Medical Recap

We couldn't be more pleased or more grateful for how well Mom looks and feels, especially today. Unfortunately, there are still things Mom's body is struggling with.

Mom is in need of daily blood and platelet transfusions to keep her levels up. Lack of platelets causes Mom's nose to "drip" or bleed. Yesterday morning, Mom's nose bled quite heavily for six hours until it finally stopped. Not very fun for Mom~ugh! Platelets are a good thing around here!

Mom is now on constant oxygen because her level drops too low after only four minutes of being off of oxygen. The bright side of the oxygen supplement is that she feels so much better now that she is on it. At this time, the doctors are not sure what is actually causing her lack of oxygen. A chest x-ray was taken but the results have not be shared with us as of yet.

The list of what medications are required for Mom to take while undergoing her ATG treatments is long...anti-nausea, Benedryl, Tylenol, Demerol, Zofran, etc. At this time, we are thankful for them all since it is the supplement medications that make the ATG treatments bearable. Mom just likes being able to sleep through her treatments!

Mom is seen by lots of fabulous doctors. First thing each morning an intern comes to check on Mom. A few hours later, a team of doctors come in to evaluate how she is doing. Finally, the head doctor comes in as needed to answer questions any we may have and share any new treatment plans and thoughts. Stasi and I happen to think that Mom's hospital doctor, Dr. Gotlib, has a wonderful sense of humor. He is good with Mom and puts up with her two daughters. He is a good guy! I sent Stasi to get a photo of Mom's medical team when they were in the hallway but they were too busy to pose so below is the best we could get. Patients before posing...this is why they are the professionals!

We are so grateful for ALL the doctors and especially the nurses who take such great care of Mom around the clock while she is here at Stanford Hospital.

Day Three Done...Wahoo!!

With great joy we are able to report that Mom did fabulously through her treatment last night! Praise the Lord! In the competent hands of Blake, Mom was given all the drugs needed to avoid all the "ugly" side affects of the ATG. Mom slept through most of the treatment and doesn't remember most of the bells, whistles, testing and checking. This is a very good thing. You will see by the photos below that Mom is happy and much more rested than on previous nights. Stasi and I, on the other hand, look like "zombies" and are functioning on very little sleep. A small price to pay to bless our mother.

Mom continues to fight the platelet battle. A side affect of this is a drippy, bloody nose. We will post more about this later, along with a recap of the events of yesterday. Thank you again for praying for Mom. God is good and Mom is doing well.

Friday's Hopsital Events

We don't want you all to think that Mom is lying in a hospital bed with nothing to do, having no fun or missing out on great company. Mom is leading a double life. Fun, friends and laughter by day and ATG by night. This has really been working for Mom.

Friday was a busy day for Mom. Her sister, Christine Egan who lives only 5 miles away, came to visit Mom. We tried to encourage Aunt Christine to climb in bed with Mom to have her photo taken for our blog but she refused. Can you imagine that?!! Mom was blessed to spend time with Aunt Christine.

Janet Grinstead, a dear friend who we met while taking a quilting class at Asilomar many years ago, also came to visit. Janet lives in the area and has come to show her support to Mom each time Mom has gone through an ATG treatment. (It just wouldn't seem right for Mom to go through ATG without a visit from Janet.) Mom enjoyed visiting with Janet greatly. Janet's delightful sense of humor always brings such joy to us all. Janet blessed Mom with more pages for her Asilomar Storyquilters photo album that Janet started and gave to Mom the first time Mom went through ATG. Delightful photos of special quilter friends that brought a hug smile to Mom's face. Stasi and I were able to sneak out to P.F. Chang's for a quick lunch with Janet before it was time to return to meet with Mom's doctor. This was quite the treat for Stasi and me since we hadn't had breakfast yet, enjoy being with Janet and P.F. Chang's is a favorite of ours. We would have taken a photo of Janet with Mom but Janet was concerned for Mom's health and offered her hugs to Mom from afar.

In between visitors, Mom was able to enjoy a mini art class with the hospital art therapist. Mom loves any type of art project so this was most enjoyable for Mom. She tried an art technique that she is sure to share with her grandchildren in the future. Metallic water color on wet paper using plastic wrap, salt & alcohol. Sounds somewhat strange but the results are very impressive.

Friday was the first time Mom had Amy and Blake as her nurses. Amy was her day nurse and proved to have the most wonderful sense of humor. She made us laugh often and and put up with all of our shenaigans. Blake was her ATG nurse and truly was a "Super Hero" in disguise. This man worked overtime to get things right and make the night go smoothly. All of Mom's nurses gift's from God. Amy and Blake were no exception. We are so thankful for their fabulous care, encouragement and support.

Friday was a good day for Mom. Thank you God.

Returning "Home"

With all praise to God, Stasi & I were able to secure an apartment this morning for our mother to recover at while needing to be close to Stanford Hospital. And to make things absolutely perfect, the new apartment is in the same complex, in the same building, on the same floor as the last apartment. Wahoo!! Mom and Dad were very blessed with their last apartment and this one will be like returning "home" again. The only two differences will be that the view from their windows will now have pine trees to remind Mom of the cabin at Fallen Leaf Lake verses an oak tree that reminded Mom of the ranch and the new apartment in a bit smaller. There won't be a den so they will have to cut down on the amount of things they store at the apartment. No problem since they don't plan to stay very long.

Dad is planning to bring up all the things they used in the last apartment sometime tomorrow so he can have everything ready for Mom when she is released from the hospital. For those of you who don't know, the apartment complex that Dad & Mom will be staying at is in a great location. It is close to the hospital, in a beautiful & quiet neighborhood, within walking distance to the grocery store and a few restaurants and even close to Mom's sisters house. How perfect can this be?!!

