Mom has finished her second treatment of doxil and will have her third on the 9th of December. Afterwards, the doctors will be able to do some more tests to see how well the doxil is reacting. Aside from some infections it leaves her after the first week of each treatment, Mom feels really well with this new process.
Right now, she and Dad are in McCall enjoying the quiet and the last relaxing moment Dad will have until tax season is over with. He is doing fabulous with finding the balance as there is always so much to do. It’s been great for Ab & I to see him take time for himself and have these special moments with Mom. –Not an easy thing to do when you run your own business.
I continue to get emails and comments about how incredible Mom looks and seems to feel. She’s always had a positive attitude and a knack for enjoying life to the fullest and that shows every time you see her. She also has always taken really good care of herself with regular exercise and real food.
Now that she is forced to continually inject and digest drugs, Mom has been paying even closer attention to what she puts in and on her body. I am convinced these little things are making a world of difference. Our family tries to choose organic because we are lucky enough to live in places that give us the choice. Additionally, we are label readers. And though we have been very good over the years to choose the best we can with what we eat, we just recently started paying closer attention to what we put on our bodies. Shampoos, lotions and soaps (even “organic” & even in “natural” baby products) tend to have a lot of materials that are considered hazardous. Finding a product without them, at the same price, is very easy if you take a few minutes. And though this information is easily accessible to everyone, I thought I’d still jot down a few of the big ones because I truly believe her willingness to consider these things plays a big part in how incredible she looks. (that, and the fact that she’s amazing J) Here are a few items to keep away from:
Butylparaben
Ethylparaben
Metylparaben
Propylparaben
Phthalates (Fragrance)
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
SLS
SLES
I-4 Dioxan
Nitrosamines
Ethylenediamine Tetraacetic Acit (EDTA)
Formaldehyde
Diazolidinyl Urea
Imidazolidinyl Urea
Dimethyl
Quaternium -15
Bronopol
Propylene Glycol
Touene
Talc
Diethanolamine, Monethanolamine, and Triethanolamine
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Abbie & Steve, October 31, 2009
Steve & Abbie
Grandma Turner (Mom's Mom) & Great Aunt Barbara. Oh yeah, they were a hit!
Marilyn & Pam
Gorgeous wedding cake made by our good friend Lisa BosworthWell, they pulled it off. Ab & Steve planned an incredibly successful & amazing wedding within 5 weeks. There was so much energy behind having this Halloween affair that once it got started, there was no looking back; it was meant to be. Everyone participated and the costumes were outstanding! It is hard to describe the energy, fun and love that was in the room. It was so cool!
Mom looked incredible and I know she had an awesome time. At one point I looked out on the dance floor and our friend, Keith, had her bustin' a move. They looked like they had been country swing partners for years.
I was so happy for Steve & Ab; they looked so happy and the day brought so much joy to us all; especially Mom & Dad. What's more is that the fun has only begun as Ab & Steve recently announced that Pam & Bruce will finally get to be grandparents!!! I hope my Sis remembers that Dad promised that he would buy a new car for the daughter who had the first grandchild. :)
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Changing Treatments; Moving to Doxil
The day before I returned to France, the doctors discovered that the current chemotherapy treatments for Mom were not working. The recommendation was to immediately have the surgeon assess the tumors and to start mom on a monthly dose of doxil. They also wanted to investigate the possibility of an exploratory drug, Avastin. The results came in that the best alternative for mom was to simply start the doxil and keep on it. The surgeon felt the surgery would not meet its objective and the Avastin had too many risks. I spoke with Mom and she is pleased with the doxil as she feels it will reduce the size of her tumors quickly. Currently, she suffers from a bit of back pain but she never complains about it; she simply keeps positive thought in front of her and she doesn’t slow down. She is in the middle of a dozen projects, many of which are for Abbie’s wedding on October 31. Mom is so excited and is having a ball pulling things together. She is looking forward to having everyone together for such a special time.
