The Final Week--- of the Year and Chemo

2010 is drawing to a close and Cheryl is in her final round of chemo. The nurse in the picture with Cheryl is her chemo nurse Cheryl. Cheryl first met Cheryl while she was on the oncology floor following her surgery. Cheryl,RN transitioned down to the Anderson Cancer Institute and has been administering Cheryl's chemo over the past several months. She has been a real encouragement and has provided a wealth of information. Our Cheryl is so thankful to have had Cheryl as her nurse through all of this. We truly feel that she has a special gift to be able to deal with such serious illnesses on a daily basis.

I've been able to take Cheryl to Savannah for her treatments this week since we are out of school for Christmas break. That is probably good since this week's chemo has been rougher than usual. Monday's IV Taxol produced the usual flush but the Tuesday IP Cisplatin was much harder on Cheryl than previous doses. She has had quite a bit of nausea and some vomiting which thankfully is subsiding a bit. She has gotten some of her appetite back but is still not moving very fast. She gets a day off from her fluids tomorrow since the ACI is closed for New Year's Eve.

We will be spending a quiet New Year's Eve at home--- no wild partying here. Cheryl has her last IV chemo session on Monday, January 3rd. One of our long-time friends will be taking her up for that final trip to ACI. What a way to start the new year.

Over the next several weeks, Cheryl should be having additional scans and tests to verify that the cancer is in remission. At some point they will remove her IP (lower) port since Dr. Burke does not plan any future sessions of abdominal chemotherapy.

Please pray that Cheryl's final session will go well and that we will soon get a report that she is in remission.

2010 Christmas Letter

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

If you've been following the blog, you know that 2010 has been a bit of a rough year for us. Things started off well. We are in our fourth year serving as Pastor at Westside Baptist in Hinesville,GA and I still have the privilege of being a Technology Specialist for Liberty County School System. Cheryl was able to go to North Carolina to visit her Mom and sisters and she also went to Kentucky to visit Michelle and her family.

In early summer Cheryl received her diagnosis of Stage 4 ovarian cancer and we weren't even sure that we would see Christmas together this year. She had major surgery to remove the extensive cancer in her abdomen. Complications stretched that stay out to 13 days. Just before she was supposed to start chemotherapy, she developed a large blood clot in her leg and two small clots in her lungs. This resulted in a four day hospital stay and getting started on Coumadin to regulate her blood's clotting factor.

Since then she has bounced back and has gone successfully through five eight-day rounds of chemotherapy. We've have had the great support of our family, church family, neighbors and friends. Both Michelle and Jason have traveled down several times during Cheryl's hospitalization and chemo sessions. The grandkids, Jonas, Susannah and Dylan have helped brighten Cheryl's spirits through all that's been going on.

During all of this, we got news that my father's health was failing due to advanced congestive heart failure. Jason and I both went to see him on the weekend before Veteran's Day and he passed away the following Wednesday. This saddened us all very much. He has been like Cheryl's second father all these years of our marriage since she lost her dad shortly after our first anniversary.

When we traveled to Thomasville, GA for the funeral, Cheryl ending up spending the night of Novemeber 11th in the emergency room experiencing shortness of breath. They gave her pain meds and performed a number of scans and tests, all of which were inconclusive. We made it safely back home and decided to hold off on any further travelling until chemo is over and the doctors declare her to be in remission.

We had a great Thanksgiving with both kids, their spouses and children all together. This was the first time we've been able to do this since Jason and Sharon's wedding.

We plan to spend a quite Christmas at home this year. I've already given Cheryl her new 3G Wi-Fi Kindle2 so she can get some use out of it during chemo and I've built a new computer to replace my eight year old dinosaur that I built during Jason's second year of college.

Our plans for 2011 are still up in the air. I plan to continue pastoring the church and working at the school system's Technology Department. I hope to get our garden underway this coming spring. Our prayer is that Cheryl will be declared in remission when this last round of chemo and the associated tests are over so that she will be able to return to a normal busy life helping take care of other people in their time of need.

Above all, we praise God for the salvation He gave us through Jesus Christ our Lord. We thank Him for our 31 years together and we ask that we can have many more years before we part.

Ding Dong, The Second Drain Is Gone

Cheryl had a good visit on Monday with Dr. Robertson, the oncologist that will be managing her last round of chemo and follow up. He did not see any reason to test her CA125 before her next session since it has dropped so well previously. He asked if she would like to take a break before doing the next round but said that there is no medical reason to delay if she is ready to go ahead and get things wrapped up. Her blood counts are relatively good with a slightly elevated white count and slightly low hemoglobin. Her INR from the Coumadin is within normal range at 2.7.

Today, she returned to the pulmonologist's office to have the PleurX drain removed from her left side. It took Randy, the PA almost an hour to get it loosened and out. They gave her a couple of shots of Lidocaine before they began the procedure and added a couple more while they were working. Even with the painkiller, Cheryl had a pretty rough time as they removed the nearly 24" long catheter from her chest cavity. She came home with a pressure dressing on the wound and a prescription for Lortab since they've stopped dispensing Darvocet.

Before the drain removal, Cheryl was feeling quite peppy and energetic but since we came home she is experiencing quite a bit of pain in her side. Please be praying that she bounces back quickly from this and that she will be able to enjoy Christmas with no medical surprises.

Next chemotherapy session will be December 27 - January 3.

Sunday Tidings

Cheryl finally got to feeling close to normal late Saturday afternoon. The nausea and exhaustion that she experiences really keeps her from doing much of anything. It seems that it takes her a bit longer each time to bounce back from her Tuesday round of Cisplatin but we are encouraged that she only has one more of these to go through the week after Christmas.

On Friday evening, I was wrapping gifts for our church Christmas party and she got a little teary eyed over having to miss out on gift shopping, doing special wrappings and all of the usual holiday festivities. We hope to have her back up to full speed for next Christmas.

We drained Cheryl's PleurX catheter this evening and only withdrew about 5cc of fluid. We hope that the pulmonologist will decide to go ahead and remove the catheter when she sees him this week. We also have to meet with a new oncologist this week since Dr. Burke will no longer be managing chemotherapy so he can focus on surgery and follow-up.

We are thankful for all of your prayers, calls and notes of encouragement. Please be in prayer this week that she will bounce back quickly from tomorrow's chemotherapy of IV Taxol and that she will be able to enjoy a quiet Christmas here with me.

Tuesday Blahs

Cheryl is two days into her fifth round of chemo. She is feeling a bit under the weather this evening due to her IP (abdominal port)dosing of Cisplatin. We hope that she will bounce back to her usual energy levels after a couple of days. She will have fluids each day for the rest of this week and then return Monday for Taxol in her IP port.

As we end the first week of December, we are encouraged that she will only have three more IP treatments and only one of them will be Cisplatin.

Cheryl should be through all six rounds of chemo by the first week of January. We are planning a quiet Christmas at home since she is scheduled to start her last round the week afer Christmas. Continue to pray for strength to make it through these final rounds and that the chemo will have its desired effect on the cancer.

How Do You Do- The Number Is 22

We had great news today at Cheryl's appointment with Dr. Burke. Her CA125 marker has dropped to 22. Anything below 35 is considered to be in the normal range, so this is really good to hear. He also told us that since her count dropped so quickly after the third round down to 28 (her previous check) that it is a good indicator that she will stay in remission longer after completing her chemo course.

We've been enjoying a visit from our long-time friend Cindy for the past couple of days. (We were next-door neighbors at Fort Hood back in the late 80's-early 90's.) She and Cheryl have spent hours chatting and catching up on old times and making future plans.

Today's exam went well and everything is on track for next week's chemo. All of her blood levels (CBC and metabolic panel) are in normal range and she will not need the Neulasta shot this round. Even though Cheryl's CA 125 is in normal range, she still has to finish the entire course to get the full effect.

At this point, Cheryl is really pumped up by the good news. When we were heading to the car after lunch, she told Cindy that she felt like skipping.(Neither of them did.) Please be praying that she will have an easier time than usual with the Tuesday treatment of Cisplatin in her IP port.

Thankful for Thanksgiving

We've had a great Thanksgiving with both kids, their spouses and grandkids filling the house for a couple of days. Nine people in a three bedroom, two bath house can be a challenge but we all survived. We ordered our turkey from a local deli but Michelle and Sharon did all the rest of the cooking. The meal was great with both young ladies preparing their specialties. We were all stuffed after the meal but somehow found room for Sharon's superb cheesecake and Michelle's mighty fine pecan pie.

Before we began the meal, Michelle made a touching toast to her Mom (with sparkling pear juice- we are Baptists after all). She reminided us that when Cheryl received her diagnosis back in June, we didn't know if we would even see Thanksgiving together this year or if we did we had no idea what to expect.

