MaeLynn says Hello everyone! She's doing pretty well, under the circumstances. The results from the CAT scan are that the cancer is bigger where it was before, and there are new spots in her liver and lungs. The good news is that her liver is still functioning "normally"! The blood test for the chromagranin A shows that she now has 51,000 ppm. (About 1,000 times a normal person) She doesn't know if there's a max to how much her body can handle. That will be a question for the next time she sees her oncologist.
She is starting to feel nauseous a lot of the time, and says that her "guts feel squished"... especially on her right side where her liver is. When she coughs or sneezes or laughs or yawns, it hurts. It's like her diaphragm and lungs don't have quite enough room to expand.
She's still trying to figure out how to refill her digestive enzyme prescriptions without going to the poorhouse. At one point her insurance told her that she could get a generic prescription for $10...but when she went to the pharmacy, they told her that her prescription IS the generic brand. It costs $160. The name brand costs $240. To some people that might be pocket change, but not MaeLynn (or lots of other people, for that matter:)).
MaeLynn, of course, remains positive and fairly upbeat. She was able to go to an elementary school friends retreat a couple of weekends ago, a girl's night out to see the "New Moon" movie...and liked it! (Although she still refuses to read the books)
Her funny news for this week is that for Thanksgiving, she and her in-laws (none of whom want to be cooking and cleaning all day) are going to dinner at Angie's Restaurant in Logan. It's a fund raiser for the Child and Family Support Center at USU...so it's for a good cause. And she doesn't have to sweat all week thinking about all that WORK called "Thanksgiving". Hope you all have a good week. MaeLynn is thankful for all of you and your support. Until next time...
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
November News
So, not much has been happening since I last posted. Sorry, once again, that I'm so slow at posting things.
MaeLynn had a doctor's appointment last week and had some bloodwork done to see how her liver is functioning and to check the chromagranin A levels. She still doesn't have the results...but the appointment went well.
She discovered that she CAN drive! Apparently when she got her Fentanyl patch, the pharmacist told her that since it is an extreme narcotic, she would not be able to drive while on it. Or...she could drive, but if she ever got pulled over, she could get a DUI. BUT when she was talking to her doctor this last week, he said that she is perfectly fine driving while using the patch. YAY!!!
They also discovered something kind of strange. MaeLynn apparently had forgotten to put a new patch on one morning after she took off the old patch and had crazy symptoms of withdrawals all day...no surprise there. She didn't realize until that evening that she had forgotten to put the patch back on...so then she put the patch back on,remedied the problem, and has been fine ever since. What the doctor wanted to know was, "Didn't you have extreme gut pain to let you know that the patch wasn't on?" "Well, no," was MaeLynn's reply. Sooooo...what is going on with her insides if they didn't hurt that much without the pain killers?
Along with the blood work, they did a CAT scan....so we'll have to let you know the results of that when we find out.
Another YAY hooray item on the schedule is that some people in MaeLynn's ward have coordinated with friends to have Kendall and Ellie take dance lessons every Thursday night. It will kind of give MaeLynn a break, and get the girls out and about. They also worked out a day of preschool for the boys and Abby! So every Tuesday for a few hours in the morning, MaeLynn will be almost child-free! (Ellie doesn't leave for school until after the little ones get home....but still! One kid is so much simpler than four!!)
I don't know if I mentioned this before, but she also has a woman in her ward helping her with laundry, and another woman helping her clean once a week. People are so wonderful to help whenever and however they can. And of course, her wonderful parents and in-laws are a HUGE blessing. Last week Andrew was gone hunting for a few days and all kinds of family were there to help her out. And they survived Halloween! With the boys as policemen, Kendall as an Indian princess, Ellie as a fairy, and Abby as something-cute-I-can't-remember-what. (What kind of horse's mouth am I anyway??)
One last thing...MaeLynn is a little concerned about replenishing her digestive enzymes that she HAS to take. Apparently when she found out she had cancer, the doctors gave her a bunch of samples for free....and they've lasted her quite a while. She's gotten to the end of her supply, however, and her insurance doesn't cover the name-brand enzymes she's been using. It would be a $160 co-pay for a prescription. I can't remember how long they last....but she's really hoping the generic enzymes will work just as well. They are only a $10 co-pay. So pray for her. Like you're already doing, I'm sure. Finances are extremely tight, so if anyone can spare a bit, it would be really appreciated. I always hate asking people for money, but it's for a sweet family in need.
MaeLynn had a doctor's appointment last week and had some bloodwork done to see how her liver is functioning and to check the chromagranin A levels. She still doesn't have the results...but the appointment went well.
She discovered that she CAN drive! Apparently when she got her Fentanyl patch, the pharmacist told her that since it is an extreme narcotic, she would not be able to drive while on it. Or...she could drive, but if she ever got pulled over, she could get a DUI. BUT when she was talking to her doctor this last week, he said that she is perfectly fine driving while using the patch. YAY!!!
They also discovered something kind of strange. MaeLynn apparently had forgotten to put a new patch on one morning after she took off the old patch and had crazy symptoms of withdrawals all day...no surprise there. She didn't realize until that evening that she had forgotten to put the patch back on...so then she put the patch back on,remedied the problem, and has been fine ever since. What the doctor wanted to know was, "Didn't you have extreme gut pain to let you know that the patch wasn't on?" "Well, no," was MaeLynn's reply. Sooooo...what is going on with her insides if they didn't hurt that much without the pain killers?
Along with the blood work, they did a CAT scan....so we'll have to let you know the results of that when we find out.
Another YAY hooray item on the schedule is that some people in MaeLynn's ward have coordinated with friends to have Kendall and Ellie take dance lessons every Thursday night. It will kind of give MaeLynn a break, and get the girls out and about. They also worked out a day of preschool for the boys and Abby! So every Tuesday for a few hours in the morning, MaeLynn will be almost child-free! (Ellie doesn't leave for school until after the little ones get home....but still! One kid is so much simpler than four!!)
I don't know if I mentioned this before, but she also has a woman in her ward helping her with laundry, and another woman helping her clean once a week. People are so wonderful to help whenever and however they can. And of course, her wonderful parents and in-laws are a HUGE blessing. Last week Andrew was gone hunting for a few days and all kinds of family were there to help her out. And they survived Halloween! With the boys as policemen, Kendall as an Indian princess, Ellie as a fairy, and Abby as something-cute-I-can't-remember-what. (What kind of horse's mouth am I anyway??)
One last thing...MaeLynn is a little concerned about replenishing her digestive enzymes that she HAS to take. Apparently when she found out she had cancer, the doctors gave her a bunch of samples for free....and they've lasted her quite a while. She's gotten to the end of her supply, however, and her insurance doesn't cover the name-brand enzymes she's been using. It would be a $160 co-pay for a prescription. I can't remember how long they last....but she's really hoping the generic enzymes will work just as well. They are only a $10 co-pay. So pray for her. Like you're already doing, I'm sure. Finances are extremely tight, so if anyone can spare a bit, it would be really appreciated. I always hate asking people for money, but it's for a sweet family in need.
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