Friday, November 30, 2007
Friday Afternoon Update
From Valerie: Good news, mom has been feeling really good yesterday and today. She has been responding very well to her nausea medicine and that has helped her feel good. She didn't want to eat anything last night. The pork didn't look appealing and she feels like she has eaten so much meat which she usually doesn't do. She opted to have chocolate milk instead. There are many of us from the Blackham gene pool who drink chocolate milk when we have a bit of an upset stomach. :) She received some blood yesterday since her red blood cell count was down. She hasn't lost any hair yet. Laurel got here yesterday and brought Dad down to see Mom. Dad is enjoying his stay at Pat's. Today is Mom's last day of chemo. I guess this means she has jumped through the first hoop.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Some Pictures
Here are some pictures from the hospital that I thought people might like to look at. ~Lisa
Grandma's Hospital Room
Decorating her room
Grandma's PICC line, there are 3 ports through which all of her treatments go, and where they can draw blood from (I think!!) to do blood tests.
Nurse checking on and talking to Grandma
Another picture of the PICC line that may be attached to Grandma for a very long time (up to a year maybe??)
Grandma's Hospital Room
Decorating her room
Grandma's PICC line, there are 3 ports through which all of her treatments go, and where they can draw blood from (I think!!) to do blood tests.
Nurse checking on and talking to Grandma
Another picture of the PICC line that may be attached to Grandma for a very long time (up to a year maybe??)If only live flowers were allowed in Lulie's room...
This amaryllis has 8 blooms. It is absolutely amazing (thanks Kevin) and I'm sure that Grandma would love to have it with her...if live plants were permitted in her hospital room.
Tuesday Morning Update
I just got off the phone with my mother who had just left the hospital and now I have some information to share. Valerie and Kathie were at the hospital this morning putting the finishing touches on the Christmas decorations. I should have some pictures this evening so we can see what the room looks like. One of the nurses did mention that her room has more decorations than the other rooms. I know this is not a surprise knowing Kathie was there. :) Grandma loves the decorations and is in good spirits. She has some Christmas music thanks to Pheobe and will have more music by the end of the week.
Lulie has finished one of the chemotherapy drugs and now will go through 7 days of another one. She has had some heartburn, which can't be fun, and also some bleeding which indicates her blood count is low. She received a blood transfusion yesterday and will receive some platelets today.
She is well taken care of. The nurses want her to eat 3 big meals a day (they say it will help later) and grandma is trying her best to comply. I can imagine this will be hard because sometimes I would go over there at 11:00 and she would barely be eating breakfast. She is able to read email, but because of a computer problem is not able to send out any emails. This problem will probably get fixed right when she feels too rotten to write emails!!!
Grandma, if you read this we love you and are glad you are surrounded by people who know how to care for you!
Jennie
Lulie has finished one of the chemotherapy drugs and now will go through 7 days of another one. She has had some heartburn, which can't be fun, and also some bleeding which indicates her blood count is low. She received a blood transfusion yesterday and will receive some platelets today.
She is well taken care of. The nurses want her to eat 3 big meals a day (they say it will help later) and grandma is trying her best to comply. I can imagine this will be hard because sometimes I would go over there at 11:00 and she would barely be eating breakfast. She is able to read email, but because of a computer problem is not able to send out any emails. This problem will probably get fixed right when she feels too rotten to write emails!!!
Grandma, if you read this we love you and are glad you are surrounded by people who know how to care for you!
Jennie
Monday, November 26, 2007
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Dad at the American Fork Hilton
Jennie suggested that I let everyone know how Dad is doing. We've been pretty busy since I picked him up Friday afternoon. We enjoyed Thanksgiving leftovers at the Adams and then settled in here. He is sleeping in Marci's twin waterbed (or is it Susanna's or Olivia's?) in the bedroom upstairs and seems to like it okay. Yesterday we worked ourselves silly watching the BYU/Utah game and went to visit Mom in the late afternoon. We then picked up Merlin at the airport (he had helped Kevin move his stuff to southern California Friday to Saturday). Today we went to church (I know he was relieved to not have to answer a lot of questions like he would have had to in his ward--Jennie and Kent were left with that job.) and had dinner with the Burrows. Tomorrow we will visit Mom again and probably go to dinner with our friends Larry and JoAnn Tolman. So you can see that Dad is getting plenty of good food and enjoying excellent company. He has only had time for one real nap, and thank goodness that came before the game yesterday. I think we're keeping him up too late, but he does seem to be somewhat of a night owl. I'm trying to make sure he gets all his meds, and I only have one pill left today; tomorrow he'll get them all! Right now Merlin is reading him the articles in the paper about the game, and he's pretty conversant about what went on. I think he's doing well and is content here.
Decorating the Hospital Room
Yesterday Dr. Bott explained to us that even though Mom feels good and appears healthy, we need to remember that her condition is very serious. She is as depleted now to fight infection as she will be two weeks from now.
Mom started her chemo medications Saturday afternoon around 4:00. The nurses are taking good care of her. We started to decorate her room for Christmas yesterday. We took the "Gift of Love" Christmas tree to her room and brought in some tables and a lamp. We put up some of her nativities and are going to get some good Christmas music for her to listen to. We are going to put up some garland, etc. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in her room.
Valerie
Mom started her chemo medications Saturday afternoon around 4:00. The nurses are taking good care of her. We started to decorate her room for Christmas yesterday. We took the "Gift of Love" Christmas tree to her room and brought in some tables and a lamp. We put up some of her nativities and are going to get some good Christmas music for her to listen to. We are going to put up some garland, etc. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in her room.
