Head Shaving-Who needs hair anyway?!

Click on photo to see the complete transformation!

Taking Control

I think that most people believe that if they don't have control of anything else, alteast they have control over their minds and bodies. But what happens when your body gets invaded by something you can't see or in some cases, even feel? I have been pondering this question lately. And I think that the only answer is; you just have to take as much control back as you can! And that is my moms plan. As much as this disease will beat her up and mess with her mind, she is making the conscious choice be a survivor. Don't get me wrong, there are rough days. Even painful days. But tonight, November 10th, was one of those take control nights that I saw bring some energy and laughter into my moms world. Even if it was only for a couple hours. Because tonight, she CHOSE to embrace the baldness that comes with the poison that is called Chemo Therapy. Tonight, we did something we never thought we would ever do. . .we shaved my moms head! It was seriously, one of the craziest, coolest things I have been part of in in awhile. Not only did I get to participate, but all the grandkids got a crack and using the electric clippers on grandmas head. There were shocked expressions, silly jokes, lots of laughter and even a few tears shed by the time we were done. And two other brave souls got in on the act and decided to join my mom in her baldness, my dad and my cute little 4 yr old nephew. I know that watching my dad subject himself to the clippers, made my moms day! Well, because my mom is such a good sport, she allowed me to take tons of pics of this big event. I want to invite you to check them out on the picture by clicking on the picture under the heading "Head Shaving-Who needs hair anyway?". Show your support and give her a thumbs up on her new-due or lack there of, I should say. :)

Other News

To recap on my moms cancer care, no decision has been made about the drug she is allergic too yet. She was given a medication, that is very similar to the one she is allergic to, in pill form. Unfortunately, she had the same issues as with the other. But she has two other drugs on board and for now, the plan is to continue getting those drugs every 21 days for 3 rounds, have the surgery and then do three more rounds of the chemo. We are unsure if her not being able to have the 3rd drug will set back her surgery or worse. So, we will just have to wait and see. Keep those prayers going. We appreciate them very much.

"If it is going to happen, it will happen to me!" Pam Millsap during Chemo Treatment 10/19/11

Well, after all the pokes, prodes and procedures, my mom was finally hooked up to her chemo meds today. But only after a very adventurous day yesterday. You see, yesterday was the day she got her port inserted. Just so we all know, a port is a direct line into an artery that is located in her chest, about 2 inches from the base of her neck. This makes it much easier to get the chemo drugs (less pokes) and also less time consuming. Any who, my mom, Sally (my moms BFF for the last 35 yrs) and yes, my father, got up at the gosh awful time of 3:30am to get to a Portland hospital called OHSU. But before the three amigos could even get there, it seems they had an hour detour (an unwanted detour) through the scary and dark streets of the city of one way streets! The driver, AKA my dad, was freaking out with every wrong turn. Luckily, one of the wrong turns, turned out to be right and they finally made it to the hospital. Oh, but the fun didn't stop there, then they spent the next 20 minutes trying to find a place to park. In one parking structure and then out again, until they found the perfect parking space. It was such a relief to all of them when they finally entered the surgical wing. But OOPS! They were two hours early!! Yep, it was quite a morning. Sadly, the day didn't get much better. The port procedure was hard on my mom. She was not sedated completely and kept waking up. My mom likens it to a horror movie, when someone is getting stabbed, passes out, then wakes up and is still getting stabbed, passes out and then wakes up again and is still getting stabbed. But she made it through and was at the Oncologists today ready to start treatment.
It was a long day of treatment today. At 9:15, blood was drawn, then a lengthy talk with the doctor to field any and all questions we may have. Then around 10:15, meds were administered. This being her first round of chemo, it took about three hours to get all three medications started. All seemed to be going smoothly, UNTIL, 15 minutes after the last drug. My mom did something, that maybe 1 out of 10,000 patients do, she had an allergic reaction! Yep, my mom is allergic to chemo. This reaction, that included; tingling in the hands/feet, nose, throat, mouth and a swollen tongue and throat, caused her to be admitted into the ER.
What will we do now?
We don't know. Doctor doesn't really know yet either. She is shocked at my moms reaction and has to converse with the surgeon to figure out how to proceed. It could mean a different, but not as affective, drug. It could mean surgery sooner. It could mean radiation (which the surgeon said he did not want to do because of moms RA). We will be back in the docs office tomorrow or Friday to talk about her options.

