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Dear Aberdeen,
I’m sorry you had to find us but all of us are only a keystoke away. You will find some of the most wonderful, caring people in the world on this site as well as a wealth of information.
You and your family will be in my thoughts and prayers.
Hugs to you and yours…
PamTess,
I know God will hold you close in his hands today. You will be strong today during the funeral and yes you will know exactly where the place is that you will connect with your Daddy. (You can always come and walk on the beach with me!)
You will be in my thoughts and prayers today.
In Love and with lots of hugs,
PamTracy,
I wanted to share my story about the hummingbirds with you. My Mom was diagnosed in May 2008 by me (I’m a cytologist). It was a totally incidental finding – she was still working full time at 76 and a shock since it was Stage IV with mets to the lungs. I didn’t lose my grandmothers til they were in their mid 90’s.
Anyway in late September she decided to get a hummingbird feeder. I cringed when she decided on this knowing the birds had probably already migrated, but Daddy went and bought a beautiful and fairly expensive glass and metal one. He sat it up and placed it outside of the living room window where she could sit on the couch and see it.
As I kissed her goodbye to come home to New Bern I could barely make it through the goodbyes without crying. I knew in my heart she probably wouldn’t be here to see the birds come back this spring. I made it to the car and cried all three and 1/2 hours back to New Bern. As I prayed through my tears my prayer was “Please God if you are there and listening, just send a hummingbird”.
I made it home (somehow) and called to let them know I was home. My Mom answered the phone and after I told her I was home she said, “You would not believe what happened! You had only been gone for about 20 minutes and I was on the couch and I looked up and saw three different hummingbirds on the feeder. They stayed for almost an hour and were absolutely amazing!”
I think of this and smile whenever I remember the wonder in her voice and know that God is still in charge and taking care of everything.
Hugs to you,
Pam
Oh Tess,
My heart aches for you and your family. I know that your Daddy knew what a special daughter he raised. You have been a rock for your Daddy and family.
Please know that you and your family are in my thoughts and prayers and tears today.
Much love to you and yours…
PamBarbara,
My mom too has a huge belly but the fluid in her belly is what the doctors call “loculated” meaning it is in pockets. We were able to drain two of them but the rest is not able to be tapped. When the fluid is loculated it can be dangerous because you might hit bowel and cause more problems. After being with her during the procedure and seeing the ultrasound (we did the second tap under ultrasound guidance) her fluid seemed to be walled off by carcinomatosis (numerous small tumors).
They have increased my Mom’s lasix which has helped some and they have added potassium to her meds since diuretics can “wash” the potassium out of your system and cause heart issues.
Have a frank talk with your Dad’s physicians and see what else they may have to offer.
This is so hard to watch. My mom looks 9 months pregnant and it’s uncomfortable for her to sit up and also makes her a major fall risk when standing or walking.
You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers. This is such a hard thing to deal with….
Hugs,
PamOk boys and girls,
I think now would be an excellent time to take a deep breath, pat ourselves on the back and tell ourselves we are the best at dealing with this monster of a disease.
Whether we are caregivers, patients or friends we are doing the best with whatever we have to give at the moment. Until anyone has walked in our shoes they will never know how truly remarkable we all are!
In a sense we are are being “refined by fire”.
I also highly recommend the five minute rule…..Do five minutes and then do the next five minutes….lol
Somehow, some day, some way we will all make it through this.
You are all in my thoughts and prayers!!
Hugs to all!
Pam
Hi Michelle,
I learned many years ago that NORMAL IS ONLY A SETTING ON A DRYER!!!
You are in very good company here and we are all here for you. My Mom (77) has CC and I’m going through the same things you are. Sometimes it’s just enough to know you aren’t the only person dealing with something.
I highly recommend the 5 minute rule. Do 5 minutes then do the next 5 minutes.
If you need help or support we are ALL ONLY A KEYSTROKE AWAY!!!
Take care you and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.
