Mom had her appointment with Dr. Shrier yesterday. Dr. Shrier is "the best of the best" when it comes to hematology & oncology. He is a "legend" among the doctors we have encountered while at Stanford Hospital. Dr. Shrier will be celebrating his 50th year working at Stanford Hospital this month. He is one of the reasons the hematology & oncology department at Stanford is what it is today. His colleagues have the utmost respect for him. Mom is blessed to be under his expertise and care.
Mom knew before her appointment the the news would not be good. Mom has been with Dr.Shrier for the last 3 years and knows when things aren't working to Dr. Shrier's satisfaction. It has been two months Mom had her IV ATG treatment and tests show that nothing is happening. Her body hasn't started to work yet. This means that she is making NO platelets, NO red blood cells or NO white blood cells of her own. She is being completely sustained by transfusions. Test results show that all the medications she is on to combat all of her many health issues, such as diabetes, high iron, low sodium, balancing electrolytes, destructive t-cells, etc. have gotten to be too much for her to take. Dr. Shrier has decided to take her off all medication except "what will keep you alive today". So for the meantime, Mom will only be on Cyclosporine to keep her t-cells in check and the fungicide to help with the mold in her lungs. All else will be on an as needed basis. Her medication will now all be given by IV since the pills have gotten too hard on Mom's stomach. She will go to the Infusion Ward twice daily to received her medications and have her levels checked. Dr. Shrier has also requested that a test to determine if Mom's heart has iron deposits be taken this week.
Before Mom's appointment, Mom received platelets. She was hoping to be in the best condition possible when Dad returned back to the apartment. Dad arrived back just in time for Mom's appointment with Dr. Shrier. He had a wonderful time on his trip but appears to be struggling. I think he is struggling with wanting Mom to be better so they can go back to their "normal" life, with Mom not having been able to travel with him, with thinking he is needed to be at the ranch while his wife needs him to be with him and if he is like me, the challenges of getting older. This has been a long hard three years on both Mom and Dad.
Stasi returned to her family after being with Mom for the last three weeks. She was sad to leave Mom but was looking forward to being with her children and husband again. Stasi let Mom know that if there ever comes a time when Mom can make the move back to SLO county, Mom is welcomed to live with her. Stasi's family has four drivers who can get her to medical appointments and a houseful of people who can see that all of Mom's needs are met. Mom appreciates knowing that she is loved.
Mom has been doing well with her walking. She is able to walk in the mornings while hanging on to her wheelchair. By the evening she is unable to do much walking but is still able to get to and from the bathroom which is fabulous. Mom is doing more for herself these days and her appetite has started to return. Praise the Lord!
Mom and Dad will be facing many challenges in the coming weeks. Mom's time in the Infusion Ward is anywhere from 5 to 12 hours daily which is wearing on her. Fortunately, the apartment is less than 10 minutes away to make the two trips daily. It is undetermined how Mom's body is going to react and/or recover from all the medical challenges it is currently enduring. Some days are better than others. They both would be happy for Mom to get well so they could return to the ranch. That doesn't appear to be God's plan anytime soon. Please pray for both Mom and Dad. Last but not least, Mom would love to hear from you if you have the time...a quick phone call or a short note in the mail...anything would be a blessing. Thank you for your support.
Many Blessings from Many Grateful Hearts!
No comments:
Post a Comment