A New Regimen

Greetings Loyal Readers,

So here's the scoop, Mom saw the Cotton Troll last Friday and was prescribed Lovenox to help stop the fluid build-up in her belly.  Don't let the name fool you though, there's very little love in Lovenox.  It's actually a medicine that Mom needs to shoot into her belly 2x/day.
Ahh, YFC heard that collective groan from his Loyal Readers.  He appreciates your empathy.  More importantly, Mom appreciates it.  Don't ask YFC how he knows, he just knows.

As if Friday wasn't enough, Mom also saw The Troll today.  She said that the fluid build-up was due to a partial blood clot in Mom's inferior vena cava (or "IVC" to those in the know).  Your Faithful Correspondent wasn't going to hear of it though.  He said that Mom's vena cava wasn't inferior to anything or anyone.  Then the Troll explained that she wasn't judging Mom's vena cava; rather she explained that the IVC is the vein that carries de-oxygenated blood from the lower part of the body to the heart.
Apparently Mom also has a superior vena cava and believe it or not, you do too!  So for my Loyal Readers who are more scientifically inclined, feel free to refer to the handy-dandy diagram that's provided for you, at right.

After Mom was poked, prodded and given the once over, the Troll decided to put Mom on a new regimen of sorts. Henceforth, Mom will have a standing appointment for paracentesis (you kiddies might prefer to say "draining" cuz it's significantly easier on the tongue) every Monday and Thursday.  Hopefully, this means less time spent at the hospital.  Unfortunately, Mom needed to be drained today and since she was an "add-on," we had to wait about 2 hours before she could go in.  That's the bad news.  Thegood news is that Mom tied her record and had another 3.75 liters of fluid drained away.  With any luck, Mom should be done with this draining nonsense in 2-3 weeks.

It's fair to say that Mom is extremely anxious to end this whole water collection nonsense.  Lately she's been feeling a lot like Ms. Violet Beauregarde (in case the name's not ringin' a bell, that's her at left) of Willy Wonka fame, with the major difference being that Mom didn't turn blue (of course, she didn't get to feel like she was eating a blueberry pie either).   So, if you've called Mom and she didn't get back to you, please realize that it's nothing personal; she just hasn't been feeling her sprightly self as of late.  You do understand don't you?  Of course you do.  And that's just one of the 37 reasons why YFC loves you so.

Well kiddies, you're all caught up now and YFC is sleepy.  Whaddya say we call it quits, eh?

Much love to all.

Faithfully,

Corey

Yuck

Greetings Loyal Readers,

Today's title pretty much summarizes the way Mom's been feeling lately.  Yuck. But let's take a moment to explain how she got there...to yuck.  

As you recall, when we last left Mom, she was getting her belly fluid drained (a side effect of the TheraSpheres radiation treatment -- we think).  Well, it's been a week since we last checked in on her (well, last checked in on her in a blogadocious kinda way...if you include telephonic updates, YFC checks in in his Momma an average of 12.93 times a day).  Since then, the news has been, well, yucky.  Mom had more fluid drained on Tuesday, a whopping 3 liters worth (slighty more than 3 regular size Big Gulps).  Me and Mum celebrated her draining by heading to Opera.  After a nice tasty meal, we thought that Mom was well on the road to recovery.  Sadly for Mom (and rather shockingly for the rest of humanity), for the first time in a VERY long time, YFC was mistaken.  Mom started filling up with fluid again and today she was drained of nearly 3.8 liters of fluid -- that's nearly a gallon, or 4 Big Gulps if you're so inclined.

So you probably wanna know how Mom feels, right?  Well, through the marvels of modern science, you can know exactly how she feels in just 3 easy steps!  

Step 1.Remove full one gallon jug o' milk from refrigerator (note: it's important that the milk is full, preferably unopened).

Step 2.Duct tape the jug o' milk to your belly.  Make sure it's nice and tight.

Step 3.Attempt to resume normal activities.  For best results, leave jug in position for at least 24 hours.

After today's draining, Mom had a CT scan, which should hopefully allow the doctors to determine the cause of Mom's problems.  We're hoping to get some results by tomorrow, but we expect to know something by Monday at the latest.

