Another Bump in the Road (Irene’s Fall)

The week of May 13 started off great with the end of school year presentations and concerts featuring our grandchildren that we were able to attend.  Other than needing to send her hearing aids away for refurbishing it was a looking like a great week. 

On Wednesday she went in for the simulation for the Stereotactic Radiosurgery which, “involves the delivery of a dose of X-ray treatment precisely focused on a target within the brain. The use of stereotactic methods allows delivery of a high target dose with significantly lower dose to the brain tissue in the immediately surrounding region.” 

A nurse is holding both the front and back parts of the mask

 

A two piece mask of her face and the back of her head was formed.  This will be used to attach her head to a table and will keep her head from moving at all during the procedure.  When the mask is completed it is hard plastic as seen in the photo.  A new more refined MRI with one millimeter images rather than the normal five millimeter space between in the images was taken to aid in the precise radiation treatment to destroy the tumors in her brain. 

On Thursday Irene attended the sealing of Zack Zaharis and Lauren Reynolds who are children of families we have known and loved since our move to Mesa.  She was not feeling great, but planned to attend the reception up until the last minute when she did not feel well enough to go.

A routine blood draw was scheduled for Friday morning at 9:00 a.m. at Banner MD Anderson.  Two hours later we received a call that she needed to come back in for two units of blood.  With new blood and IV nutrients, we left the infusion center at 6:00 p.m. that night, and she felt better than she has felt for several days.  We have learned that chemotherapy can present all kinds of issues. 

 

Saturday, May 18 we attended the baptism of our beautiful granddaughter, Nicole Garn, who is Kevin and Tara’s daughter. That evening was spent with most of our Garn Family. It was so nice to also have Tara’s dad and mom, Craig and Mary Lynne Wilson and her brother and his wife Travis and Teresa and their boys with us. Irene attended all the meetings on Sunday and we had dinner back at Kevin and Tara’s that evening. Craig Wilson likes to cook and is a chef (dentist/periodontist) extraordinaire.
 

                                                            Irene and Nicole

                           Nicole Garn (looking pretty prior to her baptism)

                                              Nicole and her mother Tara Wilson Garn

                                                   Grandpa Craig Wilson

                                Yang Yang Crispy Beef (this was delicious)

            Ashley, Alison and Grandma Mary Lynne Wilson

 

Wednesday, May 22 will be a night to remember.  As were going to attend our granddaughter Amy's seminary graduation when Irene's toe, on her good leg, caught the leg of a chair and she fell into the doorway of the chapel.  We lifted her into a chair and her right hip, her bad one, was really hurting.  Carl Watkins brought a wheel chair from his car, and she was able to enjoy the graduation.  After the graduation we wheeled her across the street to Chuck and Gayla's where Chuck examined her and recommended we take her to the ER.  X-rays confirmed that her right hip was broken.  She has a Subcapital Fracture which is defined as "an intracapsular fracture of the neck of the femur, at the point where the neck of the femur joins the head."  
 

          Amy Garry and Grandma Irene after Seminary Graduation

                       Amy Garry - Mountain View High School Graduate

 Gayla Garn Peterson, Irene, Dana Garn Garry (our daughters)

      Irene and Amy (pictures taken after Irene had broken her hip)
 

She was admitted to the hospital, and had surgery Thursday at 6:30 p.m.  Three screws were placed to stabilize the head of the femur.  Dr. Amalia De Comas, who was trained by Dr. Valerie Lewis at MD Anderson CC in Houston, is the surgeon who is caring for her.  Dr. Lewis is the doctor whom we had determined was to do the planned amputation in Houston in December of 2012.  Dr. De Comas advised that it was not wise to try and remove any of the sarcoma tissue during this operation.

 

Her time in the recovery room was very difficult because she was experiencing severe pain for more than an hour.  I know it was bad because she has never admitted to pain, on a scale of 1-10, above about a 6.  She freely admitted that it was at least a ten for that hour.  One of the nurses later commented that on a scale of 1-10 it may have been 100, and Irene agreed that is exactly what it was.  The pain was eventually contained and she had a restful night.  She is not to put any weight on that leg for six to eight weeks to allow for healing of the bone.  We expect to bring her home from the hospital on Saturday.  We did get her home today.
 

 She has been so cautious getting around and has commented many times that she does not want to fall.  We were walking together and as we approached the chapel door she stepped ahead of me and tripped on the chair.  There was nothing to cushion her fall and her swollen right leg was little help in getting her balance.  She has a great attitude and as I left the hospital last night her were words were, "I am going to be big about this."  She is a good one.
 

The radiation treatment is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, May 28.  Additional chemotherapy is scheduled for June 11.  She has had wonderful priesthood blessings along this path, and we are confident that she is in the Lord’s hands.  Thanks to all for your faith and prayers.

Neurological Side Effects of Ifosfamide Chemotherapy

The first series of Ifosfamide chemotherapy was completed on April 18 and in addition to a little more nausea than usual, Irene was having severe pain in her leg. Dr. Homsi saw her in the infusion center suffering from pain and admitted her into the hospital.    IV anti nausea and new pain meds had her feeling better and she was released the next day.

We received word that her sister-in-law, Hazel Hall, (who was married to her brother Byron who just passed away in January) had passed away on Friday, April 19.  Her funeral was scheduled for Saturday, April 27, and Irene wanted very much to travel to Washington DC to attend the funeral.