Her first doxil treatment was on the 14th of this month and we expect it to be close to the same date next month. We will keep everyone posted as we move ahead. As always, we thank you for all the support. Everyone has been so wonderful, including our friend, Xavier, who continues to send Mom helping hands from around the world. Below are his last two he sent from Northern Australia. So very special. Merci Xav!!
Her first doxil treatment was on the 14th of this month and we expect it to be close to the same date next month. We will keep everyone posted as we move ahead. As always, we thank you for all the support. Everyone has been so wonderful, including our friend, Xavier, who continues to send Mom helping hands from around the world. Below are his last two he sent from Northern Australia. So very special. Merci Xav!!
See all of you in Boise very soon!
Kelli
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
3rd Treatment this Monday/Abbie & Steve Getting Married
Mom has had a relatively good couple weeks, aside from extreme fatigue accompanied by sleepless nights. She looks great and has enjoyed the moments where friends have come to visit or when Abbie & I have destroyed her house with the project of the day. She participates, often, and has been working especially hard on her apron collection. And they are fantastic! Mom has also been given a new event to focus her energy on; another wedding! Abbie and Steve got engaged August 13 and recently announced it to family & friends. They have also announced that the wedding date will be this Halloween. With only 32 days before the big day, there is much to do and Mom, being the master planner she is, has already started in on it. She will be able to take some of her planning to McCall for the next four days so she can enjoy the cool mountain air and relax before her 3rd treatment starts this Monday.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
New Port
Mom has been feeling fabulous the past couple weeks and has been enjoying the fantastic Boise weather. The four of us went for a walk Wednesday morning before Mom's surgery to get a new port. The surgery was quick and successful but when we went in Thursday morning for her treatment, she had a slight infection. The recommendation was to take an antibiotic and return on Monday for the treatment. Mom was disappointed but the positive was that she would feel good for our weekend in McCall. It has been great for all four of us to be together and we're looking forward to having Olivier join us very soon. Abbie will post the new chemotherapy schedule soon.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
First Round Down
Pam officially completed her first round of chemotherapy today. She started with a full day last Thursday, rested for a week, and finished this morning. Overall she feels OK and is doing a good job optimizing periods of rest with being active when she feels up to it.
The vacation sailing in the San Juan Islands was a great adventure and time of healing. Pam really enjoyed sharing the vacation with various friends and family along the way. They also ate like royalty every night - including Pam's signature crab cakes using freshly caught crab from Captain Bruce.
Pam will have outpatient surgery on September 9th to put in a new port. For her first round of chemo they used a traditional IV. Pam's second round of chemo treatment begins September 10th and finishes on the 17th (the schedule posted previously on her blog is incorrect).
Throughout the last several weeks, Pam has received many phone calls, cards and well wishes that have been very meaningful to her. Thanks for your wonderful support.
We will provide another update in the next month or so. Also, we have posted some updates to the lotsa helping hands web site with a few requests for help. We will continue to update it with new requests along the way.
Pam - spending some quiet time on the boat writing in her journal
Bruce, Pam and Abbie enjoying dinner in Friday Harbor
Captaing Bruce taking his crew to Deer Harbor
The vacation sailing in the San Juan Islands was a great adventure and time of healing. Pam really enjoyed sharing the vacation with various friends and family along the way. They also ate like royalty every night - including Pam's signature crab cakes using freshly caught crab from Captain Bruce.
Pam will have outpatient surgery on September 9th to put in a new port. For her first round of chemo they used a traditional IV. Pam's second round of chemo treatment begins September 10th and finishes on the 17th (the schedule posted previously on her blog is incorrect).
Throughout the last several weeks, Pam has received many phone calls, cards and well wishes that have been very meaningful to her. Thanks for your wonderful support.
We will provide another update in the next month or so. Also, we have posted some updates to the lotsa helping hands web site with a few requests for help. We will continue to update it with new requests along the way.
