Cheryl's chemotherapy session at the Lewis Cancer Center went well. Everything went according to plan, even though it was a little behind on the time. She began with an anti-nausea drug and then went on to receive Doxil and Gemzar. Her CBC (complete blood count) results were good and should help make any blood related problems such as low white or red cell counts from occurring too soon.
While there, she had the nurse/PA and doctor check out the wound from her pleurodesis procedure two weeks ago that has not finished healing. They consulted with Dr. Jones, the thoracic surgeon for his recommendation. They then cleaned it up a bit and prescribed an antibiotic and offered suggestions on care. If it hasn't finished healing by next week, Cheryl will need to go back to Dr. Jones for follow-up.
She returns for her next session of Gemzar next Thursday and at that appointment should receive her CA125 results from today.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
And It's Back To Chemo...
Insurance and scheduling have all come together and Cheryl will be starting back in chemotherapy at 11 AM Thursday at the Lewis Cancer Center at Candler Hospital in Savannah.. She will be under the care of Dr. Negrea, a general oncologist for this course.
According to the plan, she will be given anti-nausea medication and will then get a dose of Doxil followed by Gemzar. This will be followed in eight days by a repeat of the Gemzar. There will be a test of Cheryl's CA-125 level at the start of each 21 day cycle to verify the effectiveness of treatment.
http://www.doxil.com/
http://www.gemzar.com/Pages/index.aspx
On another note, the vascular surgeon's office called today and has scheduled Cheryl for an appointment next Tuesday to remove the venous filter they placed in her abdomen during her last hospital stay due to the clots in her pelvis.
Please be in prayer with us for the effectiveness of the drugs and Cheryl's safety and health through all of this.
According to the plan, she will be given anti-nausea medication and will then get a dose of Doxil followed by Gemzar. This will be followed in eight days by a repeat of the Gemzar. There will be a test of Cheryl's CA-125 level at the start of each 21 day cycle to verify the effectiveness of treatment.
http://www.doxil.com/
http://www.gemzar.com/Pages/index.aspx
On another note, the vascular surgeon's office called today and has scheduled Cheryl for an appointment next Tuesday to remove the venous filter they placed in her abdomen during her last hospital stay due to the clots in her pelvis.
Please be in prayer with us for the effectiveness of the drugs and Cheryl's safety and health through all of this.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Home At Last
We finally got Cheryl home shortly before lunch today. She rested well overnight and after we saw Dr. Horesh (vascular surgeon),she was cleared for release from the hospital and normal activity.
Next week brings another round of appointments and follow ups from this stay. She will also be seeing Dr. Negrea (oncologist) about getting her chemotherapy started as quickly as possible.
They will not be doing anything at this time to treat the large hernia in Cheryl's abdomen since getting back in to chemotherapy is the priority.
We want to thank everyone for the calls, cards, visits and prayers during this past week and we continue to covet your prayers in the weeks to come. As soon as we see how well the chemo is working, I'll make a new post.
Next week brings another round of appointments and follow ups from this stay. She will also be seeing Dr. Negrea (oncologist) about getting her chemotherapy started as quickly as possible.
They will not be doing anything at this time to treat the large hernia in Cheryl's abdomen since getting back in to chemotherapy is the priority.
We want to thank everyone for the calls, cards, visits and prayers during this past week and we continue to covet your prayers in the weeks to come. As soon as we see how well the chemo is working, I'll make a new post.
Friday, May 6, 2011
We Thought Cheryl Was Coming Home
Cheryl called me this morning while I was at work and let me know that Dr. Jones removed her drains and that she was being cleared to check out this afternoon. They removed her IV and said that they would be working on her paperwork. When I got to the hospital around 4:30, I stopped by the nurse's station to let them know that I'd arrived. At that point, they were still working on getting her chart closed out.
I carried Cheryl a set of clean clothes to the hospital so she quickly got cleaned up and changed and we sat on the bed, watching TV and waited for her discharge. During the evening news, the vascular surgeon walks in and asks us where Cheryl is going. Of course, we replied that we were waiting for her discharge paperwork.
He said that he was glad that he caught us before she checked out because in going over her abdominal and pelvic CAT scans, he discovered two blood clots in her pelvic area. He said that Cheryl needed to have a filter inserted to keep these clots from migrating to her heart. He further explained that she was in grave danger without the filter and than almost any sort of movement could dislodge them.
