Mom had her right lung drained on Monday and everything went well. To our surprise it had three times as much fluid as the left. Historically the left side tumors have been more active, but I guess they have switched roles. We all wondered what that could mean, but none of us have the medical knowledge to make any good conclusions.
Today was her doctor's appointment with her oncologist. We were hoping that the doctor would prescribe another oral hormone treatment, but sadly, she is suggesting that Mom do chemotherapy. This was not what any of us wanted- we all remember how sick Mom was last time, plus it kills me that again I can't be there to help her, since I only have 10 weeks left until the baby arrives. I imagine that the doctor does not want to risk wasting time on a treatment that has already failed while Mom's lungs are already filling back up with fluid. She needs to do a PET scan to determine the state of the cancer and then the doctor will decided the duration and strength of the chemo. So again, we wait.
My mom, siblings, and I appreciate the outpouring of support, love, and prayers that have come our way. Thank you.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Update on Mom
We found out this week that my mom's cancer treatment has, for whatever reason, stopped working. Her lungs are filling with fluid again and her cancer-markers have gone up. As soon as she can get insurance approval she will get the fluid extracted from her lungs, one at a time, and then next Wednesday she will start a new (yet unknown) treatment. We're hoping that it will be an oral, hormone treatment again, since they don't kill your body like the IV chemos do.
Mom is doing ok- not breathing as well, obviously, but we're glad that we found the fluid before she was on her death bed like last time. Any prayers or good thoughts in her direction would be appreciated.
Mom is doing ok- not breathing as well, obviously, but we're glad that we found the fluid before she was on her death bed like last time. Any prayers or good thoughts in her direction would be appreciated.
Chore?
When asked last night what kind of chore Liliana did to help out around the house, she had her answer ready:
Flushing the toilet.
Didn't know I was asking so much of my kids...
Flushing the toilet.
Didn't know I was asking so much of my kids...
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Baby Names
With older children we have been getting a lot of suggestions on what to name our new little girl. It's a good thing that we didn't give them to power to do the choosing...
Grace's choices: Feliz Navidad, Grace, Gretel (after her best friend), or Aurora
Liliana's choice: Wiggly Baby (after her beloved baby doll)
Moira's choice: who knows, but based on her favorite words it would probably be something like, No, or I'm Mad, or Mine
We (the actual parents) have a running list of names that we add and subtract from from time to time. Nikita (from Kaylon) and Meredith (from me) have already been vetoed. We don't plan on actually naming her until we meet her though, so don't be expecting anything concrete any time soon.
Grace's choices: Feliz Navidad, Grace, Gretel (after her best friend), or Aurora
Liliana's choice: Wiggly Baby (after her beloved baby doll)
Moira's choice: who knows, but based on her favorite words it would probably be something like, No, or I'm Mad, or Mine
We (the actual parents) have a running list of names that we add and subtract from from time to time. Nikita (from Kaylon) and Meredith (from me) have already been vetoed. We don't plan on actually naming her until we meet her though, so don't be expecting anything concrete any time soon.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
The Problem with Children Being Able to Talk...
My children will not stop fighting!
Everything turns into an argument. Who's going to be first? Who's going to get the purple cup? Who's going to be the princess? Who is going to be a particular character in the movie they're watching? Who's barbie gets to wear the popular dress for the moment? Who gets to sit on the left side of the bed?
ALL of the the above arguments happen REGULARLY in my home. I'm trying to cut the words "I'm first" out of their vocabulary and to encourage them to take turns, but I'm getting seriously frustrated with them all. Even Moira has joined in on some of these arguments (No! Por-pul cup!).
Why can't they all just get along?
Everything turns into an argument. Who's going to be first? Who's going to get the purple cup? Who's going to be the princess? Who is going to be a particular character in the movie they're watching? Who's barbie gets to wear the popular dress for the moment? Who gets to sit on the left side of the bed?
ALL of the the above arguments happen REGULARLY in my home. I'm trying to cut the words "I'm first" out of their vocabulary and to encourage them to take turns, but I'm getting seriously frustrated with them all. Even Moira has joined in on some of these arguments (No! Por-pul cup!).
Why can't they all just get along?
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Liliana's Specialist Appointment
Liliana and I set off for Springfield this morning in rush hour traffic with her bag full of comfort objects and entertainment, ready for whatever the morning would bring us. Well, everything except what happened.
