More blood

Well Millie took Mom over to have blood work done this morning. She needed two units of blood so she was admitted to the hospital for the day and will get the blood over the next six hours. She should be able to go home tonight around 9 or so if they got her started by 1. I may go get her after I get off work or Dad may get her if it doesn't get too late. While they were over in Corvallis I was able to get over and clean their house again, so at least she'll come home to a clean house tonight.
She said she is feeling a little better, food still tastes funny but at least it is staying down.

New look

Well, the hair is gone. Mom's got a new look. I went over today and shaved off what little she had left, the pile was less than I have when I get a trim...it was really getting to be more of a nuisance for her, coming off in clumps and getting all over the place. So I took over my clippers and scissors and now its gone. It was tough. But she looks cute in her hats!

I've been slacking in getting any updates done but she got out of the hospital on Sunday morning. She hasn't been feeling well at all this time around, lots of stomach cramping and nausea and tiredness. Today was a little better. I took her over for blood tests this afternoon and she had to get a bag of platelets. Her WBC is down to .2 and her neutrophil # is .1 - so back to no flowers/fruits/vegetables and staying away from people. We had quite a long afternoon over there, the blood bank was being stingy with the platelets, said emergency patients only. So Dr. Lee had to get on the phone and tell them that Mom WAS an emergency and we needed it NOW. Her appt was at 1:30 and we finally got the platelets at 4:40...left the office at a little before 6. Made for a very long afternoon for her, I hope she ate some dinner and then laid down.

Anyway, emotionally she's hanging in there. She's sad that she's missing out on so many of the things the kids are doing. We're not sure if she's going to get to see Jessika's confirmation on Sunday or not. She says she's going to sneak in and watch from the back, but I told her that we need to play it by ear and see how she's feeling that day. My Aunt Sheri and Uncle Mike(dad's brother) are coming from Nebraska on Saturday for a week, so she really wants to be feeling well enough to visit with them. Anyway, she said it seems silly to miss all this stuff, she doesn't really need to, and I said um, yes you DO! We'd rather have her miss one year's worth of stuff than forever, tough to say...

Almost done again...

Well only one more full day in the hospital and we'll have another round of chemo under the belts...Mom has definitely been feeling the effects this time around. Lots of nausea and tiredness...they've been giving her anti-nausea meds to cut down on it some but she still isn't feeling really great. I was able to get over there yesterday and spend a little time with her but not today and won't be able to tomorrow, so we'll have to wait to see her again after she gets home from the hospital on Sunday.
Dr. Lee says that her blood counts are doing better this time so we're hopeful that she won't need as much blood or platelets as last time. She is also better prepared and will be monitoring things more closely so hopefully Mom won't need to go to the hospital for large amounts, just in the infusion room with a bag at a time.
Next week looks to be very busy with trips for blood tests and check ups again.

Chemo is kicking in again...

Mom has been feeling pretty good so far but the chemo is starting to kick in again. Today she had a little bit of nausea and is feeling really tired, and bored...with me working I haven't been able to get over to see her and keep her occupied during the day so the days are dragging by for her.

So we're getting there - August feels like a long ways away but really it isn't, June is almost here already and then July and then we should be done with this nasty chemo crap.

Round 3

Well this morning was the beginning of round 3 of chemo. Mom and Dad went to the hospital about 7am and by 9:15 she was being wheeled in to have her port installed. I made it over there about 9:45 and Dad and Dave Olson were sitting in the waiting room. By 10 they had called to say she was being moved to recovery; by 10:30 Dad and I were up in her room with her. She was wide awake and doing great. No pain, just hungry. :)
Dad left to head to work and I stayed until about 1:15. About 1:45 they got her first dose of chemo going, she will do another round of 1 dose every 12 hours for six days. So she should be out of the hospital next Sunday.

In other news...
Kam started a job today. He is working for Advanced Mechanical in Brownsville. This is temporary thing for now but we are very hopeful they will like him and keep him on in a more permanent position. There is even a possibility that he could get into an apprenticeship program with them, on the job training type of thing with the ability to earn a millwright card at the end of two years, so we are very hopeful!

I was also offered a job today. I am going to be working part time at Bing's Kitchen restaurant in Lebanon as a waitress. Not my forever job, but its money in our pocket as my unemployment is set to run out (with no further extensions) at the end of this month. I'll be working evenings and weekends, which in some ways is a blessing as I'll still be able to take Mom to doctor's appts and run errands and go to school functions during the day and work in the evenings...

