Sunday, January 24, 2010

Update

Tina was at the hospital on Friday. Instead of getting chemo, they gave her fluids and some IV pain medication. They are holding off on the chemo to see if she can get into MD Anderson soon for the trials and second opinions. If they don't hear by Monday or Tuesday about a date to go, they will start chemo back up until they hear from MD Anderson.

She is going to get a PET Scan on Tuesday to check out the status of the cancer. She has a follow up with the surgeon to have the stictches taken out and for him to check the site.

I'll give more updates after the PET scan results come in.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Ugh, Surgery

While Tina was in the hospital earlier this week, the doctors made a discovery. She was getting an MRI done to check on the nerves in her lower extremities to figure out what was causing the pain. They found that she has fractured her right hip. Oddly enough, this is not what's causing the pain, but it's a good thing that they caught it now because it's not displaced.

They scheduled surgery for Saturday. I got to talk to her just before she went in yesterday. She sounded good, not nervous at all. My mom said it went very well. The docs put in three pins to make sure it's fully stable. The last time, when she fractured her left hip, she was up in one day walking. This time the recovery will be a little longer, but they should release her in about three days.

I do have to say, the title of this blog is really true, lots of ups and downs lately. Hopefully we'll be able to stay away from the latter. There's a homonymal joke (yes, I just made up that word) in there about ladders and elevators, but I'll leave that one alone.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Tina Update

Tina went to Philadelphia today for a chemo treatment. She's been in a lot of pain over the last few days. When she went and described her pain, they opted not to do the lumbar puncture and the chemo through her spine today. Instead they admitted her overnight tonight and most likely tomorrow night.

I hate to hear that she's in pain, but the good news is that the hospital has a lot of drugs to make her more comfortable. I talked to her about an hour ago and she said she was feeling much better. What a relief.

Right now she's hanging out with my mom and doing whatever she can not to be bored. It's difficult when you're stuck in a bed, but she does have the Internet. Write a comment on here, send her an email or contact her on Facebook. She always loves to hear that you're thinking of her. I love you all for your support. Keep those prayers and positive thoughts coming.

Monday, January 4, 2010

The Good News Continues

I received a call while at CTCA just before I went to the airport. It was from The Dream Foundation. They make dreams come true for adults. I spoke with the representative today and got great news. Since wedding plans are underway and it might be a difficult dream to fulfill, they have decided to go with Tina's back up dream. The Dream Foundation, in conjunction with the Memories of Love foundation, is sending Tina, Paul, Peyton and Ashley to Disney World. It's six days and five nights including park tickets, airfare and meals. This is incredible.

There is one draw-back. The trip includes the family of four, but not my mother who is Tina's caretaker. It makes sense that they only include two adults since usually the other is the caretaker. Since Tina won't be able to go on all the rides and the kids are too young to go alone, if Paul went, Tina would be left by herself and you know how long those lines can get. My mom is also there day in and day out; they have their routine down. I'm going to try to raise money to pay for my mom's airfare, the additional money for the room, and food/expenses. I know this may not sound like a worthy cause, but it is the only way to grant Tina's wish. If you can help, please donate to the right, anything helps.

Everyone has been so amazing and now that help is coming in (finally), it really does relieve some of the financial burden.

Right now I'm working on wedding plans for June. Most items/services have been donated, but we're still looking for invitations, the reception hall, and a caterer; the latter being the two most expensive wedding services. Tina's "Wedding Team" is also working on ways to get all of the details taken care of. Thanks to everyone for all your support!