Time for a CT Scan

Mom's sister came to visit for a week!

Her trip was pushed back because of the surprise trip to Hawaii.

She was really helpful around here.

She even made us goodies like cinnamon rolls and dinner rolls!

I am still kicking myself for not getting a picture of the two of them together.

Here's an update on Mom's health....

For the past week she has been feeling sick.

She caught pink eye.

She has had a sore throat that is so painful its hard to eat and even drink,

and her temperature has been climbing, nearing the ER visit number, the dreaded 101
She has also been coughing more lately.

A little hair has been falling out, but just thinning. No bald spots or big chunks or anything like that. Just thinning. It started while she was in Hawaii.

She went to the doctors yesterday and they gave her 2 prescriptions. Only one has been helpful with the pain. They didn't know for sure at first what was going on. A good friend of ours also had a mom go through chemo and thought it may be Thrush. Mom's tongue is also really white/grey. She doesn't have any sores in her mouth, which is what the doctors keep asking her. Her pain is really deep in her throat. Today the doctors confirmed she has a sinus infection.

She is just feeling yucky, which is not fun to watch. She had been feeling good for a while so the thought of cancer was practically out of my mind. Until now.

Today I took her in for a blood draw and the big,

long awaited CT scan.

The blood draw was through her port so I had to wear a mask when they poked her. It was soon over and then afterwards she had to drink a bottle of liquid that preps her for the scan over the span of an hour. We sat by the window in the waiting room enjoying the view of the water. (I just love Seattle!) We laughed and talked and hooray-ed at each milestone of the drink being gone with increments of time. There was a man that sat across from us and as he sat he said, "Wanna trade?!" He had TWO bottles of what looked like lemonade, but he went on to talk about how nasty the stuff was. My mom's was similar to tap water. Just goes to show you there is always someone worse off.
They called her in for the CT scan, which was about 3 minutes. Then I could sit with her for the 20 minutes they kept an eye on her in case of any reactions to the liquid she may have. They gave her a treat and a warm blanket. I was cold too so...

No reactions 20 minutes later and we were free to go!

(We won't have the results until Monday)

We stayed and ate lunch at their cafeteria since we were both starved.

YUM!

She fell right asleep when we got home.

I'm so happy I spent the day with her. Just the two of us.

She makes me laugh,

what will I do when we move 3,000 miles away??

Hopefully she gets plenty of rest and feels better soon

so we don't have to go to the ER Easter weekend

and so she can get chemo on Monday.

Lots of prayers!

*After calling the nurse since her temp has gone up near 102,

because of the sinus infection awareness they said we are ok to take care of her at home.

Hopefully things look up and don't get worse.

Prognosis

Monday we went in to our first oncology visit.

Almost to the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance

Beautiful view from the waiting room

The first thing we were told is that they cannot "cure" stage 4 colon cancer, but they can extend my life expectancy with chemotherapy. They said that on average with treatment I could expect to live two years. Of course we have read about those who have survived this and I believe that if it's the Lord's will, I can too.


I go in on Thursday to have a "port" put in which provides a simple and relatively painless (I hope) method to administer chemotherapy drugs.


Monday I begin chemotherapy. I will be there a large part of the day to get chemo and then go home with a pump that will continue to give me chemo over the next couple of days. Then a nurse will come "unhook" me, take her pump and I will continue this process every other Monday for a couple of months. Then I will have a CT scan to see how I am responding.
The good news is the doctor doesn't think I will lose my hair! I guess I didn't need to get this haircut afterall but it sure is a LOT easier to do! Of course I wonder how sure he can be that I won't lose hair so I'm prepared for either way.

This whole thing has happened so fast. I can not believe I am sitting here talking about the things I'm talking about. But there is one thing I want all of you to know...I trust my Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus Christ. If I have to go through this, there is a  reason. And I know I am being watched over and blessed as well as my family. I am so grateful to all of you for your outpouring of love and concern for me and my family.

Colonoscopy

January 31st

Dad brought Mom to the scheduled colonoscopy.

They were done much sooner than expected because they

immediately found what they were looking for.

A 5-inch malignant tumor

35 cm from the start, partially obstructing.

This tumor is the primary cancer site so it is Colon Cancer.
It has caused the pain she had been feeling the last year

and the harsh prepping for the colonoscopy.

