New Great Niece and Other Good News!

My niece, Sandi, and her husband, Kevin, have adopted Molly Rose McGill, who is the luckiest kid in the universe! You can tell from the photo that she knows it, too!

Also, I got my CT results today. My tumor and the metastases have shrunk since January 31, and I have no new metastasis! That means the Abraxane I am getting in chemo is working. I have some neuropathy in my feet and hands, and I have some two to three day long periods of complete exhaustion, but I am not sick, and I am not in pain. This is good!

Additionally, although I still have the blood clot, from the jugular through the superior vena cava and into the atrium of the heart, and the stent, it is all pretty stable, and I am able to go to the gym again! So I no longer have an excuse for being the only cancer patient on chemo who is gaining weight!

We also talked about other treatments,  the vaccine study and some protocols in LA and Texas, but for now we are staying with what is working (and not yet killing me!).

Thanks for all the love and support. Your good thoughts and prayers seem to be helping!

Love,
Lynne

Monday surgery.......and the rest of the story.

Nurse Dawn

Last I reported, I was scheduled for a surgery on my catheter and a blood clot that was growing in the atrium of my heart.

That was yesterday, Monday, and all went well. I wasn't completely out, but they kept me to the point of not caring too much. They could not remove the clot because it was chronic (meaning old and hard) and stuck to the wall of the vena cava, so they put in a metal stent to keep the vein open. I think I will have to be hand searched now when going through security.  There was not any pain, but there was a bit of tugging and pulling. I have some bandages on my neck, bruises on my elbows where the guy was kneeling when he pulled out the old catheter, and it is a little sore. We got home about 2:30, and I went straight to bed.

The excitement started when I got up to go to the bathroom. I have never seen as much blood as was in my toilet.... even on TV! I designed a science experiment to determine where it was coming from (my bladder), and, after calling the doctor, Jo and I headed back to the emergency room. By this time I am nauseated and throwing up. My doctor called ahead, and we got into a room at the emergency department pretty quickly. I don't know if you have ever been to the emergency department at Barnes, but it is a tough place. Donn and Buff met us there, and God bless them.  Donn stayed the whole time!

They started running tests, and I kept throwing up and passing what seemed like buckets of blood. By about 10 they figured out that I had what my nurse, Dawn, called, "the mother of all bladder infections."  That was part of the blood, but I also had hemolysis, a reaction to the anti clotting agent TPA that they had used trying to bust up the clot earlier that day. And I was dehydrated besides and still nauseated. So they started IV antibiotics and fluids, I was pronounced better, and we were home by midnight.

So, all is well. I slept all day, and I think Jo was as tired as I was. We finished some lentil soup, a corporeal work of mercy from before, and tonight I feel almost human again. WOW!
I am sending a photo of Dawn after she successfully healed me!

XO, everybody. I hope there is nothing to write for a little while! 

Our first spring salad!

Who is the real Hamburger Mary?

March Update

Hello, blog Friends!

I know I have some catching up to do since I wrote one month ago.

They did start the new chemo, Abraxane. I am still so fortunate to be without pain or a sick stomach. This medicine makes me feel like I have a cold or the flu with soreness and head congestion. I did stay in bed a lot last week whenever I was not at work or meetings.

The biggest issue, other than the fatigue, is a blood clot in the vena cava and  atrium of my heart where the catheter enters. So, I have venous congestion characterized by occasional bright redness and swelling in my face (maybe just a big head). This Monday they will go in and try to remove the catheter and all or most of the clot. There are lots of options once they get in there and decisions will have to be made as they encounter them. Bottom line, the doctor (an interventional radiologist) thinks this is something I should just take care of to continue treating the cancer.

I was a little bummed, so Jo and I went to look at puppies. I am not planning on getting one, but they are good medicine. I reflected that if I ever did get one I would name her either Fanny Lou Hamer or Zora Neal Hurston! Carly is just still a very hard act to follow!

Rose Jonas and I went out to the Cancer Support Community to check out their services. I was impressed at how upscale it is and the variety of things they offer. And being the non-joiner that I am, I found it surprisingly comfortable. All their services are free, and I could see myself taking advantage of them farther down the road. There are also great offerings for care givers and family members, and they have something in Atlanta, too.

Just the last few weeks I am honored to be named for awards: The Trailblazer Award from Faith Communities United, the Distinguished Fair Housing Service Award from CREA and, dear to my heart, Doorways' own Michael Edlin Award. Rosie and Susie have been planning on bringing Cec here from LA to visit, and they have gotten her a ticket to be here for the Doorways Annual Dinner and my birthday! It should be fun! I hope I am not too boring from the vantage point of my bed!

Over the last several months we have been trying to get my private disability kick started. With all the help I have from Jo, Donn, attorneys and others, I cannot imagine how people without advocates do it! One of my doctors thinks the fax machine at the insurance company is connected directly to the shredder.

That's it for now. I will try to keep you posted sooner!
XOXO