One of the many reasons we love my mom's cancer center is that they offer some crazy Eastern medicine treatments to supplement the chemo. Yesterday when she was there a (rather odd) little lady approached her to ask if she wanted to find out about her body's imbalance. After hooking her up to some machine and forcing Ashley and I to come look at the "alien eyes watching us," she discovered she was low on electrolytes. A little lemon lime gatorade did the trick and she was back in business. Today she had accupuncture done for the 2nd time. We've been worried because she hasn't wanted to eat since Tuesday. There's never been a time in my entire life when my mom has refused a snack or a meal, so this concerned us. After she finished the accupuncture she craved a cheeseburger! She settled for a turkey sandwich, but it was a small victory for all! On the Western medicine front, she got a new pill for nausea and is hoping that will help with the acid in her stomach. She went to Home Depot to pick up some items for my dad to plant so the fact that she is eating and bossing my dad around makes me feel like things could slowly be getting back to normal! So that's about all for now! Thanks for the calls, food, messages, and prayers!

I lied...

Things aren't going as smoothly as I thought. She's started feeling nauseous this evening and is now sleeping. I guess the nurse was just trying to keep our spirits up. Tomorrow she goes in to get a shot and get hydrated. Hopefully she'll feel better after that.

Yesterday was the first day of treatment. She received the same drug she had last time around, so it was pretty smooth sailing and there was little discomfort aside from being tired.
This morning she started the chemo and it may be too early to tell, but so far so good. She's been concerned about the nausea because, as she told the nurse, she was the woman who "threw up all nine months of both pregnancies." Despite that, the nurse told her that she shouldn't have a problem. They gave her both anti-nausea and hydrating fluids in her I.V. so we're all hoping that will do the trick. She's feeling a little fuzzy now and the nurse told her by tonight or tomorrow she will have a metallic taste in her mouth so we're going on a mission for bland food. The nurse told her she should lose her hair in 18-21 days, and she already has a super stylish wig on its way. For a second I thought she was going to reinvent herself as a blonde or a redhead, but alas she stuck to her brunette roots.
She's gotten some emails about people not being able to post comments and when Ash comes home tonight I'll get a tutorial so I can teach you all how!

Pre-treatment diagnosis info

Hi All!
Much to my mother's dismay, I am starting a blog so she spends her time resting instead of on the phone updating you all ;)
I'm not entirely sure what I am supposed to write, so please bear with me as I figure it out.
For those of you who don't know, my mom found a small lump on her neck in June. After much poking and prodding, the Doctors determined that it is Large Diffuse B cell Lymphoma, a different form than she was originally treated for last year. Her most recent PET Scan showed that it has gone to her vertebrae and a lymph node in her groin, and a few more little lumps are popping up on various places on her body. She has gone to see a doctor at UCSD and most recently one at Stanford. Both have assured her that she is in good hands with Dr. Helton (who treated her last year) and her treatment plan is spot on. She loves her doctor and appreciates his office's proximity to our house.
I took her this morning to get her port in. It's petite and hardly noticeable and she is doing great. She's anxious to get the treatment started and get this behind her. She is in good spirits and is handling everything beautifully. She is the perfect patient- strong, optimistic, and maintaining that sense of humor!
That's about all for now! She starts chemo on Monday so send good thoughts her way! Ash is coming home so we'll all get to spend some time together as she gets her treatment.
Thanks to all of you for being such wonderful friends!