Thanks to all of those who have been praying so far. Keep the prayers coming. God must have a plan. Please ask Him to show us His vision.

Endoscopic Ultrasound

My sister and I arrived at the Endoscopic office, in the Salem Hospital, to find our father, David, huddled in a small room marked "Consultation Room." The look on his face was of pure relief (and somewhat humours to Wendy and I) when he saw us walk through the door. My dad, who was my moms chauffeur to her 6:45am check in time, did not think he would be the first one escorted into hear the results of the ultrasound. To hear him tell it, he about had an anxiety attach, sitting there, thinking he was going to be all alone when receiving what could be a vital piece of my moms cancer puzzle. But he was a trooper and didn't correct the nurse when she called him my moms "husband" and sat quietly, although in much turmoil, waiting, for what he calls felt like FOREVER for Wendy and I to show up. In our defense, we were told 9:30, but luckily we arrived a little bit early. Because only moments after we found my dad about to pass out, the doctor came in and shared the results with us.
Basically, this is what we learned.
The tumor has just started to intrude into her stomach wall. Because of this, she was staged at a what he called T-3 or Stage 3 (the stages being 1-4). The encouraging news is that the intrusion into the stomach wall is small at this point. He was glad to report that none of the other organs are infected (which we already knew), but did say one lymphnode looked abnormal BUT NOT cancerous. Although, he said mom has a lot of work ahead of her with surgery and chemo. I got the impression be believes it is beatable.
The next day my moms Oncologist, Dr. O'Brien, called her and set up an appointment to meet with the surgeon for next Wednesday. We see Dr. O'Brien tomorrow (Friday) to talk more about my moms ultrasound results and hopefully get a few more questions answered.
I have this funny feeling, that our life, at least for the next year or so, is going to be filled with questions.
Please keep my mom in your prayers. Especially asking that God guide her surgeon in making correct decisions about her surgery and care.

We Arrived. . .

Friday, my sister and I got to meet my moms Oncologist (my mom has known her for awhile, she does her iron transfusions). The Cancer Center is located in town, at the back of the hospital. The way back. Like you need a map and a compus to guide you. I am sure they do that for the privacy of those being treated for cancer, but it almost had a feeling of banishment. I thought I might see a sign that read, "You have hereby been banished to the farthest reaches of the hospital, where your bald head and pale complexion will not offend and/or scare the other patients! Please do not attempt to walk, drive or park in the main parking area of this facility. . .we mean it. . .don't do it. . . OR ELSE!" lol. Of course, I know, we were not being "banished,"all of the nurses, staff and doctors who work there are very nice and welcoming. After meeting Dr. O'Brien, we are confident that she will do everything in her ability to help my mom.

The Results. . .

If you have ever been in an exam room (who hasn't?) you notice they aren't all that roomy. So, the first obstacle we had was fitting me, my mom, and two babies in strollers in the already cramped space. Not to mention we needed to be nice and make a spot for the doctor too. After all of that was settled, the doc came in and told us some very relieving news. The spots on my mothers lungs are not cancerous! They are most likely scar tissue from a previous bought of pneumonia. Que the screams, hoops, and hollers of joy that radiated throughout the doctors office from me, my mom and my sister. However, it was a little bit worrisome that we have still not been given a definite answer about what stage or the severity of moms cancer. We do know these things, mom has Adenocarcinoma of the stomach, oh wait that is all we really know. So, on Tuesday, October 4th, she will be having a specialized test called an Endoscopy Ultrasound. This, my friends, should be the last test we will need to determine, the stage, severity, prognosis and exact treatment that she will need. So, keep on praying for good news. We want to hear that the tumor is small (or has miraculously disappeared, God can do that you know) and her lymphnodes are not affected.

