Gamma Knife, Steroids and Chemo - Oh My!

Mom's brain tumor will be treated with Gamma Knife, not Cyberknife, at Mid-Michigan Medical Center in Midland, Michigan. Gamma Knife is the treatment her oncologist recommends for her brain tumor and it sounds very similar to Cyberknife. Midland is the closest of three locations in Michigan that have Gamma Knife. Her appointment is scheduled Monday, November 5, and Tuesday, November 6. Suzy will take Mom down on Monday and they'll spend the night in the hospital hotel. I plan to drive over from GR after work on Monday and to stay for the second part of her procedure on Tuesday. God only knows what adventures await us on a Monday night, in a hotel room, in a strange town...

At Mom's chemo appointment on October 16, she was informed that a new tumor was discovered on her spleen. As a result, her chemo formula will change; apparently, the cancer - which is aggressive - has adapted to the chemo she's been receiving since July. She gets her first shot of the new cocktail on November 13.

In the mean time, the steroids have had a great effect on Mom's alertness and on her appetite. She's gained several pounds since she began steroid medication on October 5. Steroids are amazing!

On October 18, Mom went to the ear, nose and throat doctor to discuss her dizziness. She was scheduled for balance therapy at her physical therapy office with the goal of giving her techniques to control her dizziness. The next step, if the balance therapy doesn't help, is to put tubes in her ears.

After the appointment with the doctor, Mom went to the audiologist to be fitted for hearing aids. This is a big step for Mom. She has postponed getting hearing aids for a long time. I know she'll feel they are worth the investment once she gets them.

Saturday, October 20, Bill and Pattie came with Cody, Jessy and Tyler, Tina and Mike came, Tami, Dan, Devon and Makayla came, Aunt Dorothy came, and cousin Roleen and her daughter Connie came. It was a nice visit with lots of conversation and lots of pictures.

Mom and Roleen

Mom with Bill and Pattie's family
Jessy and Jodi

Mom and Tami

Mom with Tina, Mike and Devon

I think she was saying cheese in that one. I could be wrong.

Mom and Dorothy

Friday, Suzy will take a bus load of teens to Lansing for a conference. Paul will hang out with Mom, and I'll get there late in the evening. Mom has been unmotivated in her crocheting, so I'll bring a little inspiration with me. Maybe we'll both get something done.

Cyberknife and Breakfast Tacos

Last Friday Mom received the results of the MRI she had on October 2. She has a new brain tumor, 7mm, near her right temple. There is swelling around the tumor, which may be causing some of her dizziness.

Mom also has mastoiditis. This also may be causing some of her dizziness.

There is a relatively new technology in radiation called Cyberknife surgery. Jan Darrow sent me information on it several months ago. Cyberknife focuses the radiation directly to the tumor without damaging surrounding tissue. There is Cyberknife equipment at St Joseph's Hospital in Ann Arbor, and I believe I read that Sparrow or some other hospital in southern Michigan just got the equipment. I've checked the Lacks Cancer Center website. Lacks is in Grand Rapids. It doesn't appear they have it yet, but I'm checking into it. Grand Rapids would be an ideal location for her treatment because I live within walking distance of two of our hospitals. In the mean time, Mom's oncologist will determine when it is safe for her to have radiation again.

Mom is taking a low dose of steroid for the swelling around the tumor, and she's on an antibiotic. She felt much better this weekend. She feels the steroid medication is really helping her. She's taking the news of the new tumor very well. She's just placing herself in the Lord's hands.

Mom had a good weekend. She slept in on Saturday, spent the early part of the day organizing her receipts and statements, then went with the family to Gaylord to shop. There was gorgeous fall color on the way there and back. We stopped at Walmart where she bought a new watch, a cereal bowl, and a big chocolate bar. She also bought yarn and a pattern book. She's going to try her hand at crocheting again.

On Sunday morning, Suzy made breakfast at the church before service - breakfast tacos. They were soooo good! Here's Mom just after breakfast with Olivia and Jodi.

Notice she's donning the panama hat again, accented by the airy shawl Suzy bought her Saturday night during our shopping pilgrimage to Gaylord.

