Hey everyone, Andrea here. Mom's sleeping. It's Day Four of treatments and things are still going relatively well. She has not yet had to miss a dose and the expected side effects still haven't been too bad. She continues to maintain her normal positive attitude, and has shown temendous strength and will-power. She is determined to get in as many doses as possible to improve her chances of having a positive response to the treatment. Everyone out there who is pulling for her owes her a BIG "thank you!" when she returns to Cincinnati, as she is going through all this for all of her loved ones as much as for herself. On to the side effects: IL-2 causes capillary leakage and temporary reduced kidney function, which causes weight gain and skin redness and irritation. For all of you who have always wanted to fatten her up, Linda currently weighs 14 pounds more than normal! (Don't get too excited, it's just fluid and she'll lose it fast). Her skin is glowing like she has a sunburn, but so far the expected itchiness has not been too bad. The nurses keep telling us to look out for strange dreams, as hallucinations caused by neuro-toxicity are one of the reasons why some patients have to skip a dose of IL-2. Linda keeps telling them that she always has funny dreams, so that would not be unusual for her!
It seems that the most frustrating thing for her so far is not having an appetite at all, despite taking medication for nausea. She wants to eat, and really misses eating, but doesn't have much of a stomach for it. If we can time it right and she can eat soon after taking her nausea medication, she has been able to put down a few bites. On this topic the nurses say to eat as much or as little as she wants, and not to worry if she doesn't eat. Most IL-2 patients don't eat much during their hopital stays.
This morning Linda said that as bad as she felt, she actually felt better than she did when she first arrived at the hospital. However as the day has gone on, it's now getting to be neck and neck.
Jeff and Fran, college friends who now live in Boston, stopped by for a visit today. It was great to see them and have other visitors in the room besides the nurses!
Linda is still sleeping a lot (which is very good for her), but today she also has felt up for playing Yatzee and Set, finally finishing that movie (thanks David T), and writing a thank-you card or two. She also enjoyed the CD you made for her, Susan. Thanks!
To everyone: Thanks again for all of your love and support. It gives strength to us all.
Linda checking her blog
3 comments:
Hi, Mrs. Wimmers- I'm glad to hear you are hanging in there. You always did have the most positive, encouraging attitude-And it's great to know you have such a wonderful family and can enjoy games such as SET and Sudoku! I remember the first time I ever played SET in your class- And I still work on my sudoku book occasionally during study breaks (you introduced me to both games) :) The Katieys and Andy would like to see you over holiday break if you are feeling up to it. We miss you tremendously!!! You are in my everyday thoughts and prayers, Mrs. Wimmers. I remember when I had my surgery Junior year, and you were there for me every step of the way. During my recovery, a lady from my parish emailed me, and I want to share with you what she said- "Sometimes I don't understand why things happen, so I pray God shows me how to get through it...you're in the palm of His hand."
Love ya --Katie Lintner
Hi Linda,Jim,Andrea,
Sounds like things are progressing as expected and Linda is showing great courage. We all appreciate what you are going through, keep up the good work Team Wimmers! Have you tried one of the nutritional supplement drinks like Ensure or Boost? sometimes patients who don't have an appetite for solid food can tolerate fluids better and there are good calories and nutrients in those drinks, just a thought.
hang in there!
love and prayers, patty
Ensure is a good idea! It's actually not too bad. My agency did their website (http://ensure.com/index.aspx) and it has easy recipes on it. Check it out.
Also glad to hear you're able to keep up with the treatments. You will make it and I know you'll be one of the lucky ones. We're all thinking of you in the Nati, including my mom, Dr. Babs.
Post a Comment