Chemo Starts Smoothly

Although yesterday was another long day at MSK, all went pretty smoothly with the start of Cathy's chemo. She came home wearing a small fanny pack that holds the chemo container and it does not generally restrict her movement. Fortunately they had inserted the port during the surgery in Florida. Although Cathy was tired from the long hours, she sounded upbeat. She is scheduled to receive chemo every other week in this manner. Even though the site of origin has not been officially identified, the protocol being followed is the same as for gastrointestinal cancers. Our hope and expectation is that future sessions will be shorter.

Cathy to Start Chemo Today

After an initial visit to MSK last week when Cathy registered and met with her doctors as well as the finance department, she was given an appointment for an EKG and CT scan with plans for chemo to start a few days later.  However, even though Kyle and Cathy were told numerous times everything was OK (meaning all papers needed were filed/sent to the appropriate offices), the last few days have been spent going around in circles with insurance, financial and scheduling.  Now that all the paperwork has finally been settled, Cathy will be starting her treatment today.

Cathy will be meeting with her oncologist in the morning so she can explain all the chemo.  After that, she will get bloodwork and be hooked up to a chemo bag which Cathy will have to wear for 48 hours in order to receive the prescribed initial dose (assuming it is a waist pack bag, though, Cathy has been told she should be able to go about her usual routine).  After that she will have a CT scan of her chest, abdomen and pelvis.  It'll be a pretty long day but we are glad she can start chemo now instead of having to wait.

Kyle has already flown back up to New York to be with Cathy for this first round of chemo and, in fact, will be staying.  Carrigan missed Kyle terribly when he went back to their 'old home' aka 'yellow house' and now delights in having him back in their 'new home' aka 'blue house'.  Kyle also missed Carra and Cathy way too much so, after talking to his school, he has taken his leave of absence effective immediately. 

For her part, Carra is quickly getting acquainted with her new surroundings.  Baby gates were installed in key locations to give everyone more peace of mind as Carra explores but baby-proofing continues around the house as everyone delights in her antics and discovers just how resourceful she can be.  Meanwhile, Carra and her cousin Bryce (almost two years old) are having lots of fun playing together and everyone has a good time listening to their conversations.

New York

TeamCathy has arrived safely in New York after traveling via Amtrak Auto Train from Sanford, Florida to Lorton, Virginia.  The Auto Train is obviously not as fast as flying but it is a great way to shorten a long trip while still allowing for a car.  The ride was a little bumpy but proved to be an enjoyable new adventure for Carrigan. 


The long train trip was followed by a shorter car ride rewarded with a relaxing overnight visit with Cathy's brother Michael.  In addition to enjoying Michael & Gary's "B & B" hospitality, Carrigan got to play with cousins Tyler and Daniel, run barefoot in the grass with Uncle Gary trying to keep up, and to have a field day in the upstairs playroom. Oh, what fun!

In preparation for TeamCathy's arrival in New York, Cathy's brothers had already moved, cleared, sorted, and reorganized stuff in a suite of rooms at their parent's house last weekend to make room for Cathy, Kyle and Carrigan in their 'new' home.  Although there is still moving and unpacking to be done, they will have a cozy, comfy, familiar place of their own.

in addition to packing, there were a lot of other things to take care of before leaving Florida.  Getting everything necessary in place for Cathy to be treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering remains the most important task.  Fortunately, Kyle is handling this monumental job - including coordinating health insurance, getting medical records faxed/sent, filing leave documents, and lots of phone calls - in a super-organized manner. 


Both Cathy and Kyle (as well as all of us on TeamCathy) are grateful for the cooperation they've received from the doctors and their staffs, from their schools' various offices and reps, and from MSK's reps.  We still have a long way to go and know the path is not going to be an easy one so we continue to value the support and prayers that everyone has offered.  Thank you!

Diagnosis: Adenocarcinoma of unknown origin

Cathy had her long-awaited appointment with her oncologist today and the official diagnosis is adenocarcinoma of unknown origin (which basically means they don't know the source). 

Fortunately, we hear that this is not so unusual and Memorial Sloan Kettering has protocols for treating this. We have already made contact with MSK and they are coordinating everything that's needed with the Florida oncologist's office in order to make a smooth transition. Because the cancer is of unknown origin, we expect to be referred to a general oncologist. We thank everyone for their advice and recommendations while we were going thru this process.

