Category Archives: cancer battle

by | February 9, 2012 · 11:12 pm

Blood tests

Lucy’s other amaryllis opened while she was in the hospital. There are six flower on the stalk.
The tulips Lucy received from Annette and Al

I completely spaced out mentioning the tulip bouquet Lucy received from Annette and Al on Tuesday. Mea maxima culpa! Annette and Al own Carver Country Flower and Gifts in Carver. Tulips are so cheery and get people thinking about spring. Even though we have had an unusually mild winter in Minne-snow-ta, it will be nice getting back into the gardens soon!

This afternoon she had her blood drawn to determine if her Coumadin dose is still effective. She now has an alternating daily dose of 5 mg and 2.5 mg until Monday.

Next week is booking up quickly: Monday is her next blood work to see how well the Coumadin dose is working, Tuesday is the PET scan, Thursday is her appointment with Dr. Boente and Friday is her appointment with Dr. Thurmes. As far as we know she will get her next Alimta treatment on Thursday.

We take simple things for granted. Our bodies are amazingly complex bio-mechanical wonders governed by amazingly complex electrochemical networks. Nerves trigger muscles, muscles and connective tissues move joints, joints move limbs, limbs move the body. (Anyone who has studied anatomy or kinesiology in detail will notice this is a simplified 50,000 foot overview.) Lucy’s leg is looking less swollen and the redness is slowly turning pink. She still has some stiffness in her ankle and finds relief when she can prop her leg up. She can manage a few steps without the walker and her right ankle is more stable because of some regained flexibility. The pain level is also subsiding. She is hoping to be cleared to return to work a week from Tuesday (her company observes the President’s Day holiday on the 20th).

There probably won’t be an update until Monday. Until then, thank you for taking the time to read this and showing your support for Lucy!

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by | February 8, 2012 · 9:48 pm

Home sweet home

Yesterday was spent getting settled in at home. Lucy wanted to how her ankle would react to the home setting. That went better than either of us expected. No problems navigating with the walker, she can stand for more than a couple minutes, and she has cut way back on the pain meds. She is still doing her physical therapy exercises and her energy level is still pretty good.

Today we took a trip to Lions Tap in Eden Prairie. It got her out of the house for a bit, they have great burgers, and she had a birthday coupon. We took her walker along, but it turned out she managed OK without it. I noticed she didn’t need much support when I held her arm. She still has discomfort in her ankle and her knee is still a touch stiff. There is no way she can drive yet. Her leg bothers her more if she sits for extended periods of time.

Tomorrow she has some blood tests to ensure her Coumadin dose is still correct. The test is later in the afternoon so the results may not be known until Friday.

We know this posting isn’t as action packed as the hospital posts, but we’re having a lot more fun!

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by | February 6, 2012 · 10:49 pm

“Going Mobile”

Discharge day! We’re thrilled! The post title is an appropriate song by The Who. Today’s events went like this:

10:45 am: It sounds like the doctors are happier with her heparin blood level. The heparin IV could come out today. Because her Chromogenic Factor X test takes several hours, we will not know if she can go home. If she does stay, she will move to a different room on 8th floor. Fairview is stripping and cleaning the floors and performing maintenance checks on the rooms. “Hurry up and wait” is the theme for today.

2:00 pm: The expectation of a hospital stay is for the patient to focus on recovery. Fairview Southdale has been exceptional in that regard. Certain administrative obligations pop up detracting from recovery, like dealing with the short-term disability people. “Benefits coordination” is an oxymoron in that company. Lucy got passed to three people so far and each of them asked the same questions. They were just as clueless after her surgery nearly two years ago.

3:00 pm: Lucy’s Chromogenic Factor X result was at the midpoint of her therapeutic range. Her Coumadin dose is set and she has her instructions. The IV lines are removed and she is dressed. Everything is loaded and she has her walker. All that remains is waiting for the pharmacy to fill her prescriptions.

5:30 pm: The pharmacy finally asked for her prescription insurance card. She has a new drug plan this year and the old information was still on file, and there always is a delay when painkillers are involved. Lucy is moving with more confidence after the IV tree went away. Her friend Diane called while I was loading the vehicle. Lucy also called her siblings during the wait. The sunset was nice.

6:10 pm: Lucy headed home wondering what sort of mess waits after me having full run of the house for the past eleven days. She didn’t cringe after touring the house, so I think I did all right. I think the chicken strip dinner I picked up for her at Dairy Queen also helped.

Our house is a rambler with a basement. The basement has a rec room, a laundry room, an office, a ¾ bathroom, and a storage area. The bedrooms are on the main level. One of the guest rooms is now an office for her. She doesn’t need to go downstairs until her leg is better. Most of the main level has laminate flooring. She is navigating the walker quite well in the house.

I picked up some of the wet wipe style washcloths hospitals use for cleaning up a patient in bed. I also picked up a couple of the shower caps that have the shampoo in them. Lucy does not have to worry about slipping in the shower.

Lucy’s next blood test is Thursday. Next week she will get a PET scan since it has been about a year since her last one, see Dr. Thurmes about her leg, and see Dr. Boente about her next Alimta treatment. There is a possibility she may need a break from chemo until her leg fully recovers. Even though her medical leave got extended until February 13th, she may need another week added. Her next assessment may not happen until after that date.

We’re happy being home and are grateful and humbled by the outpouring of love and support you have given us through this ordeal. Thank you!
I picked up some of the wet wipe style washcloths hospitals use for cleaning up a patient in bed. I also picked up a couple of the shower caps that have the shampoo in them. Lucy does not have to worry about slipping in the shower.

