Snip Snip, Buzz Buzz

Well today was the day that we have all be awaiting and yet dreading as well... Patrick, Brian and I cut/shaved Mom's hair tonight-Shannon was going to come and help as well but she was really sick so she couldn't be there..

There were some tears-though not as many as we thought there would be-and many laughs... We took A LOT of pictures, so I have had to sort through them all and pick out the best ones... There are more to come still, as Mom needs to send me the ones from her camera. So here they are!!!
What was left of Mom's hair before we cut it

The first cut-I highly recommend using SHARP scissors to cut hair...

....Getting there...

Almost done trimming it

There, done trimming

Patrick doing the first buzz



Patrick CLEARLY was not destined to be a barber



Almost done buzzing it



Last one...

All buzzed!!

AHHH nice warm towel...

BRRRR

WHOA that's cold!!



Partially shaved



Who said sleeping was allowed??

This razor isn't working very well....

Time for a new one

Mom's scalp looks a lot worse than it was...


Getting those last few strands


I'm pretty sure this was a "get the hair out of my face" look

Some tears after it was done

Brian rubbing Mom's head to see if a genie would appear

Here are some of Mom's head coverings:

Mom's Pink knitted cap

The Brown velvet

This one was just awful...

Mom being a goof!!

There's No Place Like Home

Finally the news we have all been waiting for-Mom is headed home today!!! She had the option to stay one more night and leave tomorrow morning or head home today-she chose the latter... The last I heard, she was just waiting for Patrick to pick her up as Brian was in a meeting. I will update more as I know more...

And We Have Lift Off....

OK, well maybe not lift off but we have a jump in numbers!!! Mom's counts went from being 0.8 yesterday morning to 1.6 today :)... They took the IV out of Mom's hand (finally, as she put it) and they are going to put her on an oral antibiotic to help prevent any further infections...I know some of you are probably wondering what Mom's numbers need to be at in order for her to be discharged, and the answer to that is 1.0 or higher. So Mom should be going home either tomorrow or Wednesday. Mom is hoping for sooner for more than one reason... We have planned that on Thursday-Shannon, Patrick and I are going to shave Mom's hair. However, Mom told me today that she's not sure there will be that much hair left by then as she has been pulling handfuls out. Regardless of what happens, we will all be there with her and for her!!! :-D

A Bit of a Change :)

Just a quick update here... went and saw Mom again today and her blood count is slowly starting to come back up... When she first went into the hospital on Tuesday her white blood count was at 0.2-it is now up to 0.8. Now I know that that may not seem like THAT much of a change but every little bit helps!!! So right now we are hoping that the count will go up over night and that it is up high enough tomorrow so that Mom can go home. However, Mom said tonight that as much as she really, REALLY wants to go home, if Dr. Pansegrau feels like Mom should stay another night then she won't argue that at all. Oh, and Mom's temperature was 37.6C when they took it this evening which is good news... It means the fever is going away!!!!

Let's all hope for higher numbers tomorrow!!!

Not a Whole Lot of Change

Well, there hasn't been a whole lot of change with Mom. Her temperature has come down a bit which is good-this means they are only doing blood cultures once a day unless her temp goes over 38.1C. Her blood counts are still exactly the same, which isn't good... The Dr. was hoping there would be some kind of change in them but they are still at the same level they were on Tuesday night. So at this point that means that Mom will be in the hospital until AT LEAST Monday-not really what Mom wants to do but . . .

Shannon went to visit Mom today and got some pictures of her :). They took a walk down to the cafeteria so Mom could get a bit of a stretch. Hence the reason for the oh so sexy mask ;). Enjoy...

" Mom's outdoor look for this season's chemo couture fashion. "
















Mom & Shannon on their walk
















Back in Mom's room

Mom is her new PJ's

just a quickie...