A few minutes later, a couple of nurses from the vascular surgery department came to Cheryl's room and whisked her down to their department to get the filter inserted. Since she is allergic to iodine contrast, they gave her a full dose of Prednisone, Benadryl and her painkiller at the same time. The filter was inserted through her right groin and she had to remain still and lie flat for two hours after it was over. After the procedure she stayed pretty loopy for over an hour.
The plan is now to release her tomorrow if nothing else shows up and have her return for a follow-up in a week and then in two weeks have the filter removed.
Please be praying that she has no further complications or events to disrupt her treatment.
I carried Cheryl a set of clean clothes to the hospital so she quickly got cleaned up and changed and we sat on the bed, watching TV and waited for her discharge. During the evening news, the vascular surgeon walks in and asks us where Cheryl is going. Of course, we replied that we were waiting for her discharge paperwork.
He said that he was glad that he caught us before she checked out because in going over her abdominal and pelvic CAT scans, he discovered two blood clots in her pelvic area. He said that Cheryl needed to have a filter inserted to keep these clots from migrating to her heart. He further explained that she was in grave danger without the filter and than almost any sort of movement could dislodge them.
A few minutes later, a couple of nurses from the vascular surgery department came to Cheryl's room and whisked her down to their department to get the filter inserted. Since she is allergic to iodine contrast, they gave her a full dose of Prednisone, Benadryl and her painkiller at the same time. The filter was inserted through her right groin and she had to remain still and lie flat for two hours after it was over. After the procedure she stayed pretty loopy for over an hour.
The plan is now to release her tomorrow if nothing else shows up and have her return for a follow-up in a week and then in two weeks have the filter removed.
Please be praying that she has no further complications or events to disrupt her treatment.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Still in the Hospital
Cheryl has had another good day at Memorial. Both of her chest drains continue to produce fluid but as the day progressed they have begun to taper off some. It will be up to Dr. Jones as to when the tube(s) come out. He told us before the procedure that she may go home with the smaller tube still in place.
One of the interns came in early and gave her the good news that her abdominal swelling is not due to a tumor but is a hernia. Dr. Burke came by later in the day to follow up on that info and to let her know that since her cancer activity is in her chest/lung area that she will not be a candidate for one of the clinical trials.
As soon as Dr. Jones (thoracic surgeon) clears her, Dr. Burke wants to get her started on chemotherapy. At this point he wants to try her on Gemzar and Doxil in an every 21 day regimen. She will go through a couple of rounds of these drugs and they will continue to monitor her CA125. It it drops, they will continue with these drugs until they get her into normal range and if it doesn't work, they will try different drugs to see if they can find something that will slow/stop it.
Continue to pray for healing from this procedure and for effectiveness in the chemo once it begins.
One of the interns came in early and gave her the good news that her abdominal swelling is not due to a tumor but is a hernia. Dr. Burke came by later in the day to follow up on that info and to let her know that since her cancer activity is in her chest/lung area that she will not be a candidate for one of the clinical trials.
As soon as Dr. Jones (thoracic surgeon) clears her, Dr. Burke wants to get her started on chemotherapy. At this point he wants to try her on Gemzar and Doxil in an every 21 day regimen. She will go through a couple of rounds of these drugs and they will continue to monitor her CA125. It it drops, they will continue with these drugs until they get her into normal range and if it doesn't work, they will try different drugs to see if they can find something that will slow/stop it.
Continue to pray for healing from this procedure and for effectiveness in the chemo once it begins.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Day Two Update
Cheryl has had a good day in the hospital. She had several visits and phone calls today, which all helped to perk her up. I arrived at the hospital after work this afternoon and found her to be in really good spirits.
Cheryl's chest drains are still producing a large amount of fluid and the Thoracic PA told her that it looks like she will be staying at least two more days. This is line with what Dr. Jones told me yesterday after completing the procedure.
She is fully lucid, even though she is experiencing some pain in her upper left chest and back area. This is most likely being caused by the talc producing the desired scarring. Cheryl does not like to be in pain so whenever it starts to build up she will call the nurse and ask for her next dose of pain reliever.
Cheryl is continuing to experience abdominal bloating. During the day, she was checked by an intern and resident that are studying under Dr. Burke. She also had a visit from him and they had a brief discussion about how we will know more of what we are facing after her scans and tests are complete.
A couple of months ago during a CT scan with contrast, she showed signs that she has developed an allergy to iodine. Because of this, she had to receive several doses of medicine beginning thirteen hours in advance of the CT to avoid a reaction. The CT scans were performed on her abdomen and pelvis this afternoon so Dr. Burke should have the results by tomorrow morning.
