Oct. 21, 2009

Lou Ann & I met Dr Pruitt on Tuesday. Dr Pruitt is her oncologist. He seems to be a very a knowledgeable and caring doctor. After going through her history and reports he explained to her that her cancer is stage 2 with a grade 3 rating. Stage 2 is an overview of how large and the spread of the cancer. Grade 3 is a grading system that tells the malignancy of the cancer, this is on a scale of 1 - 2 - 3. 3 is full malignant. They said that the 52 lymph nodes removed from her right axillary region is close to a record number for the area that was removed. Everyone told her that she must be very vascular. She was explained what HER 2 protein was and how it used to not be good, since it is very aggressive. Now it seems to be OK if it show up, with the new meds now available for treatment.
Treatment protocol for Lou Ann will be Chemo that is made up of Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin (antibody). The Herceptin is used to treat the HER 2 protein. Chemo will be used every 3 weeks for 6 treatments. Herceptin will be continued every 3 weeks for a full year. This treatment will begin after a port is put in. Lou Ann should find out tomorrow when her port is to be placed. We hope next week. This will be done in day surgery. She will also have a CAT scan of her chest and a bone scan sometime soon to in confirm that the cancer was all contained in the right breast & axillary area, as already determined & surgically treated.
As with any medications there are some side effects involved. Herceptin can affect the ejection factor of the heart. Lou Ann will have a cardiac ECHO every three months during her treatment. Other side effects are the hair loss, nausea, fatigue, anemia and neutropenia (low white blood cells). There are other side effects that could occur also. I know that she will kick these and do very well. She is a very strong lady that keeps her eyes on success and mostly on her 2 fantastic children.
We have been truly blessed in our lives and God is showing us by the outpouring of love shown to us by friends and family.
I was telling a patient of mine today about Lou Ann's strength. "I know how tough my wife is now, I dread to see how tough she will be after chemo." He said, "will she be ready for the Marines?" I told him, "the Marines will have nothing on toughness, compared to what my wife will have!"

10-18-09

Today is Sunday, Lou Ann has been recovering at home. She received the pathology report, on Friday, on her cancer. We have been told that the cancer is very aggressive. However, they feel they got it all. The path showed the cancer is fed by three items. Estrogen +, Progesterone + and HER 2 protein. We have been told that Lou Ann will have Chemo that will go on for about 6 months. Then a treatment for the protein that will last 1 year. We will get the final word on Tuesday this week when we see the medical oncologist. She will follow up with her surgeon, Dr. Lary, on Thursday. We hope to plan for her port placement , for chemo, at that time.
Lou Ann has been very sore under her right arm and in her chest. The pain seems to be strongest in the evening, making it difficult to rest initially at night. She is getting more active every day. As with increased activity comes the increased soreness. We went out the other evening to Toys-R-Us and she asked if she could just sit in the car while we went in. She rested and when it was time to go to JoAnns, she was good to go. When we got home she was wiped out. It was difficult for her to miss Brenna's double header softball games to finish the season today, but knew she was tired and the lovely west Texas wind would ultimately beat her down.
Lou Ann is a truly wonderful lady that is battling strong. She had a very tearful/emotional night last night, but knows that GOD is in control ! We so appreciate your continued support and prayers- GOD is so good!!

We are now at 6 days post surgery. I want you to know that my wife is one tough lady. I do not know if I could be as strong as she is. To see her get out of bed in the morning to love her kids goodbye for the day after she has been up 1/2 the night in pain from the ports and the nerve pain shooting down her arm. We take for granted simple things such as showering, brushing your teeth and going from a seated to a standing position until you go through surgery.

Today Lou Ann got out and picked the kids up from school with me. I could tell she felt a little better while at Bodie's school. She told me I drove like a little old lady. I thought to myself - "you really don't want me to hit the bumps to fast." I just smiled because I new she still loved me. Brenna and Bodie were very excited that mom was able to pick them up from school.

Lou Ann went to start a treatment at ICAM for the lymphatics under her arm. The treatment took about 1 hour. When she finished she was ready to lay down. The treatment involved her sitting in a recliner and resting. Let me tell you that it kicked her good.

One thing that she has found is that the old "fanny packs" are a great invention when it comes to holding the drain tubes. The amount of fluid coming from the drains is getting less. She is still getting about 30-40cc / 12 hr period. The drain lines are very sore where they go into her chest.