Perception Is Everything

This post is going to be a little about Mom, a little about me, and a little about you.

Over the last few months I've made a lot of trips up north to spend time with Mom and with Suzy's family. I knew I wasn't pacing myself, but my determination to spend as much time with Mom as possible was stronger than my reasons to stay home. After going so far as to apply for a position in my field in the Boyne City area and not being chosen for the job, I took a long, deep breath and determined to work on balancing my life between Grand Rapids and Boyne.

One of the decisions I made was to get involved with our local Gilda's Club. My dear friend Janet who works for Gilda's Club told me about a class on chemo brain at Gilda's in September. I had never heard of chemo brain until I talked to Janet about my mother's healing process. This class was my first visit to Gilda's. I felt at home immediately.

I went to the class with several questions, and I left the class with two pages of notes and a folder full of information. Mom has always had a sharp, outspoken kind of humor. She's been known to say unusual things in mixed company that sometimes make us laugh and sometimes cause us to wonder...did she just say that? That's my Mom. However, for the last several months there have been times when her memory and concentration have been at a low ebb. I learned at this class that memory loss and lack of concentration are common symptoms of chemo brain. Other symptoms are fatigue, hyperfocus, impaired judgement.

This change in Mom isn't constant. But it does affect Mom, and it presents challenges when interacting with others who may not understand what is happening to her physiologically. The chemo is fighting the cancer, but it is also affecting her cognitive functioning.

Mom isn't very interested at this point in finding out anything about cancer and treatment symptoms. She has taken on the task of keeping a positive attitude which is best managed for her through knowing only what she needs to know - particularly God's power to heal and restore. There's nothing wrong with that. But for those of us who want more information, understanding that Mom's treatment produces side effects that may impact her perception of us and ours of her is important information to have.

There are some good articles online about chemo brain. I've found the articles below to be very helpful.
Seeking Solutions to Chemo Brain
The Fog & Fatigue of Chemo Brain
What is Chemo Brain?

Catch-Up

In the last episode our heroine was about to receive her ct scan results and her chemo. Her ct results were good - no liver damage. Also, her lung tumor shrunk a little more. Very good news. But there was a mix up regarding her chemo - they weren't planning to administer chemo until the 25th, and since it has to be ordered ahead they couldn't take care of it while she was there. So after another week Mom received dose number four.

Since she received the dose she has been very dizzy again. She doesn't like to, but she's been using her walker to get around, just in case she has a dizzy spell. Her concentration was a little off when I talked to her tonight on the phone. But she still has her sense of humor.

Tomorrow Mom is scheduled for another ct scan and an MRI. She gets a ct scan every six weeks, to coincide with every other dose of chemo, which is every three weeks. The last ct was to check the liver - not a routine scan. The MRI is to take a look at her brain again.

When I visited the weekend of 9/22 I hung up Mom's prayer quilt. Linda Darrow's church has a prayer quilt ministry and they made a lovely quilt for Mom last summer. It has been neatly folded in a corner for the last couple of months. We think it looks better on the wall.

On Sunday morning we went to church early for sweet rolls. Mom had a long john, her usual. That's the secret behind the smile, here with Jodi.

A Walk in the Park

Since my last post Mom has been busy.

She went for her fourth dose of chemo on September 5. Before the chemo they always run blood tests. Her blood test results showed she had elevated liver enzymes (AST & ALT). The increased protein in her blood could be an indication of liver damage. However, it could also be indicative of damage to her heart or brain; or, there could be no damage at all. To make certain that the chemo is not damaging her liver, her chemo was postponed and she was scheduled for a ct scan on September 12. Results are due tomorrow, September 19, and if all is well she will receive her chemo.

In other news, Mom had some jaw pain a few weeks ago and went to her dentist, Dr. Kirkby. Turns out she needed a root canal. The root canal could not be done until two weeks after her chemo. So, since her chemo was postponed she had her root canal done on September 7. The appointment went very well, even though they didn't give her morphine - which, as you may remember, she loves. Just kidding, Mom!

