Friday the 29th of February

Mom was not able to receive a full treatment yesterday because her biliruben count was still to high. The big concern now is that there is nothing major effecting this count. Mom will go for an ultrasound today at Pottsville hospital. Our hope is that there is nothing major affecting this count and that whatever is causing the biliruben count to rise is correctable.

On a more positive note mom's weight continues to move in the right direction. Yesterday she weighed 96 pounds (some of that weight is due to fluid retention.) Also her tumor markers have continued to drop.

Tuesday the 26th of February

Mom will head down to Philadelphia for another chemotherapy appointment Thursday at 10:00. Mom's blood tests are very important this week. If her biliruben dropped she can receive a full treatment putting her back on a 21 day cycle. If her tests are not sufficient she will receive a gemsar treatment. Please pray for this important appointment.

Friday the 22nd of February

Unfortunately mom was not able to get her full treatment last week due to high biliruben counts. Dr. Mitchell decided to give her a gemsar treatment every week until her liver levels are ok enough for her to recieve the full treatment. Mom's chemotherapy includes three drugs. Two of them were administered this past Thursday. If mom's liver values are appropriate she will receive a full treatment this coming Thursday and go back on a 21 day cycle. If her biliruben is still high she will continue on weekly gemsar treatments until the full treatment can be continued.

Thursday the 21th of February

Thank you all for your prayers and support. I just received word from my father from Thomas Jefferson. The new MRI did not show an increased size in the mass they were concerned about in mom's shoulder. Infact the MRI did not show anything more than the previous MRI(that is a good thing). This means that the mass will most likely not require any other form of treatment. Mom's weight was up 2 pounds and her blood work was ok so she is receiving her second treatment as I type this. During her first treatment her tumor activity reading from her blood work was consitantly dropping, during the second treatment it rose significantly. The test performed this week indicates that the tumor activity level is again headed in the right direction.

*Updated Correction: Previously I mentioned, as was reported to me, that the mass was not causing the problems with mom's right hand. This was not correct. The mass is contributing to the problems with mom's hand. But because the mass was not as severe as they feared no additional drugs will be added to mom's current treatment. The doctor said that, in time, as the treatment works, the symptoms in mom's hand will fade. Sorry for the mis-information earlier.

Tuesday the 19th of February

Tomorrow mom will head back down to Thomas Jefferson for another more specific MRI. The MRI will begin at 3:30 and will likely last 2 hours. Mom is anxious not only about the test itself but also about the results. Thursday mom will have her 2nd chemotherapy treatment if the blood work allows. Please continue to pray for mom as she continues to fight this disease. The next few days will be stressful so please also pray for her to be able to rest and have some peace.

Thursday the 14th of February

Mom had her appointment with our doctor at Thomas Jefferson today. In spite of some bad news the appointment was a positive one. The unfortunate news is that they suspect there is a new tumor on the bone of mom's right shoulder. They are going to take another, more specific MRI, next Wed. to confirm and to decide what the appropriate course of action will be in dealing with this specific challenge. The most likely course of action will be the addition of a new medication that would specifically attack the cancer on the bone. The doctor told mom that she thought she looked better. The 2nd cancer treatment is scheduled for next Thursday and our hope and prayer is that as we get into the new treatment a few weeks that we will start to send the cancer into remission. The fighting spirit her boys inherited and, unfortunately, often misused is needed now more than ever. Please pray for and encourage this fighting spirit in mom. Thank you for your continued love and support.

Monday the 11th of February

Today mom is heading to Thomas Jefferson for an MRI on her neck and right shoulder. For the past few weeks mom has had a significant decrease in the use of her right arm. Her arm feels numb but and she has trouble using her right hand. Mom has been trying to do some exercises to increase the use of her hand but they do not seem to be helping. Our hope is that today's MRI offers us a simple and not very serious solution to this challenge. Please pray for the MRI that it would give some insight into the problem mom has had with her right arm. Please also continue to pray for mom's healing. She could really use you encouragement right now. Thank you for already playing a huge part in our lives.