Dancing on the inside - Too tired on the outside

Diagnosis Day :-)))))))))))))
Vern, Amanda, and I went to Dr. Carr's office for an 11:20 appointment and it was GOOD!!! Amanda will give you more details. You have to wade through all my emotional stuff before I let her have the computer to tell you the good stuff.

This morning was a killer as far as pain was concerned. I dismayed that I would even make it there. I had 2 morphine patches for pain and 2 percocet and was still unable to stand on my on. When we got to the doctor's office one technician said that they would access the port for everything they needed and another proceded to take bood through the vein in my left arm despite protest. I was just too close to the edge with the pain to protest much. Oh, yeah, she bruised me also. But that is in the rearview mirror. Later they did give me a bone strenghtening treatment through the port. I am a shorty and the recliners in the chemo-room were made for big boys. Fortunately it was only 20 minutes today and that gives me until Tuesday to figure out how to adjust it for a longer session. The people were wonderful, but Vern had to come into the "chemo-room" room to get me up and then we did this tiring little shuffle dance to get me to the car. Exhausted...Thrilled with the great diagnosis almost so overcome by the pain to even get to rejoice the wonderful news. Now for more great details from angel Amanda...

Mom was crying in pain when I came in the house this morning. It is so hard to see her like that. We got her settled, and Dad left for work for a little while. It's finally warming up in Georgia, and Mom was worried that her legs haven't been shaved in four months. She wanted to wear capri pants, but first we had to deal with the leg hair. We set up shop and I shaved her legs while she sat in the recliner. Then we arranged for her very special hair stylist to come and cut her hair on Monday. She is also going to bring some dry shampoo. Grooming with a fractured back becomes difficult, but it's still important to us ladies.

Dad came in around 10:30 and we started the journey to the doctor. It was really an ordeal. I feel so bad everytime my mom has to leave the house. We made it to the doctor around 11:15 and they took mom back to start the blood work. Dad and I could see them taking her blood, and they made her weigh herself. It was so painful-- they kept asking mom to take her hands of the wall so they could get her true weight, but she needed to support her spine. Finally she let go for a second and they let her come back to see us. She is down 4 lbs since last Thursday, which is just another symptom of this type of cancer. They took mom back and only were going to allow one family member to go in with her. I think they could see how determined I was, so I went into the little exam room with them. It was tight between the three of us, and my expanding belly. But we all wanted to be together to hear what the doctor had to say. We got in the room, and in walked a nurse to access Mom's port for the first time. The doctor kept sticking his head in the room, but the nurse was taking her time. She was really sweet and taught us all about the "Huber" needle that will be accessing Mom's port. We decided that we need to name the port, so we are taking ideas. Mom is calling it "storm" right now...you know as they say "any port in the storm".

Dr. Carr came in and told us we had really good news. He told us that she does have Multiple Myeloma, and that it is very responsive to treatment. She is starting chemo on Tuesday. She is going to go twice a week for two weeks, and then take a week off. She'll also have some daily medicine to take for three weeks and then take a week off. We are so grateful that this is a new protocol, and it isn't really "chemo". So she isn't going to have all the normal negative side effects... Mom's should keep her beautiful hair. The plan is to be treated for three - four months, and then to have a autologous bone marrow transplant. They will take bone marrow from her port, and then give her a heavy dose of chemo in the hospital to kill her bone marrow before returning her good harvested marrow back. She will have a long fight but the doctor gave us a lot of hope that she will have many good years to be with us.