I’m a country girl through and through, originally from some small town on the other side of the country, though we’ve been living in Washington, D.C. for the last few years... but I’ll be heading back home soon, either with her or someone else entirely. I’ll still be working in D.C., since it isn't that far... which leaves me plenty of time after work for my garden, the orchard, cycling, or hitting the mountain bike trails... PS, this isn't an official ad, but I'm open to offers
About eighteen months ago, my mother was diagnosed with colon cancer, and her abdominal cavity was apparently riddled with what they officially termed "inflammatory processes"... After that, she went through three different types of chemo that didn't do a thing, and by then, the metastases had already spread to other organs, resulting in two large tumors—one in her abdomen and one at the colon exit. During that whole ordeal, she underwent four surgeries and ended up with a colostomy bag. She hasn't been able to get out of bed for several months now, and this past week, she’s stopped eating entirely; we’re just giving her water via syringe because she can't even manage a straw anymore. Last week, she started vomiting this greenish-brown fluid, and there's constant dark bloody discharge from the colon... As for the pain, I don't even know how to bring it up, it's just too hard to describe despite all the medication: Durogesic (she's on 250 now), Voltaren, Ketonal, Sevredol, Ibuprofen...
Mom's back from the hospital, and she’s back to her old self again—fully conscious, clear-headed, and processing everything just fine—but the pain has come right back with her, making even a tiny bit of food or water feel like a massive chore... We haven't received the discharge papers yet, so we're still completely in the dark about what actually caused that episode
Mom doesn't really grasp the gravity of the situation, she’s completely disconnected from her own illness... she has no idea she hasn't been able to even stand up for two weeks now despite wanting to, and her speech is just a fragmented mess, seeing things that aren't there, occasionally breaking into tears like she catches a fleeting, painful glimpse of reality... The doctor actually listened when she insisted on going home and almost let her walk out, justifying it by saying she was lucid in that moment, which is just unbelievable... and we still don't have a single clue as to why she slipped into a coma or what that state actually was
Mom woke up 🙂 She talked to Dad earlier today... she isn't quite as sharp as she used to be, but she’s definitely aware of everything going on around her...
We spent some time with her at the hospital, where she’s just lying there completely still, totally unresponsive to anything... Today she’s running a fever of 101.7, and while her blood pressure dipped slightly, it’s still holding up okayish, so they have her on some antibiotics now...
They claim they can't make a tiny incision because there isn't enough pressure on the brain, so instead, they’ll just let it fester until it stops managing the rest of the organs...
Today's CT scan—non-contrast, they didn't do it in New York City—shows some old scarring, and we should probably figure out what's actually causing this within the next couple of days, though the paramedics refused to transport me to the city because they claimed my life was at risk...
And apparently even that wasn't enough damage for her liver and lungs... 😢 Her condition shifted so fast in just a few days; she was still talking and lucid enough last week, but now there’s nothing left 😢, and they've already moved her onto a feeding tube. She had a massive blood pressure spike yesterday—190/120—so they wouldn't even let them give her an IV...??
Quick update: my mom had her brain scanned after some weird symptoms popped up, and honestly, nobody knows what's going on yet... she's currently in a coma.
Mom's been sleeping all afternoon, and when she does drift awake for a second, she can barely even get a word out... she hasn't touched any food or water all day, aside from some Voltaren at noon. She’s been losing her sense of time lately, and sometimes she isn't even aware of what's happening around her—she hasn't left her bed in a week and already has a catheter. She had an episode earlier this evening involving some dark, foul-smelling bleeding from her colon (it was a bit lighter yesterday), and even though she has an ostomy bag, the ER doctor gave her some saline fluids, and she's been using a 175 patch for a while now. She isn't complaining of pain today, but we have no idea how we're supposed to give her anything if she wakes up hurting, since she won't take anything by mouth... especially since she's been dealing with indescribable pain for months despite the patches, Sevredol, and Voltaren.
Two weeks ago, she had her fifth round of chemo and a CT scan, which showed the spread has actually stabilized compared to the June scan, so they've scheduled surgery to reduce the pain by removing the tumors in her abdomen and pelvis... she's just too weak to handle more chemo, so now we're all just wondering if she'll even make it to the surgery date.
The latest update from the local news outlet: after finishing the fifth round of FOLFOX, we had the CT scan done, and honestly, things haven't actually gotten worse since June—there’s even been a tiny bit of improvement regarding the kidneys and liver... though that abdominal tumor is still massive and seems to be pressing on the ureter from the left kidney down to the bladder, which means urine is backing up into the kidney, and that pelvic one is still right where it was, so both are causing some pretty intense pain. The oncologist is pushing for surgery to place a stent to prevent a major infection, along with an attempt to remove both tumors, but Mom is just so incredibly weak that she can't even walk on her own anymore, and for now, she isn't interested in going under the knife again... radiation isn't really on the table either, because if she goes through with that, surgery becomes off the table.
Last July, she underwent surgery for colon cancer (Dukes C), following that, Maja went through her protocol, involving two cycles followed by three surgeries... then there was FOLFOX for three or four cycles, but unfortunately, the disease kept spreading... she switched over to Xelod (one cycle), but she just can't handle it well enough... right now, she's waiting on her fifth cycle of FOLFOX, but the pain has left her so weak that she can't even walk on her own...
We're dealing with colon cancer here, and since neither the first nor the second line of treatment did the trick, we've just wrapped up the fourth cycle of this current regimen, though if I'm being honest, it doesn't feel like it's doing much of anything either... 🙂
Just a quick question regarding immunity: is it okay for someone who recently had their stomach removed—along with about 4 inches of the esophagus—to take native propolis? Or is there something else you'd suggest instead...