GOOD NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm back!

Been a long delay since the last post....sorry for that.  Many of you with whom I have spoken during that time have worked on the assumption that no news was good news...and you were right to do so.....except in this instance, for I have news and it is of the good variety.  I'll let the patient speak for herself:

Hello everyone!  I am sitting in Dr Cantrell's office getting my herceptin and smiling from ear to ear.  When I met with Jim he told me I am in "complete remission... A poster child.". How about that!!  Woo Hoo!  Thanks for putting up with me through all this!
Xoxoxo
Mom

 We're dancing for joy over here, as was the patient with her doctor last month at Sally's wedding:

Thank you all for your continued concern, prayers and well-wishes.  We are very blessed to have you as friends, just as we are to have a healthy mother!  Gotta run!!!

No Chemo This Week

After a fun weekend at the lake with most of the fam, Momma was not exactly looking forward to her fifth chemo treatment yesterday morning. When she reluctantly went in to meet with Dr. C, she learned that she would get a little break after all! Her breast cancer marker 2729 is down this week to 60.1 (remember that it was in the 200s a month ago and 96.6 at her last chemo session). In lieu of chemo, she did a 30 minute drip of Herceptin followed by a CT scan to check-in on her liver. The scan results showed that her liver is still compromised but expected to regenerate over time. For the next several weeks Mom will go in for regular check-ups and Herceptin drips or pills, and if at any point she appears to be dragging, she'll do a chemo session then. As for now, she is enjoying a chemo-free week! As always, thank you so much for your continued thoughts and prayers and for being such an important part of Mom's healing process.

(Belated) Mother's Day Update

It has been a little while since we've updated the blog, but we promise that's good news! Momma has been doing amazingly well the last couple of weeks, and we have all (including Dr. C) been very pleased with her progress. She had her 4th chemo treatment last Monday and she made the decision to simply not get sick this time around (if only it was really that easy). Though the chemo still knocked her down a little bit, she was able to travel to Charlotte this weekend for sweet baby James' baptism and an extra special Mother's Day. 

The best update we've received in the last couple of weeks was that her breast cancer marker has gone from 400+ a month ago to 200+ a couple of weeks ago and has now reduced to 96.6 (normal is 40). This is a tremendously positive sign to see her numbers leveling out, and we feel certain that she's on the right track.

Mom is still adjusting to some of the many side effects of chemo - all of which are perfectly normal considering everything she is going through. Mom has always put her family's needs before her own, so it is still a challenge for her to be the patient, rather than the caregiver. We are all so relieved to see how far she has come in such a short amount of time, and we feel so incredibly blessed to have such an amazing mother. We are humbled by her courage and strength and feel certain that she will make a full recovery.

As always, thank you all for your ongoing support and for loving our mom as much as we do. Happy (Belated) Mother's Day, Momma!

Catch up

Has it really been two weeks??  I'm the worst blogger ever.  You guys have been dying to know who won the Baker Family NCAA Tournament bracket challenge, haven't you?  I've left you in suspense for far too long, so without further ado......The Final Scoreboard.


 Appropriately, Allen, the 8 year old with no prior experience and very limited knowledge of the teams themselves, won.   He edged out his Uncle Mikey by one point.  Big Al finished a distant 3rd.  Predictably, KB's affinity for the University of "Hannah" Montana came back to bite her, but at least she can claim victory over her big sister, Maggie, whose bracket had more red-ink mark-ups than my old 10th grade English papers.  As for me, I've already purchased Athlon's 2013/2014 NCAA preseason issue with the hope that I can compete with my savant son next year.  If he keeps this up, I may have to send him to UNLV for college.

Mom had a modest showing in the Bracket Challenge, but the same cannot be said about her progress in her Cancer Challenge.  But, I need to fill you in a bit first.  For the past couple of weeks, Mom has not been herself.  Most notably, she had been emotional, "loopy" and not totally in the present.  We knew that some of her medications caused emotional swings, but we were not sure why she was loopy.  After the first chemo, she had been that way because of the impairments to her liver, and that may have been the reason this time too, though the new chemo cocktail that Mom took in late March was chosen for its ability to leave the liver alone.  So that was a mystery.