It really is a world where its not what you know but who you know...without the help and caring of some really terrific people neither of us would have these opportunities for work. While neither of them "fix" our financial situation, they certainly bring hope that things are turning around. So thank you Chad and Chonda, Tami and Sara - we love you!

Car Show Benefit

Albany Wheel & Exhaust/B & B Speed Shop hosts:

Get Together 2010
a Benefit Car Show for Karen Wetzel
Saturday May 22, 2010
4pm - ???
at the corner of 10th & Geary in Albany

BBQ with Dogs, salads, chips, pop
Custom Exhaust Raffle
Live Music

All for generous donations to support Bill & Karen's hospital expenses

(Big, big thanks to Mike Brenneman and family for hosting this event)

Nice break this week

Mom has been doing really well! She has been able to go to church, go to a couple of meetings and even sing at choir practice. She's been out and about town and doing a little visiting, she even stopped by our house today and got to sit and visit with my mother-in-law and the kids. Its been a great week, which makes it so much harder to see Monday coming around.
This week has been great for us too, I've been able to concentrate on things around the house and stay home during the day and relax a little, we're even getting out of town to do some camping with friends. A much needed break for us all.

Amazing what a week will do

Mom is doing sooo much better this week. She had a doctor's appt on Friday and her blood counts were really good. Her WBC is up over 4. Her platelets were 141 and her neutrophils were 2.something...so she is feeling much better, her energy is coming back and she has a whole week off. She'll be going in on May 10th to have her port installed. As soon as that is done she'll be admitted for chemo and we'll start this process all over again.

Friday night she was able to get out of the house and have dinner at Dick & Marjean's...then Saturday morning they went out for breakfast and did a little visiting. Last night they went to a 60th birthday party. I'm guessing that today she is wiped out and will need a little down time but its really great that she can have some "normal" time, that we can all take a little break from the treatment.

Better news today

They finally figured out what kind of infection she has...it is a rare bacterial infection that I think was called "stephanomonas" and they had to have an infection specialist come in and verify their findings...Dr. Lee wasn't sure of the correct dosage for antibiotics and had to wait to have that verified as well.
So finally about 3 this afternoon they decided Mom could leave the hospital. Joyce and I were there so we helped her get her stuff together and by 4:30 we were out of there. Really she is feeling pretty well and was so thankful she could go home.
Kasey and Jessika had games tonight so I left Mom and Joyce back at home, dropped off her prescriptions and went to the games. Afterward we headed back to Mom and Dad's and brought some crockpot stew with us and got to enjoy a final meal with Joyce who is headed home tomorrow after a week here...Mom was pretty disappointed that she had to spend 3 days in the hospital while Joyce was here, but nothing we could do about it. I tried to keep her as occupied as I could. :)
Anyway, we are taking her up to the airport tomorrow then back to see Dr. Lee on Friday for a check up and to set up a time for the port to be "installed". Looks like this infection is only going to set us back about 2 weeks which all in all isn't so bad.

Sunday again

Well another week has begun. Each day brings new and different joys and pains and unexpectedness. I've learned alot in the past few months. I've have had many lessons reaffirmed the least of which is to never be surprised by the generosity of others. Last night's fundraiser was successful beyond my imagination. We had over 100 people come to support my parents. Each was generous and kind and thoughtful in so many ways. I was perhaps most stunned to see the young man whom Wayne and Debbie helped with a previous benefit. He does not know my parents; he came only to pay it forward. He and his parents are special, special people. It was overwhelming the love in that room last night. And not only did we raise alot of money, we had fun and joy and laughter when lately those have been few and far between. It is a night I will never forget.

I know that my mom and dad do not have the words to express their gratitude and appreciation and love for each person who took the time to be there.

Mom is hanging in there. They were not able to give us any more information today. The blood tests are not completed, we're hoping for tomorrow morning. So Mom is stuck in the hospital for at least one more night. Another lesson I've learned is to just (in the words of Paul McCartney) Let it Be, so we'll see what tomorrow brings, tomorrow.

Good night all and God Bless You!

