Sunny Day

I just wanted to share that mom was able to join us for church for the last 2 Sunday's and they've both been great. Mom is alive when she is at Church and I wanted her to have this same feeling during the week, outside of attending doctor's appointments.

So, this morning I was going to go to Jenn's for breakfast and I invited my mom (like I do almost every morning that I go to my sis's for breakfast) and she said YES! It took us an extra 30 minutes or so to get out of the house, but we made it! It was beautiful out, too. Sunny skies, warm weather, dogs playing together (and mauling my thumb), it was a great day!

Last Minute Thoughts

You know how it is when you're drifting off to sleep and you remember all those things you didn't get done or need to do tomorrow. Well, tonight was one of those nights for my mom. Right when she got in bed she remembered the 'tea' that had been steeping all day. It's this special brew she fixed this morning, it had to set for 12 hours, be boiled for another 10 minutes, strained and then put in amber bottles. Well, let's just say we're a makeshift kind of family.

No strainer

No amber bottles

Makeshift #1: Mom saves (almost) everything, so we used a combo of mason jars and old spaghetti jars.

Makeshift #2: We decided we would put foil around the jars to block out the light.

Makeshift #3: Strainer

Idea #1: Find the mysterious strainer

Idea #2: Use the regular pasta strainer with cheesecloth laid in it while dumping the hot tea over it and into another pot.

Idea #3: Use a pot with that grease spatter thing with the handle on it that you can put over pans when cooking something splattery.

Idea #3 Wins! This tea was more like a cauldron and in the last 4 minutes of boiling, it completely boils over onto the glass top stove with all the pieces of who knows what in tote. The smell is just downright lovely (if you lived in the trees). We get to the last bit of liquid (and chunk) that we're straining [my mom with a towel wrapped around her hand holding the makeshift strainer thing over the pot which was propped on an upside down measuring glass in the sink) and let me tell you this is not the last thing you want to see before you lay your sleepy eyes to rest for the evening.

We made it through, no burns, no mess, no broken jars, etc. A few laughs and hopefully some yummy tea (although that's up for decision tomorrow).

Non-small cell Adenocarcinoma

The results came back for the PET scan and the pulmonologist informed us that the scans showed that the cancer is localized to the pleural lining of the left lung and partially on the right lung and diaphragm. It has not metastasized anywhere else that they can see. Thank you GOD! Still inoperable and radiation treatment won't affect it.

Overall, I think mom's doing well. She is able to take care of herself and fix meals as long as she has catnaps. She has her bouts of dealing with the emotional aspect, but don''t we all?!? We've definitely shed some tears together and today was one of those afternoons. Between us rummaging through old I love you notes to her from when Jenn and I were small to me almost reaching my witts end (It was completely my fault and I did apologize, but still feel bad about it), to all the what ifs, it was an emotional day. I think everyone needed a nap.

So tonight she's complaining of her stomach hurting. She said it's because of the inhaler she used, but I was having my doubts. So she starts her 'evening coughing before she heads off to bed' ritual and what do ya know... she ends up throwing up and admits immediately that her stomach feels better. I was like, well, what did you eat?

(Silence) Then a quiet little, "A part of a plum."

"Like a slice?" I inquire.

"It was a leftover in a baggie."

I was like, hello?!?, "Don't you think it was probably bad?"

"Well," she replied, "It looked borderline, but I thought it would be okay."

Here I am being the mommy. I was like Mom! You can't be eating food that you're unsure of anymore. She was like, no doubt!

I love my mom!

So hopefully no more borderline plums and all tummies will be feeling well.

Everything's a Little Blurry

Funny story: Mom woke up this morning and sat up and thought, "Oh my gosh, everything's blurry." So she went to feel around to see what was the matter and found her cannula on the bridge of her nose blocking her morning view. Phew!

MRI, CT, PET

Today and yesterday were mostly spent at doctor''s offices so my mom could get scans done. On Monday we'll know more about the extent of the cancer and if it's localized or not. 

Dr. Visits

Mom got her sutures taken out today, which went well. We also saw the pulmonologist and she noted that the the most recent radiology report shows increased aeration in mom's left lung, so this was good news. Everything else has changed the same, so that can be good news as well.

Oncology Appointment

Nothing new so far, really. The oncologist said surgery wasn't an option and radiation therapy won't work. Chemo is an option, but he doubts it will work and said you just never know. He was really nonchalant about everything, which I thought was weird. I asked what the life expectancy was on chemo compared to no chemo. He said it's really hard to tell and left it at that. It was almost impossible to get him to answer my questions anyways. I would say, "Well, I have a question." And he'd start talking to my mom or he'd say, "Yes?" And I start to ask the question and he'd start talking again. It was so frustrating. I almost wonder if he read the surgeons notes that my mom was against chemo, so he basically gave her what she wanted to hear. Who knows. He said there's a drug called Tarceva that has been effective in younger women with lung cancer and that mom fits that profile. It is effective pretty fast, so you'll know right away if it's going to work or not. After talking to one of my other friends in California, she urged me to have mom see an alternative Dr. for cancer. I'm not sure why I didn't think of that, probably because I figured my mom already had. I suggested it and she said she's going to call around and find an alternative Dr. on Monday. Apparently Nevada is a great state for Dr's of alternative medicine because of the lax laws on the subject here. She has a PET scan and a brain scan on Friday. The oncologist wants to check to see if it's metastasized anywhere, specifically her brain.