"Everything's Sunshine and Roses"

As we sit to write this, Gramma D is recovering from her biopsy and the grand piano in the foyer in the waiting area is playing "Everything's Sunshine and Roses"  We thought it was a good title for this post with some of the encouraging news we have gotten today.

Thursday morning January 12, 2012

This is a quick synopsis of the morning’s happenings with Gramma D.  There’s a lot of detail we want to write later, and her biopsy procedure is just finished, so we’ll post more comprehensive results as we get them.  The initial biopsy results lead the doctors to believe it is a form of breast cancer that has spread to other parts of her body.  That actually has a good news element to it, as the treatment and success rates are higher than other potential types of cancer.

Highlights:

Spinal cord is fine and uncompromised – no paralysis will occur from the cancer.  Bladder and bowel control will continue normally since spinal cord is fine.

The brain MRI shows no cancer in her brain.  This is huge for longevity, as brain cancer cuts any life expectancy very short.  This is a big point of hope for some more time for her with us.  =)

There are 2 vertebrae involved with the cancer in her spine that are compromised.  Those vertebrae can be supported with a simple procedure to inject a “cement” designed to stabilize the spine in the areas of the compression fracture.   This will aid natural healing of the bone in the area, especially now that the cancer will be stopped from advancing through treatment.

Radiation therapy will begin ASAP, possibly today.  It will be very localized on her vertebrae and hip and will not be hard on her.  It is x-rays focused for only 30 seconds.  Mild nausea and some fatigue for the first two days is all that is expected.   The radiation therapy will reduce her pain and prevent the cancer from spreading in the vertebrae further.  There is an 85 percent success rate for pain reduction to very low levels with this radiation therapy.

Her sodium level is almost to the normal range.   Her low was 112, today she is at 126.  The range of normal is 138-140.  Below 110, seizures and life threatening events occur.  She is almost conversational, and is much more lucid in part because of these levels becoming closer to normal.  The steroid treatments that were started yesterday have already begun to reduce the swelling in her back around the tumor area and thereby reduce her pain.  She is actually moving her legs… Great news!  She is receiving insulin to counteract the blood sugar raising effect of the steroid. 

She is stabilizing enough that we have been told we may be moving to a new room today.  More great news.  Thanks for all the prayers and well wishes – we are passing them along to her =)