Our family time together went very well. We had a wonderful time with the adults and really appreciated them bringing the grandkids down for this holiday. Other than a bit of back ache and general tiredness (and a chemo scarf) you would have had a hard time figuring out that Cheryl is the one in the family that is 2/3 of the way through chemotherapy.

Cheryl is excited that our long-time friend Cindy (we were next door neighbors in the late 80's) will be coming down from Virginia to spend a few days. Along with her visit, Cheryl will also be doing blood work and going to her regular appointment with the oncologist on Friday to get ready for the next round of chemo that starts on December 6th.

We are thankful to have made it this far and pray that Cheryl's treatment will continue to be effective.

Round Four Complete

Cheryl completed her fourth round of chemo today (two rounds remaining).She received steroids,anti-nausea meds and fluids through her IV port and Taxol in her IP port. She was also given an injection of Neulasta which should help stimulate her white cell production and reduce her risk of infection. We've been warned that this may make her bones and joints ache but we're praying that the side effects will be minimal and that beneficial effects will be maximal.

According to the literature that we received, many people have to start receiving these injections after their first round of chemo so we are glad to have been able to wait this long. There was no indication that Cheryl is having any problem but her doctor wanted to do this as a precaution.

Our kids are due in on Wednesday, the girls will be cooking and we will all be together as a complete family. Pray for safe travels for both families and Cheryl's continued recovery.

The laughter of children will most definitely be great medicine for all.

We want to wish you all a happy Thanksgiving. Be sure to let your family know that you love them. We'll do our next update after the holiday.

28 is Great

When Cheryl went in for her chemo today, they went over her blood work results from last week. Her CA125 has dropped from 64.7 to 28. It is now in the normal range- hallelujah.

She will need to have an injection next Monday to increase her platelet count. They've told her that it will most likely make her bones and joints ache. In spite of that, we're still thankful that she is making progress.

Rough Days for the Maxwell Family

My dad, Leo Maxwell, passed away of heart failure midday Wednesday, November 10th in Thomasville, GA at age 89. He is very dear to both Cheryl and I so we both wanted to go over and be with my mom during this time of loss. Cheryl called her doctor's office and got clearance to travel since she had already done her blood work in preparation for this coming week's chemo.

The Wednesday afternoon/early evening car trip tired Cheryl out so she stayed home when my siblings and I went to the funeral home on Thursday morning with my mother to finalize arrangements. When we came home around lunch time, Cheryl was still somewhat tired and her left upper chest and back were aching. She used her heating pad and got some relief but as the evening progressed the pain grew worse and by bedtime she was having difficulty breathing.

After a quick call to my health insurance to get the go ahead to go to the emergency room and to verify that they were an in-network provider,we headed into town. When Cheryl told them that she was a cancer patient (the head scarf may have given them a clue), and that she was having difficulty breathing, they almost immediately got her into a treatment room. They quickly hooked her up to an IV and gave her a good dose of pain medicine to help her relax even though she was still experiencing difficulty breathing.

The nurses immediately began doing what they could to ease her discomfort and the doctor and head nurse on duty tried to help us drain Cheryl's left PleurX drain. We had left home without any of her bottles since it had only been a few days since we had last drained her and she was not experiencing any symptoms that would have made this a priority when we left. They even got me gloved up and assisted me in trying a couple of different connectors to the wall vacuum, neither of which worked.

The doctor then ordered a chest x-ray, which she then had me come in and give her a comparison to some of the previous x-rays Cheryl has had. She determined that Cheryl's left lung cavity has about 200-300 cc of free fluid and that there is about 100 cc of loculated (encapsulated) fluid around the right lung. Since the vacuum did not work to pull off the fluid and the quantity should not have been enough to trigger shortness of breath, the doctor suspected that Cheryl might have another pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lung) so she sent Cheryl in for a CT scan.

After another half hour wait, the CT results came and showed that Cheryl was not suffering from a PE. The doctor recommended that we drain Cheryl's PleurX as soon as possible and that she continue on her prescription pain meds that she has. After spending a little over eight hours in the ER Cheryl was discharged around 8:15 Friday morning. She had gotten several hours of sleep due to the pain meds they had given her and I'd managed to get about fifteen minutes of sitting up in a chair sleep.

Since the visitation for Daddy was set for 6-8 PM Friday and the funeral was at 11 AM Saturday morning, immediate draining was out of the question. Cheryl took a Darvocet and rested during the day Friday. About half way through the visitation, Cheryl was exhausted so my sister-in-law Linda took her back to Mama's house. Cheryl made it through the funeral okay and also did well on the trip home Saturday afternoon.

We hooked up her PleurX drain this afternoon and pulled off about 60 cc of fluid. I'm not sure why we couldn't pull off everything that showed on the x-ray. Perhaps her doctor can shed some light on that for us. She has taken her steroid this evening in preparation for tomorrow's round of Taxol.

Please be praying that all the blood work she had done last week will show that her levels are okay for her to go through this round of chemotherapy. Also, continue to pray that the CA125 cancer marker will keep dropping.

Grateful For Good Days

This week has gone well for Cheryl. Her energy level has been excellent and she continues to be in good spirits. She was feeling good enough that I was able to make a quick run over to Thomasville,GA Friday evening after work to check on my parents. While I was gone, she did several loads of laundry and started getting the house ready for Thanksgiving. Last evening, I brought down the Rubbermaid containers that hold our fall decorations. This morning, she was able to get the kitchen and den decorated.

She also enjoyed an early morning visit from Trish Nebel(Michelle's mother-in-law)and several of her friends from church. We are thankful for them taking the time to drop by and for their continued prayers for Cheryl's recovery.

We did Cheryl's PleurX drain this afternoon and removed 60cc of fluid. This is an increase from the last two times we've done the procedure, so it looks like she may have to put up with the left drain a little longer.

Mid-week, Cheryl will go in for her Coumadine check, CA125 and a CBC (Complete Blood Count). Then on Friday, she has her next appointment with Dr. Burke,her oncologist. Our prayer is that her CA125 will continue to drop and that the CBC will stay within normal values so her chemotherapy can continue Monday week.

Thankful For A Good Week

This has been a good week for Cheryl. She had her Monday treatment of Taxol in her IP (abdominal) port and other than feeling a little tired, she has felt no side effects. We drained her remaining PleurX catheter this evening and only pulled off 15cc of fluid. If it stays at this level or less, she should be able to get this drain removed after her next round of chemo.

Cheryl has done some light housework several days this week. Today she was so energetic that she decided to bake some pumpkin muffins. They are quite tasty, so the several months out of primary kitchen duty haven't diminished her baking skills.

We are so very thankful for our church family and neighbors that pitched in to carry her back and forth each day for this cycle. She has enjoyed the chance to talk and catch up with everyone. Please be praying that Cheryl's next round of chemo, which will end the Monday before Thanksgiving, goes as well as this has gone.

A Brief Scare

Cheryl had her third set of fluids on Friday. That went well and the trip to and from Savannah was uneventful. Early in the afternoon, she had some pain when using the restroom and noticed blood in her urine. She called the oncologist's practice to find out what to do.

The nurse called backed and discussed her symptoms and told her to monitor her temperature. If it goes above 100.4 she will need to go to the Emergency Room and have them do a culture to check for a urinary tract infection. She checked her temperature several times last evening and it never went above 99.4 and she also stopped passing blood. This morning, her temperature is back to normal and she is asymptomatic.

We drained Cheryl's left PleurX catheter last evening and only removed 25cc of fluid. She appears to be experiencing a bit less pain during the drain procedure but is still not a pleasant experience for her or her caregiver. She will check with the pulmonologist on Monday to see if they want to go ahead and remove the catheter or leave it in a bit longer.

Please be praying with us that there will not be a recurrence of the bloody urine and that no other problems will crop up as Cheryl continues her treatment.

Tuesday Update

Cheryl is doing well two days into this round of chemo. She had her Taxol yesterday and Cisplatin today and seems to be tolerating both as well as she did last round. She is a little tired this evening and her face is a slightly swollen but at this point, this is very bearable for her. She will be getting fluids the next three days and then will return next Monday for the other IP dose of Taxol.

Continue to pray that she will continue to be able to receive the treatments and for safe travels as dear friends take her to and from Savannah each day.

Let's Get Ready To Rumble

Cheryl starts her next 8 day round of chemotherapy tomorrow morning. As part of our preparation, we drained her remaining (left side) PleurX catheter this afternoon. It caused her considerable pain in her upper chest and shoulder blade area while the drain was suctioning. She drained about 140cc of fluid, up from the few drops of less than 10cc we've been seeing the last several times we went through the process. This may cause a delay in getting this drain removed since it will have to diminish and stay low for several attempts before they pull it out.

