Wendy and Mike were here for several days last week. Wendy visited with Janette and made plans to fly back here in August. Aunt Eliska also spent time visiting. We had a full, lively house for a while.
Janette also had chemotherapy the Wednesday of their visit. The steroids in the mix leave her with lots of energy and good feelings and she was able to participate more with Wendy and Mike. They made chilli, talked, watched TV shows together and we all went for a visit to my father's site at the Veteran's Cemetery.
This chemo is a completely different batch, no more cys and carboplattins. I don't have the names in front of me, but the chemicals are newer and specific to adeno (lymphatic) cancers. The side effects for Janette were much milder. I thought she might not have any at all, but unfortunately, they did start up this weekend. She has mild nausea, food aversion and extreme exhaustion. Aunt Eliska and I are already plotting to take Janette in for fluids (saline and anti nausea meds via her port) late this morning. We see the pattern and want to stop it before Janette gets so sick and dehydrated. [Update: We got fluids, she was very dehydrated, and she got a shot to increase white blood cell production in her bone marrow. Her white cell count was low. No nutrients and no fluids make cell production difficult.]
Oh yes, I forgot, the oncologist also prescribed medication to get Janette stomach muscles working again. On Wednesday's visit, I told him how Janette stomach aches more and more often. Each time she ate the portions became smaller and she complained more frequently of fulling full and sick. Apparently, some illness like cancer and diabetes can cause gastroparesis.
From the National Institute for Health web site
Gastroparesis, also called delayed gastric emptying, is a disorder in which the stomach takes too long to empty its contents. Normally, the stomach contracts to move food down into the small intestine for digestion. The vagus nerve controls the movement of food from the stomach through the digestive tract. Gastroparesis occurs when the vagus nerve is damaged and the muscles of the stomach and intestines do not work normally. Food then moves slowly or stops moving through the digestive tract.
The medication "stimulates stomach muscle contractions to help emptying." It's been working well...when she eats.
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