Pam - spending some quiet time on the boat writing in her journal
Bruce, Pam and Abbie enjoying dinner in Friday Harbor
Captaing Bruce taking his crew to Deer Harbor
Bruce, Pam, Abbie, Steve, Peggy and Emil at Vinny's
Monday, August 03, 2009
Adventure - then Treatment
Pam is almost fully recovered from her less than optimal hospital stay. During her most recent round of doctor visits, they were all very complimentary about how fabulous she looks and is doing.
She and Bruce left on Friday to get away from the heat and enjoy a couple weeks sailing in the San Juan Islands. They have only been there for a few days, but are having "a ball". They have already sailed to a few different islands, have met up with the Reents' for dinner, and enjoyed some fishing and crabbing along the way.
Pam's first chemotherapy treatment is scheduled for August 20th. After consulting with the doctors, they decided to postpone the start of treatment by a couple weeks so they could first enjoy some time at this favorite (and practically annual) vacation destination. The doctors cited a couple of studies indicating that waiting this amount of time does not hurt anything.
The chemotherapy schedule will include six, 4-week cycles. In short - she has treatment on the first and second Thursday, gets the third and fourth off, and starts over again. Therefore, the scheduled treatment days are as follows: Aug 20, Aug 27, Sep 17, Sep 24, Oct 15, Oct 22, Nov 12, Nov 19, Dec 10, Dec 17, Jan 7, Jan 14. Sometime between Aug 27 and Sep 17 she will have out patient surgery to put in a new port.
The medicines will be Carboplatin and Gemcitabine and will be administered intravenously. Both are typically easier to tolerate than the medications she took during her last round and she may not even lose her hair this time (which is looking so hip and stylish). Although it is tough to face a series of chemotherapy, Pam is doing impressively well and is very focused on positive thinking. We hope you are too!
We will try to post sailing trip photos soon.
She and Bruce left on Friday to get away from the heat and enjoy a couple weeks sailing in the San Juan Islands. They have only been there for a few days, but are having "a ball". They have already sailed to a few different islands, have met up with the Reents' for dinner, and enjoyed some fishing and crabbing along the way.
Pam's first chemotherapy treatment is scheduled for August 20th. After consulting with the doctors, they decided to postpone the start of treatment by a couple weeks so they could first enjoy some time at this favorite (and practically annual) vacation destination. The doctors cited a couple of studies indicating that waiting this amount of time does not hurt anything.
The chemotherapy schedule will include six, 4-week cycles. In short - she has treatment on the first and second Thursday, gets the third and fourth off, and starts over again. Therefore, the scheduled treatment days are as follows: Aug 20, Aug 27, Sep 17, Sep 24, Oct 15, Oct 22, Nov 12, Nov 19, Dec 10, Dec 17, Jan 7, Jan 14. Sometime between Aug 27 and Sep 17 she will have out patient surgery to put in a new port.
The medicines will be Carboplatin and Gemcitabine and will be administered intravenously. Both are typically easier to tolerate than the medications she took during her last round and she may not even lose her hair this time (which is looking so hip and stylish). Although it is tough to face a series of chemotherapy, Pam is doing impressively well and is very focused on positive thinking. We hope you are too!
We will try to post sailing trip photos soon.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
A Few More from Kelli's Wedding
Kelli here: We recently received our wedding pictures and so I thought I would share a few of my favorites of Mom & Dad. We had an incredible time during our France vacation. We miss them every day!
Sunday, July 05, 2009
Pam is home: July 5th, 2009
From: Parker, Abbie J
Sent: Sunday, July 05, 2009 10:08 PM
Subject: Pam is home
Hello again everyone,
It was a happy 4th of July for Pam. She was released from the hospital yesterday and was extremely happy to be home. The pneumonia hasn't cleared up completely but she is feeling much better. She will continue to rest and recover for at least a few weeks before beginning chemotherapy. We meet with Dr. Montgomery later this week and hope to learn what the treatment medicines and schedule will look like.