Infection

Well unfortunately I don't have good news to report. Mom has an infection in her PICC line. For those that don't know, it is an intravenous line that runs from your inner arm to your heart through a vein. They use this to both draw blood samples and deliver chemo, blood and other IV products so they don't have to "stick" her every time. This has been a concern of ours since the minute she left OHSU. We have no way of knowing how the infection started but the end result is that the line was removed this morning. Joyce, Dad, Rheanna and I were all there when Dr. Lee came in to talk about what was going on...basically all treatment is on hold until the infection is cleared up, hopefully will only take a few weeks but they are waiting for the final blood work to come back to know for sure what we are looking at...possibly E Coli but not sure yet. We do know that it is not a yeast infection which is a very good thing as it takes a year before treatment can be restarted...and we don't have a year to wait. Dr. Lee was very good to Mom today, rubbing her hair and reassuring her that she will be fine, that she will make it through this. Most likely she will remain on antibiotics for the next several weeks(hopefully she will at least be able to come home tomorrow or Monday but unsure right now), and then she will have a port or portacath(a small medical appliance that is installed under the skin with a catheter that connects the port to a vein and is used for the same reasons as a PICC line.) installed and treatment can resume next month sometime. According to Dr. Lee ports are less likely to get infected and do not have to be flushed and cleaned as often as a PICC line.

Needless to say, Mom was pretty upset. First because she is stuck in the hospital again, second because she was doing so well a few days ago and third because well, it just sucks! And it's scary and depressing and all those other things...we just don't know what is going to happen now. The whole "routine" is thrown out the window until this is taken care of. We don't know for sure she'll be able to continue to receive the chemo and if she can, when...

So, I'm home for a little while now but gotta go get ready for the big party tonight. She wants to be sure that everyone knows she's thinking of them, she loves them and is so overwhelmed by all the love and support she has received. She's sorry she can't come tonight, she really wanted to be there...but we'll go and we'll have fun and take lots of pictures and maybe even raise a little money to help them out. But for me, its so much more important that she knows how much everyone cares, just how much everyone is pulling and praying for her to come through this. And that's why I want this night to be successful.

Bad day today...

Yesterday Mom was feeling great. All of us(Cale's family too) went out to the house for dinner and she was doing well, just a little tired after a long day. I didn't call this morning as I figured she and Joyce would call me if they needed anything and I had some things to take care of at home today.
About 2 my dad called from work and asked if I could head over there...Mom had developed a fever over night and wasn't feeling very good today. He said she spiked to 102.5 in the middle of the night and had chills and the shakes a couple times today. But she was being stubborn about calling the doctor because the fever would go down after taking some Tylenol...well, by the time I got there she had called the doctor. She told us to go over to the Corvallis ER and she would meet us there.
We got over there and into an ER room about 3:30. They took several blood samples to run tests and do a culture on, plus a chest x-ray and urine sample. Her temp was up to 104.5 for several hours and she was having BAD leg cramps and chills. She was shaking so bad her teeth would chatter. They gave her Tylenol about 5:30 but she wasn't able to keep them down. (If you haven't seen the vomit bags in the hospitals, I gotta say they are about the coolest invention I've seen, wish I had some to put by the kids' beds). About 6:30 Dr. Lee got there (who had a very sad story to tell about a patient she lost today) and they tried to give her some potassium pills for the leg cramps but they didn't go down well either. They finally got the IV antibiotics going about 6:30. All of the tests so far have come back normal so they aren't sure what is wrong with her, said we might know more tomorrow after the culture is completed. In the meantime, she has to stay in the hospital and will continue to receive IV antibiotics every 8 hours or so. We finally were able to move out of the ER and into a room at 8. Dad came over about 8:30 and Joyce and I left at 9. Not sure how long Dad will stay with her tonight - last temp check she was down to 101.9.

I wonder sometimes about how much info to share on here...what's too personal and what's too graphic...but I want to be able to remember what happened and how I was feeling and details that I might forget about later, so I write what I feel like writing at the time...

Today was really, really hard for me. Joyce was there and we tried to keep the mood light but Mom was really, really sick. She would lapse in and out of reality, she would moan and rock back and forth in pain. She was singing to herself and would talk in some made up language and then all the sudden she would be back and would hold a totally normal conversation. It was hard to watch. I didn't break down until I got home - I made Kam put the kids to bed before I walked in the door so they wouldn't see me crying...it was hard, really hard. I know that these are symptoms of a high fever but it doesn't make it any easier. So now it's almost 11 and I'm still up, I'm exhausted and have a long day ahead of me but it is what it is and we'll get through it one day at a time.