Oh, YFC probably should have mentioned that the duct tape is going to hurt a bit when you rip it off.  Good luck.

Be good...

Faithfully,

Corey

Mom's Feeling a Bit Drained

Greetings Loyal Readers,

A happy Wednesday to all.  Your Faithful Correspondent is bringing you a quick chemo update 'cause, you know, he does that sort of thing.

Mom did have chemo today and she was joined by returning Chemo Buddy Trudy who came all the way from Santa Fe.  Having Trudy accompany Mom was a true pleasure, but somewhat less pleasurable was Mom's quick trip to interventional radiology.  Once again she had a paracentesis procedure (for my Loyal Readers who are somewhat less technologically inclined,when you see a word of phrase that's underlined and/or in a different color, you can click on it to link to more information).  This time the doctors drained about 1.6 liters from her belly. For those of you who are having a hard time visualizing what that means, the amount of liquid drained from Mom's belly was more than a Super Big Gulp, but less than a Double Big Gulp. 

Kind of draws things into focus, no?

Other than the unscheduled pit-stop, Mom is doing well.  Many thanks to my Loyal Readers for their loyalty to Mom.  The other bloggers are all jealous because it is well-known that my Loyal Readers are the most loyal of 'em all.

Be good, my friends...

Faithfully,

Corey 

Success...

Greetings Loyal Readers,

Your Faithful Correspondent must apologize for being just a wee bit lax with the updates -- kind of like some of you have been lax with your words of support for Mom (no, not YOU...this is being directed to the other readers of le blog).  Thankfully YFC is far too big of a man to "go there". 

Well, so much for pleasantries, onto the news...a number of you have inquired as to Mom's post-procedure condition.  YFC can confirm that everything went both okey and dokey.  Mom was a wee bit tender and groggy afterwards, but otherwise all was copacetic.  Dr. Stork said the procedure went off without a hitch (or words to that effect).  Mom was quick to let him know that she's be perfectly pleased if the radioactive seeds would hurry-up and finish working their magic, so that she wouldn't have to deal with this nonsense anymore thankyouverymuch.

Melvin the Wonder Sis joined YFC and helped him tend to the brave little patient's every whim (and be assured, there were plenty of whims to attend to).   In fact, because she was such a good little helper (not to be confused with Santa's Little Helper, at right) Sis will go back to being #1.5, instead of her customary position as #2.

Give it another week or so and Melvin will undoubtedly be anchored in second place (incidentally, that's her, at left).  Of course, my Loyal Readers are probably wondering how YFC can tell the two apart so easily.  It's quite simple really; it's the tail.  As anyone can plainly see (well, maybe not in this picture), Sis' tail is much, much longer.

Today (Monday...yeah, most of you will read this Tuesday, but if you read on, you'll see that Your Faithful Correspondent had a very rough day) Mom was scheduled for chemo.  She met with the Cotton Troll, who gave her the ol' once over.  Mom admitted that she wasn't feeling well because she felt a lot of pressure on her belly.  Well, turns out she had a water build-up, so chemo was pushed back to Wednesday,  Instead, we took a trip to the hospital (Stork's office is just across the street) so Mom could undergo a paracentesis procedure.

Now, I know my Loyal Readers are probably thinking "pair of saint what's this?" but allow YFC to explain...paracentesis is a procedure to remove a fluid build-up from the belly.  First they start with an ultrasound to locate the fluid build-up.  Then, the fluid is withdrawn with a long, thin needle.  Mom went in with hardly a complaint.  Approximately 50 minutes and half a gallon of belly juice later and Mom was all done.  

(in case you forgot what she looked like, that's Mom with her friend Maria the Wolf, above right)

Kinda crazy, right?  Oh don't worry, there's more...while all this was going on, YFC got a message from Auntie Berba that Bubbles the Clown was in the emergency room because she burned herself when her nightgown caught on fire.  About 2 dozen unanswered phone calls later, YFC can report than G-Mom is doing ok.  Now, this is a bit unconventional but YFC would like to ask a teensie-weensie favor for himself.  Here goes: Loyal Readers, Your Faithful Correspondent implores you...please do NOT get sick, injured, maimed, bruised, hurt, harmed, wounded, etc.  This is becoming a wee bit taxing so if you could see to it that you take care to take care, YFC would be much obliged.