For those of you who are new to this distribution, I've posted all of the e-mail updates since Pam's surgery out on her blog site. http://pamspipeline.blogspot.com/
Thanks,
Abbie
Sent: Sunday, July 05, 2009 10:08 PM
Subject: Pam is home
Hello again everyone,
It was a happy 4th of July for Pam. She was released from the hospital yesterday and was extremely happy to be home. The pneumonia hasn't cleared up completely but she is feeling much better. She will continue to rest and recover for at least a few weeks before beginning chemotherapy. We meet with Dr. Montgomery later this week and hope to learn what the treatment medicines and schedule will look like.
For those of you who are new to this distribution, I've posted all of the e-mail updates since Pam's surgery out on her blog site. http://pamspipeline.blogspot.com/
Thanks,
Abbie
First day home from the hospital: Steve, Abbie, Pam and Bruce enjoying a 4th of July dinner.
Friday, July 03, 2009
Pam and speed bumps - June 29, 09
From: Parker, Abbie J
Sent: Monday, June 29, 2009 11:16 PM
Subject: Pam and speed bumps
Hello everyone,
Pam is in her room and doing well this evening, despite hitting another speed bump this afternoon (Dr. Perez's own words).
She had a PowerPort (under the skin port access for delivering chemotherapy, IV, etc.) which has been with her since her first round of chemotherapy. The port is a convenient way to take blood samples and deliver medicine while minimizing needle pokes. Unfortunately, her chest area around the port became infected while in the hospital this week. The doctor took one look at it and sent her straight to the OR to have the port surgically removed. The procedure was quick and went well, but it felt upsetting to have to go back into surgery.
She also had a visit from Dr. Blue, who is an infectious disease specialist. He believes there is a good chance that the pneumonia they see in her lungs could have originated from the bacterial infection in the port area and made its way to her lungs. They will do more tests to identify the bacteria type. Until then, they are administering a few different antibiotic drugs and planning to do a CT scan of her chest.
The doctor is confident that her pancreatitis will heal fine. They will wait for her pancreas to heal, the bacterial infection to subside, and the pneumonia to clear up before allowing her to go home. Dr. Perez estimates that she'll be in the hospital for at least three more days. She said tonight that she feels relieved that they discovered the bacterial infection because it provides a reason for why she was feeling worse over the last few days. The nurses are checking on her pretty frequently, which means she doesn't get many breaks for sleeping.
We are still recommending that visits be kept to a minimum.
Thanks again to everyone for your wonderful e-mails and words of support. I haven't had a chance to respond to many of your notes, but please know how thankful we are to pass your words on to my Mom and to know that you are thinking of us.
Warm Regards,
Abbie and the rest of the Parker family
Sent: Monday, June 29, 2009 11:16 PM
Subject: Pam and speed bumps
Hello everyone,
Pam is in her room and doing well this evening, despite hitting another speed bump this afternoon (Dr. Perez's own words).
She had a PowerPort (under the skin port access for delivering chemotherapy, IV, etc.) which has been with her since her first round of chemotherapy. The port is a convenient way to take blood samples and deliver medicine while minimizing needle pokes. Unfortunately, her chest area around the port became infected while in the hospital this week. The doctor took one look at it and sent her straight to the OR to have the port surgically removed. The procedure was quick and went well, but it felt upsetting to have to go back into surgery.
She also had a visit from Dr. Blue, who is an infectious disease specialist. He believes there is a good chance that the pneumonia they see in her lungs could have originated from the bacterial infection in the port area and made its way to her lungs. They will do more tests to identify the bacteria type. Until then, they are administering a few different antibiotic drugs and planning to do a CT scan of her chest.
