Friday, November 24, 2011

What a Day!

Today Mom was not feeling well at all.  She didn't want to move off the couch for anything.  She was feeling bloated and was having a lot of abdominal cramping which was getting quite painful.  She was also very nauseated and was vomiting.  Not a fun day for her.  We called the nurse line again and they wanted to see her in the ER at the University of Utah Hospital.  So off we went.

Well, it was a busy night at the U of U Hospital ER, they wanted to get Mom into a room right away however the only room available was.....  wait for it...............the suicide watch room!  The nurse says as they wheel her in, "sorry this is a rather bare room".  LOL!!!  We just had to take pictures of it.

Everything was under lock and key!  The metal box above Mom's head is where the oxygen, air and suction valves are.  No TV,  nothing more than a sink in the other corner and a video camera.  

All electrical outlets have metal plates with a lock on them and they had to call security to come and unlock them to plug her IV pump in.

There were restraints on the bed. 

Scratches on the window.

Mom still has a smile on her face.  Even with the vampire at her side.  Now no one finds the subject of suicide as humorous, but we did find the situation of Mom being in the suicide watch room humorous as that is the last thing on her mind. 

After she got some IV fluids in and some meds, she was feeling a little better.  Jill, Doug, Jeff and I were all up there with her.  We were able to have some really good laughs together.  That's always a good thing!

They did an X-ray to rule out a bowel obstruction and found that she has a new small tumor on her right femur bone that wasn't there last month.  We will follow up on that Monday with her oncologist to see what needs to be done.

The ER docs were able to take care of Mom and get her feeling better.  She got home about 2 am this morning and slept for about 3 hours.  Mom called at about 9:00 this morning and was sore but still better than she was yesterday.  She was tired and just wanted to rest.  Dad has called since and said she has been sleeping very soundly for most of the day.  I am so glad.  She really needs the rest.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Chemo Day

No matter what happens, Mom always greets each day with a big smile and lots of optimism.  She is an inspiration to us all!

That one hurt!

Temsirolimus is sensitive to light so they have to put a dark brown bag over it when it's hung.

It was cold today so we bundled Mom up in warm blankets and she had a nice little nap.

It cold out today, but nice and clear, so you have a nice clear view outside of the valley and the Oquirrh Mountains.

Mom has had more confusion this week.  So I called the nurse line and they put her back on steroids and ordered some labs to be done.  One of the tests showed that she has a urinary tract infection.  So they have her on some strong antibiotics to treat that.  Sometimes an infection can cause some confusion.  So we are hoping the confusion will resolve with the UTI.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Moving Day!

Mom and Dad were able to find a cute little apartment  just down the road from us that they can rent monthly while they are here and feel well enough to be on their own.  It's very nice and comes fully furnished, with a weekly maid service that cleans for them.  

Tai and Anthony with Grandma in her new apartment.

My kids all had a great time helping Grandpa bring in all their things from the van.  We helped them get everything moved in and unpacked.  Grandpa even remembered to bring some little Christmas trees from home for the fireplace.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

First Chemo Day

Mom is being treated with a drug called Temsirolimus.  It is a newer form of chemo drugs often referred to as bio-meds.  They are kind of a high tech form of chemo drugs that are biologically targeted toward her type of cancer.  One of the benefits of this form of chemo is that they have fewer side effects.

In the above picture they have her arms wrapped in warm blankets to help them get an IV into a good vein.

 Mom gets to have her infusions in the brand new infusion room at Huntsman.  This part of the hospital was dedicated on her birthday.

e

Each section has its own LCD screen TV as well as a beautiful view of the Salt Lake Valley.

Looking at the original section of Huntsman from the new section. 

 

 

A local company that makes headphones called "Skull Candy" has donated these really nice headphones to all the new cancer patients receiving chemo therapy.

Mom did really well with her first infusion.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

When Mom got back from her trip to Illinois, her hair was getting to her.  So she had me shave it all off.  When she was at the airport, a young man was pushing her in a wheel chair.  She had a hat on and there was hair all over her coat.  The young man asked if she had cats.  Mom laughed and said she couldn't blame that on the cats.

Sunday, Nov. 13, 2011

Thanksgiving Comes Early!

We were concerned that if Mom didn't get home now, she might not be able to go home again until after the holidays, as she flies standby through Delta.  During the holiday season it's much harder to find open flights.  So since she was feeling well enough to make the trip, we all thought it was a good time.  

After Mom got home, my sister-in-law Donna thought it would be fun to have an early Thanksgiving today with Mom and all the Illinois family.  They made assignments so that Mom and Dad could just relax and enjoy the day.  I am so grateful that they decided to do this as I know it really meant a lot to Mom.  There just isn't anything like having your loved ones rally around you!  You are the best!

Here are some of the pictures they took of the day.

Dave and Mom

Jodi and Mom

Chris, Adam, Mom, Jeff,  Josh, and Dave

Carla, Kristin, Mom, Jodi, Katie, Katelyn, and Donna

Dad and Mom

Josh, Anthony, Jodi, Mom, and Katelyn

Jeff, Donna, and Mom

Kristin, Chris, Katelyn, Katie, and Mom

Carla, Adam, and Mom

Little Josh and Mom

Josh and Mom

Josh and Anthony

Anthony, Dave, and Josh

 

Friday, November 11, 2011

Since Mom was feeling well enough to do so, Jill got her a flight to go home for a long weekend before she starts her bio-med therapy.  She had a good flight and made it home safely.  She will be in Peoria this weekend and return to Utah on Tuesday.

She has commented on how nice it has been to see everyone again.  Thank you to everyone who has taken time to go and see her.  It means so very much!

Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011

This is a big day!  Mom finishes her last radiation treatment for her brain!  It's a big step and she has done remarkably well.  I know of many others who were much more drained and tired at this point in their treatment.  But Mom has been quite the trooper!  She never fails to have that beautiful smile on her face and always a kind and positive word to say.  We feel so very blessed to have her here with us!

Several months ago, Richard and Kaylee Heyder (Jeff and Donna's youngest son and daughter-in-law) planned a trip to Illinois to visit Grandma & Grandpa as well as Jeff and Donna and the rest of the clan.  Then right before they left for Illinois Grandma and Grandpa came out here to Utah for treatment.  So today they are flying into Salt Lake Airport, then driving on home to Idaho.  We wanted to make sure they got to visit for a while so we picked them up from the airport.  Mom needed to be up at Huntsman soon after their flight got in, so we took Richard, Kaylee and their cute little boy Calvin up to Huntsman with us.

Mom's treatment is only about 10 minutes from start to finish. When she was done she was holding this certificate as well as a soft blue blanket the nurses gave her as a gift for completing radiation treatment.  It was really sweet.

Since it was lunch time and Mom and Dad love the food at Huntsman, we went upstairs to the Bistro for lunch.  They hire chefs to prepare the food there not just cooks.  We haven't had anything that wasn't great there.  There are beautiful views of the mountains and the city from up there too.

We all had a nice visit over great food.  

 One of the cashiers saw us pushing some tables over and came to help us.  He was so nice.  He asked if they kids had gotten a treat while they were there, then went and got them all ice cream cups.  They loved that!

Calvin got every last bite!

But not before he gave his Dad a bite too.

Soon it was time to get Richard and Kaylee back so they could drive on home to Idaho.  It's always great to visit with them.  Wish they could have stayed a bit longer, but didn't want them to get home too late.

 Kaylee, Mom, and Richard

Kaylee, Jill, Mom, and Richard

It was a great day!