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Home Sweet Home

Sherryl arrived home from the hospital Monday evening and is enjoying the comfort of her own bed.  She is cautiously moving about without her walker, and Richard took her out today for radiation treatment as planned.  She also spoke briefly with her radiology oncologist; radiation will continue daily for a couple of weeks.

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being low and 10 being high, Sherryl describes her level of pain today at a 2, which is a tremendous relief from the intensity of pain she felt just a couple of days ago. 

She's already making plans for how she'll spend her time at home until she can return to work.  There won't be any painting projects, but there will be much thinking and planning. 

Thank you all for your prayers and good wishes for RaRa.  We may use the same words to say it each time, but we can never thank you enough for your love and support of our sister.

~xoxo~   

Scheduled to Come Home Monday

Sherryl is feeling better today, much better.  In order to restore a low cell count, a blood transfusion was ordered by Sherryl's doctor.  The transfusion of 2 units of blood occurred over a span of 4 hours today.  Radiation to the ilium is scheduled for later Monday afternoon and then she's expected to be discharged to home.  Radiation will continue 5 days per week for 2 to 3 weeks.  The type(s) of and schedule for chemotherapy is pending at this time.   

As always, Sherryl's fight against cancer is strong and quiet.  When she's not sleeping, she's chatting and her conversations are about people who mean the world to her.  If you know her, you are one of those people.

~xoxo~   

Hospitalization Continues, Radiation Begins

Sherryl is still in the hospital and is still experiencing pain in her left hip and leg.  The MRI taken this week of the pelvic area is currently being compared by Sherryl's radiology oncologist to the previous MRI of the same area.  As of today, radiation to the ilium is scheduled for Monday.

As a result of the pain, Sherryl is having some difficulty moving but did  move around her room a bit today.  On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being low and 10 being high, Sherryl described to her nurse today the level of her pain as a 6.  She has been given some pain medication and hopes to have a good night's sleep.  She also hopes to feel better tomorrow. 

We are not yet certain when Sherryl will be discharged from the hospital.  When she's not sleeping and not in too much pain, she is chatting.  And her chatting is always, always about the people in her life who mean the world to her. 

~xoxo~

Still Hospitalized and Another MRI

Sherryl is still in the hospital.  Thanks to the medications her doctors prescribed, intense pain has subsided.  She experiences a bit of discomfort and therefore moves slowly. 

Sherryl's oncologist and radiology oncologist visited her together in the hospital this morning  They explained that the views on the CT and MRI images were higher than they believe the pain to be, so another MRI was performed this morning to obtain views of the pelvis.  Both doctors believe the cause of the pain is coming from this area.  They plan to compare today's images with the results of the same tests taken last year.

In the meantime, Sherryl's numbers are low so there was no chemotherapy administered today.  Sherryl's oncologist did mention that the next treatment plan may involve two different types of chemotherapy.  Sherryl slept well last night and her appetite has been fair.  She is still sleepy, but when she's awake, she is very chatty.  We like it when RaRa is chatty. 

~xoxo~

Tired, and Waiting for Results

Sherryl is still in the hospital.  In addition to the CT scan, an MRI was done yesterday.  Sherryl's radiology oncologist will arrive in Sherryl's hospital room some time this evening to give her the results.

She has not slept very well over the past two days, so medication is being adjusted accordingly.  As of early this afternoon, she'd had a little lunch, was chatty with immediate family and the nurses, and may sleep a bit before the visit from her doctor.

Thank you for all your prayers and good wishes.  They mean the world to Sherryl and to us.

~xoxo~ 

Hospitalized for Pain

Sherryl has been experiencing pain in the left thigh the past few days and has had a hard time walking.  The pain worsened, so she called the oncologist's office on Saturday and was told it may be sciatica.  By Sunday the pain was worse and became excruciating, so much so that Richard pulled out her walker.  She made an appointment to see her oncologist today and, during her appointment, a CT scan was ordered.

The doctor wanted her to be hospitalized for the test and pain management, so Sherryl was admitted to the hospital this evening.  Results of the scan are expected no later than tomorrow.  

It has been a busy summer and Sherryl's strength and spirits have been good.  She's worked at day care, enjoyed a week of vacation, and continued to spend time with the people she loves.  As she began treatment of the new chemotherapy, Gemcitabine or Gemzar, her blood cell counts dropped postponing the planned infusion schedule.  She was administered chemotherapy last week; fatigue is the most prominent side effect.

Sherryl also spoke her peace to the physician who told her they were "running out of options," so we'll be sure to explain the details of that story in the near future.

Sherryl's Back Home!

The news is good.  As planned the Gastroenterologist and Sherryl met around noon today for another endoscopy, this time they met in the operating room.  If the food could still not be dislodged, surgery would be performed immediately.  