Cheryl is still in good spirits. I went grocery shopping yesterday and brought home four different kinds of ice cream. I believe she has already had servings of three of them. Her weight appears to be holding stable this past few days. We pray that she will continue to bounce back after this and the subsequent treatments like she has from the previous ones.

The weather forecast calls for rain several days this week. This will be our first rain in several weeks. Please pray for safe travels for Cheryl and the kind souls that are giving up several hours of their day to shuttle her to Savannah.

Guess what this number means...

This number- 64.7 - is Cheryl's new CA-125 level. Before her debulking surgery it was over 800. On October 1st, after one round of chemo, it was 246.6. Three weeks and a second round of chemotherapy later it has been cut by nearly 75%. There is certainly cause for rejoicing around our house today.

Cheryl had her appointment with Dr. Burke, the gynecologic oncologist, today. He was very pleased with how she appears to be doing. They had an extensive conversation about how she feels during and after each day of chemo and he remarked how well she is tolerating chemotherapy. Her pelvic exam was normal. When they did her CA-125 at the lab they also did a CBC and metabolic panel. Both of them indicated that her body is ready for the next round of chemo on Monday.

We are grateful for all the prayers that everyone has been lifting on our behalf. Continue to pray for the next round of chemo to be as effective as the last.

One Drain Down, One to Go

The PA at the pulmonologist's office removed Cheryl's right drain today. Even though both sides have only minimal output, he advised that pulling them both might be a bit uncomfortable. After a swabbing the area with Betadine, he gave her a couple of shots of Lidocaine and cut the stitches holding the collar of the drain in place. After about twenty minutes of tugging and pulling about 1/8th of an inch at a time, the entire catheter (all 18 inches of it) was pulled free. They cleaned up the area and put a sterile dressing over the spot and said that it should heal up over the next few days. He explained that due to the way the catheter was routed up through the muscle wall that should be no danger of her having a lung collapse or any other complication.

Cheryl says that she could feel as the catheter slid out through her rib cage. She was very brave throughout the procedure and didn't make any fuss over it all. The PA told her that it would be okay to take whatever no-aspirin pain medicine she wants to help dull any pain that she may experience.

Even though Cheryl would like to have had both drains removed today, but since they didn't, she is glad that since they elected to remove the right drain since it was somehat in the way of her IP port. This will cut down on the problem of having to move the tape and dressing around so they could do her chemo more easily.

As the evening has progressed, she is feeling a dull ache in her side and has decided to go ahead and take a half of a Darvocet tablet before heading for bed.

As another note of praise, Cheryl was back up to 106 pounds after having lost down to 98.4 following the second round of chemo. Pray that the spot where the catheter was removed will heal quickly and that Friday's visit with the oncologist will bring good news on her progress.

It's Been a Good Week

Cheryl has done well this week. On the up side, over the course of several days, she felt up to rearranging the pantry, mopping the kitchen and den floor, doing laundry, loading and unloading the dishwasher and giving the countertops a really good cleaning. She has also walked out to the mailbox and around the yard a couple of times.

She has had a couple of days where she felt pretty tired. She had one uncomfortable night and she has been having some pain in her lower back on and off the last few days.

She is scheduled to see the PA in the pulmonologist's office on Wednesday afternoon to have her PleurX drains removed. We drained them both on Thursday evening and only got a few drops from each side. Our hope is that she will then be able to sleep on her side if she wants to and not have to worry laying on the lump of drain tubes and gauze pads that she has put up with for so many weeks.

When she went to the doctor's office for her Coumadin check earlier this week, she has gained back up to 102 lbs (that's from being down to 98.4 last week). Everyone that sees her remarks on how well she seems to be doing.

We praise the Lord that several people are going to shuttle Cheryl back and forth to this next round of chemo. I've burned through a large chunk of sick leave during her diagnosis visits, surgery, hospital stay for the blood clots and the first two chemotherapy courses.

The plans for this week include another Coumadin check and CBC lab on Monday, an appointment with the pulmonologist office on Wednesday to remove the drains, and an appointment with Dr. Burke (gyn-onc)of Friday morning to make sure that she is ready for the next round of chemo to begin on October 25th.

Please be praying for another good week of weight gain and that the CBC(complete blood count) will be within acceptable range for the chemotherapy to continue.

Round Two Wrap Up

Cheryl had the final treatment of Round Two today. They began her IV (upper port) around 9 AM and gave her fluids for hydration. They also gave her Pepcid and Benadryl through the IV. Around 10:30 they started the IP (abdominal port) and delivered her dose of Taxol. After the bag was finished, she had to lie 15 minutes on each side for an hour (two flips each side) to allow the Taxol to work its way around her abdominal cavity.

We got home around 2:30 and so far, Cheryl's only complaint is a bit of bloating. She is once again having to take anti-nausea meds for several days even if she is asymptomatic. The nurse told her that the Taxol is much easier to tolerate than the Cisplatin that she received IP last week.

Continue to pray that these medicines she is receiving will push the cancer into remission and that her nausea will stay under control.

Five Eighths Of The Way Through Round Two

Cheryl finished her third fluid IV today and seems to be feeling pretty good. She felt up to stopping for some Hardee's chicken strips on the way home. It is good to see her appetite back after a couple of down days after her first IP treatment. Cheryl has been able to take care of doing some laundry and kitchen cleaning yesterday and today. It is probably good for her to be able to get up and do some normal activities when she has the energy to do so.

I pulled out the guitar last evening and Jonas and Susannah got to play and sing along for a while. At 21 months, Susannah already has the ABC song down pat. Michelle loaded up Jonas and Susannah this morning and headed for home by way of "Aunt Holly's" house. We really appreciate Chris fending for himself while Michelle was here helping out. We're looking forward Jason, Sharon and Dylan coming down for a weekend visit. It looks like the weather will be nice for grilling out.

Cheryl has one more IP (abdominal port)treatment of Taxol on Monday to complete this round and then she will have 13 days off before the next eight day set. Looking through her chart, we saw her CA-125 results from October 1st were 246.6 this is substantially better than the over 800 she started at in July but the number we are looking for is <35.

Pray that this weekend will go well for Cheryl and that she will be rested and ready for Monday's treatment.

Better Than We Expected

Another day at the Anderson Cancer Institute... Cheryl got checked in shortly after 8 AM but didn't get started receiving IV fluids, anti-nausea medicine and a steroid in her IV port until around 9 AM. The nurse faxed the order for her Cisplatin down to the pharmacy shortly after we arrived but didn't get it started until most of the fluid bag had finished.

There was about 100cc of Cisplatin in a one liter saline bag and it took about an hour for the complete dose (1100cc) to run into Cheryl's abdomen via the IP port. The insertion of the needle in the port was pretty painful even with a topical anesthetic applied beforehand. This administration was flowing by gravity rather than being on a pump. After the drip was complete, Cheryl had to rotate from side to side every fifteen minutes for an hour. We left the ACI around 1 PM.

Cheryl felt fine when we left the hospital, with just a slight feeling of fullness. Michelle and the grandkids arrived less than hour after we got home so they helped to liven things up. As the evening has progressed, Cheryl is feeling a bit of discomfort but nothing too great. We are glad that the anti-nausea meds are working at this point.

She returns to the hospital tomorrow, Thursday and Friday for additional fluids in her upper port. Pray for safe travels for her, Michelle and the kids this next couple of days as I head back to work.

Chemo Round Two- Day 1

Cheryl stepped out in her matching shirt, hat and bracelet today for the first day of eight on this second round of chemotherapy. She received her Taxol by her upper IV port along with other meds to help prevent nausea. We got into the chemo suite around 8:30 AM and left a little after 1 PM.

It was encouraging that she wanted to stop at Chick-Fil-A for lunch on the way home. We made it home without incident and she has been doing well so far this evening. She wrote up a schedule of when to take her various meds over the coming days just to make sure that she doesn't miss a dose.

Be praying that tomorrow's dose of Cisplatin in the lower IP port goes without any negative side effects.

Getting Ready for Round Two

Cheryl has had a good day today. A friend of ours gave her a ride to church this morning. Since today was Homecoming, she got to see even more folks than usual. She ate a good plateful of Southern Baptist church social food including dessert and then we came on home. She's been watching football all afternoon and to hear her cheering and coaching from the couch, you wouldn't even know that she was sick. She was saddened that her favorite Manning lost to Jacksonville.

Cheryl had taken a dose of liquid steroids on Thursday night and Friday morning in anticipation of getting chemo on Friday morning. Since they've now got her on the schedule for tomorrow morning, she has to take the same dosage again tonight and tomorrow morning. We're stocked up on the anti-nausea drugs and are praying that they work well this coming week.

We did her left PleurX drain this afternoon (had football on to distract her from the pain) and only pulled off 25cc. We will probably drain her one more time and then make an appointment with the pulmonologist to have both drains removed. I'm sure that not having two large patches on her sides will be quite a relief. The IV/IP ports still are a bit sensitive but there is nothing we can do about them since they are going to be in place for months to come.

