Update on Robin---August 28th, 2010

We have waited all day in the hope that Robin would get to go home today, but alas, it was not meant to be. Apparently, the hospital could not get the necessary approval for the IV antibiotics over the weekend, so she will stay until tomorrow (Sunday), with the expectation that they can be delivered on Monday.

It turns out that the infection is a repeat of the bug that got her in July. She will have to get three weeks of IV antibiotics again, but this time, they are sending her home with her foley (catheter) so that her bladder will empty. With a little luck (and a lot of prayer), this combination will help her to avoid reinfection.

This has been a pretty big setback for Robin’s cancer treatment. They cannot start any new treatment until the antibiotics are finished. We are hopeful that we can reschedule all her scans and get them done before the antibiotics are done so that the treatments can begin ASAP. We are concerned that the study will be filled before Robin is at a point where she can join it. I guess there will be other options at that time, but it sounded so perfect for Robin. Maybe there is another plan?

I’ll try to update the blog again if/when Robin gets home.

Please keep Robin’s father (Hal) and mother (Johnnie) in your prayers. Robin’s Dad has been diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, a cancer of the white blood cells (plasma cells) crucial to the immune system response. The disease causes bone lesions (damage), elevated Calcium levels, Renal (kidney) failure, and Anemia. In Hal’s case, the bone damage to his vertebrae is causing great pain, especially when he is upright. Multiple Myeloma is considered incurable. It is driving Robin crazy that she is not able to go to North Carolina to see her father. I identify with Robin’s mother, who is trying to take care of Hal, but I know that his advanced cancer and their advanced ages make her job much more difficult than mine. Thank God she has family to assist her. Please pray for them.

Once again, I will try to send another message when we get her home (TOMORROW???).

Please keep Robin in your thoughts and prayers.

                  --- Larry

Guess Where Robin Is? ? ? (8-25-2010)

Could it be Clear Lake Regional Hospital, Room 523? YES! It could.

Why is Robin in the Hospital again???

Could it be (ANOTHER) UTI (Urinary Tract Infection)? You guessed it again.

Just my weird way to let Robin’s friends and family know that she is back in the hospital.

Yesterday, Tuesday, August 24th, Robin was supposed to start getting blood tests and PET scans done to determine whether the radiation did its job, and to ‘restage’ her cancer to see if she could get the new chemo treatment. When Robin got her blood test, they said her blood sugar levels were too high, so they rescheduled for Wednesday. Robin and her friend/attendant, Connie, decided to have lunch and get haircuts. When Connie tried to get Robin back into the car, Robin was unable to transfer on her own, and she was talking funny. By the time Connie got Robin home, she was worse. Connie tested Robin’s blood sugar and it was higher than before, so she called the doctor who said Robin should go to the hospital. Connie called me at work and I started home.

When I arrived home, there was an ambulance in front of the house and paramedics inside. Our friend and neighbor, Judy let them in, but they said high blood sugar levels were not considered an emergency. So they left. Robin felt warm to me so I took her temperature, and sure enough, she had a fever of 101. Her speech had become more confused; Robin was “loopy”, talking crazy and doing weird things, not remembering things that happened or were said, so I knew the hospital was required. But Mother Nature said, “Not Now!” with a HUGH thunderstorm, and winds gusting to 60MPH. When the storm passed, we started for the car. Unfortunately, I underestimated my abilities to transfer her into the car, and eventually got help from neighbors to get Robin in the passenger seat. Then off we went.

To make a long story short, after nearly six hours in the emergency room (threatening anyone who thought they might need to remove Robin’s pain patches or give her Narcan), she was moved to a room about midnight. By the time I finished the admission/assessment process with the nurse, it was after 2:30 AM. They have been giving Robin an IV antibiotic every six hours and at about 11:30 or so, after her bath, just as suddenly as it appeared, the “loopiness” was gone.

Robin has seen several doctors (again) today, and it seems like Robin will be here about two more days, while the blood and urine cultures mature enough to determine what the bug is.

I will try to send another message when we know more.

Please keep Robin in your thoughts and prayers.