Stasi and I took a few photos to share. Ed, the very good natured man at the leasing office, was quite the good sport to have his photo taken with us. The photo was taken by Jose, the equally good natured soda distributor who happened to be close by. If you can read the photo below, you will see that the amenities are great...including a wonderful Sunday continental breakfast! We praise God for this new apartment for Mom & Dad.

Welcome to Oncology!

Mom's room at Stanford Hospital is in the Oncology Ward found at F Ground. We thought that some of you might like to see what you can expect to see if you happen to visit and the precautions you will asked to take to keep the patients here safe. Things we currently see and do many times everyday. Makes us all the more thankful for our homes and good health.

Stanford Hospital also has made every effort to fill their courtyards and walk ways with beautiful flowers. Such a blessing! Mom's room has a very peaceful view out her window, complete with bird feeder and a live bird! Unfortunately, Stasi's camera isn't "high tech" enough to catch this with the right lighting so you will just have to take us at our word that it is very nice.

Day Two Treatment~Done!

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." ~ Philippians 4:6-7

Wahoo!! Last night's session of ATG went completely different and so much better than the first night of treatment. What a fabulous answer to prayer. We praise God once again for His mercy and faithfulness to Mom.

Theresa, the angel God sent to minister to Mom disguised as a nurse, was very conscientious to get Mom all the pre-medications Mom would need to avoid most all the negative side affects of the ATG. By the time Mom started the ATG, she was completely relaxed and was able to sleep through most of the treatment. We even had a time of prayer and thanksgiving praising God for His kindess upon Mom around 3:00 AM. What more could we want?!! Stasi and I were able to "rest" around 1:30 AM until Mom's treatment was complete at 5:30 AM...in between the bells, whistles and 30 minute interval checks on Mom. A much better situation than the night of no "rest" the day before. YEAH!

Mom was in such better shape this morning after treatment that she was able to sit up without feeling dizzy, use the bathroom on her own and had a genuine smile on her face. What joy! Stasi took the photo of us with the date to celebrate another successful session of treatment. We have also included photos of us "resting" and of Mom's fabulous nurse, Theresa.



Thank you to all who are praying. Prayers are being answered! Praise the Lord!

Day After First Treatment

"And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee." ~Psalm 9:10

This verse rings ever so true! Last night started out difficult at best but God was merciful and faithful. He did not forsake our precious mother! It was heart wrenching to watch Mom go through the many side affects of the ATG until the proper medications could be given to help her. Mom's nurse, Misty, did all she could to bless, help and encourage Mom. How grateful we are for Misty's loving and diligent care. After about two hours, Mom was able to move past the nauseousness, chills, uncontrollable shakes and pain. Praise God! Throughout the worst of the night Mom prayed continually and call upon the name of the Lord to give her strength and sustain her.

We prayed with Mom and did our best to comfort her. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was right where God wanted me to be when Mom shared her gratefulness that I had made the trip to be at her side and asked me not to leave her as she endured the next eight hours. What a blessing to my heart to give back to my mother a smiggin of what she has poured into my life over the years. Because of the rough start, what was supposed to only go on for six hours lasted for over eight hours! Needless to say, Mom was wiped out by the end and so were we. Fortunately, Mom was still in good spirts and was even able to smile at times. Stasi took these photos to symbolized that the first day was done! Wahoo!! Now that it is known what side affects Mom will have during her treatments, the nurses will be able to be proactive tonight so Mom will not suffer so greatly.

We will continue to keep this blog updated as we can. Thank you again for your concern and prayers.

Five Days of Treatment Ahead

With all praise to God, I arrived safely and in time to be with Mom when her treatment starts. Stasi met me at the San Jose Airport and was able to get us both back to the hospital in a timely fashion. What a great sister!

Mom will begin her ATG tonight. ATG is a form of chemotherapy designed to kill the T cells that are attacking Mom's white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets. At present, Mom's T cells think that her blood is a foreign body and are working overtime to do away with them. Treatment is set to go for five consecutive days for six hours each day. The ATG treatment is scheduled to begin around 11:00 PM and ending around 5:00 AM each day. The last treatment is due to end on Monday, June 2nd.

Currently, all the prep work is being done to get Mom started is the next thirty minutes. Mom would like to sleep through as much of this treatment as possible so arrangements have been made to help her do just that. Stasi and I are planning to be with Mom each night through her treatment and catch up on our sleep when we can during the day. We will also be doing the leg work to secure Mom another apartment to use while in out patient care or find a hotel that will meet her and Dad's needs in the next coming months.

It is a privilege and honor to be here at Stanford Hospital with our mother. We thank God for any and all time we have to spend with our precious mother...who at this time has the giggles for some strange reason. It is always delightful when joy is found in "unpleasant" circumstances. God is so good.

I plan to post again in the morning to let you know how Mom did with her first treatment. Thank you again for your prayers. ~ Tamy

Dianne is Back at Stanford Hospital

Dianne is now at Stanford Hospital awaiting another round of IV chemotherapy. Stasi is currently with her and Tamy will be arriving from Oklahoma tonight. Mom is doing as well as can be expected. Her will to "fight this" is strong and her spirits are good, although her body seems to be betraying her at times. We praise God that Mom is finding her strength in Him and is a testimony to all those around her. We will continue to keep you posted on how she is doing.

Thank you in advance for all prayers said on Mom's behalf. Many Blessings to you.