Day 41 at Cancer Treatment Centers of America

Friday, June 27th 2014

Mom woke up at 3:00 this morning with a massive nose bleed.  We arrived at Cancer Treatment Centers of America early for mom's 11:50 am radiation treatment appointment to inform Dr. Gullett about the nose bleed.  Mom's mouth is in bad shape too!  Her mouth is swollen and covered in blisters and scabs.  Dr. Gullett canceled radiation for today and Monday to give mom a much needed break.  We have to meet with her team Tuesday morning at 10:00 am before radiation for mom's weekly check up.

We had over an hour wait for mom's blood transfusion appointment in Quality of Life Infusion so we decided to head out for a little while.  Once we arrived back for her appointment, her temperature was 99.3, BP 122/60.  After mom took the Tylenol her temperature went up to 101.3, and then 102.8.  The nurse held the blood transfusion due to the fever again and gave mom another dose of Tylenol.  If mom has a fever of 100.5, or higher the transfusion cannot be performed due to the risk of infection.  The nurse spoke to mom's doctor and they ordered a chest x-ray and blood cultures.  At 5:00 pm, mom's temperature came down and they started the first of two units of blood.  

Once mom was all set up in infusion, dad and I headed home and Toni came for the second half.  The second unit of blood finished around 8:30 pm and the nurse came in and said that mom's Chest X-Ray came back normal and since her temperature hadn't spiked she could go home.  Toni got her home and into bed.

The Charm of the Day is Ruby Red

Day 19 at Cancer Treatment Centers of America

Tuesday, June 3rd 2014

First thing on the schedule today was a lab draw followed by the nurse assessment.  Mom's blood pressure was 65/41 and her weight is at 110 lbs.

Dr. McKnight stated her blood pressure was extremely low due to her being so dehydrated.  So now she must have fluids today and tomorrow in Quality of Life.  He is concerned that the Cisplatin could destroy her hearing permanently so the chemotherapy type is changing to Taxotere, Carboplatin along with Neupogen which is a biologic response modifier. Neupogen is used to stimulate the production of granulocytes , (a type of white blood cell) in patients undergoing therapy that will cause low white blood cell counts.


Mom is not taking in enough fluids.  Her appetite has greatly decreased due to the changes in her taste buds from having radiation therapy daily.  She has also been experiencing some nausea.  Edra Spevack, Naturopathy, ordered that mom take Zinc Lozenges to counteract her changes in her taste buds. Also she must get at least one to two liters of water daily. She also ordered a liquid supplement derived from Mushrooms called Maitake Gold to help support healthy bone marrow function and to increase white blood cells and platelets.

We had to really hurry to make mom's appointment with Radiation Oncology.  Her appointment was scheduled for 12:10, and we were running late. Mom "took" her Clover Honey, another raw honey from Barley and Vine and went back for her treatment.  

Infusion was last today and then we headed home!

The Charm of the Day

Day 17 at Cancer Treatment Centers of America

Friday, May 30th 2014

We arrived today at Cancer Treatment Centers of America and there was a Staff Bash going on!  This must be one of the best places in the world to work!  It's obvious that CTCA really takes wonderful care of not just their patients but their staff as well!

Dad and I watched a tug of war between what must of been at least 25 employees on each side of the rope. There was a dunk tank, a photo booth and many other activities.  Cody was there too and a few other dogs.

Mom had speech therapy with Jennifer Cargile and forgot to bring her exercises log book.  Ms. Cargile said she was doing well with her exercises and to continue doing them daily as recommended.






After her appointment with her speech therapist it was onto radiation treatment prep followed by her seventh radiation treatment.

The Charm of the Day; Amber Triple Crystal Crown

Day 12 at Cancer Treatment Centers of America

Thursday, May 22nd 2014

Today we had a packed schedule with many different appointments and doctors to see.  We started out with mom's port being accessed and blood drawn for the weekly lab work. The results came back a little less than positive.  We were told mom's kidney functions are getting worse and her Sodium and Magnesium levels were very low.  After the nurse checked mom's blood pressure and the reading was 81/50 there was some serious concern.  It was obvious that mom was very dehydrated and was not drinking the amount of fluids that was ordered by her team of doctors.  Dr. McKnight's nurse requested that we call Dr. Scott, the family doctor to discuss her blood pressure and the high blood pressure medications she has been taking for many years.  Being that mom is no longer a smoker, her high blood pressure medicine would need to be altered.

The Beam of Hope

"This beam was signed by people who have been touched by cancer, just like you.  They are patients, survivors and family members who made the journey you are now making and signed this beam as proff that hope is real.  We will accompany you on this journey and will share your passion, acknowledge your courage and celebrate your tenacity of spirit

Cancer Treatment Centers of America is your home for healing and hope."

Mom was originally prescribed a form of chemotherapy known as Cisplatinum and due to the effects on her hearing from her first chemo treatment Dr. McKnight and his team are planning to change it. Being that mom is having one of the side effects from the Cisplatinum, which is permanent hearing loss including complete deafness Dr. McKnight doesn't want to risk it.

Next on the schedule today was Radiation prep and treatment.  We only had minutes to get to that appointment.  Mom took 100 percent raw natural Wildflower Honey that she bought from Barley and Vine. She is supposed to take one tablespoon of honey and swish 15 minutes prior to the radiation treatment and 15 minutes following the treatment.  The honey soothes her throat and mouth from the radiation treatments.

The view of the bottom floor from Quality of Life

Next it was up to Quality of Life form mom to have Infusion for two and half hours due to dehydration.  She was getting extremely restless and impatient so it was nice to get done and go home.

The Charm of the Day; Sky Blue.