The past week, test & scan Results, preparing for what is next..

It has been almost a week since the last update here. She has had a difficult time, and has shown more signs of decline. There has been high fever every night, very low energy, nausea, abdominal pain, a lot of sleep and no appetite. She took all of the antibiotics that she was prescribed but it did not really change anything. The nausea med (Zofran) has definitely helped, and she has not gotten sick anymore since taking it. We are very thankful for that. We are staying on an 8hr interval with it to stay that way. Since the last post she has also began to have some pretty intense pain in her abdomen.

We were no longer able to control it with the natural remedies we have been using, that have worked for the previous month or two. We got a script for some pain medicine. She is taking it on the same 8hr interval as the Zofran and it is managing the pain very well. So pain & nausea are under control for now.
She has slept most of the day every day, and has migrated to the bed (instead of the couch) for a good portion of the time now. With that said, I went and got her a big TV for the bedroom so she can watch her shows and have another tool to occupy her mind if she feels like it when she is awake.
She had one decent day (relative to the rest of last week) that she was awake and up most of the day, and even went for a little golf cart ride in the neighborhood.
Just wanted to share an update on how things have went since the last post.

 Yesterday we went to the hospital to have the blood tests and CT scans done.

We found that many of her labs are out of range (high or low) regarding her liver function.
To make things short and simple here, those numbers being out of range make her ineligible for the AMG199 Clinical Trial. So there is nothing further to discuss with regarding that. 

The tests that were ran confirmed that her liver is having some issues. Some of the numbers indicated she is having some jaundice (even though her skin & eyes are not yellow). 

The CT Scan shared new information. Some we were fully expecting, but also some new things. 
The tumors in her liver and lungs have grown and multiplied some. She could have predicted this as her abdomen has become very hard and full feeling. This is why the labs are showing the liver not functioning properly.. the tumors have gotten to be so large and numerous that they are breaking it up I believe. This is also why she has no appetite at all, and eating has become more of a chore than something she wants to do.

The scan showed she is beginning to have some fluid build up in a few places.
One is in the abdomen. This is call ascites. This is contributing to some of her pain in her abdomen.
The other is some fluid build up in her right lung. Dr. Paluri thinks this may be a touch of pneumonia, and has written a script for a different antibiotic to try. She will begin taking that today. She coughs a little bit every day, but it is not a concerning amount at this point. Hopefully the meds will clear it up.

There are new tumors that have spread to her abdomen (a few areas, including the peritoneum) which is also contributing to some of her abdominal pain.

That is the basic summary of what we learned yesterday regarding the tests/scans. 
The rate at which she has been declining is expected to continue from a clinical standpoint.
We do not have an estimated timeline for all of this, we just know that time is limited.
She has been talking about all of this for a couple weeks now, and trusting God on this, and preparing and becoming at peace with how this is going. Yesterday was not really a shock for either of us.
She has felt her body physically changing and has been talking more about how she feels this is going.
Yes it can feel like a terrible situation from a worldly standpoint, but our time here is short regardless.
She has been put through the ringer for the past year and half and is ready to be cancer free. 
She knows exactly where she is going when she leaves here, and knows it is a better place with no cancer, no pain, and no suffering. I think she is at peace with that part of it. I think the harder part for her is the hurt that the people still here will have when this is all said and done. We talk about all kinds of different things, and I tell her not to worry about how we are all going to do with this, and just focus on herself and making sure she has anything she wants. Saying is easier than doing. Everyone has a different way of processing. I think as her family and close friends become more at peace with this, and enjoy their visits with her, talking about happy memories and fun things, it will ease her worry with that part of it.

I will more than likely not be updating this blog much more unless some info that is worth sharing comes to pass. 

Thank you to everyone for the thoughts and prayers. 

As she is becoming more tired, I ask again, to please refrain from calling & texting her directly. 
If she reaches out to you, that is different, but please let her rest otherwise.
If you would like to, feel free to text me. My number is listed below. 

If you would like to show her some care and support, please mail her a card. 
She absolutely loves getting them. The more the better. Our address is listed below. 
Besides thoughts and prayers, that is the very best way you can show her your support.

If you would like to try to come see her in person for a short visit, please send me a text, and I will do my best to accommodate that. Obviously her family and very close friends have priority, and I want to make sure they are able to spend as much time as possible. I will be working with them directly to schedule all of that.
For others, just text me and I will see what I can do to line up a day/time for a short visit if she is up for it and that is what she wants.
She wants to stay here at the house as she is more comfortable and can get as much rest as she wants, unless we absolutely need to go to the hospital for something, so that is what we are currently planning.  

Thanks again to all for everything.

Kenny's Cell: (336)554-0555

Card Mailing Address:
Christian Eisenhauer
6588 Woodmere Drive
Walkertown, NC 27051