Doctor Wiersema said that the procedure went well. He also commented that it was a "good thing" there was very little fluid at the incision site. The lab results will take one week. Cathy left the Lutheran Medical Park before 10 am with instructions to take it easy today. She is still waiting for the test results from last weeks paracentesis.
Lori
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Liver Biopsy scheduled on October 31st
We met with Dr Wiersema, a local gastroenterologist. He will perform a liver biopsy at Lutheran Medical Park, Thursday morning at 8:15 am. He was very thorough and kind to us. He even showed us the CT Scan results on the computer and compared the July scan with the Oct scan. That is the first time we have been able to see her liver.
Cathy will have blood work drawn tomorrow morning to determine the platelet count. It has to be at least 80k or he will not do the procedure because of the risk of bleeding. He also requested a typical liver serology (bloodwork.)
Cathy will have blood work drawn tomorrow morning to determine the platelet count. It has to be at least 80k or he will not do the procedure because of the risk of bleeding. He also requested a typical liver serology (bloodwork.)
We are grateful that this doctor was willing to see Cathy so quickly and perform the procedure in Fort Wayne. Please pray that these new tests will accurately provide the necessary information to determine the course of treatment.
Lori
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
31st Trip to the Block Center
Dear Friends and Family,
Today, Cathy met with Dr. Udhrain at the Block Center. The discussion centered around her symptom of ascites (water retention in the peritoneal cavity) and the CT Scan which indicated cirrhosis of the liver.
He said that 3 things could be causing ascites; liver inflammation, cirrhosis of the liver or cancer. The mention of cirrhosis on the scan is puzzling because it cannot be defined by an image and it never happens immediately. Normally, cirrhosis takes years to develop not weeks. He recommended a liver biopsy to determine what is actually happening. He also sent Cathy to have the ascites drained at the Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago. That procedure only resulted in 20 cc of fluid which is equal to 4 teaspoons of liquid - so Cathy still looks somewhat "pregnant" (Mike's terminology). Again, this seems to be another mystery. Given the size of her stomach we expected more fluid.
With all this uncertainty and the fact that Cathy's liver enzymes are still rising, Dr Udhrian stopped the Kadcyla treatments. He mentioned two other chemo treatments that can be used in conjunction with Herceptin. They are Navelbine and Taxotere. He is giving Cathy and Mike time to research and decide which option to choose.
From a cancer standpoint - nothing is growing or getting worse. Good news!
Please pray that God would grant wisdom to Mike and Cathy as they proceed to schedule the biopsy and new treatment for next week. Pray also that the doctors would be able to accurately interpret the tests results.
We are very grateful for your continued interest, support and prayers. God has protected us and guided us through 31 trips to Chicago. What mercy and grace he has bestowed!!
Blessings,
Lori
P.S. This is a shout out to Mike who drives the entire trip while enduring all the chatter between Cathy and myself. It also allows me time to research and update the blog. And we even have the opportunity to listen to a sermon from our local pastors!
Today, Cathy met with Dr. Udhrain at the Block Center. The discussion centered around her symptom of ascites (water retention in the peritoneal cavity) and the CT Scan which indicated cirrhosis of the liver.
He said that 3 things could be causing ascites; liver inflammation, cirrhosis of the liver or cancer. The mention of cirrhosis on the scan is puzzling because it cannot be defined by an image and it never happens immediately. Normally, cirrhosis takes years to develop not weeks. He recommended a liver biopsy to determine what is actually happening. He also sent Cathy to have the ascites drained at the Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago. That procedure only resulted in 20 cc of fluid which is equal to 4 teaspoons of liquid - so Cathy still looks somewhat "pregnant" (Mike's terminology). Again, this seems to be another mystery. Given the size of her stomach we expected more fluid.
With all this uncertainty and the fact that Cathy's liver enzymes are still rising, Dr Udhrian stopped the Kadcyla treatments. He mentioned two other chemo treatments that can be used in conjunction with Herceptin. They are Navelbine and Taxotere. He is giving Cathy and Mike time to research and decide which option to choose.
