10 September 2007

I apologize for not updating this blog for so long. I have been trying to do it every other night but time has gotten away from me.

Things are going well for mom. She is walking better and better. Her nausea is persistent but not overwhelming. Her confusion is still present but she is learning to cope. Mom is an amazing woman.

Dad has really stepped up to the challenge of caring for mom day and night. The occasional mid-day breaks when family drive to Poosh give him a short break. He uses these breaks to get his projects done. He has been so patient and loving.

Sunday
Yesterday mom and dad spoke in church about their mission. They did a fantastic job. Mom was lucid and humorous and full of the spirit. Near the end of her talk, she started to shake. So, dad stood up and brought her wheelchair over to her. He said, “Liz, sit down here.” There was a microphone on a stand for her to use. However, mom was sure that dad was saying, “Liz, sit down. You need to be done.” Are you getting the picture? The congregation wasn’t sure what was happening. But, mom said to dad, “I have a few more things I would like to say.” So, dad went and sat down. A few minutes later mom was shaking more and dad stood again and whispered in mom’s ear, “Liz, you need to sit down.” She said, “I want to tell a story.” He said, “Liz, sit down here.” She said, “I want to tell a story.” He whispered in her ear again, “Liz, you need to sit down.” “I want to tell a story,” was her reply. Dad went back and sat down and the congregation roared. The battle of the wills had ended and mom was still standing. :-) He really was just trying to help.

After one more story, mom ended her talk in the customary way by closing “in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen” – but then she said, “but I have one more thing to say. Then she bore her testimony in Armenian. It was beautiful.

Then, the grandchildren sang “Army of Helaman.”

Dad did a great job on his talk. You could feel of his love for the Armenian people. He spoke of how the people struggled to survive and how the women in the church are carrying the load. He spoke of faith and the goodness of a mission.

Dad’s sisters Ann and Connie surprised us by showing up to the meeting. It was so great to see them and their families.

After the meeting, we had a reception at the house. President Bartholomew came to visit and the two of the couples from the mission field. It was nice to have them there.

Something amazing happened after the reception. Dad was out with the grandkids looking at the drained pond (remember? To find the snake?). The kids were all fascinated by the stranded fish. Then the snake showed itself. Dad used his skill with a garden rake to trap it and kill it. The snake is dead and mom is relieved, at least for now. There have been reports of babies ...

Wednesday
We had another meeting with the doctors today.

Mom is making very good progress. She is walking better, feeling better, going to the bathroom, and generally doing more things. Progress is slow, but it is there, which the doctors say is very good. This indicates that the Poosh is having an effect and the tumors are not growing. If the tumors where not responding to Poosh her symptoms would be getting worse.

We are still struggling with getting the right balance with the steroids. Too much of the steriod and Mom's peripheral muscles get weak (making it hard to walk), she gets severe acid reflux, as well as anxiety and depression. Not enough steroids and the swelling in the brain will increase and cause numbness, weakness all over, and stumbling and clumsiness. We are currently trimming down the steriods (4mg in the morning, 6mg at lunch) and it seems to be helping her. We need to keep an eye on her and if we see any of these symptoms let the doctors know so we can continue to adjust the levels. She will be on the steriods for a long time: they don't know if they will ever fully take her off them, but that will be decided as we go along based on how severe the side effects get (hair growth, changes in her skin).

Mom is still losing weight, which is a small problem, not big yet. The problem is that the Koosh makes food taste bad, so she craves food, but when she eats it tastes metalic and she doesn't eat much of it. We need to encourage her to continue eating as much as she is able to. She needs her weight and strength.

Mom completed day 17 of Poosh today, with 16 days remaining. This means her last treatment will be on Thursday, Sept. 27. After that there will be no more Poosh, ever (unless there are unusual circumstances) because the body cannot deal with that much radiation. 1 month after Poosh ends enough of the Poosh will have left her body for them to do an MRI. We look forward to those results.

Here is something none of us knew. The Koosh (chemo) Mom is on right now is a moderate amount meant only to support the radiation. Once Poosh ends they will immediately increase the Koosh to a much stronger dose, which she will continue with for 6 months to a year. I got the slight impression that stronger symptoms will set in at that time. They did not go into details.

Good news, her white cells (which were high last week) went back to normal levels on there own this week. (Count is at 14)

The CT scan showed that Mom does not have hydrocephelous and that the pressure on her brain is good.

That’s all for now.

The Christensens