful….different, but special none the less.

Pain

Pain is a funny thing.  You can't really see it.  Sometimes you don't really know that a person is in pain unless they express it to you.  It can be constant or come and go.  In most cases, we don't even know what is causing it..just that it hurts.  That is what mom is going through right now.  It is located mostly from both knees down and it is a constant hurt.  She is waiting to see what Dr. Zakem says, maybe another cat scan or different meds.  Something to ease the pain.



She is really quite amazing to me the way she handles it all though.  I wonder if at times she doesn't want others to worry or fuss.  I think the only real time she has ever expressed how bad it is is when she asks me to start the prayer chain for her.  I believe her faith is what keeps her strong and knowing that God is good and will be with her through  the pain.

She and dad will be going to U of M on the 23rd to see Dr. G. and get all the final info on the transplant.  She harvested all her stem cells in two days when she was there earlier, which is quite wonderful.  Dad had a stint put in his groin area to try to increase blood circulation to his leg (and his decaying toe) so hopefully he will be in less pain and able to keep up with this journey.

Continued prayers are requested for her strength, endurance, and peace.

December

As I type, mom is undergoing her stem cell harvesting at U of M.  I honestly think that when she began all the testing for the stem cell transplant that she secretly hoped she would not be a candidate.  I believe God has big plans for her and all was well with the testing and she is underway.

Last week, she began with the shots to boost her marrow production and keep the prayers up that she will have a quick harvest.

As far as the cancer goes, all testing shows that she is in remission and that there is no more abnormal protein in her blood.  Because of the meds, she has pain and numbness in her hands, legs, and feet and also she has been getting headaches.  The doc is hoping that once she is off the drugs, those symptoms will diminish.

We had a great time with my brother and family during Thanksgiving and looking forward to his Christmas visit this weekend.  Please keep the prayers for our family as we lift up my aunt's husband, Mel to God's care because he is looking at bypass surgery this week and the doctors are not sure he will make it through the surgery.  Mom and dad are very close to them as we are and it has been a terrible blow to them not to be able to do anything for them.

Thank you for all the prayers, and well wishes.  We are truly blessed by wonderful family and friends.

U of M

November 28, 2011   

On the Eve of December another post on the blog before the month long process of the stem cell transplant.  Wednesday, we go to U of M to go through the battery of tests from CAT scans to bone marrow testing.  We are hoping that all goes smoothly and that the day is not a drag for her.  I will learn how to give her her chemo on the 27^th of December.  I believe that we will also get a better idea as to when she goes in the hospital, if she can receive visits, phone calls, flowers, etc.

She had a beautiful Thanksgiving with family all around.  She watched the youngest grandchildren bake cookies and the baby Reuben roll around on the floor.  Chip helped dad put up some outdoor decorations and we enjoyed  listening to each others stories of years past.

Here is trusting that her neuropathy will diminish and any side effects will be minimal.

Last chemo

What a ride…. the last couple of months with the chemo, physical therapy etc. and still we prevail.  As we sat in chemo, today in our cozy little corner of the world, we watched as a patient was helped from their wheelchair to the recliner to receive their chemo or blood or what have you and we found that just a short few weeks ago, we were there.  My mom was dependant on those around her for her basic needs and now, she is more independent, more confident and more capable of taking care of herself.  We are truly blessed with how her progress has made her more like she was before the diagnosis.

Now, she waits until the end of the month when she goes through the testing for U of M and then the harvesting of the stem cells and the ultimate hardship on her body…the mega doses of chemo.  I think the isolation will be the hardest part.  We go through that at the end of December so prayers are most requested then for the healing and no infection to be introduced during that time.

Mom has said that some people are asking what they can do to help.  They are requesting gift cards for gas or hotel stays while they are at U of M.  I think the gas cards are the best and money for the hotel would be the best for them.

We are so blessed that this has been a fairly smooth transition for her and that her body has not reacted negatively to the chemo except for the neuropathy.  Praises, praises.

Almost done

So far, so good.  We went to GR for chemo, my mom, my aunt Teresa and I on Friday. The ride over was very nice.  The weather still a little on the gloomy side, but it was a pretty nice day overall.  Mom is still having quite a bit of pain from the chemo drugs which causes her hands, feet and legs to burn and ache.  It is not a very nice feeling.  Most of the time it can be controlled with a med, but the med she was taking seemed to be making it all worse.  They switched her to a pain med and that has taken some of the edge off, but not completely gone.  The worst part is that when chemo is done, it is not guaranteed to go away. 

