Quote Of The Day

"It was wonderful."

- Mom reflecting on her birthday dinner tonight at the Timber Lodge Steakhouse right across the street from the hotel.

Mom had the parmesan crusted walleye and afterward the server brought over a surprise complimentary and delicious cheesecake with a candle on top!

Awesome.

Hotel

I just talked with Sylv. They are at the hotel.

Mom is taking a nap. They are staying on the first floor of the hotel, where there are handicap rooms. These types of rooms are better for seniors because of the support bars in the bathroom.

Sylvia said that the CT scan was quick. Mom was in and out in just about ten minutes. For the rest of the evening, Mom has to drink water to wash out that "contrast agent."

Since the night is young in Rochester, Mom and Sylvia will be hitting the town for a birthday dinner!

Iohexol

I just spoke briefly with Sylvia.

They arrived a bit early for the CT scan appointment. Upon their arrival, the nurses handed over two bottles with 240 milliliters of this stuff called Iohexol-Omnipaque and Mom had to drink both bottles (equivalent of about two cups).

There is a chemical compound in Iohexol that acts as a "contrast agent." That means its a dye solution, and it is used to help produce better images for the doctors.

Mom should be going in shortly to have the CT scan. I think Sylvia doesn't get to go in though.

Schedule For Today

Mom and Sylvia are making the 90-minute drive from Minneapolis to Rochester this morning.

The schedule for today is as follows:

12:30 p.m., Blood tests, Charlton Building, Lobby Level, Desk L-A

Then they'll make their way through the underground subway tunnels for the next appointment:

1:30 p.m., CT scan, Gonda Building, 3rd Floor, Desk 3 South

All times are central.

Afterward they'll head over to the Country Inn and Suites, where they are staying tonight.

The two big appointments for tomorrow are with Dr. Cliby (the surgeon) and the other is with Dr. Preema for an oncology evaluation.

Happy Birthday to Mom!

Today is Mom's birthday!

Even though the timing is not the greatest with the appointments at Mayo, we all wish Mom a great day and a Happy Birthday!!

Minneapolis

Everybody made it safe and sound to Minneapolis.

Mom and Sylvia arrived at Mave's house around 6 p.m. central time.

Menomonie, Wisconsin

Sylvia and Mom are on Interstate-94 and just passed by Menomonie, Wisconsin a few minutes ago.

They are making great time. They have about 60 miles to go.

Rhinelander, Wisconsin

Mom and Sylvia left Baraga this morning at about 11 a.m. eastern time.

They are now at the Taco Bell in Rhinelander taking a lunch break. They will continue on toward Wausau, then through Eau Claire, and finally into Minneapolis. The total distance from Rhinelander to Minneapolis is 247 miles.

They're making good time so far on the road trip, so they should be getting into Minneapolis between 6:30 and 7 p.m. eastern time.

New Blog

I started a new blog.

I wanted to return the Pelkie Prose back to its original intended purpose: to share updates and information with family members and friends of Mom about schedules and treatment plans, and to write about chemotherapy, ovarian cancer, and other topics related to women's health. So of course I'll continue to post on the Pelkie Prose.

Over at the new blog, I'll be posting about our upcoming real estate adventures, staging of the condo, home improvement projects, and the occasional post about happenings in DC.

So to follow the story, you can reach the new blog at:

http://fivefeetfourwithadrill.blogspot.com/

On The Road Again

Sylvia and Mom are making the drive to Minneapolis tomorrow (Monday), and they are hoping to get there before dark. It's an 8 hour drive, so they will probably be leaving by about 10 a.m.

Road Trip

Sylvia is making the drive from Mount Pleasant to Baraga today. According to Google Maps, the trip is 398 miles and will take about 8 hours.

From Baraga, Mom and Sylvia will travel to Minnesota for Mom's appointments next week at the Mayo Clinic.

Kathy Bates

Mayo Update

I just talked with Jim, who is sitting in the chemo room with Mom.

He said the blood tests looked good. The treatments are going, and in the meantime, Mom is very busy taking a nap.

They should be finished up around 2:00 p.m. central time.

Mayo

Mom and Jim are on the road to Rochester this morning.

Mom has a 10:30 a.m. appointment for blood tests followed by a chemotherapy treatment scheduled for 11:00 a.m.

Schedule

Blood tests and chemotherapy are still scheduled for this Friday, March 20th.

Beyond that, the schedule is as follows:

March 31
12:30 p.m., Blood tests, Charlton Building, Lobby Level, Desk L-A
1:30 p.m., CT scan, Gonda Building, 3rd Floor, Desk 3 South

April 1
10:30 a.m., Consultation with Dr. Cliby, Mayo Building, 12th Floor, Desk 12 East
11:00 a.m., Oncology evaluation with Dr. Preema, Gonda Building, 10th Floor, Desk 10 South

Happy Birthday!

Today, March 13th, is Mave's birthday!

Happy birthday!

Pre-treatments

I just received an email from Mave.

The pre-treatments started at about 10:50 a.m. central time, after the blood tests came back looking okay.