That is until April 23 when Irene’s nose started bleeding and we could not stop the bleeding.  Finally we took her to the ER where they put a nose clip on her nose and got the bleeding stopped.  She was also experiencing quite severe nausea at that time.  Blood and urine tests revealed that she was low on platelets and potassium.  With the infusion of platelets, potassium, anti nausea meds and a change in the pain meds, she was released the next evening feeling pretty good.

Our grandson Joshua Peterson, son of Gayla and Chuck, gave his farewell talk on Sunday, April 28 and we enjoyed a day with our family.  He has been called to the Dominican Republic Santo Domingo West Mission and left May 8.  He will go directly to the MTC in the Dominican Republic.

 

          Josh Peterson with his Happy Grandparents ready to go to the MTC 

            Josh pointing to his mission on the map in the Peterson home

     Josh with his grandparents and his mom and dad Gayla & Chuck Peterson

                                           Josh and several of his cousins

For some time we have planned to go to Nauvoo with Robert and Diane Latyon to visit President Russell and Sister Karen Gilliland.  The Laytons and the Gillilands served with us in the Mesa Arizona Temple presidency.  The trip was scheduled for April 29 – May 4 with a flight into St. Louis and a three hour drive to Nauvoo.  That trip was on and off again depending on how Irene was feeling until late Sunday afternoon, when the decision was made that we were going.

 

      President Russell & Sister Karen Gilliland, Irene, Dianne & Robert Layton

                                Sister Gilliland with the team of horses

     Attending the senior couple's production of Rendeveau in the Cultural Hall

               President Gilliland at the Browning Home and Gunsmith Shop

        Sister Gilliland, Irene and Dianne in the living room of the mission home

 Robert, Daryl and Pres. Gilliland waiting for 40 young performing missionaries

                                                      Nauvoo Temple

We had a wonderful reunion with our dear friends in Nauvoo and Irene did well in that she could rest as needed and do as much or little as she felt like doing.  President and Sister Gilliland do an amazing work in presiding over seventy plus senior couples, twenty single sisters, twenty young single sisters and about forty young performing missionaries.  We met many of these wonderful missionaries and appreciate their service.  We also had dessert in the mission home with our friends President and Sister Spencer Condie who are the president and matron of the Nauvoo Temple on an evening prior to attending the temple the next morning.

The second series of the Ifosfamide chemotherapy was started on May 8 with a full day in the infusion center at Banner MD Anderson in Mesa.  As with the first session, Irene came home with a back pack with a pump and two liters of medicine that was pumped into her body through her port.  When I brought her home after the second day of chemo, there was a noticeable change in her behavior.

Some of the neurological side effects of the chemo drug (Ifosfamide) that she was taking in this series may be confusion, slurred speech and difficulty in speaking.  Wednesday when I got her home it was obvious she was having those neurological side effects.  After about three hours, I looked up the management for that situation, and it was to call her doctor IMMEDIATELY.  I called Dr. Chuck, Gayla's husband, and he recommended we take her the ER. 

The ER doctor ordered several tests (blood, urine, CT scan of her head, chest x-ray and an EKG) and decided to hospitalize her.  They treated her the next day in the hospital with various medications and IV fluids.  For about 36 hours she was not able to answer questions, track a conversation or speak very coherently until about 10:00 p.m. Thursday night.  Dr. Homsi was checking her throughout the day and was pretty sure the symptoms were a result of the chemo and it appears that he was right. Several additional tests were administered.  It sure felt good to be able to carry on a pretty good conversation with her Thursday night.   Some of her responses were pretty funny.

 

The CT scan taken in the ER indicated there may be some swelling in her brain, but it was not a very definitive scan so an MRI of her head was taken the next day. Dr. Homsi came in and gave us the report on the MRI which was that she has two lesions (cancer tumors) in her brain. One is the size of a marble and the other is smaller.  Dr. Homsi and Dr. Callister, radiology oncologist, consulted and are recommending radiation to destroy the lesions.  Dr. Callister explained that they have radiation technology today that they can specifically and precisely radiate the tumors without full brain radiation or damage to surrounding tissue.  We will see Dr. Chamberlain, who specializes in these procedures, next week and the radiation will be done the following week.  A more refined MRI of her head will be needed to pin point the radiation.  After the radiation, Dr. Homsi will consider another chemotherapy drug that we can try to destroy the other tumors in her body.

 Irene believes that the neurological side effects are a blessing in that the brain tumors may not have been identified without the CT scan in the ER.  The fact that they are small, they are more easily treated with radiation. She was released from the hospital on Saturday, May 11.

 Friday night as I was leaving the hospital she started to cry, which I have rarely seen in the four plus years she has been suffering from this cancer treatment.  When I inquired about the tears she expressed that she was just so sad that her children and her sisters and I had to worry about her.  That is typical Irene.

Today, Sunday, May 12, 2013, was Mother’s Day and she spent it with a trip to the hospital for a Nulasta shot and then dinner with Dana and Steve’s family.  We were invited to attend the Mother’s Day call from Elder Jason Garry from Mexico and Elder Joshua Peterson from the Dominican Republic.  This evening the Garn Family got together at Kevin and Tara’s to honor all the mothers.  Her favorite gift was a video put together by Byron highlighting each of the 46 members of our family.