St. Patrick and the beginning of cancer therapy

Here is the latest on Mom’s Quest for Victory over Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

Yesterday, she went to Holy Family Hospital (Spokane) for a MUGA test scheduled for 10:30 and then her first chemo treatment at the oncology center. The MUGA test involves removing some blood, tagging the red cells with a radioactive isotope, reinserting that blood into the system, and then basically taking a video of the blood circulating in the heart. This test told us about how efficiently her heart muscles are squeezing the blood through the chambers. The normal reading in 60%; mom’s was at 40%.

This information that her ticker wasn’t as strong as could be hoped led Dr. Chaudrey to revise his chemo program for her. While he had originally planned a fairly newly-devised chemo program that included the drug andromyacin—I may not have spelled that correctly—he decided against that because that particular drug can do some damage to the heart. He changed the plan to a set of drugs that have been used to treat Hodgkin’s for quite a few years before this new set was devised. The new set has a 99% cure rate; the longer-established set has a 90% cure rate. But everyone agreed that the 9% lower cure rate was worth the risk when the heart is involved. So the chemo series she’ll be doing is called the MOPP program.

She has infusions twice every 28 days for 6 months. Her treatments are on day 1 and day 8 of each 28 day cycle. No one knows for sure how her body will react to these drugs, but my own, non-professional hope is that, while she might feel bad for the first two weeks of each 28 day cycle, maybe the last two weeks of the cycle will be relatively comfortable. I could be wrong, of course, because one of the drugs is taken by mouth and isn’t on that day 1/day 8 schedule.

We had a bit of a scare when Peg went to pick up the prescriptions that Mom has to take by mouth. She was told by the pharmacist at the Rite Aid store that one of them would cost $500. Peg said that she felt the blood drain from her head and felt her knees buckle. She immediately came back to the oncology center, when I had been hanging out with Mom as she lounged in a cushy easy chair while her drugs went into her system. When Peg told us what she had found out, the nurse was perplexed. “That doesn’t sound right,” she said. “I think there’s a generic version.” Sure enough. It all settled into place when Peg started calling around and found out about the generic versions. We haven’t completely dodged the bullet in terms of drug costs, though because one medication had to be ordered, and we still don’t know what that will cost. I think it’s a chemo drug, though, and if it is, her insurance programs will cover it.

I’m not sure how all of the insurance programs work. Thank the goddess I have a sister who is SO professionally knowledgeable about that aspect of this situation, having been a social worker her entire career and, for a period of years, a social worker in a nursing home. She’s just awesome on the phone as she makes calls to get information and get help solving problems.

I’m not sure exactly what I’m good for in this whole situation, but it may be as a researcher. I’ve recently had conversations with cancer survivors who used visualization techniques to promote their cure and minimize the side effects. A friend from Idaho Washington Concert Chorale, Helen, told me that she used her thoughts to ensure that she didn’t lose her hair. She would visualize the chemicals going right to and only to the cancer cells and not the “good” cells.

Since it was St. Patrick’s Day that Mom began this process of poisoning her body, we decided that St. Patrick owed her big-time. We thought Mom could visualize St. Patrick with his staff casting the cancer cells out of her body like he cast the snakes out of Ireland. I hope she does try that.

We’re also taking dear cousin Pam’s counsel by adding green smoothies, lots of nutritious foods, and Vitalzyme (digestive enzymes) to her diet. Peg bought organic versions of all the ingredients for the smoothies, too.

Mom is staying at Peg’s this week and probably part of next week. If you don’t have her phone number there but want to talk with her, let me know. While she is up there, I am moving her out of the retirement village, so that phone number is no longer valid. If she’s not at Peg’s, she will be in Asotin, but what will happen when is up in the air until we see what the drugs do to her. I talked with her this morning to find out that she had a great night, feels good so far, and was planning to look for"Sit and Be Fit" on the TV Fitness Channel. That sounds good, doesn't it?

WARNING: One of her drugs is supposed to make her cranky, though, so if you call only to have her bite your head off (I know that doesn’t sound like our dear, lovely Rita, but it could happen), take it with a grain of salt.

So, in the meantime, please know that she appreciates all of your love and prayers, as do Peg, Bill and I.