From a cancer standpoint - nothing is growing or getting worse. Good news!
Please pray that God would grant wisdom to Mike and Cathy as they proceed to schedule the biopsy and new treatment for next week. Pray also that the doctors would be able to accurately interpret the tests results.
We are very grateful for your continued interest, support and prayers. God has protected us and guided us through 31 trips to Chicago. What mercy and grace he has bestowed!!
Blessings,
Lori
P.S. This is a shout out to Mike who drives the entire trip while enduring all the chatter between Cathy and myself. It also allows me time to research and update the blog. And we even have the opportunity to listen to a sermon from our local pastors!
Friday, October 18, 2013
UPDATE
Day 4 on baby dose of two diuretics--Aldactone and Lasix. Something proactive I can do to try and reduce distention of abdomen. Guess they are working, though ever so slowly, since I can now look down and see my toes. Oh, how thankful we can be for such little things in life.
My appointment @ the Block Center is still on for the 22nd. Per the oncologist, the etiology (cause/reason) of the cirrhosis and ascites is unknown. Our (hubby's and mine) personal suspicion is the Kadcyla (chemo), of which I've now had 6 rounds, the cause. This will be an interesting trip; hoping and praying for resolution. Dr. Uhdrain, the oncologist, indicated that should my liver enzymes continue to rise, he would discontinue the Kadcyla and start me on Herceptin + Navelbine (which I believe is another direct therapy). We'll see.
I must admit that this part of my journey has been particularly trying on my patience--never my strongest virtue. This week has been much better than last, so there can be no excuse for complaint (such an ugly word!). How can a person not be joyful, knowing that so very many people are praying
for us? A warm hug to each and every one of you.
My appointment @ the Block Center is still on for the 22nd. Per the oncologist, the etiology (cause/reason) of the cirrhosis and ascites is unknown. Our (hubby's and mine) personal suspicion is the Kadcyla (chemo), of which I've now had 6 rounds, the cause. This will be an interesting trip; hoping and praying for resolution. Dr. Uhdrain, the oncologist, indicated that should my liver enzymes continue to rise, he would discontinue the Kadcyla and start me on Herceptin + Navelbine (which I believe is another direct therapy). We'll see.
I must admit that this part of my journey has been particularly trying on my patience--never my strongest virtue. This week has been much better than last, so there can be no excuse for complaint (such an ugly word!). How can a person not be joyful, knowing that so very many people are praying
for us? A warm hug to each and every one of you.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Parkview Hospital Visit
This is an update for those who have been following the latest "side effects(?)" of Cathy's treatment on Wednesday. She started out with with her ankles swelling--this has happened before, though not to such extent---but the swelling went down by Friday. Then she began to 'retain' fluid in her belly area. It continued to swell until she 'felt 9 months pregnant'. That's when we went to the emergency room on Tuesday @ 2:15 pm. We thought they were just going to stick a needle in and drain the fluid, but not so fast!!---After running a blood test on her and finding her white blood cell count at 27,800 (normal range is 4,000 - 10,000), they decided to keep her overnight. Sooo, at 9:45 pm she was finally moved to a room up in Oncology (it was a busy day). They watched her overnight, and today, Wednesday, they took another blood test and did a CT scan. After 26 hours at the hospital we are now at home with a swollen stomach and a white blood count of 16,000. They said there was not enough fluid to drain it and the scan didn't show anything to indicate where the fluid was coming from. If it gets worse (such as difficulty in breathing) we are supposed to try it all over again! It was a very frustrating and unfruitful time. Regardless of the cause, cancer or the treatment, we have decided we will not be continuing her Kadcyla the next time we go to the Block Center. Please continue to pray for her stomach to return to normal and not get any worse. Thank you. ~Mike
Okay folks, I suppose there is a lesson to be learned in here somewhere. Pain (or discomfort) management is always frustrating for me. Always left feeling like an even bigger wimp. Please, pray that I am patient and endure well. ~Cathy
Okay folks, I suppose there is a lesson to be learned in here somewhere. Pain (or discomfort) management is always frustrating for me. Always left feeling like an even bigger wimp. Please, pray that I am patient and endure well. ~Cathy
Friday, October 4, 2013
Vacation & Results
Thank you to all who supported us (prayerfully and financially) on our trip out west! Cathy & I had a WONDERFUL time! I thought it had been since our honeymoon that we had made the trek out west (27 years ago), but we were reminded by a video recording which we watched while in Montana that we had, indeed, been there when our eldest, Adam, was 11 months old---we had BOTH forgotten about it!