It was very nice to have my aunt here to help mom with things around the house.  She wrapped presents and put some decorations up and just spent time with her.  I am sure my dad appreciated the time away as well.  This way he doesn’t feel so guilty when he has other things to do but wants to make sure that she is taken care of as well.

Friday will be her last chemo treatment before going to U of M.  She goes on December 12 for all the testing to be done.  Then, right after Christmas, it all starts.  She has one day in which she has to have a chemo shot every hour on the hour and immediately following, she goes to the hospital for her month long stay.  I am a bit scared and excited that she may be nearing the end of this part of the journey.  Hopeful that it will be a long span in between when we will have to go through any of this again.

Prayers for less pain, endurance, and strength.

Round three

October 23, 2011

Round three over and we are still amazed at how well mom is doing.  After talking to several people and recalling the cancer patients we have heard  about in the past, I think how you react to your treatment all depends on the type of cancer you are afflicted with and the course of treatment that you are prescribed.  She has been very fortunate not to have to deal with the sickness and the hair loss.  I think that is one of the hardest things to deal with when you are fighting for your life.  You are so sick trying to fight it that you begin to wonder which would be worse.

So, when the next round of chemo is done it is the beginning of the tests to see where she is and if she is a candidate for the stem cell transplant.  After the conference call with U of M, it looks like all of this may take place during the holidays.  Once they confirm that her cells are in the best shape for a harvest, they will do that and then the week following, she will go in for the month long stay at the hospital.  I believe that during this time she cannot have any visitors because her body will not be able to reject any sickness or virus’.  Dad will be her caregiver and will stay with her during this time.  It will be really hard to know that she is in the worst shape ever and me not being able to help her or my dad with any of it.  I believe that will be the time when I will need to pray the hardest.

Counting the blessings

October 14, 2011

It seems like it was so long ago when mom couldn’t do the simple things for herself.  I was just saying to her today how blessed she truly is.  Since the initial diagnosis and the chemo treatment it seems her side effects have been pretty minimal compared to all we have heard from other cancer patients and their families.  Constipation, a little swelling of her feet and the burning sensation in her hands and feet seem to be the biggest hurdles she has had to overcome.  She has been very fortunate that she has not experienced the vomiting and major hair loss those before her experienced.  Lately she has been a bit more tired than before, but overall she is doing quite well.

The report from the Dr. Zakem this Tuesday was that her blood work is fine and the abnormal protein seen in her blood before has decreased.  So, with a few more treatments she will be done with chemo and then prepare for the tests she will have to go through to see if the cancer is in remission enough to proceed with the stem cell transplant.

I am just so thankful that she is more like her old self.  She is walking along much faster now and quite able to do for herself.  I think the only thing I have noticed that has changed about her appearance is her legs are getting thinner and her pants are getting saggy.  It doesn’t seem she is losing weight, just shifting where it goes.  So, while her tummy hasn't done any shrinking, her legs are getting to look a little twiggy.  I told her she reminded me of great grandma.  We had a good laugh about that one today.

Continued prayers for her continued good health and that dad will also gain some strength and take care of himself so he can continue to care for her.

Halfway there!

September 30, 2011

Well, another end to a chemo treatment with positive outlooks and blessed results.  Thankful for the blessing of no horrible side effects, mom continues to do well with the treatment as planned.  We are almost half way through the chemo treatments with next week being her week off and I think mom and dad are going to try to make a little color tour up north.

Her continued positive outlook amazes me and with some regained strength, she is no longer using the walker and gets around pretty good with a cane; just to make sure she is remaining steady.  Her left side still bothers her some, but she is able to get through each day with the minimal amount of pain killers. 

I think during her week off of chemo she gets a little depressed because, I believe, she misses the human interaction.  During her on weeks, she gets out and can at least interact with people which we all know….mom is a people person.

Thankful for all the continued prayers and thoughts.

Head in the sand

September 21, 2011

There are times in my life where I get a real pit in my stomach.  Sometimes I think it is too much coffee, but the older I get, I realize that it is probably stress and me being on overload.  Other times it is because I do not want to face certain truths.  I will tend to gloss over things that I am afraid of.  When mom says she is feeling depressed, I think to myself, “Nah…she is just having a bad day.”  I try to talk her into “not” feeling that way.  It is my belief that if I don’t talk about it, it doesn’t exist.  The proverbial head in the sand stance has been my motto for a long time.  I don’t like to admit this, but guilty as charged.

