Here We Go!

Overall, yesterday was a much better day for us!  Mom had the procedure done to drain her lungs (I will not tell you what she said the stuff looked like that came out), and as promised, she was breathing better almost instantly.  Her eyes looked so much clearer and she sounded so much more normal!  It was such a relief to see her feeling relieved.  She also got SIX WHOLE HOURS of sleep the night before!

While Dad and I were sitting around there with her yesterday, we did learn that her biopsy Friday gives us a 100% definitive diagnosis--it is indeed "Diffuse B-Cell Lymphoma" like the Oncologist originally thought.  It sounds weird to say this in a way, but I think we all breathed ANOTHER sigh of relief--not because it's cancer, of course, but because we know we are finally done with this horrid diagnosis phase.

So what's next?  Well, the doctors wanted to keep her in the hospital to do all of the "pre-chemo" things that must be done.  One is a blood test for Hepatitis.  They took her blood yesterday for that.  She needs to have an EKG (which I understood would be happening this morning--she might be doing that right now).  Finally, they have to put in her "chemo port."  This is a little thingy with a tube that is installed just under the skin.  All her chemo will be administered through the port so that she doesn't have to go through the whole IV thing every time she goes for treatment.

We don't know a WHOLE lot of details about chemo except what we read online yesterday.  We read that most doctors want the port installed about a week before chemo begins.  The treatment she's having is called R-CHOP and it's a 4-drug combo.  It's administered once every 21 days.  We've heard that most people on it lose their hair before the second treatment, so it may be fast.  Of course, everyone responds differently, but I've already got plans in the works for a fun WIG SHOPPING DAY!

Support will be key for her--no negativity, people!!

Anyway...that's the quick update for now.  I'll be heading back to the hospital to see her before too long here this morning.  Keep those prayers coming....HE is faithful!