She was scheduled for surgery consultation on friday

to talk about removing the tumor.

Today doctors called in the morning saying

they did not want to wait until friday.

Mom and Dad immediately went in to consult with the surgeon
who did not think surgery was necessary but highly recommended
starting chemo ASAP to shrink the tumor.

We also found out today that she has Stage 4 Colon Cancer.

After considering and praying about our options,

we decided to cancel the oncologist
appointment that was scheduled for today.

We chose the

Seattle Cancer Care Alliance

and our appointment with the oncologist is scheduled for Monday February 6th.

As soon as we spoke with someone from the SCCA

we felt we were in good hands and felt very good about going there.

Even though it puts off the oncology visit by a few days,

we still feel it was the right decision.

January 26, 2012 And All That Led Up To It

Beginning early 2011,

my mom had been feeling low abdominal pain.

Really low. She says the pain would come and go and to her,

felt like it could be gas pains.

She would feel tired and not as energetic as she normally is.

Feeling tired like that was not exactly an alarm.

My mom is known to be deeply involved

with various projects and, well, it can make you tired.

Not exactly a red flag.

In December of 2011, which is also the month she turned 45,

she very quickly developed

a lump on her neck the size of a walnut.

My husband and I were living 5 1/2 hours away while he finished his last year in college. He graduated in December and we came home for 4 or 5 days before leaving for Christmas with his family on the east coast. We left and returned home January 3, 2012.

That was the first time I had seen the lump.

I was shocked it was so big because

I did not notice it when we were with her last.

Other odd signs came up in December.
A few times she would become so exhausted while showering
she had to sit down in the shower to rest.
She felt like she would pass out and
did not have energy to hardly stand.
Suddenly every time she brushed her teeth
she would gag and to the point of sometimes throwing up.
She would feel nauseous when her stomach was empty
and at the same time her appetite was decreasing.

January 4th

The first doctors appointment.

Our concerns were the lump on her neck,

the abdominal pain as well as some side pains.

Her doctor was leaving for France so they set up appointments to run tests and then
they would meet again after she came back from overseas.
The doctor suspected a cyst on her thyroid.

It did not seem life threatening.

At the time we were unsure if all of her pains were related.

The doctor ordered an ultra sound and some blood tests
to look further into it.

Life went on...a little too fast if you ask me.

January 6th

She was diagnosed with RP. Retinitis Pigmentosa,

a degenerative eye disease

that has no cure and leads to blindness.

Her peripheral vision is narrowing.

At the time this was the most devastating news we had ever heard.

My mom loves to quilt and create things and has a very artistic eye.

She has a real talent for design in a variety of areas.

The thought of her going blind was unimaginable.

It is because of her sight that she has developed into who she is.

January 9th

She went in for her blood tests.

January 10th

My parents 25th Wedding Anniversary,

and the day she went for the ultrasound.

January 11th

Her son, Ian, my brother, left to serve a two year mission

in San Diego, California for

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

She received the results from the tests.

Blood test showed slightly elevated liver function and iron deficiency.
Ultra Sound found that the lump on her thyroid to be a solid mass.
It also showed that her liver was covered in lumps
the largest being 11 cm (4 1/2 inches) in size.

January 12th

She went for the CT Scan.

January 13th

Results from the CT Scan
The CT Scan confirmed the lumps in her liver and her thyroid
and also showed several lumps in her lungs.

January 23rd

She went in for Biopsies of the liver and lump on her thyroid.

January 26th

The world stopped.

She was diagnosed with Cancer.

They do not know which kind yet. They are suspecting colon cancer.

From the biopsies, the tissues pulled from the liver and thyroid

exhibited characteristics like tissue found in the intestine/colon area.

We go in Wednesday, February 1st to meet with an oncologist.

I am humbled and overwhelmed by the blessings I have already seen.
The most important, to me, being,
Garrett and I, living here with my family.
THAT is why we are here. I have no doubt.
The timing could not have been more perfectly aligned.
No other time would we be living with them, for this long.
Garrett graduated in December and begins law school in the fall,
giving us a good 8 months to be in "limbo"
giving us time to be here.
Through that I feel our Heavenly Father's love.