We've decided to go ahead and post my haircut as well. Folks at work and church have done double takes and most have said that it takes ten years off my looks. This morning I asked the congregation why they hadn't told me how bad my hair looked before if they think this style looks so much better on me.

I will try to do an update every evening this week. Be praying that Cheryl will have no negative reaction to any of the next set of chemo drugs and that we will be able to control her nausea.

Good Delay, No Chemo Today

Cheryl had her follow up with Dr. Burke this morning. After an initial exam by a medical student, Dr. Burke came in and checked several more things. We discussed her continued weight loss and he said that she probably needs to consume at least 500 additional calories a day if she wants to gain weight. This sounds like a prescription for plenty of ice cream and good chocolate.

He is encouraged by her progress and says that we should be able to have her PleurX drains removed in another couple of weeks if the fluid output continues to decrease on both sides. Over the past few weeks the right side has diminished to only a few drops per session and the left side has dropped from 150cc to 100cc to 50cc on Wednesday.

Dr. Burke said that is a good sign that the chemo is working at slowing down the cancer. He told us that she would not have chemo today since he wants to go ahead and move her over to the 8 day plan he had discussed while she was still in the hospital. He said that they now normally delay this because of some complications patients experienced from the IP infusion if it was done too soon after surgery. This is the standard course chemo therapy for optimally debulked ovarian cancer.

On Monday, 10/4/10, she will receive about a 3 hour IV (upper port) treatment of Taxol. On Tuesday, she will return for an IP (lower port) treatment of Cisplatin. This will likely cause nausea and bloating. Then Wednesday- Friday, she will go in for IV fluids to help offset the possibility of dehydration. After the weekend off, she will return on Monday 10/11/10 for an IP treatment of Taxol. After a two week break, she will go back in and do it again.

She had blood work done today to check her CA125 (ovarian cancer specific cancer antigen) to see if it has dropped since the initial surgery and first round of chemotherapy.

If Cheryl continues to feel as well on Sunday as she does now, she will be attending church for the second week in a row. This is also our church's homecoming service so everyone will be glad to see her there.

Pray that this next round of intense chemotherapy will not be too rough on Cheryl.

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

After shedding larger and larger clumps of hair for the past week Cheryl decided to go ahead and have me cut her hair very short. We started with the scissors and progressed to the clippers with a 1/2 shield. I did one more pass with the 3/8 shield and we called it quits so she could get showered up.

This is one of her hats that she received today from Hats Off to Chemo. She already has a nice scarf that she and Michelle ordered during her last visit.

After we finished taking care of Cheryl's new haircut, I buzzed my head so we will match. I trimmed up my beard last week so all I have left is a goatee.

This has been a really good week overall for Cheryl. On her Coumadin check today, the levels were a bit high again so she will have to go off the pills for a few days and then be retested. I was really careful trimming her hair since I didn't want to nick her scalp with the scissors or the clippers.

We are planning to do her drains again tomorrow night so she will be fully recovered for Friday's chemo. Continue to pray that both will go well for her.

I Will Enter His Gates With Thanksgiving In My Heart

Cheryl chose the title for this post. Today was her first Sunday in worship since the 18th of July (two days before her surgery). She was so glad to see everyone and hear good preaching(her words- not mine). All the folks at church were thrilled to see her up and about. I did have to make a special announcement before our time of Christian Greeting to please just talk or shake hands with Cheryl and to not give her a hug.

Other than the pain of the drain earlier this week, the days have gone well for Cheryl. She has been able to accomplish a bit of housework like folding laundry and unloading the top shelf of the dishwasher. We did both drains again this afternoon. Only a few drops came out of the right side but we got another 100 cc from the left. Again, draining the left side caused her considerable pain and we only made it 13 minutes into the procedure before she called it quits. I wish there were some way to do this without hurting her. Maybe the doctor will have a suggestion for us at her next appointment.

In other news... Cheryl's hair is starting to shed quite a bit. Whether washing, drying, combing or just sitting still, we find large handfuls of hair. Our plan is to go ahead later this week and trim it short while she feels up to letting me take care of it for her since we don't know how she will react to the second round of chemo.

Pray that Cheryl continues to have energy this week and that her body will be ready for Friday. Her appointment with Dr. Burke, the gynecologic oncologist that did her surgery, is at 9AM and her chemo is scheduled for whenever we get through at his office.

Three Good Days then the Pain of the Drain

Cheryl has been feeling much better the last couple of days. Yesterday, a friend took her to the bank and the Dollar General (Midway's largest store). This was her first non-doctor outing since the surgery and really gave a boost to her outlook. This morning she got up feeling fine and did a few things around the house. I came home at lunch to take her to her appointment in Savannah with the pulmonologist.

On her vitals check, we see that she is down to 101 pounds, about a five pound loss since last week. She is eating several normal meals each day and has a couple of scoops of ice cream as dessert. Pulse and blood pressure were a bit high but still within normal range.

Overall, the PA said that she looks as if she is doing well and her breathing is good. He then quizzed us about how often we've been doing her PleurX drains. We had our chart and showed him that we've done her right side twice and had not done the left side since she wasn't feeling any pressure yet. (This is the protocol that the nurse had recommended). He said that to avoid having the drains clog, we need to drain both of them every three or four days until output diminishes significantly. His departing instructions were for us to go home and drain both sides today.

According to our instruction DVD, you should drain each side at least five minutes but not more then fifteen minutes or until you reach 1000cc total fluid withdrawn. When we started, the right side drained without incident or pain and only produced about 20cc of pleural fluid. The left side was a very different story. As soon as we started the drain procedure, she began experiencing sharp pain in her left upper chest and back which went on as long as the fluid was being removed. At thirteen minutes, we shut off the drain bottle at 150cc of fluid.

We are hoping that she will bounce back to her old self after a good night's rest but we are not looking forward to the next draining session over the weekend. Please be praying with us that the next session will not be as painful as this one. I want Cheryl feeling as well and as strong as possible when she goes in for her next round of chemo on October 1st.

Just not feeling well

Cheryl had a great day yesterday (Saturday 9/18). She cleaned the countertops, sink and stove in the kitchen and transferred a load of laundry from the washer to the dryer while I was out for a Men's Ministry meeting and grocery shopping. Last evening she was experiencing some pain in her right leg so she spent the night with it elevated.

We were hoping that she would feel good enough this morning to go to church but when she got up she was just feeling blah. Her stomach was hurting and she had a headache and general body aches. She is unsure what, if anything else, she can take since she is already taking so many different medicines.

She is grateful for the good days. They help make the bad days more tolerable. We had a good video chat with Michelle and the kids this afternoon and a little later we had a call from Jason. Those are the sort of things that brighten the day.

Tomorrow, Cheryl returns to our GP for another clotting check and possible Coumadin adjustment. We really appreciate our friends and neighbors checking in on Cheryl, running errands and shuttling her to local appointments.

The cards, calls and visits do wonders for her spirits and we continue to covet everyone's prayers for her recovery and our endurance.

Five Days and Counting

Jason and Sharon had to go home on Sunday and Michelle and the kids headed home today. The house is quieter but we miss the hustle and bustle. I believe Susannah's goal in life is to give us all heart attacks as she jumps and lunges across beds, couches and chairs without a bit of fear.

Cheryl's days have gone from energy on Friday to tired on Saturday and bouts of nausea every day since. She is not having a constant problem with it but any amount is disconcerting. We are hoping that this will subside as the days go by and that by some time next week she will be feeling like her old self.... At least that is what everybody tells us will happen. Week one- the pits, week two- bearable, week three- close to normal and then they hit you with the next dose.

Continue to pray that the treatment will be effective at reducing the existing cancer and stopping its spread from the rest of her body.

Living with Chemo - Day 2

Cheryl woke up with a bit of flushing on her face but other than that had no noticeable side-effects from the chemo. This is a definite praise for us. As the day wore on, she did tire a bit but this is not significantly different from from what she's been experiencing over the past three months.

Michelle and the kids drove Cheryl to our family practice doctor for a follow up check on her Coumadin level. It is 4 which is still too high. She will go back next Monday for another blood test to see if she needs a dosage adjustment.

Jason and Sharon will be dropping in later tonight for a short weekend visit. We'll have everyone except Chris and Dylan packed into the house. It is good to be able to spend time together as a family.

Pray that Cheryl continues symptom free from the chemo and that it does what it is designed to do.

It's Chemo Day

Michelle and the grandkids came in Tuesday afternoon and have helped brighten the house. Michelle has pitched right in and taken care of dinner preparation and kitchen cleanup.

