Update

I apologize for the long delay in posting. A lot has happened over the last three weeks, in the midst of which my visits to Mom have grown to long weekends and my third cold of the season came to roost in my chest. Here's a brief update, hopefully followed soon by more detail and pictures.

Mom's baseline ct taken before she resumed her Tarceva dose showed that the cancer has not progressed. Side effects of the Tarceva seem to be minimal. She has a little acne, which we were told to expect.

Not too sure about the Keppra. This medication was prescribed by the neurologist for her seizure-like symptoms. However, the episodes that briefly short-circuited her ability to walk or respond seem to have spread into an overall lack of coordination.

The cold I've had, and which Suzy shares, seems to have come from Mom. We're better, but Mom had a bad weekend of coughing. Although she has taken Bactrim regularly to help prevent urinary and bladder infection, this bug settled in.

We took Mom to Dr. Karkosak yesterday. He took two blood samples: one for infection, and one for her Keppra level (we didn't know we could have her blood tested for Keppra - makes sense). We'll have the results of the first sample this morning sometime. In the meantime, she stopped taking Bactrim immediately and began Levaquin, which is particularly good for pneumonia symptoms. We learned that since Mom is not taking steroids anymore, which supresses alergy symptoms, that the sulfur in the Bactrim may be the cause some recent bouts of itching.

The continuing undercurrent is Mom's difficulty with elimination. The last couple days her urine output has decreased. Suzy irrigated her catheter on Sunday, and Michelle from Vital Care changed the catheter last night, but her urine output is not keeping up with her intake. We're always pushing fluids as lovingly and firmly as we can; she usually tries to come up with a smart comment about it.

Mom needs everything done for her right now. She cannot stand up by herself; she usually needs two people to help her up. She gets confused easily. Sometimes she can read, and other times she can't make out the words. Although she has had her good moments, her condition over the last three weeks has declined. All except her sweetness and her smile.
Please pray for these things:

• Regaining of as much cognitive ability as possible
• Recovery from her chest congestion
• Accurate diagnosis of her elimination issues

Also, please pray for Suzy and the Wise family, for stamina, physical health and joy as they assist Mom with her needs.