I spoke with my Mom a little while ago and she gave me a bit of an update on how she's doing... Her temperature went back up again today to 39C but has since dropped down to 38C. They are taking blood cultures twice a day now to monitor her blood counts. She's been given meds for her headaches as well as for a cold sore. Mom said that she is constantly tired now and has been resting a bit... Her hair has also started coming out, so once she is out of the hospital we will be shaving it. Dr. Pansegrau came by to see how she was doing today and said that he is hoping this will just be a one time thing with her reacting to the chemo drug. They are going to go ahead with the next scheduled chemo treatment on Oct 1 and will see what happens with that one. If Mom has the same reaction she has now, they will try lowering her dosage and see if that helps. Mom said she should be heading home on or around Sunday. Will keep you all updated as I find out more.

Mom's Room

OK, so Mom has a room now...

On Tuesday night (around midnight) they moved Mom from the ER isolation room to the Pediatrics isolation ward, and then at around 1:30am they moved her again to her current room. She is up in the Oncology ward in the North Building, floor 5-Unit N51 Room 5. She is up for visitors, though she does get tired pretty quickly.

Dr. Pansegrau came to see Mom yesterday while Shannon and I were visiting her and he gave a quick update as to what we can expect. Mom's white blood count it still low and will be for a few more days. Dr. P told us that Mom will more than likely be in the hospital for about 3-4 days (maybe more, maybe less, depending on her counts and how she is feeling). The good news is that Mom's temperature dropped down to 37.7C which is MUCH better.

We have since found out that visitors do not need to be gowned/masked/gloved during visits. But still no "sickies" please.

Admitted

OK so here is the full update....

Mom has been admitted into the hospital (she is at Surrey Memorial Hospital)... As I had mentioned in the last post, Mom's fever was 38.8C and when they had last taken it, it was up to 39.4C. Mom didn't mention a whole lot about what the infection IS but she did say that her white blood count is EXTREMELY low. The hospital was paging the oncologist on-call when Mom called me. Mom is currently in an isolation room in the ER while they wait for a bed to be ready for her. She will be up on the 5th floor but no room number yet. I am not sure on the visitors part yet, but what I do know is that anyone that does come up to see her CANNOT be sick and must be gowned, gloved and masked to prevent any further infection. Once I know more about a room and visitors I will post it on here.

Unexpected tests...

Hey guys,

So just wanted to pop on here quickly and update you all on what's going on. Mom is currently in the hospital having a bunch of tests run as she has a high fever of 38.8C. So they are running some blood work and a urine test to try and figure out what's going on. They know it is an infection of some sort, but they are just trying to pinpoint WHERE exactly it is coming from so they can try and treat it. That's about all I know right now, I will update a bit more once I have more information.

FOR FRIENDS AND FAMILY

Just something I found on a great website - and it does explain some feelings that I have within me. I am not trying to be negative - just realistic!!! And remember, I love you all.....

If I should lose my hair because of my treatments,
PLEASE DON’T say “It’s only hair” or “But you have
such a beautiful face”. My hair is a part of my identity,
my sexuality, my feelings of who I am as a woman. It’s
a part of me.

PLEASE DO say “I’m so sorry that you have to go through
this”, or I can’t know how you’re feeling, but I’m here to
listen if you need me.”

REMEMBER I am not only losing my hair, I’m also afraid
and fighting for my life. My hair is just the outside expression of what is going on inside my body, and I’m reminded of it every time I look in a mirror.

If I should express anger or depression, PLEASE DON’T say “You have to stay positive” or “Let’s talk about the good things in your life”. Accept that I ‘m afraid, lonely, anxious and in pain. I NEED to let these feelings out.

PLEASE DO show me you are willing to listen. Don’t feel you have to “fix it”. Don’t worry about saying the “right” thing, it’s ok to tell me you don’t know what to say .

REMEMBER no matter how supportive you are, my feelings don’t disappear when I hang up the phone. Call again tomorrow to see how I’m doing, or drop a card in the mail to say you’re thinking of me.