Lou Ann is improving each and every day. Her strength and mobility is still very guarded. The one thing you will see on her face is her smile. Thanks for following Lou Ann's race. I will tell you that she is winning this thing.

Sorry we did not post for 10-10-09. The last two days have been a change for all of us. The kids and I are learning how to take care of mom. One of the hard things for the kids is learning to take their plate from the table, rinse it off and put it in the dishwasher. You know I have no problem with that. Lou Ann's tough part is letting someone else do the work and still be happy with the way it is done. Lou Ann's sister left today. We will be glad when she comes back in 4 days.
Last night Lou Ann said that she felt like part of the nerve in her right arm was starting to wake up. She kept getting "electric shock" type pains shooting down into her right forearm. I can only imagine how that would hurt. I know that hitting your "funny bone" can be miserable, but doing it over and over through the night and day (yuck)! She was awaken at 5am with this pain. She said that when she moves her arms too much, a burning feeling "like a hot poker" grabs her where the ports are located in her chest wall. Bodie saw the two drains that his mom has. His curiosity drove him crazy until she allowed him to follow the tubes to her rib where they went in. After that he was satisfied. Brenna helped her mother bathe today. She stayed with her mom and helped her wash her back. Brenna is a true angel. She therefore slept a good part of the day. I am proud that she did rest. The kids played games with their grandmother and I watched some football and tried to do work on the computer.
The support we continue to get is so appreciated. If someone has to go this alone or without a support system, I don't know how they could do it. Even just for me to go to work, someone needs to be with Lou Ann to keep her from doing too much. I will tell you that the prayers that are being said for us mean the world to us. We know that God is listening. We thank each and every one for all that you do.

Home from the Hospital

It has been a long day! Lou Ann got discharged by her plastic surgeon at 6:30AM, but waited until 3:30PM for her final discharge from her surgeon. Her preliminary pathology report came back with 3 out of 53 lymph nodes involved. That was great news! We were initially told that if it came back with less that 4 nodes involved, she would most likely not need any radiation. We pray the will continue to be the plan. We still do not know anything about chemo. The likely hood of chemo is high. The pathology is supposed to be sent off for further testing to see what the cancer feeds on. This will give us a better idea with chemo. The surgeon said that she does fall in the stage 2 of cancer.
At home Lou Ann is resting and trying to regain her strength. As most of you know, Lou Ann never slows down. It is very important that she takes things slowly and let herself heal. I think she understands this and is going to take the doctors advice. She was very happy that she got to eat dinner with the family. The kids are very excited to have mom home. Bodie is staying busy with his games and Brenna is staying by mom's side being a little nurse to all her mom's needs. It has been a blessing to have aunt "T" here to help with Lou Ann at the hospital at night. She has also got to share her days with the kids. We have had a great outpouring of love from everyone and we can't thank each of you enough. I am not going to mention names because I don't want to leave anyone out.
Our lives are going to change for the better and I know God has a plan for our family. We are trusting in him and thank him for our blessings. Keep praying that all will continue to go good for Lou Ann.

Day 2, October 8, 2009

Day 2 has been a better day. Lou Ann was awake and eating without nausea. Doctor Patrick Proffer was very pleased. Her range of motion in her arms is much better than what he expected. He took away her IV and her PCA machine. She is now only on oral pain pills. The pills are doing good in controlling her pain. She said that she has more discomfort than actual pain. She has received many beautiful plants/flowers over the last two days. Lou Ann has been up and around a great deal today. She made the comment that she had done too much today. Her pain level has come up as did the nausea with the pain. They have given her meds to cut down the nausea. She is waiting on her next round of pain pills as well as something to help her sleep. Lou Ann is so strong and her beauty is still shining through in everything she is going through.

Lou Ann had her surgery on Wednesday, October 7. Emotions were very high this morning. We had to be at the hospital at 5:30am. Little Brenna was awake at 5:15 to say bye to her mom. Brenna was very nervous about her mom and wanted to let her know that she loved her very much. Bodie kept sleeping when his mom kissed him goodbye. Everything went as planned during the surgery. She had a bilateral mastectomy with partial lymph node removal on the right. Surgery lasted about 3 hours. She was admited to room 444 at BSA at 12:15pm. She slept most of the day until 8pm. The PCA machine was very helpful in controling her pain. She did not sleep well that night because of the noise from the nurses station.