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Not All Days Are Good

2009-11-08T19:00:43-08:00

Sherryl had her second round of Chemo #6 last week and has subsequently experienced related side effects. Leg pain, stiff knees, water retention, and fatigue are not a fun combination even by RaRa Resilience standards. So, in addition to tears and lots of sleep, the walker was needed on Saturday and a cane on Sunday. Sherryl did feel better Sunday evening, which she attributes to an 15-hour night's sleep.

Backing up to last week, Sherryl decided to be pro-active and ask for a particular test. She has reasoned that nearly every part of her anatomy has been scanned; the only area not yet scanned is the brain. So, although she is functioning physically and mentally well, Sherryl presented her rationale to her oncologist with a request for that particular test. He agreed and the scan was scheduled for this past Thursday. The availability of test results is pending. Sherryl expects to get an update from her doctor during her chemo appointment this week.

Sherryl continues to push herself, even through bad days. Sunday evening, she was baking a birthday cake for one of the children at day care and talking about Christmas gifts she has in the works.

Resilience. Here's wishing RaRa wakes up tomorrow morning to a good day.

~xoxo~

Chemotherapy #6: Docetaxel

2009-10-14T22:19:00-07:00

Sherryl saw her oncologist on Monday and began a new chemotherapy today. Docetaxel will be administered intravenously once a week for three weeks, then there will be no chemo on the fourth week. The other news Sherryl received is that her tumor marker is 553. This high number does not come as a surprise because chemotherapy is suspended during radiation treatment, so Sherryl has had no chemotherapy since before she was in the hospital. Once radiation was completed, Sherryl's oncologist needed to determine if Gemzar should be resumed or not; the decision was to try another therapy.

Sherryl's oncologist explained that, although there is "a lot of disease in the bone," it is not overtaking her the body and it has not spread to any organs. He explained some of the side effects of the new drug, many of which are similar to side effects Sherryl experienced on the first chemotherapy.

After her first dose today, Sherryl says she feels tired, but it's a good tired. She has returned to day care and continues to slowly but surely push herself in order to optimize her strength.

Special thanks to those who continue to send to RaRa prayers, good thoughts, and hopes for good health. We so appreciate every thought and every gesture you express for our sister.

~xoxo~

Radiation Treatments Completed

2009-10-04T20:45:38-07:00

The most recent round of 10 radiation treatments has ended and has left Sherryl feeling pretty tired. The silver lining is that she does not feel as much pain as she felt prior to radiation treatment. In addition to radiation appointments, Sherryl has headed out of the house twice to do errands, and she plans to ease back into work this week.

The return of energy is a slow this time, but she seems a bit better as of Sunday night. We're all hoping Monday will be a good day, followed by a week of good days.

~xoxo~

Home Sweet Home

2009-09-22T23:13:24-07:00

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

2009-09-20T22:05:55-07:00

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

2009-09-19T22:18:32-07:00

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

2009-09-17T20:47:33-07:00

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

2009-09-16T16:02:58-07:00

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

2009-09-14T19:45:33-07:00

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.