She has three major health issues going on right now, and it was overwhelming today. Not to mention the fact that we were there forever and spent the majority of the time waiting for them to check her blood, waiting to see the doctor, or waiting for prescriptions. But here's the deal:
We got the results of Mom's recent PET and CT scans today. Well, the news was not good, but it was also not surprising.
She has been undergoing treatment for a blood clot in her left leg for about a week. It's improving, but very slowly. Her foot and leg are still swollen and she still hurts and has a hard time walking. Dr. Kahnwani says that the clot is pretty large and it will take a while to dissolve it and that she is not out of the woods with that yet.
As for the PET and CT Scans, the big tumor (1.7 cm) in her right lung is pretty much gone. HOWEVER, FOUR new tumors have come up in her right lung. Two of those tumors are large (one is 1.4 cm the other is 1.5 cm) and cancerous. There is another big tumor that has two components. One part is cancer and the other part is fungal pneumonia. The doctor said it's hard to tell how much is which because the tumor is blocking at least one bronchial tube, so it's hard to measure each component. The other tumor is most likely only fungal pneumonia. There's also a new tumor in her left lung.
She weighs 80 pounds--at least that's what SHE told me, which means it may be less than that.
She lied to the doctor and told him she wasn't smoking. After much prodding, she finally told him she smokes a few times a day. He and I both know it's more. He told her she HAS to quit or else nothing he does will stop the cancer from continuing to grow.
Dr. K also said that lung cancer is aggressive and easily builds immunity against treatment, and that he has watched Mom get weaker and more frail over the past few weeks, and he suspected all along that the cancer was becoming immune to the chemo he was giving her. The scan results confirm that. He said that is why she is dizzy and has been sick and weak so much--the vein infection in August, the sore throat a few weeks ago, and now the fungal pneumonia. He says all of those things are side affects from the chemo. He also said that the chemo had essentially been doing nothing but poisioning her, so here's the plan.
*She's been on coumadin, but the coumadin will interfere with the pneumonia treatment, so he is taking her off coumadin for a week. She will have to go to the hospital tomorrow and Sunday for blood thinner shots (oxaparin or something like that), and then she'll go to the doctor's office all next week for the same.
*She will be on Difulcan (antifungal for pneumonia) and antibiotics for a week.
*Resume coumadin next Friday
*See Dr. K for a check up on October 2
*Change type of chemo from carbo-taxol to Avastin (I think!)
*When she resumes chemo, she'll have to have B12 and folic acid shots because the new chemo is antagonistic toward these vitamins
*He is also going to give her a break from chemo to help reduce the toxidity in her body, to let her build herself back up healthwise, to treat the fungal pneumonia, and to allow her to hopefully be feeling well when I have the baby on October 6.
*Resume chemo on October 9
So that's it for now. The doctor is really concerned about her, and I don't know what to think. Every time I think it's as bad as it can get, it gets better and then it gets worse again. So, I am just taking it one day at a time. I must say I am not devastated or anything. I long ago accepted the cancer was going to do this to her, and I really have come to terms with it. I just can't fall apart every time we get bad news.
Oh, and one good thing, I asked the doctor if he saw my mom and MIL on Tuesday and I asked him if he did speak to my mom about eating three meals a day, etc in MIL's presence, and he said he absolutely DID! So, my mom said that she was just confused, but do you think she apologized or took back calling MIL a liar? No.
We got the results of Mom's recent PET and CT scans today. Well, the news was not good, but it was also not surprising.
She has been undergoing treatment for a blood clot in her left leg for about a week. It's improving, but very slowly. Her foot and leg are still swollen and she still hurts and has a hard time walking. Dr. Kahnwani says that the clot is pretty large and it will take a while to dissolve it and that she is not out of the woods with that yet.
As for the PET and CT Scans, the big tumor (1.7 cm) in her right lung is pretty much gone. HOWEVER, FOUR new tumors have come up in her right lung. Two of those tumors are large (one is 1.4 cm the other is 1.5 cm) and cancerous. There is another big tumor that has two components. One part is cancer and the other part is fungal pneumonia. The doctor said it's hard to tell how much is which because the tumor is blocking at least one bronchial tube, so it's hard to measure each component. The other tumor is most likely only fungal pneumonia. There's also a new tumor in her left lung.
She weighs 80 pounds--at least that's what SHE told me, which means it may be less than that.
She lied to the doctor and told him she wasn't smoking. After much prodding, she finally told him she smokes a few times a day. He and I both know it's more. He told her she HAS to quit or else nothing he does will stop the cancer from continuing to grow.
Dr. K also said that lung cancer is aggressive and easily builds immunity against treatment, and that he has watched Mom get weaker and more frail over the past few weeks, and he suspected all along that the cancer was becoming immune to the chemo he was giving her. The scan results confirm that. He said that is why she is dizzy and has been sick and weak so much--the vein infection in August, the sore throat a few weeks ago, and now the fungal pneumonia. He says all of those things are side affects from the chemo. He also said that the chemo had essentially been doing nothing but poisioning her, so here's the plan.
*She's been on coumadin, but the coumadin will interfere with the pneumonia treatment, so he is taking her off coumadin for a week. She will have to go to the hospital tomorrow and Sunday for blood thinner shots (oxaparin or something like that), and then she'll go to the doctor's office all next week for the same.
*She will be on Difulcan (antifungal for pneumonia) and antibiotics for a week.
*Resume coumadin next Friday
*See Dr. K for a check up on October 2
*Change type of chemo from carbo-taxol to Avastin (I think!)
*When she resumes chemo, she'll have to have B12 and folic acid shots because the new chemo is antagonistic toward these vitamins
*He is also going to give her a break from chemo to help reduce the toxidity in her body, to let her build herself back up healthwise, to treat the fungal pneumonia, and to allow her to hopefully be feeling well when I have the baby on October 6.
*Resume chemo on October 9
So that's it for now. The doctor is really concerned about her, and I don't know what to think. Every time I think it's as bad as it can get, it gets better and then it gets worse again. So, I am just taking it one day at a time. I must say I am not devastated or anything. I long ago accepted the cancer was going to do this to her, and I really have come to terms with it. I just can't fall apart every time we get bad news.
Oh, and one good thing, I asked the doctor if he saw my mom and MIL on Tuesday and I asked him if he did speak to my mom about eating three meals a day, etc in MIL's presence, and he said he absolutely DID! So, my mom said that she was just confused, but do you think she apologized or took back calling MIL a liar? No.
I'm sorry it was mostly bad news. My grandfather died of lung cancer when I was a girl. I remember how he suffered. However, I do think he took better care of himself (eating, quit smoking etc). 
I am so so so so so sorry but God is a miracle worker. I am here for you if you need me for anything. I know how hard this is since my dad just refused to have his latest pet scan even done. If you would like to call me PM me and I will give you my number and know if you need someone to talk to call anytime. I mean it
I"m so sorry. I kwym about taking Mom to the Dr. and having her lie through her little teeth. 
I'm SOOOO with ya.....similar situations. My Mom's back down to 85# and dropping. 
