Round 2 of Chemo is underway. The first day is always the longest. They have to check her height and weight (independently by two separate nurses to make sure they give her the right amount of chemo each time). Today’s menu includes Oxaliplatin, Irinotecan, Leucovorin, and Fluorouracil (with a side of Cheez-Its for good measure).…
Yesterday Lara felt well enough to get into the shower. I washed her from head to toe, including a shampoo and scalp massage. You should have seen her smiling. She spent a little time outside the bedroom too, brightening up the whole house. Originally shared on Facebook. Read the other Lara Logs:
This one is a bit of a tear-jerker. I apologize in advance. Yesterday, Gage saw Lara for the first time since she came home from the hospital last Thursday. I led him into the bedroom and sat on the foot of the bed with him to give him an update on the situation. He already…
As of last night, the first round of chemo is complete. Now it’s a fun game of symptom management including pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and/or constipation. Like I said…fun. Mostly she’s managing things well. Lots and lots (and lots) of exhaustion is the biggest issue right now. As before, please don’t be offended if she…
Chemo has begun. We know only generally what symptoms she may have from it; each patient reacts differently. Her benefit is that she’s young and healthy (Masshole notwithstanding) so that could mean her side effects will be minimal. Thanks, as always, for being in Lara’s corner. I’ve added the link to her gofundme just in…
Today was a great day for her! She told a few doctors and nurses that she felt better today than she has in a month. She was chatty and funny. Bright and engaging. And my heart melted when I heard her laugh. She’s back on a clear liquid diet. The difference this time is she…
They’re taking Lara in for her gastrojejunostomy. In layman’s terms that just means they’re going to bypass her duodenum (the first step in your small intestine after the stomach) by marrying up the stomach to the jejunum (the second step in your small intestine). In the first sketch, you can see how an esophagus, stomach,…
Lara is doing well. She went back on the NG tube a couple of nights ago because her discomfort was too much to bear. They got 2400 milliliters out of her stomach that time and another 900 before the morning. When we spoke to the gastroenterologist he said that with how much volume was in…
Stage IV Pancreatic Cancer (Adenocarcinoma) We’re still processing those words and the weight they carry. The cancer has spread to her liver and her blood. Thursday we went for her scheduled MRI. Lara was so weak that she couldn’t walk so I wheeled her into the office and let the staff take over. The tech…