View Full Version : Update re: my cancer stricken friend
paularoid
10-10-2008, 08:00 PM
For those that are or were interested recently when I reported this, my cancer stricken friend's journey through the gauntlet of health related issues goes like this:
She went into the hospital on Monday in Salt Lake City at the Huntsman Cancer Center.
Underwent thorough testing and preparatory procedures that lasted until Thursday morning when she underwent an operation to remove her kidney.
She's now in recovery and I will go back down to SLC Wednesday to retrieve her.
Upon her return she'll undergo chemo treatment again in a much more rigorous way than she did previously.
They're using the chemo drug called Gleevec.
It should be noted also that a couple of days before she entered the cancer center she had to be given 2 units of blood due to extreme weakness due to blood loss from internal bleeding of the colon.
She also received 2 units immediately prior to the operation, 2 more during the operation, and 2 more yet again after the operation.
It's hoped that now that the cancer stricken kidney has been removed, the chemo (gleevec) will knock down the cancer in her colon and alleviate the internal bleeding.
As an after thought,..... GIVE BLOOD! It'll help in situation just such as this.
Aww, sounds like she's going through a bit of hell right now...Hang with her, Paul--she needs you more than ever. I wish her well, hope the Gleevac really does work. Let us know.
Group Hug,
Bat
Elliott
10-10-2008, 10:26 PM
indeed, you are a good friend. Love, Elliott
Continous vibes going out to your friend. What a terrible ordeal for her :( You are a good friend indeed, Paul.
Eva
aabram
10-11-2008, 10:33 AM
Sending prayers and rudie vibes.
Annabel
hoops
10-11-2008, 01:52 PM
Paul, i have been sending rudie vibes thoughts and prayers since the beginning, i will continue. the best to both of you'
peace
hoops
paularoid
10-11-2008, 11:26 PM
NOW we get SNOW! TONS of it! <grumble> :mad:
Thankfully it's due to be gone before I go to get her and bring her back. Everything is -supposed- to be all clear for Wednesday when I'm scheduled to retrieve her and that doesn't bother me one whit. One thing that I DON'T need is to have to worry about driving in snow with a recently partly disemboweled person in the car with me. 35 years of driving in I-DUH-ho snow though qualifies me to be able to do it if needed though I guess. I'm up to the challenge if I -have- to be. :p
coffeegyrl
10-11-2008, 11:58 PM
Snow? Wow. It was 83 here today and the leaves are just starting to change. Mostly it's still green. I'm ready for some cooler temps.
I hope the road conditions are safe when you bring your friend home from the hospital. She is still on my prayer list.
paularoid
10-12-2008, 02:52 AM
Snow? Wow. It was 83 here today and the leaves are just starting to change. Mostly it's still green. I'm ready for some cooler temps.
I hope the road conditions are safe when you bring your friend home from the hospital. She is still on my prayer list.
Actually this snow storm is late compared to the way things -used- to be (before the global warming that doesn't exist). :rolleyes: The way things -used- to be we'd usually have our first snow storm about the last week of August,... and then it'd clear up until October when we'd have another couple of real light ones. Then about the time of Thanksgiving it'd hit full-on winter and stay that way until the first part of March. That's what the trend was as far back as I can remember until about 10 years ago when things started to go really screwy and it's been unpredictable ever since.
If the weather people can be believed it's supposed to keep it up for another day or two and then clear up and be nice on Wednesday when I have to go get her. It's supposed to get cranky again about Friday following.
We shall see what we shall see.....
hoops
10-12-2008, 09:55 PM
good luck with it paul
peace
hoops
paularoid
10-13-2008, 11:08 PM
Apparently she's resistant to the antibiotics and she might not get kicked out 'til Thursday or Friday or..... :confused:
At least the weather's cleared for the moment. If I have to delay until Thursday or Friday or later, things may be different weatherwise.
