Update #15 - September 21

Dear Family and Friends,

Just a quick update to let you know how my mom is doing, and let you know that she has been admitted to the hospital for a few days.

Unfortunately, my mom has had a rough couple of weeks with this new chemo. Her pain has been steadily increasing, and last week her white blood cells were so low that she couldn't take the chemo. After waiting another week, her white blood-cell count came up, and she took her second round of this new chemo on Monday. Unfortunately she has had quite a few side effects other than pain and nausea with this new chemo like hand and foot numbness and blurred vision, puffiness, and a few others. And one of the biggest problems seems to be that with the increase in heavier pain medication, she has become dehydrated and her bowels have backed up. With the pain too much for her to cope with at home, they decided to go to the hospital this morning. She was supposed to meet with her new doctor in London today, but that has now been switched to sometime next week. They are hydrating her, giving her pain medication, anit-nausea medication, and antibiotics tonight, and will be trying to get her bowels to move, and hopefully give my mom some relief.

All in all, things haven't been very good over the past month. But my mom is keeping her positive attitude up as much as she can and is not giving up hope that things will improve. We're hoping that the fact that this new chemo is so hard on her, also means that it is working and beating back the cancer.

Here's a little story that I believe is a good sign. Tonight as I was getting out of my car and going into her house to pack her an overnight bag, I was very upset wondering what is going to happen, when a bird pooped right on my head. Yep, that's right -- it shit right smack on the top of my head. Well, I had to laugh because getting crapped on is a sign of good luck. And what's even better, is that my mom and my absolute favorite movie to watch together is Under The Tuscan Sun. And there is a part in that movie where she gets pooped on and that is the good sign that she has been waiting for. So I believe that somebody up there was trying to give me a little sign, telling me that things are going to be okay. That things will look better in the morning.

Please send all your prayers and positive thoughts her way. I will keep you posted.

Lisa