Really Good Day

I just called mom, probably 6:45. She hadn't answered two of my earlier calls. When I DID get to talk to her she sheepishly told me that she had swiped the earplugs they gave her for the MRI. She said they were really good and had a cord attaching them so they didn't get lost. In her words "they're really nice." Anyway they had helped her get a good two and a half hour or so nap in this afternoon. I guess she was up late last night. They took her for an MRI last night between 11:00 PM and 1:00 AM all the regular people had gone home for the night but these people were called in special. In the morning, all the doctors came into her room. She said it felt like an episode of House. They had just had their pow wow, came in with hypothesis, doing strength tests etc. One side (I think she said left) is significantly weaker. Her spinal column is in tact, some of her nerves were showing inflammation and maybe this could be connected to the shingles she had early on in the diagnosis.
Mom says her pain is under control, they're giving her a medication called Dilaudid.

She says all of this stuff that's going on is affirming because these doctors are recognizing that the issues are real, and are seriously investigating the reasons and what can be done to fix them.

This experience is soooo different from mom's last experience. She said she had a "really good day."

Still no answers, but the detective work is going. Progress is good right?At least things are happening.

Saturday 9:30 AM

My mother wanted me to reasure all her readers that :
She is still in general remission, but because her 13th and 14th chromasomes are also mutated her strain of Multiple Myeloma is much harder to treat. This is why Dr. Wolf wants to get to the bottom of this and figure out whats going on with the lesion in her bone. Granted this is still sort of an if and that's why they're doing the tests.

Some good news is that they finally found a medicine for the pain. (Vicodin and Demerol werent really doing the trick.) She says it kicks in quickly but only lasts for an hour/hour and a half. It's important that they figure out how to manage the pain so she can com home for radiation.

6:00 PM

The Doctor in S.F. noticed some stuff in a past MRI and thinks it may be that OR that there could be a pocket of cells that didnt get killed. If this is the case she'll begin radiation.

According to ther "This doesnt mean anything bad...I'm not sick...I just hurt."

She says this situation is a lot different because she feels normal, just pain.

When I talked to her on the phone at maybe 5:40 pm she said they had given her quite a bit of demerol. It didnt really help the pain, but she felt good. Haha. She says its nice to have people who know what theyre doing with the meds because she doesnt feel bad about taking more when other people are in charge.

5:21 PM Friday

Mom has been admitted to UCSF, they will be doing tests tonight and through the weekend. My dad is coming home as neither of them were anticipating staying through the weekend.

Bump in the Road

Mom has been having a lot of hip/leg/back pain lately. It had been gettting worse. She figured theyed get it sorted out on her appointment in San Francisco, but didn't think it'd be anything big. Ijust got a text message from her saying that the "pain may be caused by lesion in sacrum. Admit to csuf med today. Not emergency, but timely. Pray that we figure it out. Please." Soooo that was quite the news. I'll be posting updates as I get them here.

Group Therapy

I have found that my healing is enhanced by my interaction with others. I also was surprised by the number of people in our church who were being diagnosed with cancer. My friend Deb suggested that we start a support group for people with chronic illnesses which would meet weekly at our church. Since September we've had about ten participants with about eight people on any given Tuesday. I've enjoyed meeting weekly because it gives us the opportunity to develop close relationships. While there are several different ailments represented in our group, we are able to discuss issues that we have in common. We share our concerns and pray for each other. Most evenings someone leads a discussion. If no one leads, we just talk.



I recently went to the area Multiple Myeloma support group meeting. It is supported by our local Leukemia Lymphoma Society. The planned program was learning about a local hospital's music therapy program. While the program was interesting, the best part was networking with the three other cancer bearers. After the program, the four of us stood around comparing notes about our treatments. That was "priceless." While I don't have "relationships" with these people, I look forward to seeing them again in December. The facilitator said she sent meeting notices to 80 Multiple Myeloma clients in our two county area. I was surprised at the large number. What a wealth of support and information! It's too bad the group meets only monthly.



I participate in another group that doesn't even know it's a support group. I always looked forward to the time I could participate regularly. Too bad I had to have cancer in order to be active with this group! This is our church quilting group. These ladies greet each other with open arms. They have listening ears and lots of experience and advice. I'm not just talking about quilting experience (there is lots of that), but they have life experience, and even some cancer experience. I can choose to talk or just work silently. This group of about 20 ladies carefully make many quilts that are auctioned off to benefit MCC, our Mennonite relief agency, which helps people in need around the world. Visiting and working with these ladies is a high point of my week.

Support is found in many forms. I get support from my family, friends, church, and work. If we are able to find a support group to be with, that is good too. All are part of the healing community. I thank you!

Uneventful

Last Friday, Valerie was my chauffeur for a trip to the LA area to visit my dad and his wife. We stayed with Aunt Audrie in Hermosa Beach. Val and I agreed that staying at Aunt Audrie's house is like coming home. We enjoyed visiting with my dad on Saturday and Sunday. He is in an extended care facility after a car shattered his leg when he was hit walkig in the crosswalk. He was glad to see us, and especially glad that I brought him snickerdoodle cookies! We visited with other family members, shopped briefly, and went to church with Aunt Audrie to see her play in the bell choir. We came home Sunday night after a great weekend!

On Monday I had a doctor appointment. Some of my blood counts and iron were a little low, but Dr. Garley still isn't concerned about that. So, despite the lady who fainted while my blood was being drawn, and the person who was sick and hiding in the bathroom, and that it took 3 hours to get done, it was an uneventful visit. We like uneventful doctor visits.

Yesterday, Tuesday, I slept in until 9:30. I find that I need about 10 hours of sleep. I don't take naps during the day, though. I had time to read the paper and do the crossword puzzle before getting ready for lunch. Lunch was a social affair with three quilting friends. Getting together with friends is so theraputic. Tuesday evening was the Assurance (chronic illness)Support Group at church. This group started in September while I was in the hospital. As soon as I was able, I started attending. I do find this group to be very encouraging and supportive. It's good to get this boost every Tuesday.

Today was quilting at church. I didn't get far into the room before I was snagged to help tie a comforter. Alvena showed me a nifty, fast way to tie a square knot. So, even though I didn't do traditional quilting, I learned something new.

I like to get out of the house each day, even if I'm just running errands. I'm saving the car wash for tomorrow. Hmmm. It's supposed to rain tomorrow - maybe not such a good idea - we'll see. I try to walk every day with a friend. My neuropathy still gives me fits (figuratively). On Monday I fell at a friend's house. I fell flat on my face onto a carpeted surface. I made a big BOOM that shook the house. My glasses scraped my nose slightly (no blood). But that and my ego were all that was injured.

Every day people share with George or me that they are praying for us. I so appreciate that. I know that God is faithful and that he has the perfect plan for me. Thank you for being part of that plan.