The doctor is confident that her pancreatitis will heal fine. They will wait for her pancreas to heal, the bacterial infection to subside, and the pneumonia to clear up before allowing her to go home. Dr. Perez estimates that she'll be in the hospital for at least three more days. She said tonight that she feels relieved that they discovered the bacterial infection because it provides a reason for why she was feeling worse over the last few days. The nurses are checking on her pretty frequently, which means she doesn't get many breaks for sleeping.
We are still recommending that visits be kept to a minimum.
Thanks again to everyone for your wonderful e-mails and words of support. I haven't had a chance to respond to many of your notes, but please know how thankful we are to pass your words on to my Mom and to know that you are thinking of us.
Warm Regards,
Abbie and the rest of the Parker family
Pam - still in the hospital: June 29, 2009
From: Parker, Abbie J
Sent: Monday, June 29, 2009 11:25 AM
Subject: Pam - still in the hospital
Hi everyone,
It looks like my Mom will remain in the hospital for a little bit longer to continue healing from a couple of post surgery complications. Her body has been fighting pancreatitis (inflamed pancreas gland that isn't functioning quite right) for the last few days. Additionally, they took an x-ray of her chest in the middle of last night and discovered that she has pneumonia in one of her lungs. We are waiting for the doctor to visit today, at which point we may have a better idea of how many more days they think she'll stay in the hospital. Both of these things may sound a bit scary, but overall she is doing fine. She is up and about several times a day. She is short of breath, so she isn't conversing very much. The thing bothering her the most right now is muscle cramping in her shoulder, so she's looking forward to a massage therapist visiting her in a couple hours. Maybe she can imagine she's at a fancy day spa - complete with bad slippers and a flimsy robe.
We are suggesting that we continue to minimize visitors. If you would like to see her, please give me a call (850-3438).
Thanks again for all of your positive thoughts. We will continue to keep you posted as her recovery progresses.
~Abbie
Sent: Monday, June 29, 2009 11:25 AM
Subject: Pam - still in the hospital
Hi everyone,
It looks like my Mom will remain in the hospital for a little bit longer to continue healing from a couple of post surgery complications. Her body has been fighting pancreatitis (inflamed pancreas gland that isn't functioning quite right) for the last few days. Additionally, they took an x-ray of her chest in the middle of last night and discovered that she has pneumonia in one of her lungs. We are waiting for the doctor to visit today, at which point we may have a better idea of how many more days they think she'll stay in the hospital. Both of these things may sound a bit scary, but overall she is doing fine. She is up and about several times a day. She is short of breath, so she isn't conversing very much. The thing bothering her the most right now is muscle cramping in her shoulder, so she's looking forward to a massage therapist visiting her in a couple hours. Maybe she can imagine she's at a fancy day spa - complete with bad slippers and a flimsy robe.
We are suggesting that we continue to minimize visitors. If you would like to see her, please give me a call (850-3438).
Thanks again for all of your positive thoughts. We will continue to keep you posted as her recovery progresses.
~Abbie
quick update on Pam - June 27, 09
From: Parker, Abbie J
Sent: Saturday, June 27, 2009 12:20 AM
Subject: quick update on Pam
Greetings everyone,
Pam is continuing to recover well, but today she had a fever and some new pains on and off. They did some tests and found that she isn't healing as fast as first thought from the surgery. The doctors decided to take her off a regular food diet and are putting her on an IV diet, but they don't seem overly concerned. Although she loves seeing her beloved friends and family, the recommendation is for her not to receive visitors Saturday so that she can rest. If you were hoping to visit her this weekend, please feel free to call me and I can give you a status update. My number is 208-850-3438.
I will send another update when they release her from the hospital. I can't thank all of you enough for you amazing support.
Additionally, I learned today that some people weren't able to receive some of my recent e-mails. I have disabled some settings on my end and am appending my last two e-mails in the event you were unable to read either previously.