If I say I’m tired, PLEASE DON’T say “Who isn’t tired?” The tiredness I feel from my treatments goes beyond fatigue.

PLEASE DO ask “How can I help?” or “I made an extra tray of baked ziti? When can I drop it off”.

REMEMBER I still have to do the same housecleaning, grocery shopping, laundry, that you do, while being physically, emotionally, and financially exhausted.


If I need to talk about the possibility of my own death, PLEASE DON’T say “Stop talking like that” or “Everyone’s going to die. I could get hit by a bus tomorrow”. The only way you can compare getting hit by a bus and going through treatments for cancer is if when the bus hit you, it dragged you around for five years before you died.

PLEASE DO listen to my fears. Just listen and let me know you’re there for me. I know how important is is to be positive, but sometimes I just need to cry, scream and talk about how unfair life is.

REMEMBER, I am on chemicals that are poisons. My hormones and emotions, my body, my plans for the future, my activity level, my finances and friendships have all been affected by cancer.


PLEASE DON’T tell me cancer is a blessing or a gift. If cancer were a gift, I would have asked for the receipt a long time ago, and returned it! Many gifts and blessings in life come from experience, but please don’t give cancer credit for that.
Cancer is the challenge.
Strength, courage, hope and determination are the blessings.
Your friendship, support and understanding are the gifts.


REMEMBER above all else, cancer has not only affected me. It has affected
you, too. And just as I have asked you to be there for me, I promise to do
what I can to be there for you.

Lots of love
Roni

Chemo-round1

Well Mom had her first round of chemo at 10am this morning. Brian and I went with her to keep her company and to help her with anything she needed while she was hooked up. The nurse Mom had-I think her name was Tracey-was amazing!!! She went through everything very thoroughly and explained all the different side effects Mom can expect and when to call/go to the ER and all that stuff. We were there for about an hour and a half and everything went very smoothly. So far Mom is feeling alright, though her arm was bothering her a bit this afternoon-nothing a heating pad couldn't fix though ;). Mom goes in on Sept. 30 to get some blood work done to make sure her blood counts are up and then goes in for round 2 of chemo on or around Oct. 1. This picture is from earlier today during the chemo (we are going to try and get a picture at each round). Well I think that's about it for now.

Scans, Drugs and Chemo!

Hi everyone

Yep - it is me again! Figured I would do this one seeing as it is all in my head at the moment - and the fact that Meghan has a ton of homework to do!

I went to the Look Good Feel Better program this morning - what a hoot! Way more fun then when I did it 7 years ago! The cancer patients were so great and lots of fun. The instructors were also a lot of fun! My friend Kim came with me - and she will have to remember how to do some of the funky head covering stuff! The makeup is pretty general - we all know how to put it on.... and it is even more interesting as a lot of the donated makeup is stuff you have not used. I got some great products - Mac, Avon, Estee Lauder, CoverGirl, Mary Kay and those are only the ones I can think of off the top of my head! But all the women in the group looked beautiful after the makeup applications - actually, we looked beautiful beforehand as well! Then it was on to wigs - well we had fun - there were wigs being passed around, tried on and laughed at. One of the gals, who has a beautiful wig on that looked so natural said, if you bake - be careful - LOL - the synthetic wigs will frizzle - same goes for the bbq! Good advice. Then they went onto general head coverings and how to apply them to look good!

The best one was how to make a head covering out of a pair of spandex capris - stop laughing - mind you, we all laughed too. How can a pair of pants look good on your head? I may just have to get a pair (a youths) and do it and get a picture on here - it looked so good on the mannequin and easy to do! Now what I want to know, who thought a pair of pants would look great on a woman's head?

Then it was off for blood work - they took 6 tubes today - but that is OK, I am now good for another three weeks.