                  --- Larry

Radiation Done & Side Effects --- 08-15-2010

As you may recall, Robin's radiation oncologist recommended that she be radiated on both right and left femurs (thigh bones, near the hip connection), and in the pelvic bones, as well, since they were heavily involved. Instead of one week of radiation in one area, she got two weeks in several areas. Our past experience has been that the side effects of radiation really start getting bad after the radiation is done. Well, Robin's last radiation treatment was Tuesday, and the side effects from the pelvic radiation treatments were quick to follow on Wednesday. Without going into great details, let me just say that Robin has not been experiencing her normal problem of constipation. Imodium has now become a staple of her diet. In addition to this radical change, Robin has again contracted another Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) on Thursday. The UTI is probably indirectly related to the radiation, as well. I had to beg Robin to call the doctor about the UTI, and she fought me for 24 hours, but finally gave in when I told her how much I hate spending my weekends in the Emergency Room. (Refer to May 4th and July 11th). Robin's doctor traded an antibiotic prescription for a urine sample. The latter, they will test, and maybe change the prescription on Monday.

Of course, these maladies make Robin very weak, and they make it impractical to leave the house or have visitors. It also means that Robin needs to have someone nearby for cleanup. John is leaving to return to college tomorrow (8/16), so I'll be on my own again. Hopefully, she will be over these problems in a week or so.

On Thursday night, Robin will begin another battery of scans and tests to determine whether the radiation has helped. Thursday and Friday, she is scheduled for MRIs. Normally, Robin has to be knocked out for MRIs, and the anesthesia usually causes extreme nausea (which usually causes her eyes to bleed). On Tuesday, 8/24, Robin will get blood tests and PET Scans. Then on Thursday, 8/26, she will meet with her oncologist to discuss the test results and to determine whether she can start the chemo treatment study (Avandia with Exemestane). She will also get her monthly dose of Zometa (bone medicine) at that time.

Please continue to keep Robin in your prayers. We hope the radiation has been worth the effects, and she can get started on a new chemo treatment soon.

We continue to pray for you each day, and we thank God for the gift you have been to us.

Once again, thank you,

                  --- Larry, Robin, & John

Radiation Again --- 08-01-2010

As things go in the world of fighting cancer (and probably anything else that requires consultation with experts), the radiation treatments are more complicated than we first thought. We met Robin's radiation oncologist on Monday, 7/26 and her assessment of Robin's scans indicated the need for more radiation than we first thought was required. Besides the expected radiation of the tumor in her left femur, her oncologist said that the cancer was starting in Robin's right femur, as well. Furthermore, she said that the bones in the pelvic area were heavily involved, and they needed radiation to slow (or stop) the progression of the disease before the damage became too severe. So, instead of one week of radiation in one area, she will get two weeks in several areas, with many more possible complications. The potential side effects from the pelvic radiation treatments are greater, as you might expect, since the colon and bladder will receive collateral damage. But there will be effort to minimize the damage, so our hope is that, after these treatments, Robin won't any worse off.

The procedure started the next day (Tuesday). The first step in radiation is "the simulation." This process allows the alignment of the radiation equipment so that the treatment areas get radiation and other areas get minimal impact. It involves small tattoos that are used as targets for the laser pointers and markings to show where the tattoos are. There are also markings for the molds that they use to block radiation from other body parts. Robin looks a little bit like she has graffiti written on her. During the simulation, they take X-Rays to makes sure the radiation will get where it is supposed to go. The simulation usually takes much longer than the actual treatment.

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, Robin received her first three radiation treatments. Everything has gone well. Originally, they were all scheduled for late afternoon, so Robin's attendant, Connie, would not be able to take Robin. However, after Wednesday, they have been able to reschedule to earlier hours. So far, there have been no side effects from the treatments. On Monday, in addition to the radiation treatment, Robin meets with both her medical and her radiation oncologists. I assume we will have a little more information after these appointments. After the radiation treatments are complete (7 more), and after Robin completes her IV antibiotics (3 more), she should be able to enter the treatment study (Avandia with Exemestane).

Please continue to keep Robin in your prayers.

We continue to pray for all of you each day, and we thank God for the gift you have been to us.

Once again, thank you,

                  --- Larry, Robin, & John