With Warm Regards,
Abbie
Sent: Saturday, June 27, 2009 12:20 AM
Subject: quick update on Pam
Greetings everyone,
Pam is continuing to recover well, but today she had a fever and some new pains on and off. They did some tests and found that she isn't healing as fast as first thought from the surgery. The doctors decided to take her off a regular food diet and are putting her on an IV diet, but they don't seem overly concerned. Although she loves seeing her beloved friends and family, the recommendation is for her not to receive visitors Saturday so that she can rest. If you were hoping to visit her this weekend, please feel free to call me and I can give you a status update. My number is 208-850-3438.
I will send another update when they release her from the hospital. I can't thank all of you enough for you amazing support.
Additionally, I learned today that some people weren't able to receive some of my recent e-mails. I have disabled some settings on my end and am appending my last two e-mails in the event you were unable to read either previously.
With Warm Regards,
Abbie
Friday, June 26, 2009
Pam Post Surgery
From: Parker, Abbie J
Sent: Thursday, June 25, 2009 6:36
Subject: Pam post surgery
Dear Friends and Family,
Pam is recovering well from the surgery she had yesterday. The doctors confirmed what they saw on the CT scan. They removed her spleen and a spot near her liver (it turned out the tumor was not actually on her liver). Unfortunately, they found more cancer in her abdominal area than what showed up on the CT scan. Dr. Perez meticulously removed any cancer found and said that the surgery went very well. Because of the amount of cancer they found, the doctors are saying she has a high chance of reoccurrence.
At this point, we are still awaiting more consultation and information from the doctors. They will begin chemotherapy treatments again soon and are discussing the possibility of a couple different clinical trials. The first is an option to include an additional drug along with the other gold standard chemotherapy drugs when they begin treatment again. The drug is known as Avastin (Bevacuzimab) and is an antibody used to inhibit the growth of new blood vessels that feed tumors (thus inhibiting tumor growth).
Interestingly, the second trial discussed by her doctors received some attention in the news yesterday. It has been especially promising for women who have had both breast and ovarian cancers. You may have seen references to it as the PARP inhibitor drug. This is not available to her until after she has completed a second set of chemotherapy treatments.
http://dailynightly.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/06/24/1976516.aspx
Pam is remaining her same positive and happy self. She looks great and feels better than she did after her last surgery. Many people have asked what they can do and her main request is that everyone practice the power of positive thinking. Think positive thoughts for her strength and recovery. They expect to keep her in the hospital for a total of 4-5 days. Although she felt surprisingly good yesterday, she was very tired and in pain today. If you wish to visit her, please do, but it may be best to keep visits short the next couple days.
Additionally, many of you have asked how the trip to France was. In short - it was perfect. We posted some photos on her blog. http://pamspipeline.blogspot.com/
We will send another update soon.
Thanks once again to everyone for your support, prayers and help. With Much Love, Abbie and the rest of the Parker family
Sent: Thursday, June 25, 2009 6:36
Subject: Pam post surgery
Dear Friends and Family,
Pam is recovering well from the surgery she had yesterday. The doctors confirmed what they saw on the CT scan. They removed her spleen and a spot near her liver (it turned out the tumor was not actually on her liver). Unfortunately, they found more cancer in her abdominal area than what showed up on the CT scan. Dr. Perez meticulously removed any cancer found and said that the surgery went very well. Because of the amount of cancer they found, the doctors are saying she has a high chance of reoccurrence.
At this point, we are still awaiting more consultation and information from the doctors. They will begin chemotherapy treatments again soon and are discussing the possibility of a couple different clinical trials. The first is an option to include an additional drug along with the other gold standard chemotherapy drugs when they begin treatment again. The drug is known as Avastin (Bevacuzimab) and is an antibody used to inhibit the growth of new blood vessels that feed tumors (thus inhibiting tumor growth).