Despite our concern about Mom's cognitive ability, she had made great strides with her "numbers."  Her protein levels are way up, so much so that Dr. Cantrell said that Dad can stop stuffing Mom full of whey protein shakes, much to Mom's relief.  Her white blood count is normal, which was a surprise and a relief (one less shot).  Her bilirubin count dropped, which is a good thing.  Most importantly for Mom, she woke up pain-free for the first time since the Fall.  Her appetite returned and she regained some of the weight she had lost, pleasing her doctors and her family greatly.  She even felt well enough to drive her car for the first time in a couple of months and she and Dad went down to the lake the first weekend in April.  There's nothing better to put you in the right frame of mind than a weekend at Lake Martin, so I think that did her well.

However, this is also about the time when the confusion and unsteadiness on her feet reemerged.  It got so bad that Dad decided to take Mom to see Dr. Cantrell early last week to see if he could determine what was causing the blank stares and non-responsiveness.  They performed an ultrasound and found that her liver lesions were smaller (a very good thing) though she still has one lesion on her spleen.  Her liver function numbers had improved, so they didn't have a good answer for why Mom's cognitive ability was so diminished.  That's when Mom and God took over.

Last Friday night, Mom fell while getting up in the middle of the night.  Mom never does anything half-way and so the result of her fall was a doozy of a shiner on her right eye.  I'm forbidden from posting a photo of it, but trust me when I tell you that it was one of the most pronounced black-eyes you will ever see.  It almost looked like Hollywood make-up.  Anyway, as Mom described her fall, "it knocked some sense into me."  Jim Lasker was concerned about the eye and mentioned it to Dr. Cantrell who made a house call.  (Mom's medical care has been world-class.  We are blessed!!!)  Mom has never taken drugs with any regularity in her life and she suspected that the plethora of pills she had been taking was the culprit in our great mystery.  Mom sat Dr. Cantrell down at the kitchen table, brought over her pharmacy-sized bin full of drugs, and they went through each one to determine what was necessary and what could be suspended.  This little exercise yielded a reduction in Mom's daily pill intake to two.

Saturday, I went over to check on Mom.  I had been dreading doing it because I had seen her during the week and had experienced how "dazed and confused" she had been, and it had made me sad.  When I received a photo of her black eye, it made me sadder.  So, on the short drive to her house, I prepared myself for the worst.  I was in for a surprise!!  I walked in the back door and a strong voice yelled out "That was quick!"  (She thought I was Dad, who had just left for a law school event.)  I walked into her bedroom and found her sitting up and alert.  I pulled up a chair and we talked for over an hour but, better than that, we LAUGHED!!!  It was amazing!  It was fun!  Mom was back!  I don't even remember what all that we talked about, but I left her house that night feeling more confident and more relieved than I had in a long time.

On Monday, April 15th, Mom went in for her third chemotherapy treatment, the second using Cytoxon plus 5FU and Receptin, which she handled well.  Dr. Cantrell will keep her on this cocktail until her liver improves further.  It does not shrink the tumors as quickly as Methatextrate (the original chemo), but it is easier on her liver.  Her breast cancer marker (CA2729) halved itself in one month's time, which is a fantastic trend.  There is still a ways to go before she can be considered in remission, but we like the trend line.  The cancer is shrinking and, as Dr. Cantrell described it, "She's out of the woods, but still on the edge."

I suspect Mom will begin feeling badly toward the end of this week, but I am hopeful (and relatively confident) that we will not see a return of the dazed and confused person that we saw the past few weeks.  I believe that Mom has renewed vigor and that she will begin getting out more once the initial chemo malaise passes.

