Dallas Home & Radiation/Hospice Appt

Hi everyone -
Dallas will be going home to Bulverde this Sun 7/1 afternoon. We have an early 10am Monday appt @ CTRC for Radiation consult then Hospice is coming on Monday afternoon as well. We should know more about Dallas' radiation treatment (every day for 2 weeks) and exact date Hospcie will begin. I'll update blog early next week to advise when mom will be up for visitors at her house.

Dallas' son Jack and her lovely granddaughers, Win & Baily, are coming up to Austin today to visit. YEAH! Dallas is VERY excited to see the girls and will be a great moral booster.

MRI & Bone Scan Results

We received Dallas' scan results today which unfortunately confirmed what we anticipated - cancer has metastasized to the bone, especially in the lower lumbar area of the spine & sacrum. The tumors in the sacrum (most lower part of spine) are most concerning due to two or three nerves are impinged and this is area causing the most pain & trouble walking. Plus, Dr doesn’t want any weight on that left hip due to fear of fracture. Positive news is scans show no metastasized cancer in the cervical or thoracic region of the spin or left leg. The pain in left leg is due to all the tumors in the left lower spine & sacrum tumors.

Next Step – Radiation
The recommended treatment for the metastasized tumors in the lower spine & left sacrum is targeted radiation immediately. This will assist with moms pain, symptoms and growth of the tumors to reduce risk of fracture. So, we have a radiation consult this Mon 7/2 @ CTRC in San Antonio. Dallas will receive radiation every day for 2 weeks. Hopefully Harold will be able to drive her out to CTRC (Cancer Therapy & Research Center) but if anyone else is available just in case please let us know. Also, hospice is still being set up & we're meeting with them early next week in Bulverde.

Clinical Trial Options
Dallas is on the waiting list for Phase I Clinical Trial at CTRC which is world renowed for their Clinical Trials. She must complete her radiation therapy before starting a clinical trial. CTRC has been conducting such trials for 20 years while MD Anderson has only done Phase I studies for 3 years so mom is at a great place. Dallas is anxious to start the radiation treatment in hopes to relieve her lower back pain & be stronger when she starts the clinical trial.

Dallas is enjoying her time in Austin and this blog so thank you for leaving comments. She checks it daily and is actually getting the hang of it!

Dallas is feeilng better 6/25

Dallas is throughly enjoying her time in Austin with me (her daughter) and relaxing a LOT. Plus, we're keeping her well fed to try and get back the 5lbs she lost during the hospital stay. Thankfully, her legs are not hurting as much. Dallas will probably be going back home to Bulverde later this week or weekend and we'll set up Hospice.

We have the MRI, bone scan & Xray all day tomorrow in Austin and look forward to the results to determine the bone cancer severity &/or fractures. Then CTRC (cancer therapy & research center) can determine if radiation is needed & when the Phase I Clinical Trial can start.

Dallas has learned how to use this blog & really enjoys all the comments so please keep them coming. This gives her something to do while she's at the house all day & really means a lot to her. Thanks!

Mom & Hospice Update 6/22

Hi everyone -
Sorry for delayed update as things have been so hectic. Dallas (call her mom in most blog entries) is feeling somewhat better, at least in her legs. She is resting a lot which is very needed. We have a bone scan & MRI scheduled for this Tues 6/25 to determine if any fractures in the pelvis/legs area. Or if the bone cancer has progressed to where bone fractures may occur than radiation &/or medication may assist. This has to be determined before mom is eligible for Phase I Clinical Trials at CTRC (Cancer Therapy & Research Center).

CTRC social worker referred the Hospice agency A-Med which sounds like a very helpful option. Mom qaulifies and her insurance will cover all of it. I talked with the clinical director for an hour today and we'll set up a home assessment next week to finalize. Main goal of hospice is to monitor & control systems and pain for better quality of life. She stated this is best time to set up hospice while there is more benefit to the program than just end of life assistance. They help with insurance, medical equipment needs, prescriptions, arranging dr appts etc.

A CNA (certified nurse aid) comes to house 5 times a week & RN (register nurse) once a week. They have a San Antonio location & an Austin location so if mom wants to come visit we can have hospice here as well.

That's it for now & we'll keep you posted. Thanks again to everyone for your support and love during this challenging time for Dallas! Take Care -

6/20/07

Sissy slept 12 hours today - I think she needed a little rest.

6/19/07

Jack and Nona took Dallas to CTRC today and met with her main doctor from 8-2. He confirmed the progressed lung cancer & suspects pain in legs is due to progressed bone cancer in the legs/pelvis area. Bone scan, MRI & Xrays are scheduled for Thur. She may need radiation if hip bone is bad so she does not fracture & can be mobile. Then met with the clinical trials group which have 2 trials Dallas can participate in and she seems to want to. She doesn't want to just sit at home & do nothing. In a clinical trial she will see the Dr weekly, be monitored closely & the medicines could help keep the tumors from growing & maybe keep them same size. Goal is treatment of symptoms & quality of life.
Harold is still not well but has decided to leave the hospital. Dallas will be staying with Nona this week and she's taking a week off (FMLA - family medical leave act) to hang with her mom & coordinate everything.

Dallas is having a lot of pain in her legs and hips but they have given her a better form of morphine to help with the pain. Nona will try to update this blog tomorrow as today was very long and difficult.

Leave a Message, Please!

You can use the comment feature below this post to leave a message for Dallas. We'll make sure she gets it even if she won't go near the computer.

Let's Bring You Up to Date

9/6/06 Dallas has a CT scan which shows tumors in the lungs, liver and adrenal gland.
There is a biopsy performed and on 9/14 she is diagnosed as having Carcinoid (atypical) cancer.
9/26 Gets second opinion from San Antonio Cancer Institute confirming diagnosis and stage 4 metastasized lung cancer and begins treatment at CTRC (Cancer Treatment & Research Center in SA)
10/24 Begins 3 rounds chemotherapy treatments in Oct, Nov & Dec. CT scan in Nov shows her condition to be stable and improving and the one in Dec shows a 70%+ decrease in tumor size.
3/13/07 CT Scan shows no tumor growth
5/16/07 CT Scan shows dramatic increase in tumors - size and number. It is too soon to try chemo again so the only treatment option is a clinical trial.
6/6/07 Dallas, Winona and Jimmie fly to Sacramento, CA to visit Becky and family
Dallas has a low grade fever and difficulty breathing.
6/9/07 Dallas is taken to the emergency room in Sacramento and admitted for two days. Given breathing treatments and antibiotics.
6/14/07 Dallas and Winona fly home. They find Harold is ill and he is admitted to the VA hospital.
6/19/07 Dallas has an appointment at CTRC to decide on clinical trial options, assess current status and decide on immediate and future care needs.

Welcome

This is a place where you can check on Dallas' condition. We'll share as much as we can about what's going on with her and let you know what you can do to help out.
Thanks for stopping by.

Nona and Jack - Dallas' children
Becky, Cassell, Jimmie and Mitch- Dallas' Siblings