A Not-so-Chemo Monday

As you know, Mondays and Tuesdays are my mom's usual chemotherapy days at the Sylvester Center.  Every Monday, we go in to do "labs" (i.e. bloodwork), check in with my Mom's doctor, and if everything's in order she receives the 24-hour chemotherapy drip.

This week my mom has been feeling pretty great in general.  (The prayers and positive thoughts of all our family and friends have been a big part of her doing so well.  Thank you!)  However, when she got her lab results back it showed that her platelet and white blood cell counts had dropped. 

Platelets and WBCs work to prevent blood clots and fight against infection.  A drop in their numbers are pretty common side effects of chemotherapy treatment.  (See?  I told you I was learning new things!)  So even though my mom was feeling pretty "awesome"--her words--the doctor said we need to take the blood into account and forego treatment this week to allow her body to rest and recover.  This means staying away from crowds to prevent sickness or infection and a few shots to help boost her WBC count.  

On a side note, my mom's CA 19-9 (tumor marker test) has decreased by half since her previous labs.  That's really good!  Even though the numbers are still not in the "normal" range, it's a good sign that they're headed that way.

Thanks again to everyone out there for the love, affection, and chicken soup(s)!  My mom seriously has the best friends and family who have consistently provided moral, emotional, spiritual and physical support.  Wow.

If the spirit strikes you, we have some prayer requests:

• Continued decrease of CA19-9.
• Increased platelet and WBC counts!  Shots help to boost the WBCs but there is nothing doctors can do about the platelets except for wait for them to be restored naturally...but I hear intercession helps, too.
• Our good friend, Buddy Peoples (grandfather to Lu & Dave's kids) has recently experienced a little health setback of his own.  We love him and pray for his continued recovery and my mom insists that he must get better soon since he his her backup babysitter for the grandkids.

Chemo Mondays...and Tuesdays

Well, it's that time again.  Chemotherapy treatment round two started this Monday.

What we originally thought was supposed to be a 24-hour deal is in reality a 36-hour (at least) process which includes registration, a doctor visit, bloodwork, and of course the 24-hour chemotherapy drip.  Whew.

It turns out there is a whole lot I didn't know about cancer--especially pancreatic cancer.  But, it's a learning process and I hope that the knowledge my family gains through this experience will allow us to help others in the future.

As for my mom, she rules!  Last week had its ups and downs as far as chemo effects go, but for the most part there was nothing unexpected.  This week's treatment went really well and I had the pleasure of spending the night with my Mom at the Sylvester Center as she went through the process.  We played word-find games, watched a lot of daytime TV, paid some bills, and went for some walks around the floor.  Here she is as we made our way up and down the halls of the center.  She looks pretty good, don't you think?

Chemo Mondays

Well, it's been a long two days but my mom finished with her first round of chemotherapy last night and she did it like a champ.

We got to the Sylvester Center around noon on Monday and met with my mom's doctor before the treatment to get a little background information on how chemo works and what we could expect.  Although everyone we worked with at the Sylvester Center was very helpful and nice--we love our nurses Claudette & Andrea!--it still took a long time to get everything in order.  Hopefully, everything will run smoothly next week and it won't be as long of a process.  We'll get the hang of it soon.

My mom finally got admitted in the early evening on Monday and by 10pm that night they were able to start a 24-hour drip of assorted pre-meds and chemotherapy drugs.  My mom, dad, Lula and I hung out for a while.  We played some Scrabble, took videos on my mom's fancy new iphone, and watch 24.  My dad and I went back to the house to rest up and Lula spent the night with my mom.  My mom slept great that night--thanks to some of the pre-meds no doubt--and when we talked to them the next morning they were in good spirits.

Throughout the day on Tuesday, my mom felt fine and didn't suffer any extreme reactions to the medication.  Of course, it will take some time to see how her body takes to the chemotherapy, but for the most part she's doing great and--in my opinion--the best patient any doctor could ask for.  Right now, the biggest side effect she's experiencing is getting tired.  That's to be expected, so we just make sure to get plenty of rest.

Thanks to everyone for all the love, support, and offers to help.  I'll make sure to reach out if we need something!  We didn't get home until after midnight last night, so right now my only request is to save the calls and visits for another day or so until we're back on our feet.  (You know my mom, she's so social that she'd go out dancing now if somebody asked her.)

Besos y abrazos!

Gearing up for Treatment...

On Friday morning, my mom and dad went to the Sylvester Center in Miami to have a port put into place so that she can receive regular chemotherapy treatments.  The procedure went well and they were back on their way home that afternoon.

Although my parents knew that I was coming into town that night, they were surprised when my brother and sisters showed up along with me.  Rocio, Monica, Lula, Ricky, and I walked into my parents room around 11pm and we were all wearing these matching shirts.

Thanks Dave (Lula's hubby) for making these rocking t-shirts!  They say:  Equipo de Ungaro (trans: Team Ungaro) "Kicking Cancer's Butt since 2010."  The t-shirts are purple because that is the color for pancreatic cancer awareness.  Who knew?

The shirt also has one of my mom's favorite verses on it, Philipians 4:7 "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

We spent the entire weekend hanging out, telling stories, playing games and just loving each other.  We even went for a walk together around the neighborhood, tried to help a guy find his lost dog, and ate LaSpada's subs outside by the lake.

It's been nearly fifteen years since the original seven Ungaros got to spend time together like this.  Although we love and missed the in-laws and grandkids, it was a very special treat for all of us.  Lots of thanks to Steve, Brian, Dave, & Alison for making this weekend possible!

Next up: Chemo starts on Monday.  Check back later for updates!

Why this Blog?

Back in November of 2009, my mom started having stomach pains.  At first she thought it was a strain from lifting heavy objects on her own.  When she still felt pain in December, she assumed it must have been stress from work.  On my dad's advice she went through a series of tests to make sure nothing was wrong.  Based on the results, it seemed like nothing abnormal was going on.

This was a relief, but a mild pain persisted and by January, my parents decided more tests were needed.  After seeing a specialist, my mother learned that she had what appeared to be a tumor on her pancreas.  At the end of January, she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

The good news is that the cancer has not spread to any of her other vital organs.  The not great news is that the tumor is on an important part of the pancreas where major veins and arteries are located making it inoperable at the moment.

So, without wasting any time we are preparing for chemotherapy treatment.  My mom is incredibly positive and there are people everywhere rallying around her to kick cancer in the butt.  She's up to the challenge and if anyone can beat this thing, it's her.

In order to help out my parents while my mom undergoes treatment, I've taken a temporary leave of absence from work.  (Can you believe they finally got me to move back to Florida?!)  Also, there are so many people that want to know how she's doing that I told her I'd start a blog and make it a central place for updates on her progress.  Feel free to check back here often, subscribe to the blog, and send Mimi your love and positive thoughts.