Wednesday, September 29, 2010

MOM'S HOME!!! Thanks for all the prayers that have gone out. She made great progress today and the doctor's felt she was okay to come home. We're going to be staying up at my house in Kingwood. We had a hospital bed delivered up to the house earlier today and thought that might be the best thing for her for a little while. I can't remember what information I've shared, but they have increased her anti-seizure medication to double the dose she previously had been taking. It causes her to be a little more drowsy, but that helps her rest much better.

I want to express our heartfelt gratitude to all of you who have visited, sent cards, called, and offered to help out as we make this transition with 24-hour care at home. Within hours of finding out Mom would be coming home, several people have offered to come in and stay to help out. We feel so blessed to have so many people ready and willing to help. We love you all!!!

Monday, September 27, 2010

We've have a somewhat busy day today. Mom has done a lot of sleeping, but seizures are quite exhausting, so she was in need of some rest. Justin spent the night here at the hospital and Allison and I went home. When we got here this morning, Mom was out for her MRI. There were a multitude of doctors, nurses, and therapists in and out all day. I can't quite remember the order they were in or even the messages they delivered in many cases, but we were able to see Dr. Torres this evening. It's funny to say, but it was such a relief to finally see him. As people come in and out, everyone asks the same questions and wants to know her entire medical history and it's difficult to condense all the information and provide it in one conversation. It's comforting to see him and know that he's familiar with her entire history as he's been with us from the beginning. I suppose when you see a variety of strangers who are responsible for something as important as the life of your mother, it's a relief to see a familiar face whom you trust is as concerned as you are.

The MRI results did not show any significant changes from the MRI that was taken on September 17. I suppose this is good news because it means the tumor is growing fast enough to show significant changes in 10 days. It also means that there aren't structural damages to her brain following the seizure. Following her MRI this morning, they were able to access her port and get the IV out of her arm. She's been resting so much better without having the monitor alarm go off every time she moves.

As the various doctors were in to assess her strength and check vitals, I noticed that she's made improvements on the left side since yesterday. Her blood work from last night showed that there's been a slight increase in her WBC count, so that's good, as well. She's still having tremors on occasion, but has been sleeping much better today without being nearly as restless as she was yesterday. When the PT and OT was in this afternoon, they got her up out of bed and had her take a little walk down the hall. This evening they finally okayed her to eat, and she had some oranges, a little bit of mashed potatoes, turkey, and a bit of cranberry sauce. She's been up a couple times to go to the bathroom. In order to control the seizures, they have doubled her dose of anti-seizure medication.

We feel so blessed to have the thoughts, prayers, and concerns of all of you. It has been so helpful in getting us through this difficult time. We appreciate all your messages, emails, calls, and visits, but most importantly your prayers. There's an office on the 10th floor where Mom is that has a Bible verse on the door. I have read it several times on the way to and from the elevator, and felt that it is very fitting for our situation. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6

Sunday, September 26, 2010

I've avoided this blog for long enough and now need to let everyone know what is going on. I can't even remember the last time I posted, so I don't know what information I've shared. This is difficult to do, because bad news is always harder to pass along. Mom had an MRI last Friday and got the results this past Friday. The MRI showed that there is another lesion that has started growing underneath of where the original tumor was located. Dr. Torres is going to order another MRI in a month to see what changes have occurred and develop a plan of treatment accordingly. During her chemo treatment on Friday afternoon, Mom's left hand started swelling and suspecting the possibility of a blood clot, an ultrasound was ordered to rule this out. Ultrasound was negative for a blood clot.

Fast forward to Saturday evening, Mom had a seizure, and was transported to the hospital for treatment. By the time she arrived at the hospital, she had had 3 total seizures and was given medication to stop them. A CT scan was performed and the results showed that there was not a blood clot. Blood work has shown that Mom's white blood cell count is low and she is now neutropenic. We have to be very careful that we don't expose her to germs to prevent infections.

Another CT was performed this morning, and we are still awaiting the results. At some point, she's to have another MRI to rule out a stroke. A neurologist was just in and she's showing some left sided weakness in her arm and hand, but the strength is coming back in her leg and foot. She's still a bit confused, thinking it is still Saturday, but has been awake on and off throughout the day, talking a little bit. She's not been allowed to have any food, and only water to take her pills. She's been resting pretty well for most of the day and has only complained about being hot from time to time.

As I get information, I'll try to keep passing it along. We're kind of just in a wait and see situation. We're not heard any talk of discharge yet, so, we're unsure about how long this visit will last. Dad left around 2:30 to go home and sleep, as he had been up all night with Mom. He's going to try to go to work this evening on night shift while Justin, Allison, and I hold down the night shift here at the hospital. Please remember all of us in your prayers. It's been a difficult time and we're unsure of what's going to happen from this point on.