Thank you.

Onto happier things, YFC and Mom recently celebrated Uncle Rusty's birthday with him.  It was a very exclusive soiree.  Natch all the most glamorous people were there, namely UR, Mom andYFC (if you didn't get an invite, not to worry...chances are you just weren't pretty enough).  Speaking of pretty, that pic, at left, is Uncle R blowing out the candles of his birthday cake.  Despite turning another year older, he still looks like a young Cary Grant (admittedly you hafta squint a bit).  Note that the glass of wine in the foreground is a 2000 Silver Oak, Napa Valley.  If you're an oenophile, your mouth is probably watering right now (and even if you're not an oenophile, just try saying the word "oenophile."  No really, say it.  It's decadent enough to make you want to become a wine-lover, just so you can justify saying "oenophile" time and time again).  The cake was good, the food was great, the wine was simply mind-blowing.  And the company...even better.

So a quick wrap-up: Mom's doing a bit better and goes for chemo on Wednesday.  Bubby's ok too, but her arm's going to hurt for a while.  Russell's older and has delicious wine.   And YFC..well, he's just happy to be bring you all the news that's fit to print.  Now do your part of the bargain and stay healthy, k?

Wishing good health to all...

Faithfully,

Corey

P.S.

You get a special bonus pic today.  Think of it as YFC's way of apologizing for being a bit tardy with this posting.  Why a cupcake?  Nosy little things, aren't you?  Well, if you simply must know, Your Faithful Correspondent likes taking pictures of food and this cupcake looked particularly scrumptuous.  

It didn't taste half-bad either.

A TheraSpherific Update

Greetings Loyal Readers,

When you need the news, the real news, where do you turn? CNN? Pfft. NBC? Rank amateurs. The New York Times? Surely you jest. Fox News? Well, if you're watching Fox News, YFC wouldn't even know where to begin...Suffice it to say your #1 place for news is right here, The Chemo Chronicle. And here's the latest...

Mom will not have chemo this week 'cause she's getting ready for her TheraSpheres (radiation) treatment next Friday, May 30th (it's also the same day as the premiere of the new Sex and the City movie, just in case you were wonderin'). But the Monday thereafter, Mom will be back on the chemo wagon, so much fun and hijinks await.

That's all the news that's fit to print, no fluff today kiddies.

Be good...

Faithfully,
Corey

Good News!

Greetings Loyal Readers,

Your Faithful Correspondent is coming to you a bit earlier this week to bring you some VERY GOOD NEWS.

Mom received a call from her oncologist today and received a very positive post-PET scan report.  Per the doc, there's not much activity in the pancreas (phew! this is what we were most worried about) and things are looking better in the liver too.  The doctor said that her scan looked much better than it did in June of last year and that she was very happy with Mom's progress.  And as YFC always says (well, always says starting today at least), if the doc is happy, then he's happy.  So, even if complete recovery is taking a little bit longer than we'd like, this is still a cause for a little celebration.  Anyone care to join Yours Truly for a celebratory glass of vino?

In other news, Mom and YFC passed some time at Fox & Obel today.  It's worth mentioning because 1) it's uber chic and 2) they apparently have good chopped liver and good whitefish salad.  Who knew?

In other news, this weekend Bubby turns the big Ocho-Cinco.  For those of you who don't speak Spanish and/or who aren't very good at math, that means that my darling grandmother will soon be entering triple digits.  Or something like that.  So we'll be off for brunch (whitefish salad perhaps?) and hopefully that should be delish.

And speaking of delish, YFC made ice cream for the first time in his new ice cream maker (previously he made a couple of sorbets and some blueberry frozen yogurt, but that's another story).  Anyhow, would you believe he made Nutella ice cream?  Tis true!  And it was only 2 ingredients too -- Nutella (an impossibly smooth chocolate-hazelnut spread) and evaporated milk.  Unbelievably yummy, though a tad sweet (oh, and it looked a bit like poo, but this is a family blog, so we won't get into that).  For his next attempt YFC will use a different brand (lower sugar) of chocolate-hazelnut spread and will substitute maybe 1/3 of the chocolatey-hazlenutty goodness for some peanut butter.  Ah yes boys and girls, it's getting mighty exciting round these parts!  And if you sign-up now to be a Chemo Buddy, you  too might win your very own pint of YFC's home made ice cream.

