Hi friends and family. I see all of the activity on this blog and I hear about all the prayers, thank you always. We are so grateful to have you near. If I were to give an astronomical analogy of what you all mean to us - it would go something like this; You are the Dark Matter to the Galaxy of our family. Our gravity alone is not suffice to bind us together.
I'd like to help by answering some questions about visitation and contact. My mom absolutely loves visitors... we all do so much. If you would please comment on the blog posts when you plan to visit so we can know when to expect visitors. My mom is asking for phone calls. Her vision is not up to par for reading her cell phone texts and emails. So please feel free to call her instead. Often times she can't answer, but she will call back when she can. Again, thank you all for what you do for us.
As for the blood clots, we learned that there is a high risk blood clot at the tip (and caused by) the chest portacath. This is in addition to the very high risk blood clot in the lung. The doctors don't want to remove the portacath just yet, because they don't want to dislodge and/or disrupt the blood clot there. The plan is to stay on Heparin blood thinning medication and also ramp it up in the near future with Coumadin, another medication which will further thin out the blood. But I think the doctors want things to settle for a few days and do some monitoring before starting Coumadin. As for the mass behind the heart - we still don't know all that is going on with that. It "may" be a blood clot, but we don't have 100% confirmation.
Today my mom had quite a few tests. We don't have results from any of them yet. The cheat X-ray is to examine why there is still pain in her chest, behind the right lung. We assume this is because the huge needle required to drain the fluid. The MRA was done today. This test was done to examine the arteries from the heart to brain. No results there as well. On a good note, coughing has improved from the fluid drain in the lung. Going back on the portacath thought - the plan there is to perhaps add a PICC-line portacath through the arm. For those that don't know what this is; the portacath is kind of an easy access plastic thing close to the heart, attached via tubing, which allows access to veins without frequent pokes at the arm so often. It's somewhat a necessity for chemo patients and all of the frequent needle access.
We're not sure of the future chemo plans and other hospital and doctor visits at the moment. We're taking things one thing at a time.
With Love, Mike.
Love the mom-son photo. Thanks once again, Mike, for the update. God bless her heart and all of you!!!!! Maybe Monday I can get down there again, but I will let you know for sure. If you need anything particular, my cell is 714-642-5603.
Posted by: doriconboy | 09/15/2012 at 09:36 AM