"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.