Well, that wine is a callin'.  Thanks again for all of your kind words, thoughts and prayers. 

Be good...

Faithfully, 

Corey

PET Scan Update

Greetings Loyal Readers,

Your Faithful Correspondent is back!  I'd say "and better than ever" but given how good I was before, being even better would be a theoretical impossibility.  Chew on that for a while...

A quickie update about Mom's PET scan...it went off without a hitch.  In fact, they apparently have some new fancy-schmancy machine so instead of taking 1.5 hours the scan only took about 25 minutes.  

We should get the results by Tuesday so keep an eye out for more news soon.  In the meantime, have a lovely weekend and remember to THINK SHRINK.

Faithfully,

Corey

Happy Mother's Day (Belated)

Greetings Loyal Readers...

...or should I say Loyal Readers of Your Faithful Correspondent? As you know, these updates are most often penned by the mysterious YFC, the nom de plume (pen name...it's already been established that everything sound better in French) of...well, me. This is all getting a wee bit confusing, maybe I should take a step back and explain...

(left: Mom and Sis)

Today's posting is not going to be written by YFC or the Favorite Child or #1 (you do realize those are all one and the same person, right?); instead, it's being written by me, Corey. And let me tell you, it feels mighty strange.

Here's the latest: on Monday, Mom had an appointment with Dr. Mellott (you probably know her better as the Cotton Troll, but today everyone gets to be called by their real names). We received some news that we didn't really expect: the last CT scan revealed that there was a 1.2cm x 1.8cm tumor in Mom's pancreas. Now this was pretty shocking news for a couple of reasons. First, we thought that Mom had rid herself of the pancreatic tumor. For the last few months we've been concentrating on healing the liver. Moreover, when Mom met with Dr. Sato last week, he never mentioned that anything was wrong with her pancreas. In fact, he said that the right side of her liver (the part that was most recently treated) seemed to be responding well to the TheraSpheres treatment (radiation). So what gives?

(above right: Mom at chemo)

Unfortunately, in the shock of the moment I think a little was lost in translation. I can't really report whether the tumor was there all along and it was somehow "missed" (seems unlikely) or whether it grew back. We also don't really know about the state of the cancer itself. Apparently CT scans have limitations, like not being able to distinguish between dead cancer cells and live ones. That's why Mom is scheduled to have a PET scan Friday (tomorrow), so the doctors can get a better sense of how effective her treatment has been.

(above: Mom, Cousin Nanci & Michelle)

Often times YFC will let you know where Mom's been (for example, he might inform you that Mom's neighbor Mark took her to Ruth's Chris to make sure that her hemoglobin levels stayed nice and high) or where she's planning to go (the Royal George Theatre to see some bloke named Mark Nadler perform a one-man show called "Russian on the Side"...edit: we went last night...quickie review - meh). But since this is Corey writing and not my alter ego, I'm not going to get into that (at least not anymore than I already have).

(right: Mary, Trudy & Mom)

Instead, I thought I'd say a few words about Mom, seeing how last weekend was Mother's Day and all. Wow...this is hard. YFC never gets writer's block when penning The Chemo Chronicle, but all of a sudden I'm at a loss for words. Well, instead of writing to you the reader, I hope that you'll indulge me a bit and let me speak directly to my Mom...

Mom,

Over the years you've taught me many important lessons. Be nice to others. Look both ways before you cross the street. Always wear a clean pair of underwear...just in case. But perhaps the greatest lesson of all is one that I'm not even sure you realize that you've shared. In fact, its the one that you're teaching me right now...

It's the lesson on how to deal with adversity. It's a lesson that you teach me every day. You've persevered under the most difficult of circumstances and you've done so with incredible grace and dignity. I don't pretend to understand why you were afflicted with this awful disease; but I like to think that G-d will not present us with challenges that we cannot handle. You are a fighter. A Warrior Woman. A Survivor. And I am incredibly blessed to call you my Teacher. My friend. My Mom.

