Journal entry by Betsy Madsen —
Hi all! Long time, no update!
Lots going on here!
Mimi has had some issues with chemo. Her white blood counts have been low, and she had to be at a certain level before they would allow her to get chemo. She should have had her 5th round of chemo 2 weeks ago, but she was finally able to get chemo this past Monday, and she was done on Wednesday. She, reluctantly, got her Neulastra shot today. Neulastra is the drug that keeps her white blood count high, but the side affects are pretty nasty- arthritis, major chest pain, etc- but we have made it clear that she HAS to take it. From here on out, she should have no more low white blood counts. Neulastra’s side affects are less worrisome than her not getting chemo in time. In a surprising twist, the docs actually have told to her stop taking Iron pills because her hemoglobin was too high- (this was the thing she needed the blood transfusion for months ago... ) 🤦🏻♀️
Now that she knows that the Neulastra is not an option, we have planned out that her last chemo treatment will be the Monday before Thanksgiving, and she will get the pump taken out the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. This year, Thanksgiving will be a time of celebration for our family more than ever before!
Ok... on to Dave...
Dave’s surgery on his colon was a success, and although he was nauseous after surgery, the docs figured out that the anti- nausea patch was making him EXTREMELY nauseous. (Weird, but possible...) He started feeling MUCH BETTER when the patch was taken off and they sent him home.
Dave had a SpacOar inserted in between his prostate and rectum last Friday. This is to protect his rectum from the affects of radiation. Once it's in the body, the SpacOar has the consistency of a yoga mat. (Ummmm... weird, right?....) Yesterday , he had an MRI and CT scan to check for any other cancer or spreading and to make sure that the SpaceOar was in the right position. They also put him in a sitting position with his knees to his chest and put a foam pad under his knees. It "molded" into a gel consistency so that every time he goes in for radiation, he's in exactly the same position. He has to go for radiation 5x a week for 9 weeks. The expectation is that he will start within the next 2 weeks.
I know that I have been remiss with updates, but you all have continued to pour out love on Mom and Dave, and we are all so appreciative- more than we could could ever tell you. I will be better with updates, I promise. Thank you. Bless you, all.
Love,
The Foster Girls
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