November 15th 2010

Today mom started the second cycle of chemotherapy. Everything went well and mom is back at home trying to regain her energy. Mom had an appointment with Dr. Litton at 11 this morning. Dr. Litton talked to her about capping the bile tube at the end of this chemo cycle to see if the bile is draining effectively through the bile duct.

Dr. Litton seems to think that the chemotherapy has been shrinking the tumors in the bile duct and the bile is draining correctly because recently mom hasn't been having bile drain into her bag. We are hoping that this is true and the tumors are shrinking, but we won't know for a little while longer.

After she met with Dr. Litton, she received the chemo treatment and returned home around 5 PM. She has been resting and has been feeling much better than the past few weeks. We are happy about how mom is feeling. Thanks again for all your thoughts and prayers.

This Past Weekend

On Monday November 1st, mom took her temperature and it was about 100.5. The doctor told her that anytime it was over 100.4 she needed to call him immediately. Dad called Doctor Litton and he had her start on a antibiotic immediately. Mom thought the fever was gone, but it was just being masked by the Lora tab she was taking for pain. The next few days mom was gradually getting worse, but was managing ok.

On Friday around 6 PM, mom took her temperature and it was around 101.6. Dad called Doctor Litton and he told her to go to the emergency room immediately. When she got there they took her blood pressure and it was 74/49. That is really low and the doctors were very concerned. They immediately started antibiotics and fluid intravenously. They were concerned there was an infection in mom's body and wanted to get it resolved before they sent her home. Mom was released on Monday around 1 PM.

She is doing much better now. She was scheduled for Chemotherapy on Monday, but the doctor wanted her to fully recover before they gave her another treatment. She is scheduled for her next treatment on Monday the 15th.

Right now mom has been struggling with her immune system and will not be able to receive visitors for the time being. Hopefully she will start feeling better and will be able to visit with all of you. I'm sure she would love to! Thank you for all your notes, cards, and prayers. Mom really appreciates all of the love that has been sent.

Halloween 2010

We had a great Halloween! Mom has been feeling pretty well and we got to spend some time all together as a family. We even got mom carving pumpkins. It was also fun to see all the babies dressed in their Halloween costumes. Maybe we can get mom to dress up next year!

Jane Catherine Brown

On October 28th 2010, a new member of the Sorenson Family arrived. Cate had a little girl and she was born at 2:22 PM. Jane weighed 7 pounds 15 ounces and was 21 inches long. Spencer and Cate named little Jane after mom. Mom's full name is Catherine Jane Sorenson. What a great name!!

She is a very cute baby and we are so excited to have a new addition to our family. Soon we will have two more with Misa having a baby boy in February and Anna is having a baby in April. We are excited!

After The Second Treatment

I went and visited my mom last night and she was doing really well. She was at the hospital from 11:30 AM to about 6 PM yesterday. Mom received a bunch of fluid which really makes her feel better. After she received fluid they gave her the two chemo drugs. As of now, she hasn't really had many symptoms which is great. Hopefully that continues.

Mom will get a break this next Monday. She will always get the third week off on a four week cycle. Mom may go in Monday to receive some fluid if she is not feeling well and not drinking enough. The doctors also gave her a prescription for Lortab to help with her back pain.

We are very happy that mom has been feeling as good as she has. Thanks so much for all your love and support. The next post will probably be from mom, so stay tuned...

The Day Before the Next Treatment

Sorry I didn't post an update this week. Mom had a fairly good week when factoring in that we were expecting much worse. She has felt tired, a little sick to her stomach, pain in her back, and no energy. Overall, it was a real positive week.

We are hoping that the Chemo isn't cumulative and the symptoms aren't much worse this next week. Mom will be going in to get her second treatment around 11 tommorrow and we are hoping that mom will have as good of a week as this last one.

I'll let you all know how it goes tomorrow and I'll have mom write a little something this next week letting you all know how she is feeling.

First Day of Chemotherapy

Today, October 18th, mom had her first dosage of chemotherapy. She was very nervous going in because she didn't know how her body would respond. The chemo took about four hours to administer and everything went surprisingly well. Mom is feeling just fine and seems to still have a lot of energy. The doctor told her to not expect to feel this well for long. Mom should start feeling a little more tired and nauseous in the next few days as her cells start to die. We are just hoping that it won't effect her too much.

Next Monday she will get another dosage of chemotherapy. I will let you know how she is feeling in a few days. Hopefully I'll have some good news. Until then...