The alarms are about to go off in my house and then the madness begins again, so I'll wrap this up.  While the last few weeks weren't great, the last weekend was better than I had hoped and I think we are headed in the right direction.  I can see new life and determination in Mom that leads me to believe that we have every right to be hopeful for a positive outcome.  Please keep your prayers coming....they're working!!  Pray that Mom's breast cancer marker continues to fall, that she tolerates the chemotherapy well, that her liver continues to heal, that she does not experience any further cognitive diminution, and anything else you can think of.  Also, please pray for the caregivers, especially Dad, as he cares for Mom, pray that he is supported emotionally.  That's the really crummy thing about cancer or other similar conditions....it attacks the patient, but it also attacks the family and community as well.

Thank you to all who have written, called, emailed, & checked-in on Mom.  I've seen her reading letters from friends she hasn't seen in years and I've seen how it comforts her.  You've all been so caring and thoughtful and you have positively affected us more than you could know.  Each of you is a part of Mom's medical staff, providing the care and healing that only friends can provide.  Thank you all!

Now, back to my Athlon's pre-season basketball guide.  Can't let my 8 year old son beat me again!!

Power of Prayer

I am beyond pleased to share with everyone that Mom received a promising report today at the doctor. We honestly didn't know what to expect given the ups and downs of the past week. After her treatment last Monday, she had not been feeling her best. Even so, Patty & Al hopped in the car and headed to Cashiers to join Mike, Laura, James, Patrick and me for Easter weekend. The trip was certainly exhausting for her, but I like to think the fresh mountain air and sweet baby James are partially responsible for her good report today.

 

Today we learned that many of Mom's tumors are almost entirely gone! Most of her numbers are trending extremely well, her appetite is ever so slowly returning, and Dad's whey protein regimen has paid off. The new chemo cocktail appears to be working exactly as it should, and now our prayers are focused on the healing of her liver. At this point, most of Mom's ailments are caused by her damaged liver, rather than the cancer itself. The power of all of your many prayers got us to this point, so I have no doubt that your continued prayers can heal her liver, too

As of today, Mom will stay on an every 3-week schedule for her chemotherapy and focus on regaining some normalcy in her life. We are humbled by your support and prayers. Each of you has played an important part in Mom's healing, and while there is still a very long road ahead, we are forever grateful for the power of prayer.

Sweet baby James, Mike & Laura on Easter Sunday - Cashiers, NC

March Madness!

First of all, I want to apologize for not updating this blog before now.  Last week was pretty eventful with Spring Break and the start of the NCAA basketball tournament and I did not get around to it.

(For those of you wondering, Mike is currently leading the Baker family pool, followed by little Allen in second and Big Al in third.  For a while on Saturday, Kathryn was leading but, alas, her faith in the University of "Hannah" Montana was her undoing.  Score totals below.)



 Overall, Mom didn't feel great last week and spent a good bit of time in bed.  She was able to go on a field trip with Peggy one day, which was a nice change.  Though she wasn't feeling well, you could tell that she was more herself, most notably through her voice.  For lack of a better description, she "sounded" healthier.  That, to me, was one of the most encouraging signs I have seen thus far.

Yesterday (3/25/13), Mom went back to see Dr. Cantrell.  As was expected, she is still experiencing some diminished liver function, but it was encouraging to see that all of the protein powder that Dad has been sneaking into Mom's food and drink has helped to rebuild some of the damage caused by the tumors.  Though still low, Mom's "liver numbers" have improved.  (I don't know what "liver numbers" mean.  In my defense, I am receiving this information filtered through my lawyer father, who is one of the best at keeping explanations simple.  Bottom line, I think improved "liver numbers" are a good sign.)  Mom's job between now and her next appointment is to continue consuming calories, especially protein.  Dr. Cantrell told her that her consumption of protein is so important that she should consider bacon as medicine! 

After her appointment with Dr. Cantrell, she received her second dose of chemotherapy, which lasted around 3-4 hours.  Because of complications Mom experienced from the first chemo, Dr. Cantrell altered the chemo cocktail to one that is less taxing on the liver.  The hope is that she will be able to tolerate this concoction of drugs better than the original, thereby allowing her to stay on a once-every-three-weeks schedule.  I spoke with Mom this morning on the way into work and she claimed that she felt pretty good, so maybe these drugs will do the trick.  Most importantly to Mom, though, was that she was able to go home after the chemo and was not readmitted to the hospital.  That had been a fear of both Mom and Dad and they were very relieved that her readmission was not necessary.