The majestic mountains are always breathtaking, but the best part was being with family. Cathy has such a wonderful family---I am so blessed to be a part of that! Some of the highlights of the trip: Focus on the Family visit, Olympic Training Center, visiting my friend Dorothy---all in Colorado Springs; a visit to the Ball Metal Canning Plant---in Golden; National Bison Range and Glazier National Park---in Montana. My daughter allowed us to borrow her older camera, so we were able to take some nice pictures, as well.
We returned late Sunday from our vacation and Cathy's next Block Center visit was scheduled for Wednesday morning. She had to get her blood work done and a CT scan between Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday, we met with Dr. Block to discuss the scan and course of action. The scan was "unremarkable" (i.e. unchanged) for the most part, with the exception of some signs of cirrhosis forming on the liver probably due to the Kadcyla drug she has been taking. The liver enzymes continue to trend slightly upward but the bilirubin counts (liver function) continue to be good. Dr. Block suggested that we 'stay the course' with the current treatment, at least until the next scan. His summary was that we had reached a plateau 'with a slight rise', but with stage 4 cancer this is still a good sign. The new drug she is taking may take a little longer to work; she is, after all, the first patient at Block to get this treatment. When Cathy asked him what else could SHE could do he suggested that we double her intake of Milk Thistle from 8 to 16 pills which should help fight the cirrhosis and he added another supplement to help in the cancer fight (Lutein).
So for now, we continue the fight and "run the race" as Paul encourages us. Thank you for your prayers and your support. We are so thankful and blessed that you share in this suffering and know that you also will rejoice in the victory on that day!
Blessings,
Mike (Cathy's husband)
The majestic mountains are always breathtaking, but the best part was being with family. Cathy has such a wonderful family---I am so blessed to be a part of that! Some of the highlights of the trip: Focus on the Family visit, Olympic Training Center, visiting my friend Dorothy---all in Colorado Springs; a visit to the Ball Metal Canning Plant---in Golden; National Bison Range and Glazier National Park---in Montana. My daughter allowed us to borrow her older camera, so we were able to take some nice pictures, as well.
We returned late Sunday from our vacation and Cathy's next Block Center visit was scheduled for Wednesday morning. She had to get her blood work done and a CT scan between Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday, we met with Dr. Block to discuss the scan and course of action. The scan was "unremarkable" (i.e. unchanged) for the most part, with the exception of some signs of cirrhosis forming on the liver probably due to the Kadcyla drug she has been taking. The liver enzymes continue to trend slightly upward but the bilirubin counts (liver function) continue to be good. Dr. Block suggested that we 'stay the course' with the current treatment, at least until the next scan. His summary was that we had reached a plateau 'with a slight rise', but with stage 4 cancer this is still a good sign. The new drug she is taking may take a little longer to work; she is, after all, the first patient at Block to get this treatment. When Cathy asked him what else could SHE could do he suggested that we double her intake of Milk Thistle from 8 to 16 pills which should help fight the cirrhosis and he added another supplement to help in the cancer fight (Lutein).
So for now, we continue the fight and "run the race" as Paul encourages us. Thank you for your prayers and your support. We are so thankful and blessed that you share in this suffering and know that you also will rejoice in the victory on that day!
Blessings,
Mike (Cathy's husband)
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