After several calls to Dr. Burke's office on Tuesday and Wednesday, we finally found out that Cheryl gets her first round of chemo starting at noon today. The nurse told Cheryl that she will be getting two different drugs today and then will come back in 21 days for the next round. This is very different from what Cheryl was told while in the hospital last week.

Cheryl is understandably a bit nervous about what she is facing today. She took Dexmethasone, a corticosteroid night and again this morning. We have several other medications that she will need to take in the coming days as well.

We are hoping to get more details and gain a better understanding of what to expect in the coming months when we go in today. Pray for peace and calm for us both and for the chemotherapy to be effective.

I will do an update this evening after we get home from Savannah.

Evening Update

Cheryl got checked in at the Anderson Cancer Institute (part of Memorial Health) at noon. She wasn't taken back to the therapy suite until 1 PM. They started her on fluids, anti-nausea and other drugs in preparation for the chemo. At 2:30 they started the bag of Docetaxel. It took a little over an hour to run. At 4:00 they started the Carboplatin. This bag ran for about about an hour as well. She had to wait for a half an hour after they finished the chemo before she could be released. We are very thankful that she showed no reaction. The infusion nurse said that normally, if you don't have a reaction during the time they are injecting the chemo you won't have one later.

Both drugs were administered through the IV port on Cheryl's upper chest and did not use the IP (abdominal) port at all. We were given a few things to watch for and instructions for anti-nausea drugs over the next few days. The nurse said that Cheryl may have some days where she is full of energy and others where she feels totally worn out. No two people react exactly the same, even to the same drug combinations.

We didn't get home until nearly 7PM. Michelle had a nice meal prepared for us when we came in. Cheryl gets to go in and watch the Vikings/Saints game with her feet propped up. On the bright side, at least it is football season while she is having to take it easy.

Pray that the chemo will have the desired effect of stopping the cancer and that Cheryl will have no or only minimal side-effects over the coming days.

Another Scare

I mentioned yesterday that we were hoping that Cheryl would be able to attend church today. That didn't work out. She got up around 3 AM and took a dose of Roxicet since she is having significant pain in her sides where the drains were placed. When we got up around 7 AM, she noticed that her left calf and ankle are swollen about like they were before she went into the hospital and there is also some swelling in her upper leg. This surprised us since she is taking two blood thinners to treat/prevent clots, a Lovenox injection (that she gives herself in the stomach in the morning) and a Coumadin tablet in the afternoon.

I headed off to church and she called the doctor's service to report what was happening. I went through Sunday School and worship service waiting for my phone to vibrate with a call from Cheryl saying that we needed to go back to the hospital ASAP. She didn't call me, so after the crowd thinned out I called her to make sure that everything was okay. Once again, she was told "This is normal." Elevate your leg above your heart and take it easy. So it's off the couch and back to bed for Cheryl. At least she's got football to watch while she is propped up.

Because of the blood thinners, she is having to restrict her intake of leafy green vegetables like spinach, Brussels sprouts and broccoli due to their high Vitamin K content (and they are her favorite vegetables). Today for lunch I made smother fried squash with onions and bacon bits, mashed potatoes and steak. She ate some of everything and had ice cream as a late dessert.

Pray for us as we wait for chemo and everything that is "normal" with it.

Home Again

We got Cheryl home from the hospital about 2:30 PM. They wanted to do her PleurX catheters before she left the hospital to make sure that we could handle everything . After I arrived at the hospital this morning, the nurse did the procedure on the left drain while I watched and then she supervised me taking care of the right drain. There was about 25cc of fluid on the left and 150cc on the right. We may be able to stagger days that we do the procedure if they continue to show this difference.

She experienced some pain when the left side was drained but the right side went without incident. Her oxygen level was at 94 so we didn't need to bring her home with an O2 bottle. her color is good and her energy level is better than it has been in weeks. On Friday, they inserted an IV port to go along with the IP (Intra-peritoneal) port for her complete chemo procedure.

They gave us three pages of prescriptions for everything from anti-nausea drugs to take before and after chemo to blood thinner pills and injections that she will administer to herself daily to try and prevent any future clots.

Cheryl is tentatively scheduled to start chemo on Wednesday for an eight day process. She will have an IV procedure one day followed by IP (into the abdomen) the next day. She will then follow up with more IV chemo, a couple of days of fluid IVs, an injection to boost her blood count, a visit with the doctor for evaluation and then she will get a two week break before the next round.

We are hoping that she will feel well enough tomorrow to attend church for the first time in a couple of months.

Day 3 - Stay 2

I decided to go to work today since there is nothing I can do for Cheryl at the hospital. I called her about mid-morning and she told me that she feels better and has more energy than she has had in weeks. The thorasic PA told her that they may be sending her home with oxygen to avoid the problems of dyspnea (shortness of breath) that she has had before. The vacuum drain lines will probably come out tomorrow so that will give her greater freedom of movement to get up and begin walking the halls.

They are still working to dissolve the blood clots and get her blood thinner adjusted to a maintenance dose. Hopefully, we will know more when I go up to check on her this afternoon.

Pray for a speedy recovery from this setback so we can get on with the chemo.

When I got to the hospital this afternoon, they had removed the suction drains from Cheryl's chest and told her that she will be going home on Saturday. It looks like they will be able to start her chemo about mid-week. We will have more details when we get the discharge paperwork.

Day 2- Hospital Stay 2

When I arrived at the hospital, Dr.Jones, the cardivascular thoracic surgeon, was in Cheryl's room reviewing her case notes. She does have a couple of small pulmonary embolisms (clots) in her lungs but they are not large enough to be the cause of her breathing difficulty. He feels that we need to drain the pleural effusions to give her some relief.

I had mentioned in yesterday's post about the procedure called pleurudesis where the fluid is drained and talc is puffed into the lung cavity to cause the lung to adhere to the lining and create scarring that will prevent further fluid effusion. Instead, Dr. Jones recommends that he insert PleurX catheters into both sides of her pleural cavity. With this procedure, the fluid will be suctioned out as it builds up and as the process is repeated, the lung will adhere to the lining and produce scarring similar to that of the pleuridesis. She will go home with vacuum bottles so we can drain the fluid a couple of times a day.This will go on for anywhere from a couple of weeks to a few months. The fluid buildup should be controlled by a combination of the scarring and the chemo pushing the cancer into remission.

As of now, her surgery should take place around 2PM today. He will do a quick scope before starting the catheter insertion to make sure that there is nothing else that he will have to deal with during the procedure.

Cheryl will most likely be in the hospital until Sunday or Monday. They want to make sure that the blood clots in the leg and lungs are being managed by medicine and also that he PleurX catheters are functioning properly. I will update later today after she comes out of surgery.

Good description of the PleurX procedure
http://www.bostonthoracicsurgery.com/handler.cfm?event=practice,template&cpid=24016

They took her down to surgery around 1:30 with plans to start around 2:30. Dr.Jones called up the room at 4:30 to say that Cheryl came through the procedure successfully. He placed PleurX Catheters in both lung cavities. He scoped her before inserting the caths and noted that he saw a number of nodules in the pleural lining on both sides. They finally brought her back to her room at 6:15. She can tell a difference in her breathing already. She is reasonably lucid but tends to doze off if not actively engaged in converation. I'm sure that when the anaesthesia wears off she will be doing much better.

While she was in recovery I had visits from the Nurse Social Worker and the Nurse Navigator. The Nurse Navigator gave me an orientation on care and draining of the PleurX catheters. She was very helpful and I feel confident that I will be able to take care of the procedure. It will need to be done every couple of days or whenever Cheryl begins to experience a buildup in pressure. When I asked how long we could expect to be doing the drains, she told me that in most cases- from now on. Welcome to our new normal.

Heigh-ho, heigh-ho... Back to the hospital we go!

This is a quick note from Michelle. :-)

I just spoke to my dad - he and Mom are still at their follow up appointment with Dr. Burke. They haven't gotten to the part where they meet with him to discuss chemo options yet.

Just based on the physical exam she has had so far, they are going to admit her back into the hospital later this afternoon. Her pleural effusions need to be drained again, and they are planning to do that inpatient and keep her in hospital for 3-4 days.

I really don't have any further details yet. I'm sure that once the appointment is finished and they get Mom settled in at the hospital, Dad will give everyone another update.

Please be praying for Mom's continued good spirits through this - pray that the pleurocentesis goes smoothly and without complications - pray that she has an easy recovery time - and hey, while we're at it, let's pray that this time in the hospital gives Mom the chance to put some weight back on and "bulk up" before she starts chemo. Our God can do amazing things, after all. ;-)

Jud's 5:00 update---

I've just rushed home from the hospital to pick up a few comfort items for Cheryl. They were hoping to do the pleurocentesis (draining)followed by the pleuridesis (sealing to prevent further effusion) this afternoon but when I left the hospital shortly before 4PM, the pulmonologist had not yet stopped by to examine her. It looks like the procedure will most likely take place some time tomorrow morning. I'll do another update when I get home this evening

-----Michelle's 7:00 pm Update-----

Mom's doctors decided to check out the pain in her leg, and discovered a DVT (deep vein thrombosis). They described it as a "long" clot that starts at the top of her thigh and extends down close to her knee.