So, I am trying to face these realities; that with the cancer and all the other things going on in my everyday life, mom could have some depression.  Another thing that I cannot fix but by listening and being there, I can make it better in some way.  She has increased her Prozac and I am hoping that will help her through this stage in her life.  Dr. Zakem said on Tuesday that her blood counts are good and that she is doing well with the treatment thus far.  She started her second round of chemo this week and has taken the flu shot to ward off any illness that can be prevented.  He also said that her immune system should be okay but to be cautious around those who are sick.

Tomorrow I will be to spend some quality time with my mom and try to be a better listener and not quench the pit in my stomach by dismissing her feelings.

Thank you for the prayers that have been helping her with any nausea and horrible side effects she could be experiencing.

Overload

September 16, 2011

I am not sure if everyone knows this, but between Muskegon and Ann Arbor there are three, count them….three Cracker Barrels along the way.  My dad has each one memorized with the exit numbers…. both ways if anyone is interested. 

Upon arrival at U of M, mom offered up more blood and then we met with Dr. Goldstein to discuss what all is involved in the stem cell transplant.  He was very thorough with his explanations and even put it in terms that we could easily understand.  Well, I understood it so I guess through osmosis, the folks do too.

After her rounds of chemo in Grand Rapids, she will be tested to see how the cancer has reacted to the treatment.  If it has put it into remission enough, we would then start the procedure to harvest her own stem cells to freeze for later “rescue”.  They would want to harvest enough to do two transplants if necessary or if she was a candidate for a clinical trial that would require it.  Before the harvest, she would have her major organs tested; heart, lung function, liver, etc to make sure she would be able to handle the treatment.  She would then be given a drug to get her body to grow more stem cells than normal in order to make sure they could harvest enough. After the harvest, about two weeks, she would then come to U of M to get a “sledgehammer” of chemo which would essentially kill off everything in her blood including the good cells.  This major chemo treatment would not be possible if it weren’t for the “rescue” stem cells that were harvested from her when she was as cancer free as she could be.  The frozen stem cells would be thawed and put back into her body to reproduce and increase her red and white cells.  She would be at U of M for about a month for this process and then depending on what treatment she decides upon or the clinical trial she is recommended for, she could then be in for more chemo and maintenance drugs, another transplant with maintenance drugs afterwards, or just maintenance drugs.

It is all so up in the air right now because she is just starting her chemo series and we are not really sure how her body will react to the chemo.  I am hoping that she does not get so bogged down by the process and how massive it all seems that she doesn’t want to do it.  The benefits seem to far outweigh the risks involved, but then again, I am not the one who is going through this.  I just pray that when the decision is made that it will be the decision that God places on her heart.

End of session one

September 9, 2011

I always enjoy the time we get to spend together, my mom and I, riding to GR and waiting for the i.v. to finish.  Sometimes it is about silly things we discuss and others it is something deep and meaningful.  I never know where our conversations will go, they just happen.  No agenda, just talk.  I think I am starting to understand how my friends feel when they say how much they miss that time with their moms.  Those whose mothers have passed so long ago; the cherished times just to sit and talk.  These are the times I am starting to cling to and by writing about them, I hope to remember them well into the future.

So, her first round of chemo has gone very well.  Aside from the fact she can’t seem to get her bowels regulated, she is doing as well as expected.  I never thought that after my kids were out of diapers that I would ever be discussing someone’s poop habits again, but I guess we have come full circle.  Friends and family have been doing a good job of praying for the chemo to go well.  If we could just get her pain level down from the hip area, she would be almost her old self again.  A physical therapist is coming this afternoon to give her tips on getting herself in and out of bed and up and down from the couch or chair.  It seems like those are the hardest times for her and cause her pain.

 On Friday, September 16, we will be heading to U of M to discuss her stem cell transplant and find out if she is a candidate for that procedure.  She will be seeing Dr. Hamati at the end of the month as well to see if there is something he can do for her pain which is located mostly in the pelvic area which I believe is where her biggest lesion is located.  Here’s to a week off of driving, giving my dad a much needed break, and to see where we are headed next.

One Week Down

September 2, 2011

Mom and I gave the morning off so he could get a little break from us girls.  We headed over to Metro to get another round of Valcade and things did go well.  She has not had any nausea today which is a blessing, but she is having more pain in her back.  This pain is mostly in the hip area so she is taking a little more of the pain meds.  As always, we had quite a conversation on the way over and a little during the treatment about how things are going and how to deal with the day to day struggles.  We talked a little to the nurse who was administering the chemo today, but because she was not her regular nurse, we didn't get a whole lot of information.