Hugs,
PamHi Needhope,
A beaded appearance in a hepatic bile duct means along the duct you have areas of strictures (tight spots) and dilation (dialated spots.) Here is a link to a picture that may help with the visual.
http://www.dirjournal.org/images/figure_DIR_50_4.jpg
I hope this is helpful.
Hugs to you and welcome to the site. We are only a keystroke away.
Hugs,
PamIt actually looks like a string of pearls.
Tess,
Has your Dad’s potassium level been checked lately? Is he on any diurectics for his swelling? If he is, these drugs (Such as Lasix) tend to flush potassium out of the body. Potassium is necessary in controlling the heart beat and if it’s low can cause these symptoms.
Just a thought. We had the same problem for my Mom.
I would give the Doctor a call as soon as possible.
Hugs to you and yours,
PamYou guys are the best!
I can’t tell you how much you comfort me.
I just got off the phone from my Dad and he was giving me an update. Mom is becoming more and more confused. Since her ammonia level is normal it’s not that. She is also starting to itch and we have jumped on that with a vengence. Hospice brought several things as well as prescriptions. The itching has ceased for now but I know we are moving to the beginning of the end. Her bilirubin level was up so I’m sure that’s what causing the itch.
Mom is also becoming less tractable because of the confusion and is now a pretty constant fall risk. She will insist that she is perfectly capable of getting up and going to the bathroom by herself but in reality her body won’t cooperate. Now we are walking the thin line between her dignity and sense of self and of cold hard reality.
Keep me in your prayers. I’ll be making the trip to Greensboro this weekend.
You guys will never know how much you help me……..
Hugs,
PamTeresa,
I love the picture of you and your sister Shirley. I am especially partial to redheads since my daughter is one.
I read your blog every few days and it brings smiles and tears. I’m sure your four legged baby would enjoy meeting my Dalmatian Cameron. (Named because we are avid Duke fans and he has a Duke blue eye). Plus since Cameron is our third Dally we had already used the names Sparky and Domino….lol
You remain in my thoughts and prayers. Hugs to you and your family.
Love,
PamKatie!
As I tell my children, the only stupid questions are the ones you DON”T ask.
My Mom (77) had 5 rounds of Gemzar and Oxyliplatin scheduled two weeks apart. She was fortunate and the ONLY side effect she experienced was something called cold neuropathy (from the Oxiliplatin). It only lasted two days after a treatment and went something like this: If she drank or ate anything cold or touched something in the frig it was similar to getting an “electric shock” or like when you get Brain freeze from eating ice cream too fast.
Mom made the best decision in my opinion in getting a “power port” implanted in her chest. All of her chemo and blood draws and contrast for CT was sent through the port. It was wonderful and something you might want to consider. If you do get one insist on a POWER PORT.
Mom did not lose her hair and it really never even thinned and the chemo did not hurt. Each time before they started the chemo they gave her a bag of (I’m having a blonde or senior moment and can’t remember the name of the anti nausea drug). Bottom line she NEVER had nausea or got sick. Aha…I think it was Zofran. She also had two types of pills Zofran and Compazine to take at home for the first two days after chemo. They kept her from getting any nausea at all.
Mom did not bruise easily either. I think the best thing to do is follow your treatment plan and live each and every moment of your life to the fullest.
My mom would have chemo (it took about 3 hours for the two of them) and then Mom, Dad and I would go shopping for my mother of the bride dress that I needed this past December. She would wear me out!!!!!! and this was AFTER THE CHEMO!!!
One thing to remember. Always take someone with you to take notes, ask for handout sheets if they have them and write your questions down on a notepad as you think of them. Then take these to the appointments and don’t leave until you are satisfied that all your questions are answered. You will also find the Chemo nurses are great sources of knowledge as are the other patients you will meet also having chemo.
You are very special and in my thoughts and prayers.
All of us are only a keystroke away……
Hugs!
PamHi Rose,
Here is an excellent source for any medical tests questions. I use this in my lab alot.
http://www.labtestsonline.org/
It’s very reader friendly.
Hope this is helpful!
Pam