The specialist measured her and said that she grew an inch, not 1/4 inch.
Good news, I know, but frustrating too. What's up with the difference in measurements? And how does this change what they've been telling me for 5 months? There's still an x-ray showing 1.5 years delay in growth and preliminary blood work that showed a growth hormone deficiency. Trust me, I'm glad they don't want to stick a hep-lock in my baby, but I don't want it to be at her detriment if they find out down the road that something WAS wrong, but some measurement issues messed it up.
Lucky for you, I get to explain this to you this afternoon when I understand it- mostly. Our regular pediatrician's and the specialist's measurements are not being done with the same ruler- they are about one inch off.
Exhibit One:
Ped. 9/17: 36.5 in
Spec. 9/29: 37.5 in
Ped. 1/28: 37.75 in
Spec. 2/24: 38.5 in
So by either doctor's measurements, she DID grow an inch. But we were comparing the 2nd Pediatrician measurement to the 1st Specialist measurement, which shows almost no growth. It's like apples and oranges- two separate things- fine on their own, but don't mix them!
They will continue to watch her closely, but their diagnosis right now is that she has a year and a half constitutional delay. She will probably be about that far behind her peers UNTIL they stop growing, while she continues to grow for a year and a half after them. If she stops growing again, then they will reevaluate if she needs the 2-hour- lots-of-needles-test. The doctor says that at this age we're ok waiting, and if we were to catch it in 6 months or a year, she would still have plenty of time to grow.
And knowing that I could walk out of the office not feeling like my daughter wasn't getting what she needed. The last thing I want to do is make a mistake in judgment that my child will have to pay for. Being short isn't the worst thing in the world- but I wouldn't want her to be abnormally small because I didn't stand up for her and she missed her chance for a treatment that was available. We have time- and hopefully she'll continue to grow, even if it's a little behind everyone else.
And just in case you wanted to know- if you plot her on the 3 year old height chart (the age of her bones) she is in the 75%. Maybe she'll be taller than her mom after all :)
The specialist measured her and said that she grew an inch, not 1/4 inch.
Good news, I know, but frustrating too. What's up with the difference in measurements? And how does this change what they've been telling me for 5 months? There's still an x-ray showing 1.5 years delay in growth and preliminary blood work that showed a growth hormone deficiency. Trust me, I'm glad they don't want to stick a hep-lock in my baby, but I don't want it to be at her detriment if they find out down the road that something WAS wrong, but some measurement issues messed it up.
Lucky for you, I get to explain this to you this afternoon when I understand it- mostly. Our regular pediatrician's and the specialist's measurements are not being done with the same ruler- they are about one inch off.
Exhibit One:
Ped. 9/17: 36.5 in
Spec. 9/29: 37.5 in
Ped. 1/28: 37.75 in
Spec. 2/24: 38.5 in
So by either doctor's measurements, she DID grow an inch. But we were comparing the 2nd Pediatrician measurement to the 1st Specialist measurement, which shows almost no growth. It's like apples and oranges- two separate things- fine on their own, but don't mix them!
They will continue to watch her closely, but their diagnosis right now is that she has a year and a half constitutional delay. She will probably be about that far behind her peers UNTIL they stop growing, while she continues to grow for a year and a half after them. If she stops growing again, then they will reevaluate if she needs the 2-hour- lots-of-needles-test. The doctor says that at this age we're ok waiting, and if we were to catch it in 6 months or a year, she would still have plenty of time to grow.
And knowing that I could walk out of the office not feeling like my daughter wasn't getting what she needed. The last thing I want to do is make a mistake in judgment that my child will have to pay for. Being short isn't the worst thing in the world- but I wouldn't want her to be abnormally small because I didn't stand up for her and she missed her chance for a treatment that was available. We have time- and hopefully she'll continue to grow, even if it's a little behind everyone else.
And just in case you wanted to know- if you plot her on the 3 year old height chart (the age of her bones) she is in the 75%. Maybe she'll be taller than her mom after all :)
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Happy Valentine's Day
Kaylon loves being the knight in shining armor on Valentine's Day. He threw us a sock-hop, complete with new socks, chocolate, swing music, and decorations. My future son in laws will have a lot to live up to!
Thanks Kaylon!
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