Doing good!

Forgot to write an update last night when we got home from Portland...what a busy couple of days this has been.
We left town about 9:45am to head up to pick up Joyce from the airport. After that we headed over to OHSU and has some lunch and wandered around the hospital for a bit waiting for 2 for Mom's appointment with Dr. Fleming. Joyce and I stayed in the waiting room and chit-chatted until they were done.
Her appointment went well. She is reacting just as she should and everything is going as hoped for. Her WBC was 2.0 yesterday and her platelets were up to 29. The neutrophils were at .5.Her WBC had doubled in 24 hrs. Dr. Fleming reassured Mom and Dad that he was in close contact with Dr. Lee and was watching closely how the treatments are going. He also explained why she was receiving the 12 doses instead of 6. Any patient over 60 has a greater risk so they really try to kick its butt. Anyway, she had to go back to Corvallis this morning for blood tests again...after waiting from 9:15 until 11:45 for the results, most of the numbers were the same...except for the neutrophils, which are now at 1.0. This was great news and it means that her immune system is now functioning on its own and the flowers/fruits/vegetables restriction is lifted until after her next treatment. It also means that she isn't house bound, although she does still need to stay away from large crowds and sick people - she has an immune system but it is very fragile.
She was very excited about it as it means that she CAN go to Casino night this Saturday.
So the plan right now is to give her about a week off, she doesn't have to go back for tests again until a week from Friday...then depending on her blood counts she'll go back for chemo again on May 3rd.

Lots of tests, lots of time...

Mom had a 9 o'clock appt again this morning for another round of blood tests. She was fully expecting that her numbers were up and she wouldn't need anything. WRONG! Her WBC is now 1.0 but her neutrophils are only at .5. Her platelets were 7 and she needs red blood too and her potassium is still low.

The doctor wanted her to get the platelets right away but said we could maybe wait on the red blood until Wednesday or Thursday. She has a doctors appt in Portland tomorrow so we couldn't do it tomorrow. Mom and I both really didn't want to see her go backwards since she is feeling pretty well, so we asked if it could be done today too...so she's back in the hospital right now getting her first of three units of red blood.

We sat in the infusion room for about 2 1/2 hrs waiting on blood tests and for the blood bank to say if they have the platelets and blood to give her. I finally gave up and left her there and went to her house to get some cleaning done. She was able to get the platelets in the infusion room and was done with them about 1. She called to say she was headed over to the hospital to be admitted for the rest of the day. I finished up at her house and headed back over to Corvallis...they finally brought in the red blood about 3:45 and we are hoping she'll be done with all 3 units around 11 tonight. I'm going to go back over there around 9 to hang out with her until she can leave. We didn't want her to stay overnight in the hospital because we need to leave for Portland about 9:30 in the morning and there is NO WAY you can count on the hospital to do things in a timely manner.

As I sat there with her today and as I left her so I could get something else done I kept thinking about my situation...I've been free to do whatever needs to happen with Mom. I WANT to continue to do this. It is a burden to ask others to go to these appts, it isn't like asking someone to go to a doctor's appt, you never know what is going to happen...sometimes we're done in an hour, sometimes it's an all day thing...and it can be scary too when things don't go as we thought.
But eventually a job will come my way and I'll have no choice but to take it. It's so hard to look ahead, each day is different and unexpected and I cannot imagine how it will look when I'm trying to hold down a full time job too. So for now, we'll take each day as they come - I'm doing that in many, many aspects of life right now, planning for the future just doesn't seem possible.

Another week down...

This week has been a roller coaster, lots going on and mind spinning in a thousand directions. But Mom is feeling better and even decided to go to church this morning. She did really well but was tired after...hopefully it didn't wear her out too bad.
Thank you again to everyone who stops by and chats with her, who calls to check in with her and with me - it really does mean everything to know there are so many people in this community who care.
Back to the doctor in the morning to check her blood counts again, then to Portland to pick up Joyce and see the doctor up at OHSU on Tuesday. Just gotta wait and see what this week brings us.

Casino Night is almost here!