As always, thank you for your prayers, your kind notes, your phone calls (even the unanswered ones) and the overall care you have shown for both of my parents since we learned of this awful disease.  The past month has been a really rough one, and we are all aware that there will be rough days ahead, but at this moment, I am hopeful.  I know that my hope (and that of my family) would not be possible without the unwavering dedication and love of friends like you and so I thank you.  Moreover, I pray that each of you has a wonderful Easter as we celebrate the resurrection of our Savior.

Monday Update

Mom met with Dr. Cantrell today and seems to be trending very well. Her energy and appetite are slightly improved, and the doc wants to give her another week to recuperate before her next chemo treatment. If she is able to keep up her energy, she will start back with a new type of chemo (CMF + Herceptin) next Monday morning that will be much easier on her liver. Our goal for this week is to increase her appetite, maintain her protein intake, reduce her swelling and treat some of her bumps and bruises so that she can feel more like herself. Thank you all for the prayers!

Homecoming

Mom made it home on Friday and was grateful to be in her own bed. Also to her surprise all the kids were there as well. It was really great to get everyone together in the same room. At times perhaps it wasn't as great for Mom because she had 5 people telling her what she needed to eat and drink instead of one but she was a trooper putting up with us. Dad has turned into super nurse and has a very impressive system of organizing the medicines and logging all the activity and diet.

As we've stated before nutrition is still critical right now. Our goal is 50 grams of protein a day.  Saturday we were able to hit that mark. It's a challenge each day because Mom is still feeling the effects of the chemo and medicines in her stomach and rarely does she feel like eating. Please continue to pray for her liver/stomach and subsequent appetite each day.

This morning she is returning to see Dr. Cantrell and will perhaps take her first Herceptin treatment. We hope to get her back on a regular chemo schedule as well, perhaps as early as next week. We will update you on today's report later tonight.

One More Night...

Well Mom is still at the hospital but is looking to be discharged tomorrow.  She has seen some gradual progress this week but has still struggled in getting the necessary nutrients to help regenerate her liver cells damaged by the chemo.  The past few days she has been snacking on Muscle Milk drinks that appear to be a good solution thus far. Dad is worried she might beat him in arm wrestling if she continues this diet so look for him to find alternative protein–rich snacks to stock the house. 

As for the medical specifics, we discovered today that her breast cancer is HER2/Neu positive.  HER2/Neu is an acronym for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2.  HER2 is a gene that sends control signals to your cells, telling them to grow, divide, and make repairs. Typically breast cells have two copies of this gene.  What they find in cancer patients is that this gene has over-produced the HER2 protein, which creates more cancer cells.  While this is an aggressive form of cancer, it also opens up the opportunity for a very specific and effective type of treatment.

Herceptin is part of a new class of drugs that are called targeted (biologic) therapies. This drug works by hunting down only those cancer cells that have HER2/Neu receptors on their outer surface. When there is too much HER2 in breast cancer tissue, cell division goes out of control, growing much too quickly. Herceptin attaches to the HER2 receptors and blocks the growth signal, preventing more cell division, and slowing the progress of the cancer.  Mom had a heart scan today that showed she was strong enough to undergo this treatment.  At this point we do not know exactly when that will start but will let you know as soon as we know.  The originally scheduled chemo treatment for the 18th has been postponed for now.

Thank you all for your support and prayers.  The visits, calls, and emails have truly lifted her spirits and helped her realize she is not fighting this disease alone.  We know we have a God that is into the details so we’d like to ask you to continue to pray for these specifics:

·         Effective and pain-free Herceptin therapy

·         Strong liver cell growth

·         Increased appetite

·         Strength to get around once she’s home          

·         Continued wisdom for Dr. Cantrell

The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace. (Psalm 29:11)

Still in the hospital...

