Monday, May 12th 2014
It's day six at Cancer Treatment Centers of America and we have had a full schedule today! First on the list was Pulse Oximetry, Pulmonary Function Test and Echo Cardiogram. Mom's breathing and Oxygen Levels were great so we felt pretty positive about the rest of the day. It has definitely been a blessing to have two days of uplifting news.
The next appointment on our schedule was to meet with mom's Medical Oncologist, Dr. McKnight. We really feel good about having Dr. McKnight on mom's team. He explained the fact that we are not going to take it one piece at a time and wait to see what happens. He said again that we are going to attack the cancer full force with the chemo and radiation running concurrently. We at length about what to expect with the type of chemotherapy that he believes is the best for mom and the fact that she had lost four pounds within the last week. We knew the weight loss was because mom hasn't been able to eat the foods she normally would eat due to her oral surgery. She ate plenty during the week but nothing solid. She had gained five pounds prior to the oral surgery so we, the family, were not too concerned with the weight loss. Dr. McKnight explained the possible need for a PEG/Feeding Tube during her plan of treatment. The PEG was something we knew could be a possibility after meeting with mom's team prior to today but still it was a shock to mom. Dr. McKnight gave me some very important questions the he wanted me to ask during mom's Gastroenterology Consultation that was scheduled for later today at 2:00 pm.
"Every patient and every family member deserves to leave a consultation with the hope that treatment will make them better rather than worse. They also deserve to feel confident they will be treated with respect and compassion through one of the most challenging journeys of their lives."
- John E. McKnight, MD, MBA
We met with Amy Jones, Clinical Oncology Dietitian, and spoke about mom's nutritional needs during radiation therapy. Ms. Jones stated that during mom's treatment she will need approximately four feedings a day through PEG Tube and other ways to keep her nutrition level up. During the radiation treatment plan it is expected that at some point mom will probably be unable to eat normally. Also while she is going through chemotherapy her body will be burning twice as much energy than normally so the caloric intake needs to double. After meeting with Ms. Jones it was time for mom's Naturopathy Consultation with Edra Spevack, mom's Naturopathic Oncology Provider. Mom has been experiencing some nausea and vomiting on occasion so Ms. Spevack suggested instead of opening the Thorne Meriva Curcumin and adding to water in order to swish and swallow, just take the capsules normally. Magnesium Citrate supplements were added to her list of supplements due to her magnesium levels being low.
The last appointment on the schedule today was with the Gastroenterology Department. We met with Olivia Burks, Nurse Practitioner. We discussed mom's nutrition level, muscle mass and over all weight. Ms. Burks explained in detail that it would be in our best interest to go ahead and schedule the PEG Tube procedure and mom wasn't too happy about that. Mom said that she was eating just fine and once her throat became sore then she would consider the procedure. Ms. Burks explained to mom that once Chemotherapy and Radiation starts she may not be able to handle the procedure and it would be best to go ahead now and have it done. Mom agreed and the procedure was scheduled for the following day. Even though mom has been eating pretty well aside from the oral surgery, we knew that this was the best option. Ms. Burks also stated that mom should continue to eat naturally and once the time comes to use the feeding tube we would need to feed five times a day. We are back at it again tomorrow with a full day's schedule! It's alot of information to take in and each day can sometimes seem longer than the previous day but we really feel like we are truly making serious progress in this journey. We can't thank Cancer Treatment Centers of America enough for taking wonderful care of our mom and not just her, our family as well!
The last appointment on the schedule today was with the Gastroenterology Department. We met with Olivia Burks, Nurse Practitioner. We discussed mom's nutrition level, muscle mass and over all weight. Ms. Burks explained in detail that it would be in our best interest to go ahead and schedule the PEG Tube procedure and mom wasn't too happy about that. Mom said that she was eating just fine and once her throat became sore then she would consider the procedure. Ms. Burks explained to mom that once Chemotherapy and Radiation starts she may not be able to handle the procedure and it would be best to go ahead now and have it done. Mom agreed and the procedure was scheduled for the following day. Even though mom has been eating pretty well aside from the oral surgery, we knew that this was the best option. Ms. Burks also stated that mom should continue to eat naturally and once the time comes to use the feeding tube we would need to feed five times a day. We are back at it again tomorrow with a full day's schedule! It's alot of information to take in and each day can sometimes seem longer than the previous day but we really feel like we are truly making serious progress in this journey. We can't thank Cancer Treatment Centers of America enough for taking wonderful care of our mom and not just her, our family as well!
Mom chose today's Charm of the Day, Silver with Teal Crystals.
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