I love you very much,

Corey

Needless to say, tomorrow is a big day. We should probably get the results of the PET scan early next week. As soon as we get word, someone (be it me or YFC) will be sure to post the results. Now there is a possibility that, depending on the results, the doctors might want to explore different treatment options, but at this point it seems that Mom will be continuing with her current course of treatment. So, we expect that Mom will be continuing with her bi-weekly chemotherapy treatments and that she will be going in for further radiation treatment (TheraSpheres) at the end of the month (we don't have the date yet -- of course once known, it will be posted in The Chemo Chronicle).

(left: Mom at chemo)

Mom's had a pretty rough go of things lately. The doctor put her on a mild steroid to try to reduce some of the side effects of the disease. Hopefully that will be effective in reducing the frequency and severity of her fevers. Unfortunately, Mom's sleeping schedule has been severely disrupted as of late. I know that many of you have called to wish her well. Please try to call between the hours of 9:30am and 9:30pm because Mom's sleep schedule has been pretty erratic. In general, it's best to telephone in the morning, when possible.

Please say a prayer (or two) for Mom and keep her in your thoughts.

Faithfully,
Corey

PS

If you happen to talk with her, please don't mention the contents of this posting to my grandmother, Beverly (you may know her better as Bubbles the Clown), She'll be 85 in less than 2 weeks and to celebrate, we're going to have a small get together for her at The Drake Hotel (many thanks to Uncle Phil for helping out with the arrangements). Anyhow, we're going to hold off on telling G-Mom any details for a while. Plus, she'd kill me if she knew which picture I picked out for the blog.

Thanks for understanding.

(right: Bubby)

The Unvarnished Truth

Greetings Loyal Readers,

Your Faithful Correspondent has the latest, if not the greatest to share with you today. Let's get right to it, shall we?

Of course, you're used to YFC putting a nifty little spin on things, but this here is the cold, unvarnished truth. Since her last dose of radiation (April 4th), Mom's been getting a lot of fevers (at least daily). When Mom gets feverish, she also has a corresponding drop in energy and typically gets the chills. Oh, and we wouldn't want to forget about the night sweats either. So, as you can imagine, Mom's had a pretty lousy month. She had a brief respite right around my birthday (again, thanks for all the cards and presents) but otherwise it's been downright yucky (that's a medical term).

Monday, Mom had a CT scan and yesterday she saw Kent "Cotton Stork" Sato, her interventional radiologist (that's him, at right). We got a bit of a mixed report. Lettuce start with the good news (get it lettuce, let us...c'mon people lighten up a bit. On second thought, you're right, it really wasn't very funny)...it looks like the most recent dose of radiation has been working like a charm. As you recall, Mom got the radioactive seeds (a/k/a TheraSpheres) directed to the right side of her liver last month. The tumor on that side appeared to have a bit of a rim around it and now that rim has gone the way of the dodo (to my non-zoologically inclined readers, that means it went bye-bye). The Doc thought that it meant* (* - more on this in a bit) that the radiation was doing it's job; or, as Zoe might say, the radiation was "kicking the tumor in its butt."

Unfortunately, things don't seem to be going as well for the tumor on the left part of Mom's liver. The left part was treated first and does not seem to be responding as well to the TheraSpheres. Ok, this might seem like odd timing, but YFC just thought of a song that Melvin used to sing...something she learned at overnight camp -- I hate liver/Cause liver makes me quiver/Liver makes me shiver up and die, die die... Finally, YFC and his sibling can agree on something...YFC also hates liver. Come to think of it, YFC thinks all offal is awful (by the by, at left is a Russian offal chart that YFC has so graciously posted for your benefit). Get it, offal...awful? Yeah, we'll stick that in the crisper right next to the lettuce joke.

