Stunning Developments on Friday

Hello friends and family,

Yes, things did reach crisis stage today. My earlier post had information that I had available from the time that I left her at 3 am on Friday morning in the emergency room. Events developed very quickly on Friday morning. We had been worried about fluid in the right lung and the fluid build up in her legs and abdomen. Yet there was a more serious problem lurking beneath all of this. An alert Kaiser physician at Holy Cross Hospital ordered some MRI tests since she suspected that the cancer had spread to Janet's spine. This was devastating news and Janet and Aleta who was with her clutched each other in this desperate moment.
Aleta called and GW and I rushed in and waited for the results.
Janet's chief oncologist, Dr. Hwang, called with the results. He had seen Janet go into the MRI machine, but he had to leave before the results were back. He stayed on top of the case. The results showed that, indeed, two or three tumors were pinching her nerves. This accounted for the fluid build up in her abdomen. It was all accumulating in her bladder, which was not functioning properly. Furthermore, her unsteadiness on her feet, which we attributed to the leg swelling, was in fact due to the tumor affecting the spinal chord. This was extemely serious and risked paralysis. Can you imagine how Janet the dancer felt when she heard this? Her Kaiser hospitalist Dr. Wilson and her thoracic surgeon Dr. Levin arrived shortly later with follow up news. Evidently the fluid in her right lung has loculated and thus does not pose an immediate critical threat.
She was set up for emergency radiation treatment of the spinal tumors. Within 2 hours, she was rushed by ambulance to a radiation treatment center one mile away where they began her treatment. I was with her during these dramatic moments. The treatment will be repeated over the course of 5-10 days. The odds are pretty good that the tumors will be knocked back and she will recover her capabilities. A steroidal drug will also be applied. Follow up surgery may be an option too.
The chemo plan will be revised, possibly with reduced dosages. The main course was supposed to start on Tuesday.
All through out this, Janet and I have sensed surprise in her physicians that, although she has been pummelled mercilously by these waves of attacks, she has remained resilient and resolute. At times hse has been in pain or weak, but she springs back. She is a remarkable person.
So when things finally quieted down at about 8 pm tonight when I left, after having made sure that she was administered the critical Tarceva pill, Janet seemed settled for the day. She was in good hands and was on a new treatment plan.
So the roller coaster ride races onward at a breathtaking pace. She wil be in the hospital for a while, but can rest better knowing that she will get good pain medication and plenty of oxygen to relieve her breathing. Let us hope she gets some rest. She is in a room by herself and it does seem more quiet and restful in the oncology ward.
She said that she felt relief that at last something definitive was being done to attack the cancer cells. Once again, you can see that, although handed dreadful news today, she settled on the sunny side. Remarkable. Let us follow her example.

So I will bring the cards and blog messages in to show her tomorrow. Please let her have no general visitors or phone calls as she recovers from this latest round.
george