Other News:

Mom has official been moved into Wendys house. She is enjoying her new room, that Wendy painted and decorated especially for her, and it certainly makes it more convenient for visits with the grandkids, because everyone is together. And it will also be easier on everyone during treatment and recovery.

Just a reminder that encourging comments on this blog are always welcome!

Waiting to exhale. . .

Waiting to exhale. . .that was all of us yesterday as we waited to hear the results of my moms CT Scan. After playing a very long game of phone tag with various doctors offices, we finally got the answer to an important question. Has the cancer metastasized to other parts of her body? Drum roll please. . .NO! There was no sign that the cancer has invaded her abdomen or her internal organs! Go ahead, do a little happy dance, we all did. We were are all very encouraged with the results of the CT and feel we have been given so much more hope as we contemplate moms future.
However, not to dampen this great news, there were two, very small spots on her lungs. BUT the doctor does not think they are anything to be concerned about. To be sure, she will undergo a PET lung scan (a radioactive imaging test) that will show the doctors exactly what those spots are. Then on Friday we get to meet with her Oncologist and get the low down about the treatment she will receive. Will this include surgery? Possibly. Will this include chemo and radiation? More than likely. Whatever lay ahead, we are choosing to keep a very positive attitude and outlook on the future!

Thank you for the support. . .

My mom and the family want to thank all of our friends and family who have already showed so much love and support, whether it be through encouraging words or prayers. Thank you to those who have become "followers" of this blog or signed up to get e-mail updates. All of your interest and care about my moms health and future means a lot to us.

To all who have signed up for e-mail updates; Please confirm with me by commenting on this blog or through FB, that you are receiving these updates. Thanks!

To All; Feel free to leave encouraging comments on this post. They help more than you know!

And So It Begins. . .

September 12, 2011 my mom was diagnosed with stomach cancer AKA Gastric Cancer or Adenocarcinoma of the stomach. After the shock and panic phaze of hearing the news that your loved one has cancer, survival mode seems to kick in and that is when you want all the answers to all the questions. You want to figure out how to lick this thing, but most of all you want to know that everything is going to be OK. Let's see, we are now on day 5 of this journey and I can honestly say the only thing we know for certain is that my mom has a cancerous tumor. However, answers will be coming to us soon. Today, September 16th, my mom had a CT Scan to find out whether or not the cancer has spread to any other part of her body. We will not know the results until Monday. On that day you can be certain that me, my sister, my dad, my bro-in-law, my hubby and especially my mom will all, litterally, be sitting by the phone, in her apartment, waiting for the phone to ring. It is kind of like that saying, "A watched pot never boils." I can tell you it sometimes feels like a watched PHONE never rings!
Well, friends and family, our special request from you is that you will please use the power of prayer to help get my mom through this scary time. Whatever lay ahead, we all believe that God is surrounding us with his love and grace. What His plans are for my mom, we do not know, but what we do know is that He is always with us.

For Your Information
Pam has been anemic for just over a year. Eight months ago she had a procedure called an endoscopy (a tube that is used to look at the upper GI tract, including stomach) to see if she was bleeding from somewhere. The test came back normal. Pams anemia got worse and she has been getting iron infusions every 4 weeks to keep her ferritin levels up. Recently she had a test where she swallowed a pill (about the size of large vitamin) that had a camera built into it. The pictures showed old blood in her small intestine. So, another endoscopy was ordered. The results to that test were immediate. And my mom was informed shortly after that she had stomach cancer. Which we now know is causing her anemia and some other symptoms she has been exhibiting, including fullness, stomach pains, and unexplained weight loss. Truth be told, none of us exspected this, least of all my mom.