Because of the shortness of breath she's been having, they are now concerned that she could also have another clot - in her lungs. Mom & Dad were waiting for a CT scan when we spoke on the phone a few minutes ago.

I think they are going to start her on Cumadin(sp?) to help bust up the clots. That med would have to be stopped for 10-12 hours before she can have surgery to drain the pleural effusions; so the pleurocentesis and pleuridesis are on hold for now.

She's Tired of Being Tired

In my last post I wrote that Cheryl had walked across the hospital for her appointment about her drain. Since then , she has been experiencing persistent calf pain. We don't know if she overdid it that day, if she was wearing the wrong type shoes or if her body is just not recovering normally. The heating pad and Ibuprofen seem to be helping.

She did take a walk out to the mailbox yesterday and she continues to walk around the house several times a day. There's no speed but at least she is moving. I'e had her volunteer to fold the towels after I've done the laundry a few times but the stretch to put them up on the shelf is still a challenge for her.

We had another video chat with Michelle, Jonas and Susannah yesterday morning. It is great to be able to see and hear the grandkids and to have a chance to interact with them in real time. Both kids are growing up so quickly. We look forward to their return visit in the next month or so.

For the past couple of days, Cheryl has been having bouts of nausea. There has been no significant change in her diet so we are puzzled as to the cause. The pancreatic drain site on her upper left abdomen has healed nicely so that is one less thing to be bothered with. We were hoping that Cheryl would be able to make it to church this morning but she doesn't feel up to getting out and staying up.

It looks as if her next outing will be for the six week follow up with Dr. Burke, the gynecologic oncologist that did her surgery. He will check her out and go over the plan of action for chemo and any other future treatment. Pray that the news we get is encouraging. Also, pray that this nausea and other annoyances will pass quickly.

Ding Dong the Drain is Gone

Good News. Today, five weeks post-op, they have finally removed Cheryl's pancreatic drain. They did a lab test on the drain fluid when we arrived at the doctor's office this afternoon to see if the amylase level was okay. Shortly before 5PM, the nurse came in and told her that they would remove the drain today. This is an answer to Cheryl's prayer. She was praying hard the entire time we were in the waiting room. She is so glad to be rid of the port, line and catch bottle and all of the accompanying leakage and bother. It will take a few days for the hole to heal but we can deal with applying sterile gauze pads a couple of times a day.

We were relieved to find out that the problems that we thought we were seeing with Cheryl's drain were actually signs that it was ready to come out. We're not the medical professionals yet but we are definitely learning a lot as we work through all of this.

Another praise for today. Cheryl walked all the way across the hospital to and from the doctor's office. Last week, when she went in about the fluid buildup (which is still there), I had to push her in a wheelchair because she was so tired.

Pray for continued healing and strength as we count down to next week's appointment.

Three Weeks Home- Drain Issues

Today marks three weeks that Cheryl has been home from the hospital. Over the weekend, Michelle got her new laptop and we were able to do a Skype video chat with her family. Susannah is now old enough that we can carry on quite a conversation. (Even if we're not real sure what all we talked about!) She was very entertaining and stayed online the whole time we were talking.

Cheryl is getting around the house pretty well now. She has folded a couple of loads of laundry and is now able to lean far enough over that she get her lunch from the refrigerator without assistance. Our long time friends Anne and Gail came by today for a nice visit with Cheryl and they did a wonderful job of cleaning and straightening up the house. They did find some dust and debris that I've missed on my quick run through cleaning.

Cheryl is still tiring relatively easy and having some trouble eating more than a small portion. Her pancreatic drain is oozing externally shortly after she eats and for the last several days, we have noticed what appears to be blood in the line and the fluid we discard. She called the doctor's office this morning and didn't get a return call until late this afternoon telling her to come in tomorrow so they can do lab work on the fluid to see what is going on. I will work tomorrow morning and we will head on back to Memorial Hospital after lunch. Both of our cars have the route memorized.

Continue to pray for this phase of her recovery and for strength to deal with the chemo regimen that we find out about next week.

Has it been a month already?

As I sat down to do today's post I realized that it has been a full month since Cheryl's surgery. July 20th seems so long ago. We do so appreciate the many folks that have called, sent cards and visited her at the hospital and at the house. I've grown fat off all the delicious meals that everyone has prepared for us. I'm concerned because my bride's arms and legs are still very thin even though her eating is close to normal.

While at the doctor on Monday they took a sample of the fluid from her pancreatic drain and checked the amylase level to make sure that the pancreas is healing properly. When the level has dropped low enough they will remove the drain. When Cheryl called the doctor's office today, the nurse told her that the level was still too high for them to safely remove the drain so it probably won't come out until her September 1st follow-up.

I didn't mention in my last post that when we got home from the hospital on Monday we discovered our air conditioner went on the fritz while we were out. Mr. Central was able to do a temporary repair late Tuesday afternoon and should be out some time tomorrow with the correct part. The heat was tough on her but thankfully we have ceiling fans in almost every room of the house and a couple of other fans that we could add for spot cooling.

Cheryl continues her usual daily routine that I covered the other day. Yesterday, she moved a load of clothes from the washer to the dryer before I could get to the laundry room. She is still letting me take care of the folding and hanging. I'll know she is better when she pulls out the ironing board again.

Treasure the moments you have together with the ones you love for no one has a promise of tomorrow. Continue to pray for Cheryl's strength and endurance.

Two Weeks Home

The week ended well. Cheryl had a nice visit from her sister Corinne and Aunt Gen. They drove down from North Carolina and spent some time with her on Friday and Saturday.

Cheryl is now able to get herself in and out of the bath tub safely and all I've needed to do is be on standby in the next room. She has also worked out getting dressed without assistance. She is still taking it easy but she is doing a bit more of bending and moving every day.

We've noticed a bit of a recurrence of the dry cough she had when the pleural effusion first began to give her problems back in June. This morning she woke up having some difficulty getting a full deep breath. She called the doctor's office as soon as they opened and we had to be in Savannah by noon.

As soon as we got an appointment time, I quickly put in for a sick day and left work at mid-morning. We headed back to the Anderson Cancer Institute at Memorial Health where she had a chest x-ray and an exam. The fluid in the pleural effusions is at about the same level it was before but they don't want to try and drain it at this time. The doctor is hoping that the chemo will slow down or stop the fluid buildup in the pleural cavity.

Please pray for ease of breathing until Cheryl gets into chemo and that it will be effective in controlling the effusions once it starts.

Thursday update

The days are going better for Cheryl. She has her routine down of getting up around 5 AM, taking her first medicine, resting a bit, eating breakfast, walk around the house, rest a bit, take a few phone calls, have lunch with a friend or neighbor that comes by to visit, rest a bit, walk around the house, rest a bit, talk on the phone again, rest a bit, walk around the house, rest a bit, greet me coming home from work, eat dinner, watch the news, get a bath, rest a bit, walk around the house, rest while watching TV, walk around the house, and finally head to bed by 10 PM.

Her pancreatic drain has slowed down. She is producing less than 10cc a day now, where a week ago we were draining out 30cc every 12 hours. Her incision is healing nicely and even most of the steri-strips have fallen off. For the last couple of days, she has been able to step in and out of the tub without me supporting or aiding her in any way except to be standing by if she needs me. At this point, she still needs a bit of assistance in drying her legs and getting dressed but as her flexibility and strength improve, I'm sure that she'll be independent in those things as well.

It has been really helpful to have the meals dropped by the house so all I have to do is load and run the dishwasher when we are finished eating and do a load or two of laundry each evening. A couple of ladies have been nice enough to even run the Swiffer around the den. I had been planning to pull out the leaf blower Saturday afternoon and blow everything that's not nailed down out the back door.

We continue to covet your prayers for recovery from the surgery, strength for the chemo to come and hope for a miracle of healing.

Home for a week

Last week, we were just getting home from the hospital about this time. Her pancreatic drain has slowed down and will hopefully be fully stopped when we return to the doctor September 1st. We've decided that her feet are back to normal and her balance and walking are greatly improved. You don't realize how much you lose when you are laid up for 13 days.

I went back to work today and enjoyed taking on some problems that I can solve. Cheryl did fine at home alone. She had several phone calls during the day and our neighbor Nikki came by at lunchtime and brought some soup that really impressed our somewhat picky eater.