Cathy is doing very well in her recovery and amazing her doctors. The doctor asked Cathy how her appetite has been and Cathy told the doctor it was very good. In fact, Cathy was concerned she was eating too much and was gaining weight. To her surprise, the doctor said she should eat what she wants - milkshakes, burgers, etc - and not worry as patients who gain weight before chemo do better. So, bring on the 'boo-fay'. 

 

It is so interesting to see things thru the eyes of a little one and how much pleasure they get from simple things. Carrigan has been so good and understanding that Mommy can't pick her up but says, "when Mommy better, sit on Mommy's lap". Since Cathy's been home she enjoys just cuddling next to Mommy which she missed during the hospital stay. We are looking forward to getting up to NY shortly. Carrigan is ready to go to Goong (Grandpa) & Pau's (Grandma) house and to see her uncles and cousins and the move will also bring her to closer proximity to the Nevin side.

 

Although TeamCathy is ready to get moving on to the next step, Cathy's doctors have said chemo does not have to start immediately. In fact they say that patients who have additional time to recover from their surgeries do better with chemo because they're  stronger. This definitely reduces some level of stress that we do not have to rush into the next stage.  

Mother's Day

Cathy's brothers Michael and Glenn were able to take a few days off work to come visit Cathy and also to help get ready for the move north.  As anyone knows, packing to move is not easy - especially when you come from a line of packrats. They're off to a good start with over a dozen boxes packed, numbered, catalogued and inventoried.

On Friday morning, mommy Cathy, daddy Kyle, Uncles Michael and Glenn as well as Pau (grandma) went to Carrigan's daycare for her "Young 2s Mother's Day Celebration" where everyone delighted in watching Carrigan and her classmates perform. The children sang, wiggled, and did all the hand motions as only 2+ year olds can do... which put smiles on everyone's faces!

Next Steps

Now that Cathy is home, TeamCathy is working on what's to follow. 

Kyle is addressing steps necessary to have Cathy treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York City where many TeamCathy family members are already living nearby and standing ready to help out.  The plan is for Cathy, Kyle, and Carrigan to move in with her parents in suburban Rockland (less than an hour from Manhattan) as soon as possible. There will be a bit of child-proofing to do but they are looking forward to hosting them.

Kyle will be taking a leave of absence from his teaching job in Florida and will be looking for a job in the NY metropolitan area. He would ideally like to find a teaching job in Social Studies, middle school or high school. So if you know or hear of anything (or have any helpful connections), please let us know.

Cathy's mom will be staying in Florida until she, Cathy, Kyle and Carrigan can all travel north together.  She writes "by that time, I expect I'll understand Carrigan even better than I do now. After all, it's been a long time since I've been with a 2 1/2 year old on a daily basis. She's a delight; I call her 'Sunshine'... and she really is."

In the meantime, Cathy's father is returning home for a follow-up appointment with his own (hip replacement) surgeon this week.  He has already given Cathy one of his canes to use in helping her move about so the two of them will just need the straw hats to start working out a tap routine.  Sooper-dooper!

Happy Family - A Note From Kyle

Tonight we are celebrating! Cathy is back home recovering very well from surgery.


Perhaps Carrigan said it best "Mommy I happy you home" and then proceeded to do several somersaults - well, the type of somersaults that 2-1/2 year olds do. Carrigan has handled this very well. Fortunately, we were able to call Cathy on the phone pretty much whenever Carrigan would ask for her or start crying for her. She would immediately begin to smile and go back to playing / making a mess. I don't think I can put into words how much tonight means to us all after seven days apart while Cathy was in the hospital. 


Often when Cathy, Carrigan and I lay in bed together to cuddle she will put her arms around our necks and pull us so all of our heads are touching and will say "happy family". Over the past 7 days when I would say "happy family" she would say, "No, mommy not here". Tonight she said "Happy family" again.

Cathy Is Home

Cathy just got home from the hospital. Her colonoscopy was at about 3:30pm but she wasn't released until a few hours later because they wanted her to eat before leaving the hospital to be sure she wasn't nauseous. Cathy is naturally delighted to be home and she is moving very well. It's hard to believe she had major surgery just six days ago.

Back home, Carrigan looked at her a little warily at first but they found out she just didn't like the hospital 'bracelets'. As soon as Cathy took them off, Carrigan was her usual chatty self.

As far as what the colonoscopy said, we may not hear specifics for another week or so but will update this blog as soon as we know.