Lucy’s next blood test is Thursday. Next week she will get a PET scan since it has been about a year since her last one, see Dr. Thurmes about her leg, and see Dr. Boente about her next Alimta treatment. There is a possibility she may need a break from chemo until her leg fully recovers. Even though her leave was extended until February 13th, she may need another week added. Her next assessment may not happen until after that date.

We’re happy to be home and are grateful and humbled by the outpouring of love and support you have given us through this ordeal. Thank you!

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by | February 5, 2012 · 10:41 pm

“Sunday Sunday”

Lucy's birthday gifts

Lucy’s birthday gifts

The yellow bouquet is from Steve and Liz, the elephant is from Diane, and the pink rose bouquet is from Anh-Thu and Karen. And yes, the flash on my phone camera stinks. Motorola puts a 5-megapixel camera on the phone and uses a kid’s toy LED for the flash. Go figure.

Today’s post title is an obscure song by Blur.

Lucy had a chorus of nurses and nurse’s assistants come in and sing “Happy Birthday” to her this morning. That was really nice! Steve and Liz brought a strawberry tart cake. Julie and Suzy came by for a few hours, so Lucy had all her siblings here. Everyone got to see Lucy go for a walk with the Occupational Therapy person. Lucy also had someone from Physical Therapy come by. They worked on some exercises and Lucy has some new ones to add to the mix. Lucy’s dad called to wish her happy birthday and see how she was doing. Lucy didn’t wear a hat or scarf today so everyone got to see how much hair she has. I think that is the first time she went “topless” since she lost her hair in the first cycle of chemo.

Suzy and Julie did get to see Lucy’s leg uncovered and it may have been a bit unpleasant for them. Lucy assured them it was a lot worse and much more painful eleven days ago. Her leg looks like it had sunburn with a little peeling in a couple of areas. There are areas on her lower leg where the color is getting towards normal. Her leg is slightly warm to the touch rather than hot. She has full sensation in her leg and it is not painful to touch it.

Dr. Singh came by to check on Lucy’s progress. Lucy’s Chromogenic Factor X reading today was in therapeutic range. She will have the heparin drop through the night and will have blood drawn for another test tomorrow. The results will be back in the early afternoon. If the Chromogenic Factor X test is in the therapeutic range again, Lucy could get discharged. The transfusion last night took her hemoglobin up to 10.7. It’s been awhile since it was close to normal.

We will have some questions for the discharge meeting. There will need to be some appointments set up to test her blood. The hospital will lend her a walker for a week or two. We will also need a list of symptoms that would necessitate calling the doctor or a making a trip to the hospital. It is very possible Lucy will need to extend her disability leave another week.

There is a minor issue with pain management that still needs a resolution. Lucy knows that she will not be totally pain-free tomorrow. It will take a week or two for her leg to get back to normal. Her pain increases when she puts weight on her ankle. After she sits down, the pain starts subsiding. It sounds like the pain increase is not much. She describes it as annoying when she walks. It does not keep her awake at night and it does not distract her when she is sitting with her leg propped up. Lucy has been fortunate to have never required hospitalization until her surgery in April 2010. She has never broken a bone or needed stitches. All the stuff she is going through is uncharted waters to her. It’s hard for her to describe what type of pain, or how much pain she feels. Now that she has told them when she feels an increase in pain and when it starts to diminish, some of the concerns have abated.

We’re cautiously optimistic about her going home tomorrow. It really depends on the blood test. Please keep your fingers crossed for her!

Thank you for all the birthday wishes today for Lucy! Lucy is lucky to have such an amazing group of supporters!

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by | February 4, 2012 · 8:38 pm

“A Room with a View”

Stained glass panel at Fairview Southdale

This stained glass panel is next to the admissions desk at Fairview Southdale hospital.

During Lucy’s hospital stay, I have parked in the Skyway Ramp and I walk past this stained glass panel every day. The flash on my phone’s camera causes a lot of flare. The gnome is not lighting flatulence (though he looks guilty) and the owl is not looking for the culprit.

I believe Lucy saw the movie referenced in the post title. The book it was based on was an optional choice for my World Literature II class at Augustana College. I didn’t read it because it was optional.

Lucy took a short walk this morning. It helps clear the fog of the pain pills. Her leg color has gotten noticeably better in the past day. Her right calf circumference is within 3 cm. (about 1.2″) of her left calf. She says that her ankle is stiff but is getting a bit more range of motion. Lucy has worked on her physical therapy exercises. Her Braden risk bracelet got removed because she is more active and her skin can air out.

Dr. Singh from Minnesota Oncology came by. Lucy moved back to 8th floor this afternoon. Her hemoglobin dropped after yesterday’s increase so she will get a two-unit transfusion. This means the four transfusions she has had since admission have required eight units of blood. She will be here until Monday at the earliest. The rest of the blood work sounded OK. Her Coumadin dosage got dropped to 2.5 mg and they did not have to administer a quick “blast” of heparin (called a bolus). We hope this means she is getting close to removal of the IV heparin and her Coumadin dose is getting set.

I did get to take Lucy to the Meditation Sanctuary before she moved to 8th floor. We used a wheelchair because it was a quick trip. She liked the fireplace and water feature. Changing her scenery also helped.

The view from her room is great. For those of you in the Twin Cities area, she overlooks Crosstown Highway and France Ave. The fog lifted and the sun came out and we can see all the way to Highway 100.

Lucy’s birthday is tomorrow and she will be spending it in the hospital. I’m grateful for getting to celebrate another birthday with her! I do wish she were released today. Comments are working, so please feel free to send her birthday greetings tomorrow. Thank you so much for your support!

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