Continue to pray that Cheryl will regain her strength and flexibility. I would really like to see her regain the weight she has lost and even put on some extra weight before she starts chemo next month. She is eating three meals a day and drinking Ensure but this seems to be only be enough for maintaining her present weight.

Days 4 & 5, Nearly Normal

Cheryl is doing much better this past couple of days. She is eating regular portions of her meals and has increased both her walking and breathing exercises. The edema in her legs is nearly gone, only her feet remain a bit swollen. Bending over is still a bit of a chore for Cheryl so getting dressed and ready for bathing is quite the undertaking.

Cheryl's attitude remains upbeat as we count down the days until her next appointment with the oncologist. All of the cards, calls, flowers and food have been greatly appreciated and remind us of how many lives Cheryl has touched over the years.

Next week, our church family and neighbors will take turns dropping in on Cheryl at lunch time so that I can go back to work. She will enjoy the visits and I can rest easy knowing that there will be plenty of folks to fuss over her needs in my absence.

I am so thankful for the support my boss, Dr. Patti Crane, my supervisor, Jeff Anderson and all of my co-workers have shown during these turbulent days. I'm sure that everyone has had plenty to do during the start up of school without the added responsibility of helping cover my share of the trouble tickets while I've been on nurse duty.

Days 2 & 3 Home

The last couple of days have gone well. The swelling in Cheryl's feet and legs has come down considerably. Her energy is increasing and she is getting around much better than when she first came home.

Cheryl's appetite is back to normal. She is eating three regular meals and drinking Ensure as a supplement. I was real pleased to find that she is not wanting her pain medicine nearly as frequently as before and is now considering what to take to bring down a slight fever.

I'm sure that getting back into a normal routine is contributing to her recovery. The house isn't too much of a wreck and I've been staying on top of the laundry so it doesn't pile up around us.

Cheryl is up to short visits and phone calls. If she is tired and doesn't feel like visiting, she will let you know. If you call and it goes to voice mail we'll try to call you back as soon as possible.

I appreciate Cindy Allen coming by yesterday afternoon so I could go into to town to take care of a few things and go to prayer meeting at church.

Keep praying for Cheryl's continued recovery and that the cancer that remains in her body will be controlled by the chemotherapy.

Day 1-- Settling in at home

Cheryl has had three regular meals plus an Ensure today. She really enjoyed the potato soup that Ms. Arleen brought by. Arleen is a three-time cancer survivor and such an encourager for us. She probably knows better than anyone what Cheryl is going through.

We were able to set a plastic chair in the shower that has an extra long hose on the nozzle and she was able to get cleaned up and actually washed her hair with water for the first time in two weeks. She has taken several walks around the house and several lengthy naps. I've taken care of Cheryl's remaining (pancreatic) drain three times since we came home and she hasn't complained about her care yet. We are trying to put her feet up when she is not walking around so the swelling will go down. The skin on her feet is showing some signs of cracking. I'll have to keep an eye on this to make sure that she doesn't get an infection.

I will be staying home with Cheryl for the rest of this week. Over the next several days we can begin coordinating with others to drop by and help her get lunch and check up on her during the day next week. If you call and go to voice mail, we are either talking with someone else or we might be attending to her needs. We will call back as soon as we are able.

Continue to pray for Cheryl to keep gaining strength and for the swelling in her legs and feet to subside.

Day 13- Finally going home

Cheryl has had a good day today. We walked this morning and she has been able to eat a bit more of her food at each meal. Dr. Burke stopped by on rounds this morning and agrees that she is ready to go home today. he did say that she will probably need to eat five small meals a day instead of three larger ones since her stomach has shrunk after this long off a normal diet. He also recommended that she drink several bottles of Ensure daily to help regain her strength.

There are still some details to finish before we go. Since her hemoglobin had dropped to 7 on this morning's blood work, she is receiving two units of blood this afternoon. Her TPN (IV feeding) bag has been removed and the nurse will be in later this afternoon to remove her staples.

Brandy the Nurse Navigator came by and discussed some of what to expect over the next few days and furnished us with written directions and contact numbers in case we have any questions. She did recommend that visitors should plan to limit their stay to 10 or 15 minutes until Cheryl has more energy.

Evening Update

The blood wasn't started until late afternoon so Cheryl wasn't finished with the two units until shortly before 8PM. I had already received her discharge prescriptions from the resident and he gave me a quick overview of recovery. While I was at the pharmacy on the hospital campus getting the prescriptions filled, the nurse came in and removed Cheryl's staples. We had another review of meds and precautions about heavy lifting and over-exertion and Cheryl signed a few papers and was released.

We arrived home around 9PM and have set her up a temporary nest on the couch.

Continue to pray that her body will finish healing from the surgery and that she will quickly regain her strength.

Is it Day 12 already???

I came in after church and found Cheryl awake and alert. Claire and Woody had come by to share the morning with her before returning home. Their days here have certainly been encouraging for Cheryl and me. It also let me have the hours I needed to recover from my stomach bug.

They were able to do the other pleurocentesis for Cheryl this morning. She has some mild pain from the procedure but it is lessening as the day goes by. Her breathing output is steadily improving. She is doing her breathing exercises more frequently and with much greater energy than before.

There is still a good bit of edema in her legs but the more she gets up and walks, the better off she will be. We did two walks today, a long one shortly after I arrived and a short one after dinner. Her speed is much better than it was a few days ago but nothing close to her usual burn up the sidewalk pace.

Her lower drain was removed this morning but she will be going home with the upper pancreatic drain in place. Yesterday's night nurse showed me how to empty and measure the catch bottle. She still has her staples in place but the incision appears to be healing nicely.

Cheryl appreciates the visitors, phone calls, cards and flowers that have brightened her day. If the last enzyme check on her pancreatic drain is where the doctor wants it to be, she should be discharged some time tomorrow.

Please continue to pray for her recovery in the weeks to come as we get ready for the next phase in this battle.

Day 11 Post Op- crossed wires

I gave Cheryl a call this morning around 9 AM and she told me that she did NOT have the pleurocentesis yesterday afternoon. I guess her pain meds and my NyQuil were on different wave lengths. While we were talking, they came in to let her know that she should be going down to the imaging center later this morning for the procedure.

Evening update.... Well, actually, Cheryl did have a pleurocentesis of her left lung cavity as previously reported. The procedure planned for today was to drain her right pleural cavity again. This is the same area that was initially drained June 24th and then was drained again during surgery on July 20th. Hopefully, third time will be the charm.

About mid-afternoon, the nurse came in and said that they would be unable to do the procedure today because they were too full. Since Cheryl is not in distress at present, she is a lower priority and will be taken care of tomorrow (Sunday). She has had nothing to eat since yesterday afternoon in anticipation of being taken care of today, so she was famished. When the cancellation for today was official, she was allowed to order her meal. She enjoyed about a third of a portion of grilled chicken, half of her macaroni and cheese and most of the little container of strawberry ice cream.

It appears that the swelling in her legs has gone down a good bit. She is still somewhat bloated in the abdomen. She is managing her pain with Roxocet liquid and she is almost to the redose point before she starts asking for it.

Cheryl had several visitors and all brought their share of cheer to her room. Claire and Woody have spent another day bringing encouragement. Her surprise visitors for today were Brown and Ginger Gaulden from SC. They ran the Christian Servicemen's Center where we met in Panama and Brown performed our wedding at the Fort Clayton Post Chapel. It was great to catch up on old times and swap grandchildren stories. They had a really huge impact on our early days of marriage and demonstrated how Christian love for one another can be a significant part of your ministry to others.

As it stands now, it still looks like Cheryl will coming home on Monday. Pray that she will be up to the transition off full-time nursing care to doing-the-best-I-know-how husband care.

Cheryl does want everyone to know that she has a definite sense that prayers are being raised on her behalf. Thanks from both of us.

Day 10, Night and Day Difference

I didn't make it to the hospital until early afternoon due to my fever and stomach bug but I was pleased to see Cheryl looking and acting much more chipper. Claire and Woody Reade had spent some of the morning with her and they had a good chance to visit.

Cheryl did her walk today, again without holding on to the IV pole. She ate almost the complete portion of macaroni and cheese and chocolate ice cream on her lunch tray. Shortly after I arrived, the nurse came in to draw blood for lab work prior to Cheryl receiving a bedside pleurocentesis. They planned to drain the effusion that has built up in her left lung cavity so she will be able to breathe easier.

During rounds this morning, she was told that it looks like she will probably be going home on Monday. Stand by for news and further developments on that front.

Since I wasn't feeling too hot, I went ahead and excused myself from the room. Just before I walked out, Cheryl asked me to give her a call later in the afternoon. This is the first time in the past week and a half that she has felt up to answering the phone for herself.

I gave her a call around 6:30 and we had a nice chat. They were able to drain the fluid successfully and she can already tell a difference in how deeply she can breathe. She wasn't allowed any dinner tonight just in case there were any problems or after effects from the procedure.

