(no subject)
so here we are, a brand new year :) i can't wait.
and thus i need to embark on my new years resolution to complete a sprint triathlon before 2010. first day back at the gym starts today :) i'm going to stick to running and spinning until the weather gets a little warmer (and i get a little leaner) before i break out the racing suit and goggles and hop into the pool. the swimming part will come back to me naturally, right?! and eh, one thing at a time.
the bad news to start the year off is that Trav's mom seems to have taken a turn for the worst. Her last MRI was great and showed that after her cancer count dropping (in November) from 6,000 to 300, it has only gone up 90 points since November (her last scan), which means that the cancer growth is much slower than before her chemo treatment....all good. Except last Monday she went to the ER after having a terrible (what she thought was a) "migraine" only it was really caused from 2 additional lesions in her brain that were filled with blood. So the doctors were worried about the new tumors and also the fear that her brain would swell even more. So they began the radiation sooner than expected and up-ed her meds and steroids for the swelling. The steroids (as I know from my dad) are destroying her muscles and making her body even more weak. In addition, the radiation is doing the same thing because, like chemo, it kills both the good cells and the "bad" (Cancer) cells. The treatment plan they have her on now is more aggressive than their original plan, so it's doing a number on her body.
and it gets worse. on Friday the doctors did another scan of her brain to see how she responded to the first 2 rounds of radiation...they said she has several additional lesions that they did not see before. but they won't say how many. they want to meet with the family as soon as possible to discuss everything and arrange for hospice to come in when she goes home in 3 weeks after the radiation is complete. the doctors told trav's brother (who was there on Friday for the tests) that they think it will be a miracle if she makes it to the end of this month. and i know that's a good possibility because it's never usually the cancer that kills you, it's the chemo and radiation. a guy she was getting treatment with (who had the same cancer and was undergoing the same treatment) just died 2 weeks ago...so now Trav's mom feels like it's her time. We're trying to remain optimistic that the radiation will get the to tumors in the brain before they spread anymore, and that her body will remain strong enough to fight. Her next goal was to make it to Trav's 30th birthday in April. Ugh. Not the news you want to hear over the holidays.
So now I'm going to spend as much time as I can with her over the next few weeks (and hopefully beyond). She started crying when her and I were alone on Saturday that she didn't get enough time to get to know me or to see Trav and I get married, have kids, etc. She's really upset about all of it. So I promised her we'd spend as much time together now as we can :) That's all I can do. And be there for all of them.
Hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Years!!!!!
and thus i need to embark on my new years resolution to complete a sprint triathlon before 2010. first day back at the gym starts today :) i'm going to stick to running and spinning until the weather gets a little warmer (and i get a little leaner) before i break out the racing suit and goggles and hop into the pool. the swimming part will come back to me naturally, right?! and eh, one thing at a time.
the bad news to start the year off is that Trav's mom seems to have taken a turn for the worst. Her last MRI was great and showed that after her cancer count dropping (in November) from 6,000 to 300, it has only gone up 90 points since November (her last scan), which means that the cancer growth is much slower than before her chemo treatment....all good. Except last Monday she went to the ER after having a terrible (what she thought was a) "migraine" only it was really caused from 2 additional lesions in her brain that were filled with blood. So the doctors were worried about the new tumors and also the fear that her brain would swell even more. So they began the radiation sooner than expected and up-ed her meds and steroids for the swelling. The steroids (as I know from my dad) are destroying her muscles and making her body even more weak. In addition, the radiation is doing the same thing because, like chemo, it kills both the good cells and the "bad" (Cancer) cells. The treatment plan they have her on now is more aggressive than their original plan, so it's doing a number on her body.
and it gets worse. on Friday the doctors did another scan of her brain to see how she responded to the first 2 rounds of radiation...they said she has several additional lesions that they did not see before. but they won't say how many. they want to meet with the family as soon as possible to discuss everything and arrange for hospice to come in when she goes home in 3 weeks after the radiation is complete. the doctors told trav's brother (who was there on Friday for the tests) that they think it will be a miracle if she makes it to the end of this month. and i know that's a good possibility because it's never usually the cancer that kills you, it's the chemo and radiation. a guy she was getting treatment with (who had the same cancer and was undergoing the same treatment) just died 2 weeks ago...so now Trav's mom feels like it's her time. We're trying to remain optimistic that the radiation will get the to tumors in the brain before they spread anymore, and that her body will remain strong enough to fight. Her next goal was to make it to Trav's 30th birthday in April. Ugh. Not the news you want to hear over the holidays.
So now I'm going to spend as much time as I can with her over the next few weeks (and hopefully beyond). She started crying when her and I were alone on Saturday that she didn't get enough time to get to know me or to see Trav and I get married, have kids, etc. She's really upset about all of it. So I promised her we'd spend as much time together now as we can :) That's all I can do. And be there for all of them.
Hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Years!!!!!