Not so great news...

Hate to disappoint, but it’s me (Maggie) again. I’m not nearly as eloquent as my superhero mother, but I will do my best!

I know what it’s like to feel disconnected from what’s going on, checking the blog constantly, hoping for an update. I can empathize.  So here’s a slightly more detailed update, picking up from Tuesday...

We were all riding the tide of happiness after finding out those fantastic results on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday mom was feeling pretty good. As I remember she was having some of the typical post-infusion stuff (lighter appetite, sensitive to cold, minimal nausea), but nothing out of the ordinary.  Michael came up on Friday night, which was great!  On Saturday mom was having a new side effect. She seemed to be retaining a lot of water in her hands and feet, making them puffy, swollen, and sore.  She was also feeling a bit crampy in her chest and stomach.  She called the on-call doctor and started icing her hands, which seemed to help a little bit.  Sunday, the swelling in her hands had gone down, but her stomach was much worse and she was having bad bouts of diarrhea (I’m not having her proof read this and I don’t know how much detail she usually puts in so, Mom, if you ever read this, sorry if I’m over sharing!!)  She was feeling pretty miserable and we should have called the doctor but, in her own words, she’s always trying to play the martyr and didn’t want to bug him (we’ve learned our lesson!)  On Monday morning I went to work and called my dad around noon to see what was up.  At that point she was feeling quite a bit better and had even had a bit to eat.  Shortly after that phone call she had even more intense diarrhea.  Aunt Carrie was on duty in West Seattle and was at the house at the time, so they went to the hospital in the MedicOne aid car.  Now I’m a little unsure of the details of their arrival and admittance to the hospital, but I do know that by the time I called again after work, she was up in a room in Swedish receiving IV fluids.  I came home after work to collect a few things and then headed out to the hospital.  She seemed to be doing a lot better and was even eating a little bit (thanks for the soup Joe!) Betty came by after work as well, but we eventually left mom to sleep.  

This morning Dr. Kaplan came in to check on her, getting her set up on various meds to help with the side effects.  The consensus at this point is that the oral chemo has damaged her stomach lining, leading to the diarrhea.  She’s off that chemo at the moment and right now they’re just trying to find the right combination of things to help the symptoms.  Today did not go as well as yesterday.  She couldn’t keep much food or water down and was in a good deal of pain with the cramping.  She’s staying in the hospital again tonight and Dr. Kaplan is coming in the morning.  If she doesn’t get better tomorrow they’re going to do a scan, and maybe even an endoscopy if need be after that.  I’m going to go in the morning before work and see how she’s doing.  You all know how strong that woman’s will is, but I can take a day off if that’s what needs to happen, right? I’ll play it by ear. My dad is going to take the day off too so she will not be lonely!

So this is a set back. It’s tough, but not all bad. First, we think we know what’s caused this, and she is already off that chemo so now we just need some time to heal.  Second, the tumors shrunk! This stupid poop can’t take away from the good news we got on Tuesday.  Third, she’s exactly where she needs to be, getting the help she needs when she needs it. 

Our lovely Janet needs to rest so I’d be happy to field any questions people have as best I can. Feel free to email me (mjoliver16@gmail.com) or text me (I’m not super into the idea of putting my phone number on here so if you have it or can find it, go for it! Otherwise I should be just as easy to reach by email). I just want her to be able to relax as much as possible.

Thank you all for your help along the way!  She has such an incredible support system. Everyone has been overwhelmingly wonderful and there aren’t enough words to express our gratitude.