"Expect Something Good"

That's Dr. Rixe speaking.  The second best thing about Dr. Rixe is his quotability (with the first of course being that he seems to have made my mother's tumor disappear).  "Expect something good," he said, referring to the official report of the most recent MRI after the tumor board meets next week.  He said that the first review (with he and his team of fellows) appears to be very good, though he called it "complicated."  Of course my dad sat up straighter at that one, but Dr. Rixe explained that because of all her treatments, her scans show many "abnormalities," but none of them appear to be tumor cells.

This is exceptionally good news!  It means that she has now had three scans (two MRIs and one PET) that have been clear, which earned her a whole summer off.  "Forget about us," Dr. Rixe said with a characteristic twinkle in his eye.  "Come back in two and a half months."  So her next appointment is August 3rd, with nothing in between.  No blood work even!  Or, as she told my sisters while sharing the news, "I'm available all summer!"  Esphyr and I burst into "Happy birthday to you!"

We celebrated with a late lunch (Chipotle's at 4:00pm) and then Graeter's with our Graet friends, the Templetons.  Dad had a turtle Sunday for his birthday treat.  The ride home was joyous, as you can probably imagine.  Storms were brewing but none touched us.  My favorite quote as mom spread the news was, "I planted a lot of seeds and now I might get to harvest them."  Here's to bountiful harvests!

Love to all,
jk

Just to Clarify

My dad wanted to be sure that we did not offer false hope: there is no tumor visible, that is for sure.  But this is not a cancer-free status.  It just means that the treatments have done what they were supposed to, things are moving in the right direction, and Mom gets a month off.  Maybe many months off-- we hope!-- but as Dr Rixe put it, we are cautiously optimistic.

Let's celebrate!
jk

Tears of Joy

Well, I can hardly believe what I am about to type, but I have it on good authority (from my Aunt Cindy, nurse extraordinaire) that there is no new treatment plan because there is no tumor visible.  No tumor! The PET scan was totally clear, and Dr. Rixe said that he is not going to treat her because there is no documentable disease to treat.  (His first words when he walked in the door were: "Good news!")

If you're like me, you might be asking, "But what about that PET scan that was clear before the surgery back in October?"  Well, there is that, and because of that Dr. Rixe is being cautious.  However, that was a different case because the PET scan was taken right after a round of chemo and three weeks later, there was visible growth on the scan.  This scan was taken three weeks after the most recent round of chemo and there is nothing!  Nothing to even remark on.  There was a line in the last MRI that Dr. Rixe wanted to watch and look for, but it was not even visible at all in this PET scan.  So he says, "Is there one cell?  Ten cells?  100?  I don't know.  But I cannot see anything."

This is incredible news.  He will check her again in one month (via MRI), but for now, he said, "Go home!  Go back to a normal life."

Normal has never seemed so extraordinary.

Cheers,
jk

Yoga and Stuff!

I got to go to yoga with mom and dad yesterday.  Mom said she had a "different kind of day" yesterday and wasn't feeling 100%, so Julie showed her a relaxation pose after class to help boost her energy and lift her spirits.

She has been doing lots, so if she's a little tired, it's no wonder.  Sunday she caught a concert and went to Marriage Encounter.  Saturday she attended a funeral, the Cinderella production at Shawe, and a charity dinner!  Sheesh!

Wednesday she goes back to Dr. Rixe for a PET scan and a new plan.  Will update!

Love,
jk

PS The picture above is of mom and Esphyr on the bluebell walk in Muscatatuck Park two weeks ago.

Getting Our Garden On

More soon...

R & R

Well, chemo did in fact go well.  There was some misunderstanding the first day and they ended up having a long wait, but as dad said, "We are glad to have each other to lean on."  Tuesday night they dined with two of the Templetons, and Wednesday they drove home through snow!  I mean, I love winter, but I love it in the winter, not in the Spring.  Mom was "tuckered out" but feeling okay.

Today she felt a little queasy, so she took some anti-nausea medicine which helped.  That's always good (when the meds do what they are supposed to do).  I spoke with her this evening, and she was tired but good.  She plans to rest all day tomorrow and watch basketball Saturday!  Go Cats!

Love to all,
jk

Chemo Has Begun Again

Mom had her first day of chemo yesterday.  I haven't heard yet how it went, so I don't really have any news other than I know that they went to Cincinnati, and I assume it went well.  It's old hat by now.  :)

One thing I learned since the last post that I wanted to share is that Dr. Rixe is looking at other possibilities besides the current chemo regimen, not because it is not working but because, as he says, "It's so toxic."  So if he could lower the dose or use something other than chemo, it might be better.  I think it is wise for him to avoid overkill and be open to other options.  He plans to present her case to the tumor board again soon, so I am eager to hear what they discuss.

I will let you know how things are going in Cincinnati as soon as I hear.

In the meantime, be well,
jk