I went to visit Cathy this afternoon. They have weaned her from the blood pressure meds and she has able to maintain a good rate. They were able to give her lactulose which will help pull the ammonia from her body. She was having some pain but unable to communicate exactly where it was. The dilaudid shot helped to relax her which in turn stimulated her appetite. We could not get the strawberry yogurt to her quick enough!!
Mike was able to walk over to the Parkview hospice ward for a quick tour. This is an option if Cathy's blood pressure remains stable. It was nice to see the friends and family who came to visit.
Lori
Friday, June 6, 2014
Morning update
Dear Family and Friends,
I just spoke with Mike. Cathy is still in ICU at Parkview North. Her ammonia levels are quite high and the toxic effect on her brain makes her incoherent. They can give her a drug to help remove the ammonia but first they need to "coat" her stomach to protect it.
Her blood pressure is still being supported by medication. Her breathing was a little erratic last night but Mike said it was better this morning.
We are grateful for your prayer support for Cathy, Mike and the children. Cathy's mom, sister and brother have also driven up to visit and be with her.
Lori
"But God said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." The Apostle Paul, 2 Cor 12:9
I just spoke with Mike. Cathy is still in ICU at Parkview North. Her ammonia levels are quite high and the toxic effect on her brain makes her incoherent. They can give her a drug to help remove the ammonia but first they need to "coat" her stomach to protect it.
Her blood pressure is still being supported by medication. Her breathing was a little erratic last night but Mike said it was better this morning.
We are grateful for your prayer support for Cathy, Mike and the children. Cathy's mom, sister and brother have also driven up to visit and be with her.
Lori
"But God said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." The Apostle Paul, 2 Cor 12:9
Thursday, June 5, 2014
Update
Dr Dempsey performed another endoscopy this morning. The big blood clot that he saw in Cathy's stomach was gone. She does have 2 ulcers in her stomach. There was no active bleeding in her upper G.I. She still has the varices in her esophagus but he choose not to band them because they are only grade 3. Due to the changes in her liver from the cancer, she does have portal vein hypertension which they may be able to relieve with medication. No surgical therapy was performed today.
They are trying to wean Cathy off the medication that assists her blood pressure. If this is successful and she continues to maintain her hemoglobin count she may be able to go home soon.
We are grateful to God for His continued mercies!!
Lori
They are trying to wean Cathy off the medication that assists her blood pressure. If this is successful and she continues to maintain her hemoglobin count she may be able to go home soon.
We are grateful to God for His continued mercies!!
Lori
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
At Hospital
Cathy went to Parkview North hospital at 3 am this morning. She was vomiting blood. They opted to have an endoscopy. Due to the risky nature of the procedure for someone in Cathy's condition, Dr. Dempsey asked for the family to be present.
Cathy made it through the endoscopy which revealed a big blood clot in her stomach. It also showed several esophageal varices and an ulcer with a small blood clot on it. There was also some fresh blood in her small intestine.
Currently they are giving her 2 meds to control the abdominal bleeding and one medication to help keep her blood pressure up.
Tomorrow the doctor will perform the same procedure with the support of an operating room and full anesthesia. He will try to see if he can stop the bleeding.
In the morning, we will find out what time that is scheduled. I will try to have a timely update.
Please keep Cathy, Mike and the family in your prayers along with the medical staff.
Gratefully,
Lori
Cathy made it through the endoscopy which revealed a big blood clot in her stomach. It also showed several esophageal varices and an ulcer with a small blood clot on it. There was also some fresh blood in her small intestine.
Currently they are giving her 2 meds to control the abdominal bleeding and one medication to help keep her blood pressure up.
Tomorrow the doctor will perform the same procedure with the support of an operating room and full anesthesia. He will try to see if he can stop the bleeding.
In the morning, we will find out what time that is scheduled. I will try to have a timely update.
Please keep Cathy, Mike and the family in your prayers along with the medical staff.
Gratefully,
Lori
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Update on Treatment Plan
Cathy and Mike met with Wilma on Wednesday. Her initial approach will be to strengthen Cathy's adrenal and digestive systems. This focus will help Cathy's body regain energy and fight the cancer. During the first 4 days Cathy will eat a soup that is rich in mineral content and she will not take any of the supplements that she has been on. According to Wilma, this will "rest" her system. Then Cathy will introduce supplemental enzymes along with other pills to help her adrenal system. She will also begin protein shakes and other foods in addition to the mineral soup. Cathy will meet with Wilma on a weekly basis to assess her body's response and make adjustments accordingly.
After such a long winter, God has been gracious to provide "sunshine therapy" for Cathy and she is taking advantage of it by gardening or resting outdoors.
Thank you for your continued support and prayers.
Gratefully,
Lori
After such a long winter, God has been gracious to provide "sunshine therapy" for Cathy and she is taking advantage of it by gardening or resting outdoors.
Thank you for your continued support and prayers.
Gratefully,
Lori
Saturday, May 24, 2014
Looks like we are in for a beautiful Memorial day weekend--hope you all get a chance to enjoy God's wonderful creation! (I will be working Sun-Tues, but I do have today off :})
As I mentioned previously, Cathy's ammonia levels were very high and we are doing another round of lactulose today to try and keep those levels down. The lactulose is actually a laxative and not an antacid as I reported last time. I did finally get the tumor marker results from last week: 2102. Yes, that is an increase over the previous time, but we have been higher.