Good news yesterday from Dr. Hamati's office regarding her xrays they took while she had her stitches out.  He did not see any fracturing of any of her bones so that is a blessing.  While he feels the cancer is causing some of her additional pain, he feels that the chemo could help with that.  She did call her family doctor to see about uping her Prozac to try to take some of the depression away during this time.

She has requested direct prayers for the chemo treatment to be successful enough so she will not have to go through it for another round after this one is complete, and that it be successful enough for her to undergo the bone marrow transplant.  Continued prayer that she will be rid of the pain once and for all and prayer that dad and her both have the strength to endure.

The stages of grief

September 1, 2011

The stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Some like to throw a few other stages in there, but I like these five because there are less of them, and hey….the less I have to deal with the better.  You have plenty of options, only a few will lead you back to any kind of normalcy.  So, at this time what stage are we looking at?  Depression and some form of anger are going hand in hand.  Mom doesn’t want to eat or have any appetite to do so.  Right now it is just something she is doing because she knows she has to.  There are some crying jags and she is having a hard time sleeping or staying asleep.  It could be a medication thing and we are looking into that but it could also be she just does not want to deal with this new life.  She said to me the other day that she just doesn’t want to deal with the cancer, the treatments, or be any part of it.  Logically, she knows there is no choice.  You keep fighting the fight until you can’t do it anymore.  We are not there yet, and I hope it will be a long time before we are.  I think that for me, it would be easier to be going through the process myself than to see it happening to someone I love. 

Control is obviously a big issue with me.  I will say that I was “affectionately” referred to as a drill sergeant the other day by my mother because I told her she had to get out of bed and she had to get dressed.  You know how you feel when you stay in your pajamas all day.  Blah!  In order to feel better, you need to make yourself look better.  Now I would not be pushing her like this if she seriously didn’t feel good, but when you are not in pain or sick…..buck up!  A girl has to do what a girl has to do.  If you don’t use it, you lose it.  I am sure there are a million and one of these little blurbs out there and they all hold true.

Prayer requests:  pray that mom will not have any of the nausea from the chemo drugs.  She started the Revlimid today at 10:30 am.  Prayers for continued good health and that she regain her strength so she can continue what God has in store for her.

The fight begins

August 30, 2011

A pill bug or a roly poly; we all know what kind of insect I am talking about, right?  You know; the bug that curls up into a little ball if danger is near.   Well, that is how I am feeling.  Like danger is near and  I just want to curl up in a little ball until all of this is over.  Over and done with, actually.  No more cancer, no more pills, no more worries.  And we really have just started this whole thing.  I believe it is a stage of grief.  Mom is feeling it too.  More so than any of us because it is directly affecting her.  When I talked to her yesterday, she said that she feels like she doesn’t want any of this and doesn’t want to go through any of the treatments.  Who could blame her?  I don’t want to do any of this either, none of us do.  Perfectly normal feelings.  We talked about how we both know that God is in control here and we can trust in that, but we also know that these are valid feelings and thoughts.  God does not value us any less because of those feelings.  You know how when you truly love someone you just want to take all their pain away.  Try and make it better somehow so that they don’t have to experience it at all or experience it alone.  How I wish I could do that for her.

But, now to the killing of the cancer!  She started her chemo treatment today with an I.V. of Valcade and the Zometa for bone strength.  She will start the Revlimid on Thursday or Friday depending when the delivery is to the house.  She will take the Decadron (10 small pills) on Saturday as they are to give her a boost of energy and she would like to have her energy on Sunday for church.  Praises that she did not get nauseous or have any side effects today from the drugs so keep praying that that will continue throughout the treatment. Next chemo treatment will be on Friday.

Obviously, they prayers are helping all of us through this and we appreciate the well wishes and hugs and visits from family and friends.

D Day

August 26, 2011

D day…Verdict is in as far the cancer has advanced.  The bone marrow results show the myeloma is 30-40% in the cells.  The good news is the urine test did not show any of the protein spilling into the urine and the blood still does not show abnormally high levels of protein.  So…….I guess in layman’s terms it means we start a course of treatment next week.  Two oral chemo drugs and one i.v.  We would also be starting an i.v. of Zometa which is a drug to help strengthen the bones.  A visit to U of M will occur in the next few months to go over options of a bone marrow transplant and what that all involves and see if she can get her cancer in remission enough to do that.  Dr. Zakem will also monitor her as to how these chemo drugs are affecting the cancer and make any alterations necessary.  The problem with him monitoring her specific cancer is that it is not presenting itself in her blood or urine so he cannot go by those levels to see if the chemo is helping. He said he has ways of monitoring the levels so we can be rest assured he will keep on top of it.   The chemo itself will take approximately 4 months with 2 weeks on and one week off.

