It's just hair....

Wednesday was Mom's first day of chemotherapy. It was also the first day that she called me and said that her hair was falling out everywhere. I sat with her, along with Mary, and waited two hours for those drugs to drip slowly into her. But these are the drugs that will extend her life, so two hours??? Who cares!! Mary knited her new scarf while we all talked and mom red her magazine. It was a little bit surreal....was this really happening??

But she felt good, they started with an anti-nausea medication and then the two drugs that the chemo consisted of, one lasting about 15 minutes and the other about 2 hours.  She did great!

So after I left the cancer center, I went to pick up Madison and go to the wig shop in Waterbury to pick up a few head wraps. Mom wanted them to catch the hair while it fell out. So Madison helped me pick out a black one and a really pretty white one with blue flowers....her favorite. So Mom went to work that day, like the amazing trooper that she is, and we brought her the scarves.


The 28th was Carrie's birthday. So Mary came to the house and shaved Mom's head so she could wear her wig. Which by the way, looks amazing :) We all had lunch as a family and Mom went to work, as usual.

Today was different, since Madison slept over her cousins house, I slept in. Mom called me at 10am wondering why I hadn't called her yet. She wanted to know what she can drink besides ginger ale and water, she was thirsty for something with flavor. She sounded great. But Shannon called me a few hours later and asked me to sleep over Mom's house, she said she sounded really tired and run down. Which....the nurses said would happen within a day or two. But after calling her several times throughout the day she insisted that I not sleep over and that she was just a little tired and was fine....typical of my mother. 

So I sit here and wonder how she will be tomorrow. She needs to rest but insists on being the strong woman that she is and go go go. And I thank her for making me be the strong woman that I am today. 

So now we wait....for the next radiology appointment, the next oncologist appointment, the next test to tell us that this is working. But in the mean time, we enjoy what we have. Madison can't wait to visit Grammie in her mermaid costume for Halloween!! :)

Grammie's Kids

Today mom said goodbye to Amy, Ashlie, and Brooke, they are moving to North Carolina tomorrow. Mom helped raise Ashlie, she's like her first grandchild :) These children are just as much part of our family as Madison and we love them very much. 
Mom was just talking the other day about how Ashlie used to come over and run into the kitchen and press the water button on the water machine and just laugh and watch it all pour out all over the floor. And Mom bought her refrigerator just for Ashlie, with a pull out freezer on the bottom so she could reach her ice cream :) Thank you Ashlie for preparing us for Madison. 
We will all miss you guys! Keep in touch as much as possible, We Love You All!!

Mom is feeling pretty well. Yesterday she made her famous stew for the family, Carrie an Apple Pie and me a Pumpkin Pie lol best mommy EVER!! Her pnuemonia is under control and she is doing well with her daily breathing treatments. Tomorrow, Tuesday, is the last day of her radiation. Wednesday morning she will begin her first round of chemotherapy. 
I spoke to Dana Farber center today, we are holding off on going there until Mom has her second round of chemo and her first followup scan. But I have been in contact with other dr.'s as well, including one that her current oncologist recommended for a second opinion. 


I hope everyone had a great weekend and I will keep you posted.
 

Madison's Song....

Another day....Another visit

Mom went for radiation today. I brought Madison with me to keep a smile on her face. Mary came too with a brand new hairdo, she cute her hair very short in support of mom losing her hair. That's what friends are for right? :)

So after radiation we made our way upstairs to the oncologist's office. Madison stood in the waiting room with my ipod and sang and danced to Dynomite by Taio Cruz for her Grammie lol it was very cute, everyone was laughing. 

So the Dr. plans to start Chemotherapy on Oct. 27th, the day after the last day of radiation. He said by that time the pneumonia should be under control if not gone and she will be able to handle the treatment. Mom wants it this way, the sooner the better. He explained the drugs that they would be using. He also asked if we had gotten a second opinion yet and recommended a Dr. at Yale. I still haven't heard back from Dana Farber but I will be calling them in the morning. But I thought that was very nice of him to understand that a second or third opinion is usually a must. Especially when we are dealing with my mothers life. So I between now and the 27th to get her a second opinion. 

The nurse showed us the chemotherapy room, a smaller room with about 10 recliners in it and a television. The treatment will take about 2 hours and she will be able to go home. The nurse said she would probably feel lethargic and possibly sick 2-3 days later. But that's what we are here for :) With some great advice from friends about gatorade and ginger pops, I think we can help her out a little. 

So in the meantime she will continue with her radiation and continue taking her protein shakes to keep her weight up and we will move on to the next day. She's keeping herself busy with working and card games twice a week. My mothers a trooper....no doubt about it, strongest woman I have ever met in my life. :)

Great Weekend!!

Our family finally had a great weekend together! Mom, Carrie, Shannon, Madison and myself had our pictures taken by the amazing photographer that photographed my wedding, Christa from Dolce Photography. I can't even tell you the last time we had a family picture taken! I can't wait to see how they came out! It was a perfect fall day! Moms brother and sister and our cousins came to spend the day with us from Massachusetts too. Mom even felt well enough to go to the casino Saturday night with all of her highschool and work friends. And as she said...."those bastards stole her money!" lol


Overall, it was a GREAT weekend! 


Mom is continuing with her breathing treatments daily. Tomorrow she goes for another radiation treatment and meets with the oncologist to see when she is starting chemo since she has pneumonia and it may be pushed off. Hopefully these antibiotics and steroids have made her healthy enough to start the treatment this week. The sooner the better. 


