Iva went to the orthopedic doctor on Monday. Although she has been handling the side effects of chemotherapy pretty well, she still has some real problems with walking. A couple of weeks ago she had undergone a bunch of scans of her pelvis, hip, and upper leg to see what was going on. The good news is that there is no new tumor growth in any of those areas, and her problems are all related to the surgery she had back in February. Her gluteal muscles and pelvic muscles are a real mess. So her hamstrings, especially in the left leg, are very weak and not working properly. So she can go to physical therapy to strengthen these.
The not so good news is that she has 0 immune system. Despite trying a new (very expensive) drug this time to stimulate white blood cell production, she has 0 neutrophils.
So to do physical therapy at this point and expose herself to the big, germy world out there seems like a bad idea.
The thing about cancer is that there is always something. Always something new to worry about. Always some other test result to wait on. You can never really ever take a deep breath and say, "OK, things are good right now." Cause you never really know. In Iva's case, we still don't know if chemo is working and what this whole immune system thing means. Later this week or next week, she will undergo a full scan to see if the tumor in her lung and spine are responding. If they are, then she will get 2 more rounds of chemo followed by more scans. If at any point, her tumors grow or multiply while getting chemo, then they stop the therapy. And that is the reason we cannot breathe.
Dear Iva, may God continue to watch over you. He loves you, and He loves Zoran, Melissa, Antonio, and everyone in your household. Zoran and Melissa, may you soon know that Iva is healed and will get completely well, so that you can breathe.
ReplyDeleteI will ask my friend Ann for the name of a book which she used to strengthen her leg muscles after she had a huge sarcoma removed from her thigh. They told her she'd never walk without a walker again, because they had to remove 2 of her 4 quadriceps, and she has MS which affects her legs. M.D.Anderson PT people told her there was nothing more they could do for her. Ann found a book that describes exercises ballerinas use, and she did PT on herself at home. The next time she went to Anderson for a check up, they did not recognize her because she was walking completely upright w/out a walker or cane. I will find the name of this book and let you know.
Love, Sue.
Thank-you, Sue. You and your family have meant so much to us during these times. Your continued support and prayers are greatly appreciated.
ReplyDeleteWe are waiting for the positive and good results!!!Prayers are always in our minds...
ReplyDeleteWhen I spoke to Iva earlier I mentioned to her to try and get nutritional diet that is for this particular disease..It will at least boost her immune system..We are also dealing with cancer at our home and the diet that is used is really good for the blood cells..they continue to go up and the body is stronger and prepared to fight!!please consult some nutritionist or a doctor that can recommend proper food for the type of cancer,and trust me it really helps!!!
I will await for the best of news!!!
Take care all of you there!!