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.