First, Barbara is feeling a little better today, but still has some nausea and sores. She seemed to be doing pretty good this morning, but did get a little worse as the day wore on. Things are still not tasting right which is making trying to eat and drink that much more difficult. She tried to eat several things today, but nothing really tasted good to her.
The talk with the Oncologists went very well. He indicated that the CT did not show any new problems which is at least a positive sign. He indicated that the plan as far as they knew at this point would be to schedule surgery as soon as they can. Exactly when and what the surgery will be still needs the results of the EUS scheduled for tomorrow morning. It will be up to the surgeon exactly what to do and when but in his recent discussions with her, unless something unusual came out of the EUS or something else, that would be the plan. We will get the final decision and a lot more details when we meet with the surgeon next Tuesday.
In addition to the good results from the CT, the blood test they did for any additional Cancer markers in her blood came back negative which is also a good sign. Of course, none of this means that there are no other cancer cells anywhere else in her body, but at least they are a positive indication as opposed to finding something else. It is becoming clear that a lot of this whole process is testing and hoping you don't find anything new.
They also cleared out her port today and that went very well with no problems. The Oncologists also decided to do a test looking for a specific genetic defect that could be the reason for some of Barbara's reactions to the medications she was given as part of the Chemo.. The results of that test could greatly impact what they do for Chemo after surgery. It would be nice to know why she reacted the way she did, but if she has that specific genetic defect, it will limit which Chemo drugs they can use in the future. That test takes about a month, so we will not know anything about that until we meet with him again which should be about a month after the surgery is complete.
They also did some other basic blood tests today and found out that her creatine levels were high. This is an indication that her kidneys are not functioning as well as they should. He believes that this is likely because she has not been getting enough fluids for over a week now. They are strongly pushing her to drink as much water and other fluids as she possibly can (at least until midnight tonight when she stops for EUS tomorrow) and hopes that will take care of it. We will try to get them to give her extra fluids tomorrow through her IV while we are in Portland if possible.
Bottom line (my perspective) is that in general things are going pretty good considering everything, but this is really starting to wear on her (and us some). If she could start feeling better and be able to drink and eat somewhat normal for at least a few days, I think that would help a lot. Until her sores really clear up, that is going to be difficult. The Oncologist seemed to indicate that he thinks this could happen pretty quickly once they start to clear up which seemed like that could have started today.
Of course, she is worried about the surgery on one side (who wouldn't be), but also wants to get on with it so she can be closer to this being over. Coleen and I are pushing her to get the fluids in but also trying to be supportive and sometimes it is very difficult to reach the right balance. She is very sensitive with everything going on, but is really trying to do what is right and best for her. We are all trying to help her do that the best we can. Having Coleen here right now has been a big help to both of us.
Nothing else to report today (wasn't this enough for one day). I will let everyone know how the EUS goes tomorrow although we probably will not really know any results until next Tuesday when we meet with the surgeon.
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