First round of chemo

Went in every day last week for chemo. Came home and slept every day. Really feeling exhausted but trying to focus on the positive. I'm doing this so my kids have me around longer :). It's tough on me to hear them cry for mommy when I'm upstairs sleeping away, but I know that sleep means healing. Hooked up to home hydration so I can keep up what little energy I have. I try to make it downstairs for a bit of cuddle time. It's easier with Kyra in school. I get about half an hour of cuddle time with Megan before her nap and then rest again. I get up for Kyra's bus and spend half an hour with her before Megan wakes from her nap. Try to hang out for supper and back to bed. Liam gets me here and there for feedings and naps with me :)

Week 2 of each round is when I am most susceptible to colds and flus and infections. Any of those, will land me in the hospital. Happened twice last time,so I try to get the girls to understand the importance of hand washing. Especially with Kyra being in school. I do not want to catch an infection and land in hospital for a minimum of 4 days, getting blood transfusions and antibiotics and being depressed and sad and crying and away from my babies. 

My neighbours and hubby have been very helpful. Bring the girls out for a run around the block after supper and bringing snacks and meals for me and the girls. They are wonderful people. God bless them. They understand I need all the rest I can get and are always telling me not to worry and ushering me back to sleep. Day 7 to 14 of each round is supposed to be when the chemo is killing all those bad cells... Unfortunately killing the good with it but those know to reproduce and should be back up to normal levels by Day 21. That's when I start the next round again. Scheduled for October 7-12th. Please bear with me if I don't post. I do try to do updates on Facebook as well so feel free to add me on Facebook if you do not have me on there :). 

Thank you for your continued support and comments. They really make my day :). 

Love and blessings to all

Priscilla. 

Resting with Liam

Mommy's big helper

Mommy's banana eating monkey

2013 Family Picture <3 all my loves. 

Getting stressed.

Hi everyone,

Liam is doing so very well and blowing the standard newborn weight gain of 5-8 oz per week. He gained 11.5 oz last week and 13.5 oz this week!! Super proud mommy here :). Here he is smiling. It's a little blurry cuz he wouldn't stop moving his head :). 

Happy boy he is :). 

In other news, chemo is coming fast and making me feel ill because I'm feeling stressed. I've unfortunately have already had a few bouts if anticipatory nausea, which I also experienced last time around.  I do feel confident though that things will run smoothly on the medical end of things though. My nurses,  from Saint Elizabeth Home Care,  visited today and gave me a letter to bring to my doctor on Friday with a complete chemo action plan. Basically, access to IV hydration as it helped me sooooo much last time and wasn't discovered until the final round of chemo,  subcutaneous injection anti-emetic (anti-nauseant) meds and portacath access. 

At this point, I am really not looking forward to doing chemotherapy once again at all but am also in the state of mind to get it done and over with.... I want my life back and I want to enjoy my family and stop feeling stressed and tired and weak all the time. 

I am very happy with everything that got accomplished when my step mum and dad were visiting the past two weeks (by the way 2 weeks is not very long when you have visitors) :( . I mustered up as much courage and energy as I could (all while wrangling 3 children under the age of 4, with one who is up every 2-3 hours wanting to eat) and Sue was an amazing and I mean AMAZING help as well and we got my main floor completely de-cluttered and cleaned. Feels very rewarding to see it that way, knowing all the effort that was put into getting it that clean. Also when Sue or I (mostly Sue) would prepare supper, we would make an extra dish or two and stick in the deep freeze. We also set up and froze a few meals to throw into the crock pot in the mornings. Hopefully a few more friends and neighbours will gather around and help with meals as well as it will be very difficult for me to get those kind of things done during chemo and the energy I will have, I will want to spend with my children, not in my kitchen, cooking. 

So next appointment is Friday, September 13th at 1:20 PM. It's the pre-chemo appointment with Dr. Nicholas and then chemo is every day the following week. Monday the 16th at 10 am, Tuesday the 17th at 10 am, Wednesday the 18th at 10:30 am, Thursday the 19th at 11 am and Friday the 20th at 11:30 am. I will try to update Friday if there is any new information. 

Thank you everyone for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers. I love each and everyone of you. 

Priscilla

P.S.  We got our family pictures done at Walmart on my birthday. Should be arriving anytime. Can't wait to see them. Wanted to get a nice one of all 5 of us before my hair goes again. But in the meantime, here is a nice picture of Daddy and his 3 babies <3

Treatment plan of action

Doctor Nicholas did a happy dance when he saw my MRI results stating the tumor had went down in size. We aren't sure, but we think their is a hormone connection to the cancer. He is confident enough to let me wait one more month as this is a critical bonding time for me with Liam. I see him again the 13th ofSeptember  and we plan to start treatment the 16th. It's a 5 day outpatient  schedule. Each cycle is 3 weeks. The first 5 days of each cycle I go in every day for treatment. The drug used will be Topotecan. We will do 3 rounds and schedule surgery after the 3rd round. Side effects unfortunately mean that I will lose my beautiful curls once again :( :( :(. Here's praying that God keeps giving me the strength I need to fight through this for me and my family (and friends).

Thanks for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers.