Brian met up with me at the clinic and we went to see Dr. P. He said the bone scan came back OK, that there had been a rib injury at some point - and I know I never broke a rib. Maybe when I was coughing and barking a lot before surgery did some damage. Not sure if this was from the bone scan or the ct scan, but there was something showing on the upper breast bone. Dr. P. said that they are not concerned about it, that is was not cancer - that was a relief. He then gave me the Rx for the two drugs I needed to purchase - Dexamethasone - this will look after nausea, fluid retention and allergic reactions. I take 4 pills the day before the chemo, two the morning of chemo and two in then evening and then 4 the next day. He also gave me another one for nausea and only if I need it - Metoclop - hopefully I will be one of the lucky ones that won't need it.

I go for the chemo on September 10 at 10am. Takes about one and a half hours to get the medication into my system. The first session will take longer, as they also teach you some stuff that wasn't taught at the Chemo Teach session. Brian will come in with me for this and Meghan will come and meet us at the clinic and come home with me - Brian doesn't want me alone the first day - in case of any reactions. And then the next cycle is October 1st and I will see Dr. P the day before to see how I am doing and to also do the bloodwork again.

Once I have done three cycles, then I will have a ct scan to see how the tumors are shrinking and because if is just a regular scan, no contrast dye will be needed - wahoooo! And this will give the oncologist a good idea as to how the drugs are doing. And they will do one again at the end of cycle 6.

So, the roller coaster ride is about to begin! Have had two people offer to make some meals (subtle, aren't I!!) and one is coming tomorrow and the other on Saturday - thank you to both of these very special people!!

There may be a post later this week - shall just have to wait and see!!!

Ciao for now.....

Roni

No Clinical Trial

Hi Everyone

Well, I just got a call from my onclogist - I have been rejected from the clinical trial because of my heart. I have a left bundle branch block - which we knew about going into this. The trial drug can cause some serious heart problems and as such, they said best for me not to be in the trial.

I am disappointed to say the least - would have been nice to help others down the line and it could have helped me as well.

My chemo still starts on the 10th. I am not sure if I am still on the every three week program or if that changes to weekly - guess will find out. I have to go and see Dr. P on Monday to get my scripts for the two drugs I need to take. And our lovely provincial government does not cover them - they are supplemental. So will land paying for these. Will only need 6 at this time of the anti-nausea drugs and 18 of the anti-allergy drugs.

Hope you all have been enjoying the wig blog - it was a lot of fun and man, there are some bad wigs out there - they looked ok on the heads but when they were put on my head - yech!

All for now...and there will be more later!!!

Roni

Are You Ready For The Wig Show?

Well this afternoon, Mom, Ryan and I went down to the Vancouver Cancer Clinic to find a wig for Mom. After trying several on and having MANY laughs, Mom found one. I brought along my camera to take pictures of each one that she tried on-the good, the bad, and the REALLY ugly!!!! So here you go-enjoy!!! I apologize for my flash in some of the pictures.

Wig #1- a bit too short and ummm well... ya it didn't work


Wig #2- A bit longer but too '90's ish crimpy looking


Wig #3- Oh the things that were wrong with this one....





Wig #4- WAY too blonde


Wig #5- Again too blonde and too hmm something else..


Wig # 6- Mom rocking the long locks... yep that one stayed there too...


Wig #7-Ryan LOVED this one- we vetoed that for obvious reasons.... A mullet is NEVER good!!



Mom trying to figure which way's up??



Wig #8-Cleopatra anyone??


Wig #9- Oh boy, where to begin... Shaggy dog or Bozo the Clown??


Wig #10-the Jill Taylor (remember the show Home Improvement??)


Wig #11-the Blonde Jill Taylor...

Wig #12-The Mid-length Elvira...


Wig #13-The Long Elvira


Wig #14-The long shaggy look... not working...


Wig #15-hmmm ya this just didn't work...


Wig #16-There are NO words to describe this...

AND THE WINNER IS:

The Jill Taylor!!!!

Sorry no pink wigs yet... Mom will have to go to a costume store to find one-good thing Halloween is coming up!!!!