Blood count results

We got the blood results just after noon. Her hemoglobin is at 7.1 today vs. 7.8 Friday (normal is 12 to 16), her platelets are at 8 today vs. 19 Friday (normal is 140 to 440), her white count is ? today vs. 0.2 Friday (normal is 4.0 to 11). They didn't give us her white count but I'm sure it is low. Her other counts are low enough that she needs transfusions. We waited for her appointment to show up on the web site and finally had to call to find out her appointment is at 3 PM today. Don't know how long it will take. Will give you an update when we get back. Ron

More blood tests

Just return from getting mom's blood test...again. We do not have the results yet, but they were concerned about her running a low fever (100.4). A fever of 101 means a trip to the emergency room for IV anitibiotics. So for now we are sitting here waiting for "the call". Mom continues to be very tired especially after a trip out in the TX heat. She seems to be resting comfortably though and wakes to have her favorite popcicles.
Dad went searching yesterday and found a much closer parking garage to the clinic where we can drop mom off in the ac then park and come back to get her. This keeps us from pushing mom in the wheelchair outside (where it is hot) and on lots of inclines. It also keeps mom out of the sun since her skin is so sensitive even with sunblock on. This procedure really makes it easier for one of us to take mom to the clinic for her blood test.
Dad needed to stay at the apartment this morning due to the Oxygen being delivered sometime before noon. It is very iritating that delivery people cannot give a specific time and we had missed them once before. It is now 11:37 am and of course the O2 has not arrived.
We did get cable hooked up and an internet connection, but still rented some movies for entertainment. Last night we watched "New in Town" which was pretty funny although I might have been offended at how they portrayed the "small town" people. If you get a chance, watch it!

Blood counts

Today, we took Cheryl to get her blood checked. Just as with Round 1, we're in the second week where the counts go down and transfusions might be necessary. The difference this time is that we are at the apartment and not the hospital. Also, Cheryl is checking her temperature regularly. If it gets to 101 or greater she needs to go to the Emergency Center for IV antibiotics. Her temperature has been going up the last few days and is 100 right now. Her hemoglobin is at 7.8 today vs. 8.5 Wednesday (normal is 12 to 16), her platelets are at 19 today vs. 73 Wednesday (normal is 140 to 440), her white count is 0.2 today vs. 0.5 Wednesday (normal is 4.0 to 11). Because of the low counts, she has to have her blood checked everyday including Saturday and Sunday instead of just MWF.

The good news is that Cheryl is still feeling fine. Our attempt to go out to eat last night resulted in sitting under the car port for ten minutes with the rain pouring down before deciding to go back to the apartment and eat in. The rain started just as we were leaving the apartment and of course quit ten minutes after we got back to the apartment. Oh well, we're going to try it again tonight. It's the first rain we've had in Houston in a week or more and it didn't cool things down much. It's been 100+ about every day.

Ron

Relay for Life

July 25, 2009 we will be participating in the RELAY FOR LIFE with our team in support of Mom (Cheryl Smith). Team members are: Kevin, Michelle, Jolene & Justine Woerner, Thom, Ginny & Wyatt Kirk, Terri Gauby, Judy Sifers & Deb Tegethoff. Honorary members (unable to be present) are Ron Smith & Stacey Bray.
The RELAY FOR LIFE will be held in Washington, Kansas at the USD 108 Washington County High School track/football field. We will have a tent for those needing to rest and goodies to keep up our stamina. At least one person from each team must be on the track at all times. The race goes all night, but participation of all team members is not necessary for that length of time.
Luminary are purchased for $10 and can be designated specifically for a person you wish to support in the fight for cancer, has survived or you wish to remember. We need to receive at least $125 by July 6th in order to have mom's name on the RELAY FOR LIFE 2009 shirt. Each team member receives a shirt plus a "survivor" shirt is given to mom. To donate please send to Michelle Woerner, PO Box 96, Linn, KS 66953 and specify if it is for "in support of Cheryl Smith" to appear on the t-shirts or for a Luminary and the name to be put on it.
I will keep everyone updated on how the donations are coming.
Thank you for your support,
Michelle

First day back in the appartment

By 2:45 PM on Tuesday, Cheryl was sitting in an easy chair in the appartment. She remarked that it was so peaceful and quiet. She called her mom to let her know she was out. We couldn't get on the internet to post the news so Stacey did it when she got home to KC.

A few hours later, I went to pick up Michelle. She had taken the SuperShuttle to the hospital. Even though Cheryl was not there, it was one of the places the shuttle delivers to and it is a short drive from the apartment. After taking Michelle to the airport the last time, I told the girls I wasn't driving there again of my own free will. Besides, we never know what the situation will be with Cheryl. One of my talents is NOT being in two places at one time.

With Cheryl settled in bed for a rest, Michelle and I went grocery shopping, picked up supper and a couple of movies. After eating some mashed potatoes, Cheryl sat up for a very long movie "AUSTRALIA" which was kind of disappointing but we had some laughs. Around midnight everyone was tucked in and resting well.

Cheryl thoroughly enjoyed her night of quiet rest with nobody waking her up every few hours. After a shower and breakfast, Cheryl is ready for her trip to the hospital for a blood check. Her white count may be down today, but its too late, they can't keep her in the hospital now, she's free.

Thank you so much for your prayers. I know they have helped to get her out of the hospital so soon (only 8 days this time) and Cheryl is so looking forward to 14 days out of the hospital before we meet with the doctor on July 6. Please keep praying for a good report. Ron

GREAT NEWS

Mom is HOME from the hospital. When the nurse practitioner came in this morning and asked her if she wanted to go home, she was already half way done having me get things packed up as she had her hopes up they would release her today. So, even though I had to leave to fly back to Kansas, dad was able to get things together and they went home about 2:00 this afternoon. The other good news is that by a miracle, the apartment elevator was fixed by the time they got home.