Xox

Priscilla

Liam Comes Home

From Priscilla

"""Guess what time it is???? Home time!!! Liam has been doing so well that we are being sent home . Please remember that he is still considered premature and visitors will still be limited to one a day! Sue will be updating my blog so please remember to read it. My rules will be posted along with the blog. Thank you everyone for your support and well wishes.""""

In his capsule ready for home...

From Sue
Liam is already doing so well that the team have decided to let him go home already!

He is still very tiny and his Mom is still recovering so the Specialists at the hospital have asked Will and Priscilla to stick to very limited visits for the time being.

As before would local family and friends please arrange (by phoning Priss) a time to visit and limit your visit to 20-25 minutes as Liam needs to be kept very quiet and not over-stimulated. One visitor per day will welcomed and obviously if you are unwell or have unwell family members please stay at home for now as per these instructions from the Specialist Team

We'll continue to post lots of photos of him and some with Kyra and Megan of course and thank you for your understanding.

If you didn't know already the MRI scan Priss had on Friday shows that her tumour has continued to shrink during her pregnancy...we are elated as you can imagine and are waiting to hear what treatment her oncologists will recommend next.

Much love to the whole wide world from us all
xxxxxx

Liam is Here!!!

I am so very sorry to have taken so long to post this wonderful news...Liam was born at 2.25am on July 19th after a marathon 54 hours labour! He weighed in at 5lbs 1oz which was really good considering he is 5 weeks early because of Priscilla's cancer.
Liam is thriving, nursing fiercely and winning hearts and his Mum has my complete and utter admiration for her strength, courage and maturity...I call her Warrior Queen now!

This is Day 1, Liam spent his first 12 hours on a ventilator, he had x-rays and blood tests too...2 hours old and then 12 hours old after the breathing tubes had been removed. He's a beautiful baby.

On the second or third day he was moved to what Priss calls his "big boy bed" and he was able to breast-feed at last...

These photos are from Monday so he's 3 days old in them...we're deliberately  taking and sharing lots of photos as visitors are strictly restricted, Priss is still recovering and Liam needs to be kept quiet and safe from illness etc...

As he was rather fussy 2 nights the Night Nurse looking after him thought it a good idea to blame Priscilla for his condition...suffice to say she was "told" by Priss and removed from caring for him!

Not long after Liam's birth Priscilla was taken off for an MRI scan of the tumour and we're still awaiting the results of that. Fingers crossed please.

So, a long and stressful week or two for every-one concerned. Liam is here now, very healthy and so much loved by all...can't wait to hold this little Love in my arms for real.

Thank you all so much for your kind words, thought, prayers and messages,
Love from us all
xxxx 

A Message From Priscilla

Priscilla has now been in hospital for 12 hours and her labour is going slowly and gently. As soon as Liam is born we'll let you know but in the meantime it is very important that the strict hospital rules are followed regarding visitors to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, The Ottawa Hospital.
Liam's health is the primary concern here and we beg that you do not try to visit if you are unwell or have been with any-one who is unwell. These tiny babies in the Unit are very vulnerable for their first weeks.
Priscilla is not in the best of health as you know so please let's make this as easy as possible for her.

These are the rules at the Unit...(click on the link)

Will and Priscilla may visit at any time. Kyra and Megan may visit in the afternoons only.

Other visitors only between 3pm and 7pm and ONLY 2 per day may come, they must be accompanied by either parent and go in 1 at a time, for example if 2 people come to visit then they will be taken in one at a time by either Priscilla or Will. Priority will be given to close family at first.

We understand that every-one is very excited to meet Liam and are sorry it may be a while before you can go in. Priscilla asks that you message her to arrange your visit so that she can work out a time-table.
At this time it is not known how long Liam will be in hospital, he will stay in the Unit after Priscilla has been discharged and this will be a very stressful time for the family.

I'm sure Priss and Will will be posting lots of photos of their son and each other on Facebook :)

Thank you in advance for your consideration,
Love from Sue
xxxx

Liam's Birth Is Close

For last 2 weeks Priscilla has been vomiting frequently and when she saw the Paediatric Specialist and high-risk team who will deliver Liam they found that his head is already in the engaged position and that birth is imminent.
Dr. Fiegel even suggested that she may begin labour at any moment now. This doctor has many years of experience and Priscilla likes him very much, she is so fortunate to have him looking after her. He has seen her through the PCOS (poly cystic ovarian syndrome) as well as Kyra and Megan's pregnancies. He also was there to deliver Kyra.
He wants to runs a test to see how well Liam's lungs are developed which will affect the treatment he needs at birth...the test is done by taking some amniotic fluid and you can read about that here.

So on Wednesday, July 10th Priscilla will go in at 8am for the sample to be taken and then she has a meeting with the High Risk Team led by Dr Huard who may decide to induce her there and then if they are happy with Liam's lung development.

Needless to say this a very stressful for Priss and Will and their families. They are so excited to be meeting this miracle boy but Priss has a long list of last minute preparations to get through all while being sick and very tired!
This pic was taken on Sunday...

So as always we ask that you keep Priscilla and her baby boy and family in your hearts and prayers, your support has got us this far and we appreciate it so very much.
Perhaps our next blog post we'll have some-one very special for you to meet!
Love from Sue
xxx