My mom and I just did something normal. We went to Kroger. Normally (well, the new "normally") it's my dad or me going to Kroger, but this time (like old times) Mom went with me. And she made it. She did threaten to lay down in middle the parking lot on the way back to the car because she was so tired, but she made it. Baby steps.
Speaking of baby steps, Mom has slept all night the last two nights! That's a first since surgery. She usually wakes up at least once needing more pain medicine and Benadryl. She still can't get comfortable in bed, so she's sleeping in the recliner. Like I said, baby steps.
This week has been Mom's off-chemo week. It hasn't been as "normal" (old normal) as we'd hoped. While she hasn't had to deal with the side effects of chemo this week, she has still been affected by the Tarceva, which she takes every day. Tarceva is really hard on her stomach, and we're trying to figure out the right medicine to help with that. Her oncologist prescribed a new one late this week, and so far it has helped a little. It certainly hasn't worked like magic, but it's helped more than the over-the-counter med that she was taking. If not for the chemo and Tarceva, I think Mom would be getting back to normal (old normal) about now. But all this extra stuff has put a kink in our post-Whipple plan. You'd think we'd be used to kinks in our plans by now.
We also think/hope Mom is starting to get the "Tarceva rash", which is generally a mix of very dry skin and acne. No actual rash yet, but the past couple of days her palms have been really dry and itchy (weird, I know). I've done some googling on the issue, so tonight at the store we picked up some new soap and lotion for Mom to try. We actually want Mom to get the rash, because it's a sign that the medicine is working - we just hope it's a mild form of it! Some people in the cancer world still consider the use of Tarceva for pancreatic cancer to be experimental, but it does offer us a bit more hope than chemo alone. We are praying God will use it to bring complete healing the way He's done with Herceptin. But a decrease in the side effects would be nice. :-)
By the way, Mom did attend church this past Sunday. I think she was insulted at my insinuation that she wouldn't make it there, so I thought I'd let y'all know. Sorry, Mom. :-) Hopefully tomorrow will make two weeks in a row!
Next week Mom sees both Dr. Tauer (oncologist) and Dr. Behrman (surgeon), and - thanks to my kind coworkers - I'm going to be able to go with her to both of those appointments. We see Dr. Tauer on Monday and will talk with him about all Mom's side effects, among other things. Mom will also get chemo and Herceptin that day. Then we'll see Dr. B on Tuesday. And then I'll see my hair dresser. But I guess you really don't need to know that.
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