Now, remember that little asterisk above? Well, it was there for a reason. The Doctor based his opinions on the results of Mom's CT scan. However, the CT scan cannot really distinguish between living tumors and a dead ones. But a PET scan (Positron emission tomography...glad you asked?) can, so 2 Fridays from today, Mom will...you guessed it...have a PET scan (the machine looks like that picture, at right). After the Stork reads the PET scan, we'll have a better idea how things are progressing. However, barring something completely unforeseen, Mom will have more seeds implanted on the left side of her liver (this hasn't been scheduled yet, but we're shooting for the end of May). Most likely Mom will get a larger dose of the seeds than she got last time cuz, you know, she's getting kind of tired of this whole tumor nonsense, so she wants to irradiate that little bugger into oblivion.

Incidentally, Dr. Stork (can't believe this didn't come to YFC sooner...Doctor + Stork = Dork. Coincidence? Methinks not. But to be clear, he's a very likable sort) said that Mom's fevers weren't necessarily a good sign or a bad sign. They might not be a bad sign, but all the same, Mom would just as soon get rid of 'em.

Finally, by popular request, YFC will again dip into his reader mailbag:

Dear YFC,
You are sooo great! I think about you all the time. Your Mom is so lucky to have you...
(Note: the superlatives went on for 6 single-spaced pages, but in the interest of time, this has been severely edited)
Is there any one quality that makes you #1?

Signed,
Your Faithful Fan

Dear YFF,

Thank you so much for your kind words. Now to answer your question: YFC is #1 for oh so many reasons, but perhaps the main reason: selflessness. YFC had dinner with Mom this Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. He also accompanied her to her appointment w/ Dr. Stork and her chiropractor. But does he do it for glory or adulation. Of course not. YFC does it because he loves his Mommy. That alone is reason enough.

Thanks for writing.

Well at any rate, it's soon to be the witching hour (no, that wasn't a comment about my Sister...although it could be). Do your bit and keep Mommy in your thoughts, k?

More soon...

Faithfully,
Corey

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

Greetings Loyal Readers,

It seems like it's been forever since we last met. Well, before you hear the latest and greatest about YFC, let's dive right into Mom's World (not to be confused with the 2 guys at right)...

Yesterday was a chemo day. Mom was joined by her sister Berba, who was making a repeat appearance as a Chemo Buddy (that's her at left...way to go Berbs!). Unfortunately, the news from chemo was decidedly mixed. Mom was able to have chemo; however, her hemoglobin level was 8.6 after tipping the scales at 8.85 last time. So Mom will go in for 2 pints of blood tomorrow. Yes, that's right kiddies, it's transfusion time again. Now, I know it sounds scary, but really it's not. In fact, Mom said that last time it didn't hurt a bit. The nurses just pump the blood through Mom's port and before you can say "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" 11x in a row *poof* it's all done.

Not too shabby, eh?

Speaking of shabby, how's your memory? You know that word from Mary Poppins that you just read, the one that's also the title of this post? Wanna attempt to spell it without looking?

Didn't think so. Coward.

Sorry, you didn't deserve that. Your Faithful Corespondent has been a bit on edge cause Mom has had some nausea and high fevers this week. She's also been getting fatigued pretty easily and the low hemoglobin count is undoubtedly a factor. So topping off the tank ought to bring Mom back to her sprightly self. Luckily for YFC she perked up for his birthday bash last Monday. That's right boys and girls, Your Favorite Correspondent just turned...well, let's just all agree that he had a birthday. He celebrated in high style at Hugo's Frog Bar with Mom, Uncle Rusty, Melvin and Nat (of the non-King Cole variety) in attendance. Of course #2 is going to get mad 'cause Nat's her new beau and she will undoubtedly accuse Yours Truly of making fun of him. But you know what? Second Best should have thought of that before she tried playing with YFC's tinker toys when he was 6! Ah yes, the old saying is so deliciously true...revenge is a dish best served cold.

Well kiddies, gotta cut this short. Just be sure to send Mom lots and lots of good vibes tomorrow so that she can get her mojo back. In fact, why don't you make sure those vibes are supercalifragilisticexpialidociously good? After all, Mom would do it for you...*

* - YFC learned the art of the guilt trip (not to be confused with a road-trip, which is infinitely more fun...unless, of course, you're the one doing the guilting) from Mom herself. Jewish mothers rock!

Love to all (but most of all to You).

Faithfully,
Corey