The Saturday after her root canal we spent most of the day alone. Paul, Suzy and the kids went to a youth rally in Tower, and Mom and I stayed back and watched old TV game shows. At dinner time we went to BC Pizza in town. We dined on a Patrolman's Deluxe and root beer, then went to cruise downtown. You can cruise Boyne City's downtown in about 47 seconds, except for the perpetual construction on the main drag. It hardly pays to complain; walking adds only another minute or so to the 47 seconds.

We decided to go to the park on Lake Charlevoix and to walk down to the water. There was a playground there so we headed for the merry-go-round. Mom told me to hop on first and she gave me a good push. Then she hopped on and I pushed us both for a while. It was a lot of fun. Mom got a little dizzy, but not too dizzy.

On Sunday morning we went to church, and Mom was surprised to see an old friend from Traverse that had just moved to Boyne. When I was a teenager, Bev used to pray for me and Mom used to pray for Bev's son. Mom was so happy to reconnect with Bev again.

We had so much fun that weekend that I forgot to take pictures. However, I do have a couple from late August. After church Suzy and the kids left for a camping trip up north, and Mom, Paul and I went to Lesters, a restaurant in town that has a caboose attached to it. The waitress took our picture.

She's not a professional photographer. But trust me, the silouette to the left is Mom. Here she is again. The waitress did not take this one.

Notice she sports yet another chic hat. This navy blue beauty has a nice wide brim that keeps her face completely shaded from the sun. It's a little big for her head though and not as comfortable as the straw hat and the panama.

Tomorrow Mom has her appointment to receive her ct scan results and subsequently her chemo. More then.

Home for a Visit

Mom had her third chemo dose on August 14. It went well, like the others, except for more dizziness than usual in the days following. In fact, she collapsed in her bathroom at one point and didn't tell Suzy about it until later. No injuries, but Suzy and Mom had a talk about the importance of asking for help. It's hard to ask for help, especially when we're pretty sure we can handle it. They went to the hospital on Friday the 17th in the late evening and returned home about 2:30 a.m. with a diagnosis of another urinary tract infection. She's cleared up now.

The weekend before Mom was feeling well and we went together to her house, next door to Suzy's. Mom hadn't been there since she moved in with Suzy in mid-April. While we sat in the livingroom, I mentioned that anytime I was up staying at her house she could stay with me if she wanted, just for a change of pace. She said, another first, that she should probably get used to sleeping there again in preparation for when she moves back for good. When.

She also said that she could probably move back now, except she didn't want to because she would be alone. There is always activity at the Wises', and whether she finds it entertaining or irritating it's lively, and that's good for her. So, although she isn't moving back any time soon, maybe we'll have a sleepover at her house every once in a while.

Here's Mom on her livingroom couch after church on Sunday the 12th, wearing yet another super chic hat.

Panama & Prayer

Mom is doing great. Really great. I told her yesterday she seems more like herself than she has since before her diagnosis, except without hair. And even the hair situation is improving.

Saturday she washed dishes. She took a couple of breaks to spare her back, but standing at a sink for a long time is hard on anyone. Saturday evening she folded clothes in the livingroom. Her physical therapist has worked household chores into her exercise homework, and it's working out beautifully. It gives her something productive to do with a visible result, and most importantly she gets to check a box on her homework sheet when she completes the task. Process oriented people like that sort of thing.

On Sunday we went to church. Mom wore a new panama hat. She was reluctant because the other hat had been working quite well for her. But she looked like summertime in it and she received a lot of compliments. Here she is, enjoying a before-service fritter with a friend from church, Margaret.

After song service Paul invited people to go forward for prayer. Normally I ask Mom if she wants to go up. But yesterday she turned to me, took my hand and said "Let's both go up together." Last Thursday I started having some chest pain that makes it very difficult to breathe deeply, cough, sneeze, laugh. So Mom wanted me to receive prayer. It was humbling to have my mom, who is battling cancer, lead me by the hand down the aisle so that I could be prayed for. I can't begin to describe how it made and makes me feel. I have the most amazing mom.