On Wednesday afternoon (yesterday), Mom became short of breath, and lost her appetite. She began having sharp pain in her chest on the right side. This morning, she called her oncologist in Tulsa, and their office recommended she go to the ER in Bartlesville to check for blood clots or any further complications.
A chest x-ray and CT scan showed the fluid level in her lungs to be similar to what it was when she left the hospital last week. She was diagnosed with pleurisy (inflammation of the lining around the lungs) and her pain medicine was increased. She went home feeling better and resolved to use her spirometer. The spirometer is a simple tool to help her lungs fully expand, and she has instructions to use it 10-12 times an hour. It is not difficult, but it does take her energy, and it is time consuming. Anyone who has ever had recuperative therapy knows how irritating it can be to plug through exercises intended to restore your body to normal function.
Mom had been making really great progress at home, regaining her appetite and even taking a walk outdoors in the lovely fall air. Continue to pray for her as she recovers. Her oncologist has an office in Bartlesville, where they can change the dressing for her picc line this Friday. Her next appointment with him is Wednesday, November 12.
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Having a chemo Christmas!
Check this site to see how things are going. We will keep the info current. Please leave comments!
Having a chemo Christmas!
In remission
Thank you to everyone for your prayers & support. Mom sees the doctor every 3 months now. Cancer is rarely pronounced "cured" but we're hoping to hear those words some day...
Yippee, Mom is a survivor!
Yippee, Mom is a survivor!
Followers
Surgery results
Mom's surgery lasted 4 hours on Monday, October 20. The surgeon removed a tumor from her left ovary, a smaller one from her right ovary, and one from her uterus. The larger tumor on her ovary had ruptured, and they drained one and a half liters of fluid from her abdomen.
The surgeon said that although two tumors sounds scarier than one, the fact that they appear synchronous gives her a better prognosis. It is cancer, but they are not sure what kind. It will take many days for pathology to make a report, and they may need to call in specialists to conclusively determine the cancer's origin.
He removed some lymph nodes and fatty tissue beneath her stomach and intestine, but her other organs were not visibly affected and appeared healthy.
The surgeon said that although two tumors sounds scarier than one, the fact that they appear synchronous gives her a better prognosis. It is cancer, but they are not sure what kind. It will take many days for pathology to make a report, and they may need to call in specialists to conclusively determine the cancer's origin.
He removed some lymph nodes and fatty tissue beneath her stomach and intestine, but her other organs were not visibly affected and appeared healthy.
The way things began
Mom woke up Easter morning to get ready for church, and found she couldn't go to the bathroom. She went to the doctor, and was told she had bladder spasms. All of the focus was on her urinary system: uti's, maybe a bladder stone, bladder spasms. . .
The problems would arise and decline over the course of the summer. In August she developed a uti and wasn't feeling well at all. In fact, Labor Day weekend, she went to the emergency room and was catheterized. The urologist on call thought she was suffering from bladder spasms, but sent her home with the catheter, telling her to seek follow-up.
She went back to the office where she had had her routine physical the year before, and the p.a. who examined her thought she had a kink in the tube coming from her bladder. She referred her to a urologist who would likely be able to do a simple surgical procedure to correct the problem. Finally! Some answers!
However, when she saw the urologist, he found what he thought was a cyst on her left ovary. He ordered a CT scan and bloodwork, and referred her to a gynecologist.
The problems would arise and decline over the course of the summer. In August she developed a uti and wasn't feeling well at all. In fact, Labor Day weekend, she went to the emergency room and was catheterized. The urologist on call thought she was suffering from bladder spasms, but sent her home with the catheter, telling her to seek follow-up.
She went back to the office where she had had her routine physical the year before, and the p.a. who examined her thought she had a kink in the tube coming from her bladder. She referred her to a urologist who would likely be able to do a simple surgical procedure to correct the problem. Finally! Some answers!
However, when she saw the urologist, he found what he thought was a cyst on her left ovary. He ordered a CT scan and bloodwork, and referred her to a gynecologist.
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