Well I hope everyone had a great weekend too :)

Problems....

So yesterday after radiation we took Mom to St. Mary's to get some fluid drained from around her lung that came back, however, when the radiologist did the ultrasound before he inserted the needle, he didn't find any fluid. 


SO this made me angry....her oncologist told us she had fluid, a chest x-ray supposedly showed fluid, yet there was no fluid. So we were standing in the middle of the hospital not knowing where to go and my mom having trouble breathing. Well you all know me....I called every Dr. that she has EVER seen in the last  two weeks until I got some answers, and I'm not sorry for not being pleasant :) Because a Dr. on call in her pulmonologists office FINALLY called back and said he reviewed the scan and she has pneumonia. 

So this morning started at the pulmonologists office so she could get put on medication and be told that he was advising her oncologist that the chemotherapy should be held off for a week or two. This is not something that we wanted to hear. My mother just wants to start the chemo and knock this crap out of her!! 


In the mean time I ran around that hospital like it was my job, getting every copy of every scan and every medical record so I could send it for a second opinion to Dana Farber Cancer Institute, who specializes in this type of cancer.


We then went to get her 2nd round of radiation. For such a strong medical treatment, this is the easiest part of the day.


So now we wait. She continues with her radiation until the 26th. And hopefully this pneumonia is gone soon so she can start her chemo. And out of the blue, a nebulizer appears....nobody knows from where! lol I'm assuming from her pulmonologist, which is great, I just wish I knew someone told us it was coming so I could have relaxed a little about her breathing trouble. 


But have no fear, her oncologist called me back tonight at 6:15 from my 3:00 call yesterday, thanks....thanks alot! My mother couldn't breathe, you were on call, and called me back 27 hours later....perfect! Sorry....I'm a little tired :)

1st Radiation Treatment

Well, the first treatment came and went....literally in about 6 minutes. And picture this....3 grown daughters and her best friend all waiting in the waiting room for a 6 minute non-invasive procedure....now tell me she doesn't have a supportive family! lol 

Mom said they put a fitted "mask" over your face with some holes in it and that's about it. I know there are several types of radiation to I questioned the Dr. on the type that she is getting, it is Full Brain Radiation, just in case, so they don't miss any spots they may not have shown on the PET scan....I'm good with that!

So she will go back every day (no weekends) for 9 more treatments. 

We find out from the oncologist on Monday when her chemotherapy begins, which the Dr. said will most likely be Wednesday or so. 

I know this will take a toll on my mom and my family but we are all in this together. She has so many family members and friends that will be here through everything and I have no doubt about that.  And I know that she will try and be as strong and independent as she can be, but we will be there when needed. I am my mother, I look like her (even my daughter looks like her!), I act like her, I have learned everything from her, it's my turn to take care of her. 


I have sat on the computer every possible second that I have free to learn about this cancer, to search for ideas and remedies to help. And I want to thank everyone who has given me advice on treatment options to pass along to my mom.

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers!

The beginning....

Last week my mother was diagnosed with Stage IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. 

My sisters and I took her to the hospital on Sept. 23rd because she was having trouble breathing. After sitting in the ER waiting room for, NO LIE, 7 hours, she was seen. After a chest x-ray and CT scan were done she was admitted. The Dr.'s had found fluid surrounding her left lung with a mass located inside the lung. Within two days the fluid was drained and tested.

On October 4th we went to see Dr. Sandur, a pulmonary Dr., who gave her the diagnosis. She has cancer. It started with a tumor on the inside of the lung and has spread to the lining of the lung. He scheduled her for a PET scan and MRI.

On Oct. 11th, she had her first Dr. appointment with her oncologist at the Harold Leever Cancer Center, who had the results of her PET and MRI scans from the previous week. Three small mets were found in her brain so the Dr. scheduled an appointment for the next day with a radiologist, Dr. Percaropio. 

Yesterday we met with Dr. Percarpio, who is an exteremely nice Dr. who explained everything and even showed us all of the scans so we could fully understand what was happening. The lung scan was amazing. Mom's left lung looked like a cloud (which is where the tumor and cancer is located), her right lung looked like a clear black sky. Her brain scan showed two small mets in the cerebellum, which controls your balance. Another met was found in her left lobe which could effect her memory or give her headaches, both of which she has not experienced. 

The Dr. stated that he wanted to start radiation right away....the next day....10 treatments of the entire head. He explained the by the 8th or 9th day my mother would lose all of her hair. This is not easy for a woman who has had the most full head of hair since the day she was born. We then met with the nurses who brought my mother to get fitted and marked for her treatments so it would only take approximately 5 minutes from start to finish when she came in everyday.

So today we begin....the first radiation treatment, the beginning of her battle. Next week she begins chemotherapy for the cancer in her lung. This has been an extremely fast process.

My mother is the STRONGEST person that I know, has never been sick, has never complained, has ALWAYS taken care of everyone else. It is now time for us all to take care of her. Now....you all know that will be a problem since this woman does not except help from anyone....but....that is just too bad. :)

I thought that this would be the best way to keep all of our family and friends involved and up-to-date on Mom's battle. And I know she will appreciate the support. And I believe that Madison, who I know is the light of my mother's life will bring her so much comfort during this time. She loves her Grammie very much and will be there....everyday!