After consulting with two thirds of our "A" team, and visiting a Kinesiologist/Naturopath in Churubusco on Wednesday, we are strongly considering making our last stand without the aid of any more drugs. We will be returning to 'Busco this week for a more in depth discussion with Wilma. We actually met with her before we got the stage 4 liver diagnosis 2 years ago. The visit this week was just to get her 'up to speed' on our journey since then. Wilma is primarily concerned with working with Cathy to get her energy levels back up so the body can fight off this disease as God intended. Cathy has not had real good energy as of late.
One other item to note: we have not taken any fluid off her abdomen for almost 4 days now! We are hoping that this is a GOOD sign! We were getting about a liter a day consistently. (almost 156 liters ~ 310 pounds since Jan 1) I need to contact the liver specialist on Tues (after the holiday weekend) and get his take on this matter.
We are grateful for you all!! May you know Christ's strength and provision in your time of need.
Mike
As I mentioned previously, Cathy's ammonia levels were very high and we are doing another round of lactulose today to try and keep those levels down. The lactulose is actually a laxative and not an antacid as I reported last time. I did finally get the tumor marker results from last week: 2102. Yes, that is an increase over the previous time, but we have been higher.
After consulting with two thirds of our "A" team, and visiting a Kinesiologist/Naturopath in Churubusco on Wednesday, we are strongly considering making our last stand without the aid of any more drugs. We will be returning to 'Busco this week for a more in depth discussion with Wilma. We actually met with her before we got the stage 4 liver diagnosis 2 years ago. The visit this week was just to get her 'up to speed' on our journey since then. Wilma is primarily concerned with working with Cathy to get her energy levels back up so the body can fight off this disease as God intended. Cathy has not had real good energy as of late.
One other item to note: we have not taken any fluid off her abdomen for almost 4 days now! We are hoping that this is a GOOD sign! We were getting about a liter a day consistently. (almost 156 liters ~ 310 pounds since Jan 1) I need to contact the liver specialist on Tues (after the holiday weekend) and get his take on this matter.
We are grateful for you all!! May you know Christ's strength and provision in your time of need.
Mike
Saturday, May 17, 2014
Went to see the Oncologist on Thursday (15th)---originally scheduled for Tuesday, but Cathy's mom and oldest brother, Greg, came up to visit (actually to work :}). The family visit went really well and Cathy and team were able to get much done--unfortunately, she spent most of Wednesday recuperating from Tuesday!
Anyway--the doctor visit on Thursday did not contain any positive news, as the blood results continue to show a steady increase in the disease. We were able to get blood drawn to check Cathy's ammonia level, as we were fairly certain that she was suffering from elevated levels of ammonia.
"The liver removes toxic chemicals from the blood. When the liver is damaged from disease or injury, the cells of the liver are unable to function properly. They become unable to remove byproducts of metabolism such as ammonia resulting from protein digestion. High amounts of ammonium ion in the blood affects the brain with a range of symptoms from mild confusion to possible brain damage and death."
The normal range for ammonia is 7-10. Cathy's level was up around 100. We will be getting a prescription antacid that is supposed to help absorb the ammonia and hopefully improve her symptoms.
We are still waiting on the Lord and seeking guidance for what to do next. We are considering stopping ALL forms of drugs (including the herceptin) as there appears to be no noticeable change in the progression of the disease. The Oncologist does not have the same mindset as we do: we are in this to WIN this and defeat the cancer! They believe that death is inevitable and are not as concerned about the condition of her heart (herceptin can weaken heart muscles) and they were not interested in what the ammonia could do to her (possible coma,death). Fortunately, they HAVE been willing to 'humor' us and provide the tests and prescriptions. That is another reason of possibly cutting off drugs/traditional treatments, as we want 'teammates' who want to WIN as badly as we do!
We know that ALL things are possible with God and will submit to whatever HIS plan is for Cathy so that HE might be glorified. Cathy's cancer and life have been and always will be in the Hands of our loving Creator. HE will ultimately decide the outcome. All we can do is pray and trust in HIM. Thank you for standing with us. Your prayers keep us fighting!
Mike
Anyway--the doctor visit on Thursday did not contain any positive news, as the blood results continue to show a steady increase in the disease. We were able to get blood drawn to check Cathy's ammonia level, as we were fairly certain that she was suffering from elevated levels of ammonia.
"The liver removes toxic chemicals from the blood. When the liver is damaged from disease or injury, the cells of the liver are unable to function properly. They become unable to remove byproducts of metabolism such as ammonia resulting from protein digestion. High amounts of ammonium ion in the blood affects the brain with a range of symptoms from mild confusion to possible brain damage and death."
The normal range for ammonia is 7-10. Cathy's level was up around 100. We will be getting a prescription antacid that is supposed to help absorb the ammonia and hopefully improve her symptoms.
We are still waiting on the Lord and seeking guidance for what to do next. We are considering stopping ALL forms of drugs (including the herceptin) as there appears to be no noticeable change in the progression of the disease. The Oncologist does not have the same mindset as we do: we are in this to WIN this and defeat the cancer! They believe that death is inevitable and are not as concerned about the condition of her heart (herceptin can weaken heart muscles) and they were not interested in what the ammonia could do to her (possible coma,death). Fortunately, they HAVE been willing to 'humor' us and provide the tests and prescriptions. That is another reason of possibly cutting off drugs/traditional treatments, as we want 'teammates' who want to WIN as badly as we do!
We know that ALL things are possible with God and will submit to whatever HIS plan is for Cathy so that HE might be glorified. Cathy's cancer and life have been and always will be in the Hands of our loving Creator. HE will ultimately decide the outcome. All we can do is pray and trust in HIM. Thank you for standing with us. Your prayers keep us fighting!
Mike
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