The day after

So far, so good. Mom feels great. Says she doesn't have any symptoms whatsoever. They will put her on 3 days of zofran and decadron as well as phenergan for back up. The trifecta for helping out nausea. They discourage taking Advil/Ibuprofen/Motrin as it can cause issues with clotting, but if she is experiencing any pain, they are more than happy to provide a script for something stronger.

The current plan is to maybe have chemo on Monday and ride out the medication for 3 days hoping that she won't have significant symptoms until later in the week. Then she can rest the weekend and start back up again. She has no plans on sitting at home! Of course, only time will tell. She isn't naive in thinking this will be easy, but she is hopeful that she will be able to maintain as normal a schedule as possible.

Psalm 13:5-6

But I trust in your unfailing love;

my heart rejoices in your salvation.

I will sing the Lord's praise,

for he has been good to me.

Despite it all, we serve a good God. He loves mom more than all of us combined and He will work all of this to His glory!

Valerie

Round one

Had a doctor's appointment with Dr. Delmore this morning at 10:30. Unfortunately, he was running late and we didn't get called back until 11:45. He explained that the cells found in her saline wash of her abdomen are from either the ovarian or uterine cancer and there's no way to tell which. He said he got a good look at mom's abdomen and it is highly unlikely there are any other tumors that could be the source if the cells. The recommended treatment is 3-6 rounds of chemo. It is his feeling that if 3 is good, 6 is better. The cells are essentially little microscopic tumors floating around and need to be eliminated before they grow to something more substantial. After 3 rounds of chemo, all the side effects will have already happened (hair loss being the big one) so 3 more rounds makes sense.

After the appointment they got her hooked up to begin her first round. They start with a cocktail for treating side effects. Pepcid, benadryl, dexamethasone (steroid), and aloxi (for nausea). The chemo is mixed in a carrier fluid that is made from the bark of a pine tree (weird) so allergic reactions are common. That is also why she cannot drive herself. The Benadryl (50mg) will make her sleepy.

Then comes the chemo. Taxol is the first, and carboplatin is next. Followed by an infusion of fluid. Total of 4-4 1/2 hours each time. She will be given a script for anti-nausea medication but the nurse said that nausea is usually not the biggest problem. Patients usually complain of fatigue and constipation. Long bone pain can also be an issue if she needs medication to boost her immune system (amping up bone marrow).

Mom is halfway through her taxol. She has a nice private room with a big recliner and tv if she wants to watch movies. Mostly she's just resting her eyes and texting all her friends! Dad and I grabbed lunch and I'll be heading home soon. Leah took my oldest 2 to the zoo with her kids today. Isaac has been a good boy. Currently rolling around on a blanket on the floor.

The nurse said her hair will start to fall out as early as 2 weeks from now. She is debating on whether she should just shave it and whether she should wear a hat or get a wig. Decisions decisions...

Pray for her body. That it would respond well to the chemo and she would be able to get by with just the minimum of side effects. We know she'll have some, but pray they will be mild and bearable. I know she wants to get back to work.

Valerie

Portacath

It's 9:15 pm and mom just texted to say her and dad are on their way home from Wichita after successful port placement. In her words, "it went very very well, she slept like a baby, feels great, and it couldn't have gone better." Another Praise the Lord! They had gotten to the hospital around noon hoping it wouldn't be too long before the doc got there, but unfortunately he got held up at another hospital and they sat for nearly 5 hours before they took her back. The nice thing was that they hung out in the unit mom works in, so it was almost like being home. They got to chat with all her friends and that made it more bearable. Tomorrow she has an appointment with the gynecological oncologist that did her surgery and then will start chemo directly after that. I'm here on the farm and will go to the appointment and sit through most of the chemo infusion with

mom and dad.

Prayers are appreciated as always. Specifically that dad would stay strong for mom and that mom would be able to face this knowing that God is in control. We covet your prayers.

Valerie

How we got here...

Hello all,
While I wish we didn't have to create this blog, we'd like to be able to direct our concered family and friends to a place for regular updates on Carol's progress. But let me catch you up on why we're here. Mom (Carol to the rest of you) went in December for a routine look at her bladder. During the ultrasound, they discovered a mass on her ovary. It was not believed to be a tumor at the time but for saftey sake, she scheduled to have the ovary removed at the end of January. Upon biopsy of the removed ovary, a small amount of ovarian cancer was discovered. With this knowledge, the doctor felt it best to move forward with a full hystorectemy on February 21st. During the hystorectemy, biopsies were taken from 20 different areas of tissue for screening. In addition, fluid was pumped into her abdomen and flushed out for testing. If there was nothing left in the biopsies, she would be finished with the process. If not, the doctor proposed 3-6 rounds of chemotherapy. Results showed a small tumor in her uterus. Oddly, this was not connected to the ovarian tumor in any way. Thus, she had ovarian and uteran cancers at the same time. All other biopsies of her tissue came back clean. However, the results from the fluid they placed in her abdomen did not. Free floating cancer cells are still present. Difficult news to swallow, mom now faces 6 rounds of chemotherapy.
I have to say the most difficult parts (outside the obvious) about this news for us as family are a) where are these cells coming from? b) how many cells are we talking? We hope all that will be cleared up for us by the doctor and/or a PET scan.
Today, mom is having a portacath inserted sugically into her chest area for chemo treatment delivery. This will prevent her from having to be continually stuck with needles. Her first treatment of chemo will take place tomorrow.Will you join us in prayer for mom? Specifically the following:

Insertion of the portacath and 1st round will go smoothly and without incident.
That the details of what exactly is happening inside Carol's body will be revealed so the best approach can be taken.
Grace and peace be poured out on Carol and her concerned family members. This is very new and scary.
That Christ be glorified through our trust and dependence.

Thank you for visiting, Valerie and I will do our best to update each time new information is available. While we love that you all have called and texted mom, this is a way to get the whole scoop without her repeating it each time :) We love you all!

1 Peter 5:10 - "After you have suffered a little while, the God of ALL grace who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, stregthen, and establish you."

In Christ our Savior,

Kara