Overwhelming is the word I find coming to the tip of my tongue.  Drugs, visits, appointments, paperwork….it all seems so daunting.  I find my mind on overload so I can only imagine how my folks must be feeling.  I know that Zakem’s office is taking care of a lot of the mind numbing prescriptions and dosage information and they will be getting all of that on Tuesday when she goes for her first treatment.

So, how is mom feeling?  She says that this is like having your life whittled away; one piece at a time.  Well, if we are whittling away some pieces, I am confident of the final masterpiece God has planned for her.  Isn’t He the ultimate artist anyway?  Look around at what He has created.  As I watch her pray while we wait for the nurse, I think that all of our lives are being whittled, shaped, and molded by our life’s journey's.  Every decision, every challenge, every day, brings us closer to being the man or woman God intended us to be all along.  How we appear along the way and what we show of ourselves to others is a testament to our true character.

Pray that mom’s body is accepting of the chemo and that the side effects will be minimal.

I remember

August 23, 2011

As I sit on my front deck overlooking Mona Lake as the water glistens like a bowl full of diamonds, I wonder when my parents grew old.  I still picture them both in our living room practicing disco dancing.  My mom with her afro and my dad wearing his shirt open to his navel exposing the gold medallions hanging around his neck.  Gross, but hey, those were the days.  And I suppose since they were in their thirties, it wasn’t so gross for that crowd.  I travel on to when my girls were born and they would snatch them away from us claiming we needed time to ourselves but I know now they wanted to time to be grandparents.  Spoil them rotten and send them home was definitely the motto.  I resented it then but remember it fondly.  The years fly by and still they are the same.  A little grayer, a little slower, but still they look as I have always pictured them. 

Actions, however, are different.  Somehow the years and life experiences have softened them.  Not as short or gruff but more loving and patient.  Things I hope to be.  I remember my mom saying to be just a few months ago, when I believe all of this started, “I feel old.”  I think it was the fact that she had to slow down.  Couldn’t do what she used to without feeling some twinges of pain.  I am not ready to picture them that way….

But, on to the tasks at hand.  Our next appointment is with Dr. Zakem on Friday, August 26.  We will go over the results of the 24 hour urine, the bone marrow biopsy, blood work, and set up our chemo treatments.  Our chemo treatments….hah!  Like this is all about “us”.  I guess I say us, including all who read this, because it affects us all.  Not in the same ways, but we are all involved in this process.  Prayers, good deeds, cards, thoughts, and visits are all a part of helping mom and dad through this challenge.  I know that God is all sustaining and by calling upon Him we can get through anything.

Third Consultation

August 19, 2011

This morning, prayers were answered as mom went through the bone marrow biopsy with flying colors.  Although they needed three people to try to take the biopsy, it was not very painful or uncomfortable.

The consultation with Dr. Zakem went very well. He did not recommend radiation treatment for mom as he feels the pain is not really caused by the lower bones but by the nerves along the sides because of the collapse of T8.  Therefore he did not feel it would do her any good.

He did order more blood work and a urine analysis to determine how much protein is in her urine and the plasma tests will be a better factor in determining how advanced the cancer is.  Depending on how those results come out will be a deciding factor if she is a candidate for stem cell treatment as well.  Usually if you are over 70, they do not recommend the stem cell transplant but because of mom’s age and overall health, he would highly consider it.

The treatment plan would be to do chemo for 3-4 months to get her into remission and then go from there.  There are three different types of drugs that he would use if we are anticipating stem cell transplant in the future as they have had good results with the combination.  The one would be Revlimid which is a thalidomide which caused birth defects in the 50’s but I don’t think that is an issue here.  The two drugs would be oral and the other an iv.  The side effects should be minimal as well so there is good news there.

Cancer is at the forefront of my mind constantly.  I cannot imagine living like this for years and I am not the one personally experiencing it.  It seems like you would always think any ache or pain would be “cancer”.  Whether it is getting worse or coming back, the thought would always be there. 