Valerie
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Lula Belle gets checked into the Hospital
I just thought I would send out a quick update on Lula Belle. Since I wrote this past Monday, things have moved faster than originally anticipated. On Wednesday Val took Mom back to the clinc for additional blood tests. While they were there, Dr. Wallentine called, having received priliminary results from the bone marrow biopsy, and confirmed that the disgnosis was indeed AML (Acute Myelogenous Leukemia). He told her to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner and to be ready to enter the hospital Friday morning. Thanksgiving evening we gathered at Katie's to give Mom and Dad blessings and to discuss the best options for Dad's care while Mom is in the hospital and even beyond. (Dad will be staying with Pat and Merlin for a few days until Laurel comes into town next Thursday.)
This morning (Friday, November 23, 2007) Val and I went with Mom down to the Utah Valley Regional Medical center and got her checked in. She has a nice, oversized room that she will call home for the next few weeks. We had hoped to meet with Dr. Wallentine's assistant this morning before we checked in, but she was not available. But when we got into the room, the chemotherapy nurse was very helpful in answering questions. We peppered her with questions for about an hour on topics from how Mom would likely react to the medication, to whether or not we could decorate her room for Christmas. She indicated that Mom would probably feel OK for the first several days of treatment, and then would start feeling the ill effects of the chemo. That would last a week or so and then she would start to feel better. There are a couple key measurements that need to be achieved before she can be released--one is the white blood count (must be over 1.5) and the other is the neutrophil count (which should be 1.5-2.0).
As far as the events of today are concerned, they inserted a triple lumens (sp) picc line and then did an xray to make sure the line was proprely in place. They pulled blood to establish baselines for the key measurements and were scheduled to do an EKG to make sure her heart was strong and to also establish a key baseline. They were going to start a IV solution of sodium bicab and potassium that acts as a buffer for the kidneys against the chemo. That has to run for at least 24 hours before the chemo begins. So that should probably start tomorrow afternoon or evening.
Dr. Bott, an associate of Dr. Wallentine, will check on Mom in the morning and give the orders to begin treatment. The chemo treatment will likely consist of two medications--Cytarabine that will be administered with a constant IV drip for the next 5-7 days, and Mitomycin which will be delivered by injection through the IV each day for about three days during the other treatment. This represents phase one of the chemo treatment. During the following three weeks or so, Mom will be closely monitored against infections and to see how the blood levels improve. The picc line will remain in for several months and will be used to draw blood and administer subsequent phases of chemo on an out-patient basis (primarilly Cytarabine in lower dosages). These treatments will occur on about a monthly cycle.
Mom is in good spirits and continues to amaze the people she encounters--they can't beleive she is as strong as she is and in such a good frame of mind. Mom is convinced that she will do better than most in her treatments and recovery because of her postive mental attitude. She has things to do to keep her occupied at the hospital--she took her computer and has internet access so that she can do some geneology and other things she has wanted to get to. After a few days they will tightly monitor her visitors. I think Val is identifying all kinds of ways to decorate her room and make things nice for her.
Please don't be mad if anything here needs to be corrected. I am just trying to recall as best as I can the things we dicussed and the process going forward as I understand it. Val may be giving more information later, since she was the one taking careful notes during out discussions today. Keep Mom in your thoughts and prayers.
Udell
This morning (Friday, November 23, 2007) Val and I went with Mom down to the Utah Valley Regional Medical center and got her checked in. She has a nice, oversized room that she will call home for the next few weeks. We had hoped to meet with Dr. Wallentine's assistant this morning before we checked in, but she was not available. But when we got into the room, the chemotherapy nurse was very helpful in answering questions. We peppered her with questions for about an hour on topics from how Mom would likely react to the medication, to whether or not we could decorate her room for Christmas. She indicated that Mom would probably feel OK for the first several days of treatment, and then would start feeling the ill effects of the chemo. That would last a week or so and then she would start to feel better. There are a couple key measurements that need to be achieved before she can be released--one is the white blood count (must be over 1.5) and the other is the neutrophil count (which should be 1.5-2.0).
As far as the events of today are concerned, they inserted a triple lumens (sp) picc line and then did an xray to make sure the line was proprely in place. They pulled blood to establish baselines for the key measurements and were scheduled to do an EKG to make sure her heart was strong and to also establish a key baseline. They were going to start a IV solution of sodium bicab and potassium that acts as a buffer for the kidneys against the chemo. That has to run for at least 24 hours before the chemo begins. So that should probably start tomorrow afternoon or evening.
Dr. Bott, an associate of Dr. Wallentine, will check on Mom in the morning and give the orders to begin treatment. The chemo treatment will likely consist of two medications--Cytarabine that will be administered with a constant IV drip for the next 5-7 days, and Mitomycin which will be delivered by injection through the IV each day for about three days during the other treatment. This represents phase one of the chemo treatment. During the following three weeks or so, Mom will be closely monitored against infections and to see how the blood levels improve. The picc line will remain in for several months and will be used to draw blood and administer subsequent phases of chemo on an out-patient basis (primarilly Cytarabine in lower dosages). These treatments will occur on about a monthly cycle.
Mom is in good spirits and continues to amaze the people she encounters--they can't beleive she is as strong as she is and in such a good frame of mind. Mom is convinced that she will do better than most in her treatments and recovery because of her postive mental attitude. She has things to do to keep her occupied at the hospital--she took her computer and has internet access so that she can do some geneology and other things she has wanted to get to. After a few days they will tightly monitor her visitors. I think Val is identifying all kinds of ways to decorate her room and make things nice for her.
Please don't be mad if anything here needs to be corrected. I am just trying to recall as best as I can the things we dicussed and the process going forward as I understand it. Val may be giving more information later, since she was the one taking careful notes during out discussions today. Keep Mom in your thoughts and prayers.
Udell
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