But the endoscopy revealed the food was dislodged from the wall of the esophagus and was nowhere to be seen.  Sherryl spent time in recovery and was discharged home late this afternoon.  

The doctor reported there is a bit of scarring on the walls of the esophagus, which is probably the result of radiation treatment.  This tissue will be monitored in follow-up appointments over the next few weeks.  Changes in diet specify soft foods only for a while; there are no changes to her existing treatment plan. 

Sherryl has had a terrible headache since last night and only wants to sleep.  So, that is exactly what she's doing this evening: sleeping. 

We are all relieved this incident did not become more complicated, and we are all very glad Sherryl is home.  In addition to it being a long holiday weekend, it's going to be a relaxing and lovely weekend, too.  Thank you for your love, hope, and prayers.  We wish you a nice long weekend, too!   

Hospitalized

Sherryl is exhausted and her mouth and throat are too sore to talk. PLEASE: No visitors or calls to the hospital today.  Thank you.

While eating dinner last night, several small pieces of meat lodged together in Sherryl's esophagus causing pain and discomfort.  She did not have a good night's sleep but headed to day care this morning as usual.  This painful incident has happened before (even prior to being diagnosed with cancer) and it simply goes away thanks to the miracles of physiology and the digestive system.  

Today, however, Sherryl continued to experience pain and discomfort, so a call was made to her Oncologist who advised her to head to the hospital by way of the emergency room.  The expectation was that a Gastroenterologist would perform an endoscopic procedure lasting no more than 30 minutes to simply dislodge the food.  Fortunately, Nadine and Susan were also both working at day care, so Sherryl was able to leave the children in good hands for the rest of the day. 

Richard met Sherryl at the emergency room, and she was soon in a procedure room as expected.  Over 2 hours later, the Gastroenterologist appeared in the waiting to inform Richard and Arleen that, while there had been some progress in removing food particles, there remains a small bolus stuck in a curve of the esophagus.  The longer the procedure was underway, the higher the risk of perforation to the esophagus, so the doctor stopped the procedure.  Another attempt will be made on Friday, and if there is still no success, surgery may be necessary.

Sherryl was admitted to the hospital and is exhausted from lack of sleep last night and from enduring the 2+ hour endoscopy.  Her mouth and throat are sore following the longer-than-expected procedure and she is saying only a few words at a time.  She doesn't feel like talking at all.  Her eyes are closed and she just wants to sleep. 

As for her spirits, she was planning to attend tonight a play in which Annie was performing, and is hugely disappointed to have missed it.  A trace of defeat is accompanying Sherryl's exhaustion.  It's been a very long 24 hours.   

With everything going so well as a result of Sherryl's treatment plan, this is a potential setback physically, mentally, and emotionally.  It's time for us to rally again so RaRa soon restores all the energy she has worked so very hard to regain.  Let's get her back to that new normal.      

Home Sweet Home

Sherryl is home, safe and sound.  Tests results indicated there was no viral or bacterial infection that caused the lower abdominal pain.  One 5-day antibiotic was prescribed upon discharge from the hospital. 

Before Sherryl left the hospital this afternoon, one of her oncologists told her she is done with chemotherapy.  She is thrilled to know these semi-debilitating sessions are behind her "for now," and she is feeling the liberation of not being tied to the weekly visits and subsequent daily trips to get a shot.  That said, she also realizes she will no longer be seeing on a regular basis her nurses -- those who have cared for her with such compassion and kindness and for whom she now has such tremendous fondness.  So, there were a few tears today when good-byes were exchanged.   

Sherryl is enjoying tonight a light dinner, and is feeling cozy in her living room where Richard lit the first fire of the season in their fireplace.  She is glad to be home and has already begun planning the details of hosting Thanksgiving dinner at her home.  We are all very much looking forward to being together this year on Sherryl's favorite holiday.

Hospitalization Continues

Sherryl is still in the hospital, but she is alert and has a good appetite.  She was given a sleeping pill the first night of her hospitalization and has not needed one since then in order to sleep well.  While she is experiencing bloating, her pain level is 0 on a scale 0 (none) to 10 (excruciating). 

Sherryl's doctor told her today that the abdominal pain may not be from the antibiotic prescribed a few weeks ago.  It could instead be yet another side effect of chemotherapy.  A more definitive origin of these symptoms are pending tests results.  Specific treatment and a discharge date are pending the outcome of those results.  Sherryl was assured again today that the abdominal pain she has experienced is not cancer-related. 

As for the reactions of doctors and nurses to The White Board, Sherryl reports that one of the nurses loved it and said it was the best thing she'd seen in a long time.  The oncologist who visited Sherryl today liked it, too.  He stood at the board, wondered aloud which of the characters he is, and then circled Happy as he exited her room.  It's good to have a happy doctor.