Continue to pray for a speedy recovery from this pleurodesis procedure so we can get on with the next round of the fight with this enemy we call ovarian cancer.
Cheryl's chest drains are still producing a large amount of fluid and the Thoracic PA told her that it looks like she will be staying at least two more days. This is line with what Dr. Jones told me yesterday after completing the procedure.
She is fully lucid, even though she is experiencing some pain in her upper left chest and back area. This is most likely being caused by the talc producing the desired scarring. Cheryl does not like to be in pain so whenever it starts to build up she will call the nurse and ask for her next dose of pain reliever.
Cheryl is continuing to experience abdominal bloating. During the day, she was checked by an intern and resident that are studying under Dr. Burke. She also had a visit from him and they had a brief discussion about how we will know more of what we are facing after her scans and tests are complete.
A couple of months ago during a CT scan with contrast, she showed signs that she has developed an allergy to iodine. Because of this, she had to receive several doses of medicine beginning thirteen hours in advance of the CT to avoid a reaction. The CT scans were performed on her abdomen and pelvis this afternoon so Dr. Burke should have the results by tomorrow morning.
Continue to pray for a speedy recovery from this pleurodesis procedure so we can get on with the next round of the fight with this enemy we call ovarian cancer.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Hospital Stay Underway
Cheryl went through the pleurodesis procedure this afternoon. We arrived before 9 AM and she went through a chest x-ray, CT scan and blood work before they hooked up her IV to get her ready for surgery. It was scheduled for noon but got pushed back to 1:15.
The actual procedure took about an hour and she spent two hours in recovery before before being transferred to a room. I had several folks from my Westside and First Baptist church families that spent most of the day with me while I waited.
I met with Dr. Jones while she was in recovery. He said that he drained about 750cc of fluid from her lung and he ran in the scope to see what is going on in her pleural cavity. There are a significant number of small tumors on her pleura (lung cavity lining) and a few spots on her lung. He did not perform any biopsies due to the risk with her being on Heparin (blood thinner). He said that there is not really any need to biopsy tissue since we already know that the diagnosis is (ovarian cancer recurrence). He put in two drain tubes, a large one which will come out in a day or two and a smaller one that she may go home with. Dr. Jones said that since the procedure went well, he hopes to have her go home in three days.
When she first arrived up on the fourth floor she was still a bit groggy and disoriented but after about fifteen or twenty minutes she was very lucid. Shortly before 7 PM she began experiencing some pain in her side and the nurse came and administered her pain meds. I read to her from I Corinthians 13-14 and she began to get very drowsy. I left around 7:30 and let her settle in for the night.
The pleurodesis did relieve her breathing difficulty for now but did not address the abdominal bloating she is experiencing. While she is hospitalized, the oncologist will schedule and review CT scans of her abdomen and peritoneum.
Pray that she will have a speedy recovery and that Dr. Burke will be able to come up with a regimen of chemotherapy that will be effective in this second fight.
The actual procedure took about an hour and she spent two hours in recovery before before being transferred to a room. I had several folks from my Westside and First Baptist church families that spent most of the day with me while I waited.
I met with Dr. Jones while she was in recovery. He said that he drained about 750cc of fluid from her lung and he ran in the scope to see what is going on in her pleural cavity. There are a significant number of small tumors on her pleura (lung cavity lining) and a few spots on her lung. He did not perform any biopsies due to the risk with her being on Heparin (blood thinner). He said that there is not really any need to biopsy tissue since we already know that the diagnosis is (ovarian cancer recurrence). He put in two drain tubes, a large one which will come out in a day or two and a smaller one that she may go home with. Dr. Jones said that since the procedure went well, he hopes to have her go home in three days.
When she first arrived up on the fourth floor she was still a bit groggy and disoriented but after about fifteen or twenty minutes she was very lucid. Shortly before 7 PM she began experiencing some pain in her side and the nurse came and administered her pain meds. I read to her from I Corinthians 13-14 and she began to get very drowsy. I left around 7:30 and let her settle in for the night.
The pleurodesis did relieve her breathing difficulty for now but did not address the abdominal bloating she is experiencing. While she is hospitalized, the oncologist will schedule and review CT scans of her abdomen and peritoneum.
Pray that she will have a speedy recovery and that Dr. Burke will be able to come up with a regimen of chemotherapy that will be effective in this second fight.
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