----- day later addition -----
Just got off the phone with her and today she's been throwing up all her food so they're going to keep her at least for another day probably longer. They will let her know tomorrow whether or not they're going to cut loose of her tomorrow or not. Probably not. Again, we shall see what we shall see and proceed from there when we do.
hoops
10-14-2008, 09:48 PM
Paul, thank you for the update...more vibes going out. i wish you peace
hoops
paularoid
10-15-2008, 04:47 PM
I hope she's got her affairs in order the way she says she does because I'm afraid that the time may come very swiftly when they'll need to be. Things do not look good.
"Vibes" are all great and wonderful but there are limits to what they can do unfortunately. This may be one of those times I'm afraid.
Her name is Holly and I've known her for over 30 years through thick and thin on both our parts. I've been prepared for her departure for about a year now. I know that probably sounds callous and unfeeling but it's also reality like it or not. When she got half her stomach removed along with a huge tumor I got myself ready. That was about a year ago if I remember correctly.
I do hope for the best...whatever it is. Hugs, Paul, and lots of good wishes.:(
paularoid
10-15-2008, 04:54 PM
I do hope for the best...whatever it is. Hugs, Paul, and lots of good wishes.:(
Well I'm going to call her right now unless she's got a tube down her throat and can't talk. Apparently they are going to try to get nourishment to her by intubation feeding and if that doesn't work they're going to have to go the IV route. It's thought that the cancer is preventing the food from going down and staying down.
We shall see what we shall see.....
That poor dear has to be miserable! Let us know.:(
Some cancers are more brutal than others and it sounds as though your friend is having to endure the savage kind. I'm sorry, Paul, I really am. There are times when it doesn't matter how much you hope and how many times you pray, the only resolution is when the body runs it's natural course. Of course you know this, Paul, or you wouldn't have been preparing yourself. But still, it is painful for all and I'm sorry.
Rickster
10-15-2008, 06:34 PM
Paul, Rudie vibes going out to you and your friend.
Elliott
10-15-2008, 07:57 PM
Healing and peaceful vibes are on the way from Houston.... I'm thinking of you and your friend. Peace be with you. Elliott
hoops
10-15-2008, 10:48 PM
Paul, my vibes are that whatever happens, it is at least kind, if not wanted, by you and Holly.
peace
Noel
paularoid
10-15-2008, 10:57 PM
Paul, my vibes are that whatever happens, it is at least kind, if not wanted, by you and Holly.
peace
Noel
Oh they're DEFINITELY wanted and desired. Far be it from either one of us to reject any good vibes of any kind from any source,.. it's just that at this point I'm not actually good that "vibes" will do any good. They definitely can't hurt so send 'em on in multitudes by all means.
AS A MATTER OF FACT,... she called me later after my last posting and said that they removed her epidural and they -might- (emphasis on might) let her out tomorrow. She'll find out tomorrow. One of the reasons for the possibility is that she's a nurse and therefore has the ability to take care of herself if they put her on the IV nourishment routine. If she couldn't do that then they wouldn't let her out. She can, they -might-.
Here's hoping.
hoops
10-16-2008, 04:54 PM
hoping with you
peace
hoops
paularoid
10-16-2008, 10:07 PM
I just got off the phone with her (about 9pm) and she's asking me to come and get her and bring her back home TOMORROW!
I'm bringing her back to a nursing home for a one or two week stay there. She's not strong enough to be trusted to take care of herself dependably so they've arranged for her to stay at a nursing home and undergo her chemo treatment there. After she's strong enough to leave the nursing home they'll start in more aggressively treating the remaining cancer.
Again..... we shall see what we shall see.
These are scary times for both Holly and you. I wish you both, and everybody else who loves Holly, a lot of strength.
Eva
Ginny
10-17-2008, 01:48 PM
Paul, I'm thinking of and praying for Holly, that all continues to go well.
paularoid
10-18-2008, 01:05 AM
She's back. I went to retrieve her today. She's back and GAWD . . . is she CRANKY! :eek: I realize it's only natural but GEEZ LooEEZE is she CRANKY!
