My life since metastatic osteosarcoma diagnosis October 2002. I am Audra, a 34 yr old female. My husband is Glen and our 6+ year old daughter is Angela.
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Tuesday, December 24, 2002
Christmas eve, Fario style. Audra, at least for a few hours, forgot about everything. For those of you that are reading this post, you'll be pleased to know that Christmas Eve went off without a hitch, and I have pictures to prove it. Thank goodness that the Fario's can sing to make up for the Lloyd's wbo were told, "you can't play the trumpet, you will just quit." As I write this many of you are on your way home. Thank you for coming and making Chiristmas Eve 2002 a great time. Not for just me and Audra but for everyone who attended. Some pictures from Christmas Eve will be posted shortly. Good news, Liz gets an automatic invitation to next year's part because of her gift.
Tuesday, December 24, 2002
Thursday, December 19, 2002
It’s been 7 days since Audra's initial treatment. Each day continues to be better than the previous. She's getting outside a bit more. Today she ran to her family doctor to get referrals (standard insurance run-around). She and her sister Angel went out to lunch and they took a ride to the Buxmont Gilda Club in Warminster, PA. I had encouraged Audra to get involved in some support group(s). Until today, Audra was starting to mope around the house, feeling sorry for herself. At the same time I felt like I was becoming less emotionally supportive. My patience sometimes runs thin, my advice is becomming redundant and we're both frustrated.
It isn't really healthy to sit in the house and dwell on the fact that one has cancer. This past week, Audra was mostly confined to the house because of the cold weather and her low tolerance for the cold as a side effect of the chemo, she had too much time to think about cancer and how terrible her food tastes. Her macrobiotic diet hasn't changed significantly but since she had so much time to dwell on cancer and the diet, I think she began questioning everything. Fact is, she's not the only one who has cancer, she's not the only one fighting cancer right now, she's now and she's not the only 30-something. She isn't the first and won't be the last person with cancer. She needs to get out and talk about it with similarly afflicted people. That's my opinion anyway.
Thursday, December 19, 2002
Tuesday, December 17, 2002
Finally some pictures. A bit out dated but pictures nonetheless.
Audra two days after surgery (not too bad):
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/lloydgj/audra.JPG
Audra posing with a doll that Angel & Nikki bought her:
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/lloydgj/audradoll.JPG
Little Angela stretching some article of clothing over her head:
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/lloydgj/lilangela.JPG
Tuesday, December 17, 2002
Sunday, December 15, 2002
Audra made it through this first weekend after Friday's treatment. The most prevalent side effect of this chemotherapy drug is that it makes patients extremely sensitive to the cold. Not just cold weather but anything cold such as cold tap water, open refrigerators, cool/cold air. One thing I learned years ago was not to elaborate on drug 'side effects' with Audra. During her treatments a few years back, the nurses would only tell Audra a drug's severe side effects, downplaying the likelihood of her having any and instructions to call if she did experience any problems. The nurses apparently forgot that they needed to downplay the side effects. That's not to say the side effects don't exist, they do. It’s just that Audra takes them all to an extreme. Case in point...
Yesterday, after Audra had been out shopping, she remained fully clothed for an hour and a half after she got home. I'm not sure how severe the side effects are but I know Audra came home Friday with plenty of stories about the worst cases. One in particular was about a patient who called '911' after opening the refrigerator and nearly choked because of the cold air that he/she breathed. Audra also said that it really doesn't make you choke (you throat closing), it only feels that way. Audra spent much of the weekend well protected from all cool and cold elements.
Audra is going through another 'phase' with her macrobiotic diet. Since the recent diagnosis she's been following a very restricted macrobiotic diet. She's growing a bit uninterested in her meals. Instead of thinking of the food's healing effects, she's thinking of how much better other things would taste.
Audra will keep busy this week. The doctors want a CAT scan and PET scan for which Audra needs to get referrals. She will also try to contact her nutritionist to make adjustments to her diet. I look forward to these adjustments most because her mood coincides closely with her satisfaction / dissatisfaction of her food.
Sunday, December 15, 2002
Thursday, December 12, 2002
Confession: Audra has never typed a single word in this, "her" bio-log. She did however read it beginning to end on Tuesday night. Now she knows how she felt and what she thought courtesy of her wonderful husband.
Audra and her sister Angel headed to NYC this morning at 4:30am. Big news folks, Angel was on time. She will probably be late for every engagement first half of 2003. Audra was scheduled for surgery at 7:30am. Per the last post, the purpose of this surgery was to have a Hickman port/line put in her chest for chemo treatments. This port is much easier on her and the nurses. I received a call from Audra around 10:30am telling me she was out of surgery. After an x-ray and a chat with one of the nurses about her upcoming chemo treatment, Audra and Angel were off to lunch.
If the current plan remains, Audra will return to NYC tomorrow morning to begin her treatments. Her first chemotherapy drug is called Oxaliplatin. Recently approved in the United Status after use in Europe and Asia, Oxaliplatin's primary use is listed as a treatment for metastatic (spreading) colon cancer.