Interestingly, the second trial discussed by her doctors received some attention in the news yesterday. It has been especially promising for women who have had both breast and ovarian cancers. You may have seen references to it as the PARP inhibitor drug. This is not available to her until after she has completed a second set of chemotherapy treatments.
http://dailynightly.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/06/24/1976516.aspx
Pam is remaining her same positive and happy self. She looks great and feels better than she did after her last surgery. Many people have asked what they can do and her main request is that everyone practice the power of positive thinking. Think positive thoughts for her strength and recovery. They expect to keep her in the hospital for a total of 4-5 days. Although she felt surprisingly good yesterday, she was very tired and in pain today. If you wish to visit her, please do, but it may be best to keep visits short the next couple days.
Additionally, many of you have asked how the trip to France was. In short - it was perfect. We posted some photos on her blog. http://pamspipeline.blogspot.com/
We will send another update soon.
Thanks once again to everyone for your support, prayers and help. With Much Love, Abbie and the rest of the Parker family
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Vacation in France
Pam and Bruce returned from their vacation in France on Sunday. The whole family had a wonderful time visiting Kelli and Olivier in their beautiful village and home - it was a fairytale land. The wedding was perfect and Kel and Ol are fabulous hosts - spoiling us with adventures and gourmet food every waking moment.
June 9th - First day in France: Abbie, Pam, Kelli, Bruce and Olivier enjoying a glass of wine at Kelli and Olivier's amazing home in Uriage.
June 10th - a walk down to the village of Uriage (Kelli, Pam and Steve).
Pam and Bruce - having fun at Kel and Ol's place.
June 11th - hiking in the Alps - beautiful views and amazing blankets of wildflowers.
June 12th - shopping at the Grenoble market. Pam, Andria and Abbie searching for the perfect buttons.
Pam and Nicole (Olivier's Mom) working on projects for the wedding.
June14th - Brunch the day after the wedding. 
Our great friends Marilyn and Russ made the trek across the ocean to join in the festivities. Here's Pam and Marilyn folding napkins prior to the brunch.
Kelli, Bruce and Pam laughing (probably at something funny Bruce did or said).
June 15th - Olivier took the family rock climbing. It was Bruce and Pam's first time ever participating in the sport and they both did great. Here's a pictue of Pam rapelling after completing her first climb.What a fun and relaxing vacation! It was incredible to celebrate with Kelli and Olivier and to have had a perfect and memorable trip before the next phase of Pam's treatment.
News on Pam's Health - May 26, 2009
From: Parker, Abbie J
Sent: Tuesday, May 26, 2009 11:18 PM
Subject: news on Pam's health
Dear friends and family,
It has been just over one year since my Mom finished chemotherapy to treat Ovarian cancer. Unfortunately, I'm writing today to share some disappointing news with regards to her health. A CT scan last week showed signs that the cancer has returned. The doctors can see a spot on her spleen and two spots on her liver. Dr. Perez will perform surgery on Wednesday, June 24th. He will first scope the area to verify their assumptions. It is likely that he will remove her spleen, remove the spots on her liver, look for any other suspicious areas, and de-bulk if necessary. She will get 4-6 weeks to recover from surgery and then begin a 6 month round of chemotherapy.
Although the news has been very difficult, there is optimism for us to focus on. We had a great meeting with Dr. Montgomery (the Chemo Oncologist) late last week. He emphasized several times that what they see is "tiny". He also relayed that there are many women in similar situations who have survived for many years. They believe that the cancer is sensitive to the platinum chemotherapy since it did not return within 6 months of her last round of chemotherapy. This gives the doctors more options for medical treatments and Dr. Montgomery stressed that advances in new medicines are happening rapidly.
If you have spent time with my Mom over the last year you would note that she has become incredibly strong, both physically and mentally. She is radiating beauty, optimism, and the ability to make other people smile and feel good. Simply put - she is an amazing person.