Don't forget to get your tickets to come to Casino Night next Saturday(the 24th). We have had a great response from the community with donations, now we NEED people to come! Come, have fun, see my mom and enjoy a night out!
For tickets call either Debbie Hanslovan 541-926-9331, Marjean Johnson 541-926-1941 or myself 541-928-0230.

Tickets are $10/person, evening starts at 5:30, auction starts at 8.
Riverside Community Hall, Riverside Dr in Albany

Back to waiting...

Mom's numbers were a little bit better today. Her platelets have risen to 12 from 6 on Monday. Her WBC and neutrophils are still extremely low, with only the WBC moving to 0.3 from 0.2 on Monday. But things are starting to go in the direction we want them to now. She did not have to have any blood products today and doesn't have to go back in until Monday. In the meantime she is stuck at home and is getting pretty bored...not feeling too bad but can't go out in public. A neighbor brought over 21 goats to eat through the field so she is keeping entertained by them...there is a 2 wk old that is just sooo cute! :) But they'll probably be gone again next weekend.

So for now, we are watching for rashes, fevers and mouth sores and keeping antibiotics and potassium supplements in her and waiting for her numbers to come back enough so she can do a little visiting.

The last few days I've been feeling that we made the wrong choice in going to Corvallis for treatment. Things haven't been going smoothly and the comfort that I found at OHSU and the staff and routine there has been missing. But after this morning's meeting with Dr. Lee I've realized that this is just the way it goes with consolidation therapy. OHSU ordered the treatment schedule that we followed, 12 doses in 6 days, instead of what originally thought of 6 doses in 6 days. Dr. Lee was just as worried about her numbers from Friday as we were. She called Dr. Fleming and voiced her concerns but he reassured her that the numbers are normal, the timing is normal and things are going as they should. She would have been at home this week no matter where she received this last round of chemo, and we would have had to drive to Portland last week for blood tests, instead of Corvallis. Dr. Lee is in constant contact with the doctors at OHSU and they are keeping an eye on her - phew!
So anyway today's blood counts...um, not what we expected! Friday before she went to the hospital her WBC was 0.2...today it was still 0.2. Her neutrophils were 0.0 on Friday and today still the same. Her RBC is up a little from Friday but still not where they should be. And lastly her platelets were down from 9 to 6, so we're going backwards even after 2 units of platelets last week. So Mom and I spent 5 hours at the doctors office this morning; she received another unit of platelets and got her PICC line dressing changed(which looks a ton better this week).

We go back to have tests done again on Wednesday and most likely Friday. Then next week she goes back to Portland to meet with Dr. Fleming. Dr. Lee says that they will do a CBC there and depending on the results, she may either have a bone marrow biopsy done up there, or if the numbers are still low, Dr. Lee may do it at her office around the 23rd or even the next week. Her next round of chemo can't be scheduled until after her numbers recover. It may be the week of the 26th or maybe the week of May 3rd or later, we just have to wait and see.

Home

Mom was able to leave the hospital yesterday morning, Cale went over to pick her up. She is feeling MUCH better. You don't realize how much and how fast the blood supply can affect your well-being. She rested at the house yesterday and I think was able to get some good rest.
Today we are all going over there to have lunch with her. She is really missing everyone and we are all healthy right now, so lets take advantage of it while we can!

Back to the hospital

Well, the last day or so hasn't exactly gone how we thought...Wednesday evening she got a fever and had some bleeding issues so we've been watching her VERY closely...She called the doctor and they said to keep an eye on it but she didn't need to go back in immediately. By morning her temp was back down and no more bleeding. Yesterday she was very tired and no energy but not feeling "bad".
So this morning she had to go back to the doctor for more blood tests. (I couldn't take her so her friend Millie did)...I just got off the phone with her and they are keeping her at the hospital. Her blood counts did not improve. Her platelets went from 6 to 9(even with a bag of them on Wed afternoon) her WBC is down to .2 from 1.2 on Wed and her neutrophils are down to .00. So they are getting her prepped for a bag of platelets and 3 bags of whole blood right now, and I think they'll start her on IV antibiotics also. Don't know how long she'll have to stay there yet.

UPDATE***She will be in the hospital for the rest of the day and should be able to come home in the morning as long as her blood counts come back up some by morning. Her color looks ALOT better now than it did 3 hours ago, so I take that as a good sign. She is in isolation for now, back to masks and gloves in the room with her...and definitely no flowers or uncooked/unprocessed fruits and veggies.