You can get more info on OXALIPLATIN at: http://www.laurushealth.com/Library/FDADrugApprovals/eloxatin.htm
Here is a link to St. Vincent's Comprehensive Cancer Center. Audra's home away from home: http://www.svcmc.org/cancer/centers/manhattan.asp
One final note that I almost forgot to mention. Every insurance company detests an aggressive doctor and an anxious patient. And it’s always the patient that is further sickened with the stress of interacting with the insurance company and primary physician to gain the associated referrals and approvals for treatment. Audra stressed over this most of Tuesday and Wednesday. After all of the bullsh*t, and at least in Audra's case, the insurance company eventually approves everything...paying one time is a different story. There's some gratification in knowing a good lawyer who will get involved should someone along the managed care continuum become indifferent to the patient's needs.
Thursday, December 12, 2002
Monday, December 09, 2002
It appears as though Audra will be going through chemotherapy again. She's been in touch with her oncologist who we believe was on vacation last week. The oncologist has asked her to have an IV port (aka a "Hickman" I believe) surgically insert in her chest this week. This makes the administration of the chemo and blood tests very easy on Audra and the nursing staff. My job once again will be to keep the IV port and the incision area clean and sterile. I excelled at this job in 1999 and 2000 when she last had treatments.
Audra was told that she's going to receive a new platinum-based chemotherapy drug that will make her cold or make her sensitive to the cold. She had previously been on a drug called carboplatinum so I'm guessing this is just a new version. The chemo regimen that Audra goes through is usually brutal. Her oncologist is extremely aggressive and somehow Audra is able to tolerate the effects. There's little doubt that Audra will be on more drugs to control the side effects of the chemotherapy than actual chemotherapy.
It will be an interesting holiday. Her cancer will not stop spreading just because it’s the holiday season. Audra and her doctor won't let the season alter the treatment plan or its timing. Tomorrow is just like any other day for the cancer patient and the oncologist.
Monday, December 09, 2002
Tuesday, December 03, 2002
Audra and I went to NY to see the doctor and have her stitches removed. To start things off, Audra decided she wanted to go into the city for lunch first and then to her 1:13pm doctor's appointment.
We arrived in NYC about 11:30am. Audra wanted to go near the doctor's office and "find" a place around there. A macrobiotic place? No way. If Audra ate pizza and donuts, sure we could find a place. Besides that, its about 25 degrees outside and the wind-chill probably makes it 15 degrees. We're not looking for anything. We're going somewhere. Before we left the warmth of Penn Station (right!), Audra decided to return to the same restaurant where we ate just before her surgery. Italian, of course at it was 10 blocks north of the hospital, 40 35 blocks north of Penn Station. We fancy ourselves as NY savvy so we shoot over to the 1-2-3-9 subway and easily make our way to our little Italian restaurant, Pomodoro's (71st and Columbus for those following along at home).
We so good with the NY subway system we arrive 10 minutes before the restaurant opens. And apparently 2 hours before they turn the heat on. It was just a few degrees warmer inside the restaurant, probably due to the reduced wind.
To take in the entire NYC experience, we jumped in a taxi cab and took it to the doctor's office which was right next to the hospital where Audra had surgery (St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital at 10th Ave. & 59th Street). Truth is, we didn't feel like walking two blocks back to the subway. It was too darn cold.
After a 1 hour and 15 minute wait beyond the appointment time, we finally saw the doctor. Give the doc a break, it is brain surgery after all. Doctor #1 make few snips and yanks and Audra's stitches were out. The doctor #2, the main man, asked how Audra was doing, any pain, any problems, any anything? No, No and No Audra replied. Doctor #2 doctor told Audra that she's a remarkable woman and wished her luck with her next course of treatment. Doctor #1 handed Audra the MRI's of her brain and away we went.
We are not yet ready to go home. We had to go back downtown, via the subway again, to the OTHER hospital where Audra's oncologist practices, the famous St. Vincent’s Hospital. This is the hospital where much of the 9/11 pictures and videos were taken. The hospital's cancer center was constructed three year ago. Its located two block north and a block west (8th Avenue & 14th Street) of the actual hospital (7th Avenue & 12 Street). We dropped off the MRI's and possibly tomorrow Audra will find out what her next course of treatment will be.
Now that the surgery is behind her, Audra is trying to mentally prepare for the treatments which will likely consist of both radiation and heavy chemotherapy. Audra has not said if she's willing to go through with the heavy chemo again. Because she shows not visible or physical signs of cancer, I think she believes she needs to fight as hard as possible. But knowing the difference between the current physical/visible signs and actual internal growth of the cancer, she may choose to live comfortably without the chemo. Whatever choice she makes will be the right one.
Tuesday, December 03, 2002
Sunday, December 01, 2002
I got Audra out to the mall yesterday for an hour, just to get her out of the house. We bought our au pair (maid?) Angel a watch to replace one that she had lost a few months ago. Audra said she was exhausted after that hour at the mall. It was a bit crowded.
Today I was told how to properly load the dishwasher so Audra is recouperating just fine and things are certainly getting back to normal. This morning when she got up she said she felt better than any other day. She's also been cooking more and more each day. Audra's ear, which had been clogged since the operation, is starting to unclog. Problem is that every time she swallows, her ear pops. Today during breakfast she said it only 'popped' sometimes.
I'm bringing Angela over to Cyn's for Lindsay's birthday party this afternoon. Audra will get a little break before I head back to work tomorrow and she resumes day-to-day family business.
Sunday, December 01, 2002
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