Sleepless Nights

December 27:  Nanette had a bad headache yesterday and again today.  She is suffering from insomnia which is probably caused by the Avastin or steroids.  It is hard for the doctors to determine the origin.  She also had a fever of 102 so Huntsman told her to come to Salt Lake and see a doctor in the Acute Cancer Care unit.  They said she was a little dehydrated so they hooked her up to two bags of fluids.  They did a thorough physical exam and sent blood to the lab to see if she had an infection which can be masked by the dosage of steroids she is taking.  They couldn't detect a problem but have put her on an antibiotic as a precaution.  She was tired when we got her back home.  The insomnia is discouraging to her but she is hoping that the positive work of the drugs she is taking will outweigh the negative.  We met the most amazing nurse today.  She is a young woman who just started at Huntsman.  When the hurricane leveled a part of the Phillipines, she immediately booked a flight at her own expense and went to help where she could.  She didn't have a clue what to do but with a two other people she met there and with medical supplies donated by others, they started a clinic in one of the LDS chapels still standing and started to help people.  She said there were only three of them to start but it grew to be a big clinic and is still there today helping people.  She said pictures don't even begin to describe the destruction.  It was inspiriing to hear her tell of the sweet and generous native people there who continued to be optimistic and hopeful even though their troubles were many.
Her story touched all of us.  Nanette also remains cheerful and optimistic regardless of the small hurdles she faces every day.  Her faith is strong and she believes there are better days ahead.  We heard a song the other day with these lyrics, "What if your blessings come through raindrops and your healing comes through tears and a thousand sleepless nights are what brings the Savior near."  She has felt the truth of those words in her life at this time, sleepless nights and all.

Christmas Day

December 25:  Christmas day.  It was a good day for Nanette.  She was steady on her feet and her headache was minimal.  We had a nice Christmas morning breakfast and opened presents.  Then we got "the skype call" which was the highlight of the day for Nanette and Sergio.  Elder Nick Abarca called from Ecuador twice - first from an internet cafe located by the cash register so we got to see lots of Ecuadorians buying things, and then later from a member's home where he could talk with all of us.  He looks great, is very happy and doing well.  He loves the missionary work and talking to people about Jesus Christ and the gospel.  Nanette and Sergio talked with him at length about challenges for him and Nanette, with a few emotional and tender moments.  Nanette is so happy that Nick is where he wants to be, doing what the Lord asked him to do.  Nanette got a pair of women's boxing gloves for a present that said, "Keep on fighting, don't give up and we will all be with you,"  That's what she's doing.

Infusions

December 23:  Back to Huntsman at Day Break for the first infusion of Avastin.  We were there about 3 1/2 hours for the first visit.  There are four stations where they do infusions.  They have a nice comfortable lounge chair for her and her own tv and another chair for the person who stays with her.  They first took blood samples and sent them to the lab to be processed before they would start the infusion.  There were three other people there receiving different kinds of infusions for varying reasons.  The blood results were slow coming back that morning so the infusion was delayed for about an hour. They didn't put a port in but found a vein in her arm that worked and hooked the iv up to her.  They want it to drip slowly for the first treatment to see if there are any adverse reactions.  She did well, slept a short time, and did not have any side effects from the drug.  The next time will not take as long and the one after that even shorter.  We are hoping this infusion will help with her headaches and energy level.

church

December 22:  Nanette was able to go to Sacrament meeting at church.  She enjoyed the music and narration and especially enjoyed being with her Ward friends and family.  It is a boost to her spirits to be with people who love and care about her.  The rest of the day was spent quietly at home with her family and visitors who came by.

Huntsman and Christmas Stories

December 17:  Nanette returned today to Huntsman Cancer Center in Salt Lake for an appointment with Dr. Colman, the oncologist who has been treating her from the beginning.  Again, her physical exam results were good, all her lab reports were within the normal range and encouraging and we all viewed the MRI which she had done on Friday.  There was no significant change to the picture of her brain from the initial one.  However, there were indications of swelling and they are inclined to believe the headache and dizziness discomfort she is experiencing is related to the swelling.  The radiation is not easy on a person, no matter where the location.   The doctor now wants her to start infusions of Avastin in addition to continuing with the steroids.  Avastin is an anti-anglogenic therapy and may prevent growth of new blood vessels that feed tumors.  He is hoping this will help with the swelling which would help alleviate the headaches.  She will start with the infusion of Avastin as soon as they can schedule it at Huntsman at  Day Break.  They want to start this procedure before she resumes chemo again.  She will have to have infusions ever;y two weeks and the procedure takes several hours.  She is holding up well in spite of the headaches and fatigue.  She still gets up early and showers and get dressed ready to face the day.  She has even been able to do a very small amount of Christmas shopping.  She reads Christmas stories and scriptures every night to Regan and Riley which has been a tradition in their family for many years.  She's missed out on some Christmas activities which she usually loves but she is still cheerful and thoughtful of others.  Their home is decorated beautifully for the season and she feels the Christmas spirit and peace.  Thank you all for your phone calls, gifts and visits.  She is so appreciative of your love and concern.

few steps back

December 9-13:  Nanette has taken a few steps back and has had a struggle this week.  She tolerated the radiation and chemo with relatively few side effects up to this point.  She expected to feel better now that the radiation was over.  However, she has been experiencing fairly severe headaches, dizziness and weakness in her legs, and fatigue.  She has stayed at home, missing her Ward Christmas party and Sergio's office get-together, and the Forgotten Carols so she could rest and try to get back on her feet.  We took her Friday to Huntsman in Salt Lake to see if there were any new developments.  The doctor was encouraged by the physical exam and her blood work results.  She also had an MRI which was originally scheduled for next week.  They said there were no new developments on the MRI but it was hard to determine exactly where she is at the present time.  They will use this MRI as a baseline to compare to monthly MRI's in the future.  It was generally determined that the fatigue and other discomforts are probably due to the radiation and chemo she has already had.  They have increased her steroid dosage for a few days hoping to help the effects of the treatment.  So, she is resting and hoping that she will feel much better in the weeks to come.

Stake Conference

December 8:  Nanette had a peaceful weekend with her family.  She was able to attend the Saturday night session and Sunday morning session of Stake Conference.  Sergio asked her to speak at the morning session of conference and she expressed her thanks to all those in the Stake who have reached out to her with concerns and wishes for her health.  She has been very grateful to all the people who have expressed their love for her family in prayers, thoughts and kind, thoughtful gestures.  She enjoyed seeing so many friends and being with all the people in the Stake whom she and Sergio have learned to love so much.  Thomas S. Monson said "Find joy in the journey" and Nanette has found that joy in the friends and family who have supported and loved her in this journey.