Thank you all for checking in and my apologies for not updating the blog since Thursday.  Mom is still in the hospital, though we hope that she will be discharged later in the week.  The chemotherapy that she received two weeks ago is doing its job and has greatly reduced the size of the tumors in and on her liver, but it has also made her sick.  We are relieved that the tumors have shrunk and that she is not experiencing the same pain that she was just a few weeks ago.  However, I think we are all ready for her to head home.

At this point, there is not much more to update.  Mom is ready to come home, but she needs to demonstrate to the doctors that she is capable of leaving the hospital.  I hope to be able to update this blog later in the week announcing that she is at home.  Stay tuned.

Thursday Update

Well, we had hoped that Mom would be discharged from the hospital today, but it appears that she will likely remain there until at least Saturday.  The hang-up is Mom's ability to eat: she's not getting enough nutrition because of how difficult and painful it is for her to eat.  She is eating only soft foods such as Jello, yogurt, & chicken broth, but not in the amounts necessary to help her body heal itself.  Dr. Cantrell is not comfortable discharging her until he knows that she can eat enough to receive adequate nutrition at home.  Also, she's had fever off and on during her stay and he wants to get that under control before discharging her.

Despite all of this, there is good news!!  Her white cell blood count is way up and her liver size is greatly reduced already.  This is a good indication that the chemo is helping to reduce the size of the tumors.  Hopefully, this trend will continue and she can regain some liver function.  This is important because of the increased ammonia levels within her body.  Essentially, her liver cannot remove the ammonia fast enough and this causes some problems for her.  Hopefully, the diminished tumors on and in her liver will not impede its function as greatly and she can more easily excrete the ammonia from her body.

We thank you for your continued concern and ask that you pray specifically for Mom's ability to eat so that she can come home.  Also, please pray that her liver is able to process the ammonia and remove it from her body.

Update from St. Vincent's

To begin with the good news, Patty had an ultrasound today that showed one of the larger tumors in her liver is already shrinking. It gives us great comfort to know that the chemo is doing exactly what it's supposed to do.

The not so great news is that she is still struggling with quite a few side effects and will remain in the hospital until Thursday at the earliest. Though the tumors are getting smaller, her liver is still not functioning properly which was causing her to not act like herself. She is also still fighting a mouth infection that makes eating extremely challenging. The doctors are addressing each of her symptoms and trying to make her as comfortable as possible.

Her Neulasta shot from last week should kick in tomorrow or Thursday, which will help to increase her white blood cell count and flush out the dead cancer cells. Our prayer is that her infection will disappear so that she can eat again - and that she can rest peacefully in the hospital tonight.

Back to the Hospital

For the third Monday in a row, Mom will be watching "The Bachelor" from St. Vincent's Hospital (and she doesn't really even like the show!) Earlier today, Mom had a scheduled check-up with Dr. Cantrell to check her progress with the chemotherapy. She hasn't been feeling very well, and Dr. Cantrell was a little concerned about the effects the chemo treatments have had on her. So now she is back at St. Vincent's for monitoring....

She has experienced some fever, dehydration, infection and other uncomfortable side effects from the chemotherapy. Please pray that her white blood cell count will rise and that she will regain her appetite, which will help to fight all of these side effects. We will continue to keep everyone posted with her progress.Thank you again for your support and prayer.

No News is Good News

Just a little update to let everyone know that Patty is resting at home and happy to be back in her own bed. Her appetite is slowly returning (with the help of a few meds) and she will return to St. Vincent's on Monday for blood work. She certainly has a long road ahead of her, but it means so much to know that she won't be fighting this alone. Thank you so much for all of your support!

Day Two

Patty is still resting at St. Vincent's and will stay another night. She had a few more tests done today after a not-so-restful night, and we were pleased that her brain scan came back all clear. The docs are closely monitoring her white blood cell count and calorie intake and trying to keep her as hydrated as possible. Hopefully she can kick the stomach pain she's currently battling and head home in the morning. Her grandchildren are awfully jealous of her all-ice cream diet right now.

Thank you so much for everyone's thoughts and prayers. Patty has enjoyed reading your comments through the blog, and we'll continue to do our best to keep everyone updated.

Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40: 30-31

Day One Update

Patty went to St. Vincent's this morning and met with Dr. Cantrell. They are still waiting on some information that could provide a few more treatment options and they expect those results by tomorrow.

As we know, her liver is affected, which means that she cannot receive certain chemo treatment options right away. Fortunately, the drugs that Dr. Cantrell is starting her off with would have been the same ones he would have recommended even if her liver had been unaffected.

She began her first treatment this afternoon and will spend tonight at St. Vincent's so they can monitor her and keep her hydrated. Patty is taking a few drugs that will hopefully increase her appetite, boost her strength and fend off nausea. She will need to drink lots of fluids and stay away from anyone who is sick when her white blood cell count is low (7-14 days after each treatment). The nurse assured us that for every side effect of the chemo, they have something to address it.

Though Patty had a mammogram in September 2012 that did not show any cancer, it is likely that it was already there but difficult to see. They believe she had a lobular carcinoma which can be very challenging to detect.

Will set her up with Season 1 of Homeland on the IPad so hopefully Cary, Saul and Brody will keep her entertained through some of these upcoming 3 hour treatments. 

The Journey Begins...

If you are checking this blog, you are aware that our mother, Patty Baker, was recently diagnosed with Stage IV Breast Cancer. Mom had felt pain in her back and abdomen for a few weeks before she saw her doctor a little over a week ago. After X-rays, ultrasounds and a CT scan, we received news Friday before last that the doctors were able to see "masses" all over her liver. At that time, the doctors were relatively certain that these masses were cancerous, but their source was unknown. Mom went through many procedures last week to ascertain the source and, after undergoing a PET scan last Friday, February 22, Dr. Jim Cantrell was able to determine that Mom had breast cancer.

The PET scan revealed cancerous tissue in her left breast, in the lymph nodes under her left arm, in her liver and on portions of her lower back. While I'm sure no one wants to be told they have Stage IV Breast cancer, the diagnosis lifted all of our spirits, as we had all silently speculated that the masses may have been pancreatic cancer based on location and elimination of other possibilities.  That said, Mom has a difficult journey ahead and it begins today....

This morning, Mom will visit Dr. Cantrell before being admitted to St. Vincent's Hospital to stay overnight. During this time, she will receive her initial chemotherapy treatment. Dad and Will are with her. She is being kept overnight so that the doctors and nurses can more closely monitor her initial treatment and any potential nausea she may feel. Her treatment plan is still being finalized (and I'm assuming she is learning more about it at the doctor's office this morning) but as of Friday, we understand that she will receive chemotherapy in 3-week cycles (one dose every three weeks). After three cycles, the plan is to scan her again to see if the cancer is responding to the treatment. If so, the treatment will continue; if not, a new cocktail of drugs will be tried.

Mom is still in a lot of pain. Her liver is full of small tumors which are exerting pressure throughout the organ and abdomen. While painful for her, it is also an immediate medical concern as these tumors are affecting her liver function. An immediate prayer is that these tumors within her liver shrink quickly upon the administration of the chemotherapy so that her liver function will improve and her pain diminish.

The entire Baker Family wants to thank each of you for the care and love you have shown us during this time. We hope that you know how much your prayers, words & actions mean to each of us and how much they sustain us. We hope that this blog will serve as a means to provide you with updated information on Mom's journey to remission. Over the next several months, there will be times when Mom is not able to see or talk to people because of this disease and its treatment. During those times, we will do our best to keep this blog updated and to speak for her.

Meanwhile, today is the start of Mom's road to recovery. As each of you is undoubtedly aware, Mom is a fighter. Some of you may have even experienced her fighting ability firsthand!  ;-) We have no doubt that Mom will attack this challenge with the same fervor and tenacity that we have seen from her through the years. I'm often told that God only gives you what He knows you can handle.... which only illustrates His awareness of her amazing resiliency. House Fire? Pffft. Planning a wedding? No problem. Breast Cancer? Bring it on!! This cancer has NO IDEA what it's up against!

- The Baker Kids
(Brad, Sally & family; Will, Susannah & family; Mike, Laura & James; Sally & Patrick)