<chuckle> I guess that's a good sign though . . . . . I think. :p
She's right next door to her sister in the nursing facility and they can bitch back and forth together,.. or at each other. :D
Holly's sister is there with a broken leg and two broken arms. She can't take care of herself so that's why she's there too.
I'll be taking Holly's gleevec (pill form chemotherapy drug) to her tomorrow so that she can start on that part of the program and hopefully knock down the cancer that's preventing her from taking nourishment normally. Right now she has to be fed by a tube that bypasses her stomach altogether and goes straight to the large intestine. Maybe if she can get to that point she'll ease up on everyone around her. GAWD is she cranky. I pity the nurses at the health facility that have to work with her. :eek:
----- next morning addition -----
Well she -seems- to be in a bit better mood today. Her commands (Yes, I said "commands") are quite a bit more civil.
Sounds like being cranky is the only way she can hold it together without completely unravelling...poor gal is undoubtedly scared to death, as would anyone be in that situation! Knowing you could croak any day is a rather stressful and probably the most frightening position anyone could be in...so just love her and encourage her to talk a bit and try to accept and embrace her fear, goofy as that sounds.
If she can admit that she is pretty damned scared, it takes some of the bite out of it and she can start to think about what she has to do to a.)get better, and b.) prepare for the worst. It might relieve some stress in an impossible situation at the very least.
I do send her the very best quality Rudie Vibes for a little relief, both physically and mentally...she sounds like a good one, too good to lose and far too young to be facing eternity!
Hugs all around,
Bat
paularoid
10-18-2008, 05:58 PM
Sounds like being cranky is the only way she can hold it together without completely unravelling...poor gal is undoubtedly scared to death, as would anyone be in that situation! Knowing you could croak any day is a rather stressful and probably the most frightening position anyone could be in...so just love her and encourage her to talk a bit and try to accept and embrace her fear, goofy as that sounds.
Oh I know that. I'm keeping all of that in mind and taking it in stride. Today when she -started- to "rag" on me I just gave her a line from 'The Princess Bride' "As you wish." and then hit her with a Cheshire cat grin and she returned to normal after it hit her square in the face about what a total b!tch she had been. :p She's fine for the moment. :D
I'll be going to see her tomorrow with the comics and the magazine section of the local Sunday paper and we'll see how she's doing then.
paularoid
10-19-2008, 04:22 PM
She's doing a HELL of a lot better emotionally and mentally. She's still cranky (or more correctly, picky) but that's only directed at certain nurses and aids and the way they deal with her. She's starting to be concerned with her appearance now. She's bloated and she's concerned about that. She's a big gal anyhow but now with the bloat she's absolutely monstrous and she's concerned about that. I'll be doing errand running for her tomorrow and we'll see how she's doing then.
She probably needed a little kindly swift kick in the butt to bring her back to the real world where she needs to be nice to her caregivers...they are much more willing if they're dealing with someone they like. You did the right thing, Paul...and she knows you care, which is important to reinforce, especially since she feels disgusting. Meds will often bloat...Marcia was put on one that caused her edema to really flare and that set off her inner ear problems.
It was an anti inflammatory steroid quite often used in cancer treatment for neural swelling. Unfortunately it does nothing for the condition she's fighting, and put her on the disabled list for about 6 months, since it's a long-lasting med. Bah. Tell your friend she's lucky she's not dizzy on top of everything else!
We send our concerns and best wishes for her improvement.
;)
hoops
10-19-2008, 07:27 PM
still praying and hoping for Holly and you. this is a period of grieving too so anger is expected. and being fed thru a feeding tube like that is hard cause you get hungry and thirsy as heck! i was on a feeding tube thru my intestine for 2 1/2 months the first time and 2 months the second time. no fun, they wouldn't even let me have water for 4 weeks...only one spoon full of ice chips 3 times a day. aghhhh! i don't even lik water but i was praying for some every day. good luck to you both
peace
hoops
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