End of the week

                                                             

Well after a few days with bouts of intestinal problems and vomiting and nausea, mom may be on the upswing.  She had spent most of the first part of the week in the bathroom but now she is more alert and able to walk around a little bit.  I think the best part is she isn’t as nauseous or having to get to t bathroom every few minutes.

Now, I know she is hoping that she doesn’t get any of the mouth sores, any more diarrhea, swelling of the throat or pneumonia.  Tomorrow is the day she starts the shots to stimulate the stem cell growth.  Since it caused her pain last time, it will probably cause her pain this time too.

My biggest regret for the weekend is that we were planning on visiting her and dad on Saturday, but Jenny has the flu and since it is a virus, we should not take any chances on passing anything off on either of them.  Saddened cause I miss my mom and dad, but I would feel totally worse if I was the cause of anything that set her back or worse.

Thanks for your continued thoughts and prayers.  It is appreciated so very much and we are truly blessed.

Week one

Well, so far so good.  As good as can be expected that is.  Mom had the chemo on Wednesday, January 11.  It was the mega dose that is supposed to kill anything in its path.  A day of rest on Thursday and then she had her own stem cells transplanted back into her body on Friday.  This was to be about a 20 minute process that could cause vomiting and nausea.    With many prayers, she only had a little bout of nausea but any other side effects were minimal.  If she said she had pain or nausea, the staff there was right on the spot with anything she needed.  Dad has been by her side the whole time and they have been trying to rest as much as possible.

Because they are always checking on her, she doesn’t get long periods of rest, but she does get rest.  Sunday has been the worst day so far with more of the nausea.  She doesn’t seem to have much of an appetite and I know she tries to eat when she can, but I am sure she is losing weight.

The one thing I can say about mom through all of this is that she is not much of a complainer.  I know that unless I actually visit her, I cannot know how she is really doing.  I am not sure if she is trying to spare me the gory details (usually she doesn’t have any trouble sharing any info) or if she just doesn’t see it.  I know that she has said that her hair is still intact and despite the nausea, mild headaches and tiredness, it isn’t bad so far.  I believe sometime this week she will be getting the shots again to stimulate her stem cell growth and because they caused her pain the last time, they will cause her pain this time as well.

Thank you for continued prayers and well wishes.  Please note that while she does have her computer with her, she does not have access to the internet. I believe they want to charge her have this service and you have to sign up for a year?  Seems like a scam to me, but maybe my technically challenged folks didn’t understand the process.

Much love…….

And so it begins

Well, mom has arrived at U of M and can receive cards and well wishes at the following address:

Romona Gainey

C.S. Mott Childrens Hospital
Patient Unit 7Mott/Room #37
1500 E. Medical Center Dr.
Ann Arbor, MI   48109

It looks as if she will be starting the chemo tomorrow and will be resting on Thursday.  Friday she will receive the transplant and for the next couple of weeks will be pretty rough going.  They say that she will probably have a lot of intestinal distress and she may be sick to her stomach.  Hopefully and with many prayers, her cells will generate quickly and the side effects will be minimal.  Dad said that any food she eats has to be cooked, no raw veggies (which she loves) or fresh fruit for risk of contamination.  She has access to email and a computer so if you have the address, I know that she would love to hear from all of her friends.  I am not sure she will respond much if she is not feeling well, but just the visual should lift her spirits.

Please note that she cannot have any flowers or plants during this time or after she comes home because of the mold and any other things that could cling to plant life.

So.....here is to another phase in our lives that hopefully will have a much needed happy ending.

New Year

Here is hoping the new year will bring health and well being to all.  Now that we have started the new year, mom has a new date for her stem cell transplant;  January 12.  She will be allowed to receive cards and letters and even a few visitors if they are healthy.  I will post the address but will not have her room number until closer to the day so please remember to look again for that to put on any card you may wish to send.

As a family, I cannot tell you how much the prayers, wishes, etc have meant to mom and dad, as well as Chip and myself.  Knowing you are loved by many is such a blessing and seeing it in action has brought me to tears several times especially over this holiday season.  People that don’t even know mom and dad have read the magazine article and sent cards and prayers and her church family has done so much for them both.  Mom has a wonderful group of friends that she has known since school and they have also been generous with their time as well as financially.

I believe there was a quote by Helen Keller that says, “"Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light."  May we all walk among friends.

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.