Please pray that her energy level will continue to climb and that I will get over my stomach bug quickly. I don't want to bring her home to a virus after all she has been through.

Mixed News on Day 9

I arrived at the hospital early this afternoon just as the physical therapist was coming in to take Cheryl for her only walk of the day. She was walking significantly faster than on previous days and at the PT's insistence she walked without holding on to the IV pole. We managed about 200 feet before she asked to return to the room. Unlike previous days where she sat up for an extended period after her walk, today she wanted to get straight back in bed complaining of being tired.

The edema in her legs and abdomen is worse than on previous days and she had to go back to the pressure cuffs on her lower legs. The support hose were removed because they feared she might have begun some oozing from her calves. As far as I could tell they is no sign of an open wound on either leg.

Between the fluid swelling and gas buildup in her abdomen, this was a very uncomfortable day. Every time one of the nursing or support staff came in she asked fro her Adavan (anti-anxiety med) and her pain pill. Her nurse Natasha noted that she would ask for pain meds and then fall back asleep from the Adavan so she delayed her until the pain became more intense. We had several episodes today where she was nearly incoherent from the combination.

Cheryl had several vistors that came by to brighten her day but none compared to the visit from Claire and Woody Reade. They were Cheryl's stand in parents in our wedding in Panama back in 1979. As we reminisced, I realized that I am now three years older than Woody was on that great day. They plan to spend a bit more time with Cheryl tomorrow and possibly Saturday before they head home.

Dr. Burke and a couple of residents came in to do rounds this afternoon around 6:30 and we had a bit of a chance to find out his prognosis of when she might be going home. Earlier, the transistion nurse came in and we got paperwork in order and signed for a walker just in case she is released some time between Friday and Sunday. After her afternoon exam and talking with her a bit, he said that she will definitely not be going home tomorrow but might possibly be up to a Saturday or Sunday departure.

They noted that she is having some difficulty getting a full breath and that her hemoglobin is back down to 9. The resident pulled out her chest x-ray report from overnight and pointed out that the radiologist says that she now has a pleural effusion under the left lung that is larger than the one she initally presented with in the right lung cavity. Dr. Burke will be prescribing something to reduce some of her fluid buildup. As he told us during the after surgery report, fluid buildup is a very common occurence in this type of diagnosis/surgery.

After he left the room, I caught him in the hall and asked about the biopsies from the tumors and tissue they had removed during the surgery. He told me that he had told Cheryl a couple of days ago, but she has no recollection of that visit. Both ovaries and all of the tumors from the pelvic region were positive for ovarian cancer. The spleen, which was initially diagnosed as surrounded but not involved, did in fact have a tumor larger than 2cm. He also said that they removed all of the pancreas except the neck and it too tested positive for cancer. Two of the four lymph nodes from the region of the spleen and pancreas were also positive. The tissue and the tumors from the diaphragm were also ovarian cancer. This all confirms the diagnosis of stage 4 ovarian cancer.

We talked a briefly about staging, prognosis and treatment plans but I'll wait until we have our formal appointment after her dicharge to fill in those blanks. I really appreciate the twelve hour days this man puts in week after week fighting this horrible disease and I know it must be extemly difficult stay upbeat on down days.

Cheryl is certainly a very sick lady. Please continue to pray for her strength to renew and for her to get up and walk and do her breathing treatments so she will be able to be discharged sooner than later.

I left the hospital with a stomach ache and slight fever and have come home and self-medicated so I won't be contagious tomorrow. Pray for me as well.

Day 8 Post Op

We've reached another milestone today. When I came in this morning, I immediately noticed that Cheryl's morphine pump has been removed. She used it through the night but was transitioned to oral pain meds before shift change. She is still experiencing pain in her right abdomen and has requested meds several times throughout the day.

We went for a brief walk of about 100 feet shortly after I arrived this morning. After lunch, she managed several hundred feet. I haven't got her to make a dash for the elevator yet so I guess she's not totally tired of this place yet. We are both looking forward to the day we can dress her up in her sock monkey pjs, bathrobe and slippers and take her home for recuperation in her own bed.

Eating is still some what of an issue as she feels bloated and says that she has no room to put anything. She did eat some cream of potato soup at both breakfast and lunch and managed to get down a spoonful of pudding at lunch. Jello and fruit juices still don't appeal to her. The nurse checked all four quadrants of her abdomen and said that there is definite evidence that everything is waking up.

We still haven't spoken with Dr. Burke. I did see the resident in the cafeteria at lunchtime and he said that they will be making rounds later this afternoon.

I'll post more later.

Has it already been a week????

What a week this has been. It is just before 8 PM and at this point last Tuesday, Cheryl still had another half hour of surgery to go through. This day brings good news.

I arrived a little before 6PM and was surprised to find Cheryl's bed empty. As I came further into the room I discovered that she was up and using the restroom. This has definitely been a day of milestones.

She has begun taking liquids and soft foods today. They have removed her NG (nasogsatric) tube and Foley catheter. She took several lengthy walks around the halls and sat up in the recliner several times as well. They have removed her compression leggings although she still has her support hose on. She has taken several phone calls while I was here.

I spoke briefly with the night nurse and she said that we might even be able to take a walk around the halls before I leave this evening. She still tires quickly and is a bit shaky on her feet.

The next two milestones she needs to reach are being able to stand and walk unassisted and be able to manage her pain with oral meds instead of the IV morphine. Pray that these will come in due time.

Day 6 Post Op Update

I worked a half day today but Michelle and the grandkids came up for a visit this morning. Jonas brought in his story Bible and read her the story about Adam and Eve and the Sneaky Snake with accompanying theatrics. This certainly brought a big smile to Grandmama as she has shared this with all of her afternoon visitors.



I arrived at about 2PM and was pleased to see her navigating a walker back into her room. The Physical Therapist said that she had walked about 160 feet today. He expects that she will walk further tomorrow or possibly do a second session. She has spent the afternoon sitting up in her recliner.

Cheryl's level of pain appears to be coming down and movement is much less tentative. On her afternoon vitals check, pulse is closer to normal at 127 and her BP is normal. She is running a low grade fever of 99.7. Her blood sugar is 92, which is the best we've seen in several days. We haven't spoken with the surgeon or the resident yet about when they expect to be able to send her home.

Praises for the day are her reduced pain level and her successful exercise. Lift prayers for continued strength and healing. Cheryl says that she can feel the prayers being lifted up for her, so keep them up.

Day 5 Post Op

Jason and Sharon came up and spent the morning with Cheryl. He sent a text to Michelle right at the end of our morning worship service telling her that the staff had Cheryl up for a walk down the hall today. This is another major milestone.
This afternoon she perked up for several visitors but I think her two GA girls, Toryn and Maria, did her the most good. She appreciates visits but does tire rather quickly.

Cheryl still has the NG tube in place but had no suction on it all day until around 5:30 this afternoon when she complained of a feeling of bloating. The volume is greatly reduced from previous days and is clear rather than the brown of bile. Her kidney output is improving and the fluid from the drains of the pancreas and colon resection are both improving. She remains NPO until they reevaluate whether her bowel/gastro system is waking back up. She did have a small sip of water to rinse her mouth.

She thinks the resident stopped in early this morning but can not recall if he told her anything about her condition. Kai, the day nurse, has commented that all of her indicators are good.

At her afternoon vitals check BP 146/79 and temp was down to 97.5, the nurse did not mention her pulse rate but to my non-medical touch it did appear to be slower than yesterday. She is still receiving a dose of Zosyn (antibiotic) every four hours. This may be what is bringing the fever under control. She is receiving a dose of Adavan every six hours to help her rest.

This is slow progress but at least it is progress. Keep her in your prayers for continued recovery and no further setbacks.

Day 4 Post Op

Michelle spent the morning with Cheryl while I got another several hours of grandkid loving in. Jason and Sharon came in shortly after lunch and I came back up around 1 PM.

Cheryl looks like she is feeling 100% better than yesterday. She alternates between lucidity and incoherence when her meds kick in. When she is awake, she is reasonably conversant. She did perk up for her visitors today.

This afternoon, the nurse bathed her and changed her bedding and gown. They used this time to get her sitting up in a chair about 45 minutes. In the nurse's opinion this was a major milestone and should help prepare her for standing and walking the halls with the Physical Therapist in the next few days.

Her oral temperature is slightly elevated and she feels very warm on her extremities. We are using cool cloths on her legs to help make her more comfortable. She continues to have the NG tube and is having occasional bouts with nausea. On her 5PM vitals check, pulse is 187, BP 146/91.

Thank you for your continued prayers, cards and visits. We look forward to getting Cheryl well enough to begin the next stage of her treatment in a few weeks.