Some family and friends will be traveling to France in the middle of June to attend Kelli and Olivier's wedding and meet Olivier's family and friends. This is a vacation that we have been looking forward to for months. Since the doctors expect to remove my Mom's spleen, they put her through a series of vaccinations last week (a spleen helps your body combat certain infections) and they want her body to process the vaccines for three weeks before doing surgery. Given their confidence in how small and slow growing the tumors are, both doctors have been very encouraging of my Mom waiting an additional two weeks for surgery and enjoying the previously planned vacation. Her surgery will occur three days after they return to the US.
After the surgery the doctors will determine the best approach for further treatment/chemotherapy. I will send an update to let you know how the surgery goes and to inform you of what we can expect in the coming months. We have already received many offers to help. We will once again use the "Lotsa Helping Hands" web site to post any requests for assistance after the surgery and during treatments. We will also use the blog site to post more frequent updates and photos.
Please do not hesitate to ask questions or send words of encouragement. My Mom and family recognize and appreciate that she has done so well in no small part to the outreach of help, encouragement and prayers from all of you.
Wishing you all a happy beginning to your Summer - Abbie, Kelli, Pam and Bruce
blog site http://pamspipeline.blogspot.com/
lotsa helping hands site (we likely will not post requests for assistance until after the surgery) http://www.lotsahelpinghands.com/c/601865/
Sent: Tuesday, May 26, 2009 11:18 PM
Subject: news on Pam's health
Dear friends and family,
It has been just over one year since my Mom finished chemotherapy to treat Ovarian cancer. Unfortunately, I'm writing today to share some disappointing news with regards to her health. A CT scan last week showed signs that the cancer has returned. The doctors can see a spot on her spleen and two spots on her liver. Dr. Perez will perform surgery on Wednesday, June 24th. He will first scope the area to verify their assumptions. It is likely that he will remove her spleen, remove the spots on her liver, look for any other suspicious areas, and de-bulk if necessary. She will get 4-6 weeks to recover from surgery and then begin a 6 month round of chemotherapy.
Although the news has been very difficult, there is optimism for us to focus on. We had a great meeting with Dr. Montgomery (the Chemo Oncologist) late last week. He emphasized several times that what they see is "tiny". He also relayed that there are many women in similar situations who have survived for many years. They believe that the cancer is sensitive to the platinum chemotherapy since it did not return within 6 months of her last round of chemotherapy. This gives the doctors more options for medical treatments and Dr. Montgomery stressed that advances in new medicines are happening rapidly.
If you have spent time with my Mom over the last year you would note that she has become incredibly strong, both physically and mentally. She is radiating beauty, optimism, and the ability to make other people smile and feel good. Simply put - she is an amazing person.
Some family and friends will be traveling to France in the middle of June to attend Kelli and Olivier's wedding and meet Olivier's family and friends. This is a vacation that we have been looking forward to for months. Since the doctors expect to remove my Mom's spleen, they put her through a series of vaccinations last week (a spleen helps your body combat certain infections) and they want her body to process the vaccines for three weeks before doing surgery. Given their confidence in how small and slow growing the tumors are, both doctors have been very encouraging of my Mom waiting an additional two weeks for surgery and enjoying the previously planned vacation. Her surgery will occur three days after they return to the US.
After the surgery the doctors will determine the best approach for further treatment/chemotherapy. I will send an update to let you know how the surgery goes and to inform you of what we can expect in the coming months. We have already received many offers to help. We will once again use the "Lotsa Helping Hands" web site to post any requests for assistance after the surgery and during treatments. We will also use the blog site to post more frequent updates and photos.
Please do not hesitate to ask questions or send words of encouragement. My Mom and family recognize and appreciate that she has done so well in no small part to the outreach of help, encouragement and prayers from all of you.
Wishing you all a happy beginning to your Summer - Abbie, Kelli, Pam and Bruce
blog site http://pamspipeline.blogspot.com/
lotsa helping hands site (we likely will not post requests for assistance until after the surgery) http://www.lotsahelpinghands.com/c/601865/
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Hello - his name is Bruce
Bruce and Pam at the Idaho Aviation Association Christmas Party. December 2008.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)