The sour note to all this is that there is NO internet connection at mom and dad's apartment, so they haven't been able to write a blog to let everyone know the good news. Needless to say, dad is pretty fed up and he ordered their own internet and cable today. He says he tired of now finding anything on TV too, so now they will have all the amenities of their REAL home.

So, until their internet is installed, it may be me updating from Kansas, although Michelle arrived in Houston today and she said she could always go sit at Starbucks and update everyone. Either way, we will try to keep everyone apprised. We expect mom's white blood cells to drop in the next few days, so prayers for no infections would be great. They did send mom home on antibiotics as a precaution, so hope there is no fevers to come.

As always, we appreciate your continued thoughts and prayers. Stacey

Monday night

Thank goodness I am here to say that mom is doing MUCH better today. She started eating ice and popsicles around midnight last night as she now calls herself the "drinking queen". She has eaten a lot of ice, drank both water and a couple of juices as well as eaten at least four popsicles and almost two strawberry shakes. She is definitely coming around.

Mom also got out of bed for the first time today after being in bed since early Wed morning. She was able to sit on the side of the bed and pull herself up using the walker for support and make it to the bedside commode THREE times. It was a big step for her to have that many bowl movements today as well. She will get the lovely catheter out in the morning since she is now mobile.

Another huge step was that she went a big part of the day with NO oxygen. Although she used it when she got out of bed, that is to be expected. She is even sleeping now, with no oxygen and still staying at a saturation rate of 92, which is where they would like it to stay.

The doctor made a visit tonight, although I wasn't present and he told mom that she might go home to the apartment tomorrow or Wed, which is very exciting. My hope is that they get the apartment elevators fixed before she is discharged as they have been out for the last three days. Dad is getting his exercise climbing the stairs, while I have remained at the hospital with mom. Dad hasn't been able to come to the hospital to see mom since yesterday as he has not been feeling well. We all believe it is just his nerves, but don't want to take any chances.

Well, this is my last update for a while as my stay here in Houston ends tomorrow. I will be flying back to Kansas as my sister comes to take my place. I will then return the following Tues, June 30th, as she flies back home. I will then be able to go with mom for her testing on July 3rd and still be here for the doctor's appointment on July 6th where some very difficult decisions will have to be made. As always, continued thoughts and prayers are appreciated. Stacey

Round 2 so far

It's been a while since I've written and I'd like to take this opportunity to summarize Round 2 so far. But first, a quick update. Cheryl has been able to stay awake more in the last 24 hours. She still doesn't want anything much to eat or drink. She's had mostly ice chips since Thursday. She tried a popsicle early Saturday morning and ate a small amount. Today she ordered a vanilla milk shake and drank a few swallows. It isn't important for her to eat or drink from a nourishment point of view, but it would be a sign of recovery and getting back to normal activities. She hasn't been out of bed since the early morning hours of Wednesday. I'm hoping she can sit on the edge of the bed today and maybe sit up in a chair tomorrow.

Round 2 chemo started at about 10 PM Monday, June 15. The first chemo drug, Doxorubicin, was scheduled to be given continuously for 3 days (72 hours). The full dose was given and completed about 11 PM Thursday night. The second chemo drug, Ifosfamide, was scheduled to be given in five doses of three hours each at 24 hour intervals. The first three were given on Monday night, Tuesday night and Wednesday night. After the third dose, about 1:30 AM Thursday morning, Cheryl began having difficulty breathing. She was given a breathing treatment (a small amount of xopenex is put in container at the bottom of a mask and she breaths in oxygen going through it for 5-10 minutes). She has continued to get these breathing treatments about every 6 hours since. Cheryl says it tastes terrible but it does seem to ease her breathing. They also started a diuretic (lasix) to reduce her fluid level. The fluid in her lungs was making it difficult for Cheryl to breath. The diuretic was given several more times over the next 36 hours. By Friday her breathing was more normal but she still complained of congestion at times, usually just before a breathing treatment was due.

Thursday afternoon, the doctor made the decision not to give the 4th dose of Ifosfamide Thursday night. Thursday afternoon, Stacey and I had a good talk with the doctor and nurse practitioner. They explained that there is some risk with every chemo treatment. Wednesday night Cheryl had come very close to the edge. Ifosfamide is very hard on the kidneys. To counter this, a drug called Mesna is given and lots of fluids are needed. The fluids were building up in her lungs. Her heart, already working harder because of the tumor, had to work even harder because of the reduced lung capacity due to the fluids. Thus, a change in plan was needed. Reducing the fluids became top priority. On Friday, the situation had not changed so the 5th dose of Ifosfamide was not given either. But three doses, 60% of the plan, is not insignificant. We will have to wait to see how effective these first two rounds have been in fighting the cancer. On Friday, July 3, Cheryl is scheduled for a series of tests to allow the doctor to measure the results. We are scheduled to meet with him on Monday, July 6, to learn the results and decide what treatment is best for round 3.

For now, the priority is for Cheryl to recover from round 2. Besides the fluid in her lungs, we have the normal week 2 side effects to look forward to: low blood counts, infection/fever. I just cannot tell you how much it means to Cheryl and our whole family that you are with us on this journey and that you are praying for her. I ask you to join me in praying for:

1. A speedy recovery from round 2 with lots of time at the apartment before July 6
2. A good report from the doctor on July 6 - the tumors have decreased in size and not spread
3. Wisdom for Cheryl in choosing the best treatment option for round 3

Thank you! Ron