The strength God has given my mother is amazing to me.  I have not seen or heard her complain of her future, her past or her present.  She is always thankful for what she has been blessed with.  Oh, she complains about things; being in the chair, her hair getting too long to do anything with, waiting around for others to do for her what she used to do for herself.  But through it all, she thanks God for what she can do.  Confident He will restore her to the point where she will be able to serve Him in a way that will bring Him the most glory. 

I remember when I was young, thinking that my parents knew nothing.  Well, nothing is a little strong, but they certainly didn’t know what I was going through or feeling.  Now, I can look back with experienced eyes and see that they were trying to spare me the heartache they may have already experienced or I was headed towards.  Oh, to know then what I know now.  It seems as if my mother is more of a teacher to me now when I am an adult than I allowed her to be when I was a child.

Radiology oncology consultation

August 18, 2011 9:00 am

Today's visit with Dr. Tate, radiology oncologist, was a productive or a more informative one. The bone scans came back
and it showed the lesions at T8 (which was the one Dr. Hamati did the kyphoplasty on) T11, T12 and T3 and T4 all had small lesions.
There were also a few small lesions on her skull, which Dr. Tate said was quite common in MM and the biggest lesion
was on her pelvic area which appears to be around 1 inch. His recommendation would be to radiate T8, T11,
and T12 to hopefully get rid of the pain she is having around her sides. This treatment would be a course of
12-15 treatments lasting approximately 10-15 minutes each time. He recommends chemo as well as the radiation
treatment so the chemo can kill the other lesions.
He said the side effects with this radiation should be minimal because of the low dose he would use on this
type of cancer. He sounded very upbeat and proactive. Plus.......ladies, he is very easy on the eyes:)
Tomorrow will be our toughest day because it is the bone marrow biopsy which is quite "uncomfortable" and
then we have the second opinion with Dr. Zakem in the afternoon.

One Week Later

August 17, 2011

I think the waiting is the worst. Wait for appointments.  Wait for results.  Wait for other tests.  I have always been a doer.  If there is a problem, what can I do to fix it?  Now…it seems like I can’t do anything but wait.  Everyone wants something to do in times of trouble.  Can I sit with you?  Can I cook something? (our family is good at eating and that is always a good one)  Can I clean something?  Can I do, do, do?  The hardest realization is that whatever I do is not going to fix the problem.  She will still have cancer.  Still have pain.  Still be sick. 

I have always envied my mom when it omes to giving up control.  She has continuously given control to God.  The first thing she does is give it all to Him.  First?!  Me…..I research, plot, plan and try to see which solution will work the best.  Then and only then will I pray that I am making the right choice.  So, you may ask…”How is that going for you?”   Duh!  Because of examples my mom has given me and the continued lessons God places upon me, I am seeing that the only way to deal with problems are to turn to Him first.  Ask for direction and answers.  Guidance from Him.  I have noticed that when I do that, I am more comfortable with my decisions.  It is not always easier, but I am more at peace with decisions I make.

In the beginning

After a few weeks of pain and doctor appointments and going from one thing to another, we have finally found the reason for the pain in the back.  After a quick MRI at Spectrum and another ER visit, this time to Mercy, we discovered mom had a compression fracture in the T8 vertebrate.  Dr. Hamati also said there were some spots on the spine that were suspicious and he also wanted to know why she had a fracture when no trauma was noted.  He stated he would do a biopsy and let us know after the surgery.  He performed a kyphoplasty which is putting cement into the vertebrate which will help the fracture.  After he did the procedure, he came and told us he believed she had multiple myeloma.  At the time, he said the T8 was quite mushy which would be the cancer at work and there were several spots along her spine in which he believed the cancer has spread but is not causing any fractures at this time.

After a few days in the hospital and many different med trial and errors, we finally got her pain under better control and left the hospital on Saturday, August 13.  She is able to stand better and walk without the horrible back pain, but the pain in her side area along the front is still there.  She is currently taking Skelaxin, Percocet, Ultram and a Fentenyl patch for pain.

We had a first consult with Dr. Siphai, oncologist, on Monday, August 15 where he scheduled bone scan and bone marrow biopsy.  He wants to start a chemo treatment and perhaps radiation if necessary.  His first priority is to get her into remission which really sounds good to all of us.  The bone scan was performed on Monday and the biopsy will be on Friday.  We have a radiation consult on Thursday with Dr. Tate here in Muskegon and then we have a second opinion with an oncologist in GR out of Metro named Dr Zakem.  We will see what his initial diagnosis is and go from there. 

We are praying for healing and peace during all of this and trust that the Lord will guide us in our decisions and treatment options.