Her hemoglobin was still lower than they want (10.4) but her neutrophils looked very good (2.7). Mavis says there are "LOTS of people in here today!" When the treatment room is packed it's harder to get a bed for Mom. Hopefully they gave her one though.

Mavis also said one of the treatment nurses handed over the new appointment sheets. I'll post the new schedule as soon as Mave gets a chance to send it over.

UPDATE: The chemo treatment finished up at about 1:30 p.m. central time. They are on their way back to Minneapolis.

More News from Dr. Hartmann

I wanted to post more information from Dr. Hartmann, who told Sylv the following during their conversation the other day:

Currently, the tumor on the left ovary is small: about 1" around and it is the type that "spreads out like grains of sand." When Mom first arrived at Mayo, the tumor was thought to be about 4" long and about 2" around.

With regard to her chemotherapy schedule, the doctors are recommending concluding the chemotherapy treatments after this cycle. So the treatment on March 20th would be her last one - whether surgery goes forward or not.

The next oncology evaluation will be on March 31st - the same day as the CT scan. If there is no surgery then the plan is to watch her closely, especially for ascites fluids buildup, and schedule check-ups at Mayo every 2 to 3 months.

Dispatch from Mayo - from Mom!

Mavis just sent this email to me and Sylv. She was dictating an email from Mom.

They are still waiting for the blood test results.

_________________

Hi Kass and Sylv,

We're here waiting for chemotherapy treatment to start. Just got done with bloodwork. We were a little late. That's why I think we're still waiting. I had a new lady who took blood and she was really good. She just took one little poke and she got all the blood. Just waiting for my nap. Stayed up late last night. 10 or 11 o'clock. It's warmer out today. Sunshiny. Temperature is up but I don't know what it is. Lots of people here again. Loads. Maybe that's why we're still waiting. It's 10:00 right now. We're going to finally stop at the Amish store today on the way home. I cannot think of anything else to say.

Ma

Mayo

Mom and Mavis are making the drive to Rochester this morning.

Mom's appointments start with blood tests at 9:00 a.m. followed by Chemotherapy at 9:30 a.m. central time.

Appointments

Sylvia spoke with Dr. Hartmann yesterday. Here's what she found out:

Regarding a potential surgery, an appointment with Dr. Cliby is scheduled for April 1. He is the gynecologic oncology surgeon Mom met with last fall when surgery was still on the table. Whether surgery goes forward will be determined at the April 1 appointment.

Since the doctors will need the pictures from the CT scan to help them make a determination, the CT scan is scheduled for March 31 - Mom's birthday.

If the doctors determine that surgery is advisable then it would probably be scheduled relatively soon thereafter - sometime during the week of April 1 or the following week.

Help

Following Dr. Rosenberg's recommendation, we have begun to look into eldercare organizations in Minneapolis to stop in and check on Mom during weekdays for times when we (family caregivers) can't be there.

Until we make those arrangements, we are looking for a few volunteers to be with Mom while Mave is at school during the day this week and next week. Your duties as a volunteer would be stopping by for a visit, chatting, hanging out, helping Mom up and down the stairs, keeping an eye out for hazards that can be tripped over or slipped on, and just generally making sure Mom is doing okay during the day.

If you would like to volunteer to help, please call Mave to sign up.

Thanks in advance.

By the way, click here to learn more about volunteering to assist caregivers.

Schedule

Mom's next appointments at the Mayo Clinic are scheduled for:

March 13
9:00 a.m. - Blood tests
9:30 a.m. - Chemotherapy

March 20
10:30 a.m. - Blood tests
11:00 a.m. - Chemotherapy

Check in for all appointments is at the Gonda Building, 10th floor, Desk 10 East.

There is no oncology evaluation scheduled as of now. That is pending the outcomes of the CT scan and the consultation with the oncology surgeons and these have not yet been scheduled - as far as we know.

On The Road

The chemo treatment has finished. Mom and John are on the road back to Minneapolis now.

They are making a stop in Cannon Falls for some food and then will carry on to Mave's house.

They should be arriving there around 4:00 p.m. CST.

UPDATE: they made it back to Mave's at 4:30.

Evaluation Results

The doctor called John back into her office after she was complete with her physical examination of Mom.

Based on the results of the evaluation, the course of action is as follows:

Dr. Preema will schedule another chemotherapy cycle - 3 treatments over the next two weeks - starting today. Dr. Preema is also recommending a consultation with the oncology surgeons to see if surgery is feasible and advisable.

The appointment with the surgeons will be scheduled sometime after this chemotherapy cycle. Dr. Preema will also order a CT Scan, which is one of the diagnostic tools they use to help them make a decision on whether to go forward with the surgery.

The CT Scan will probably be done around the same time as the appointment with the surgeons.

Ascites Fluid

Mom's weight gain this month is good news.

Why?

This is good news because it means she is able to consume calories without experiencing extreme discomfort. Before she started going to the Mayo Clinic, she could not eat much at all because of the ascites fluid buildup in her abdominal cavity. The ascites fluid is caused by the cancer.

The fluid buildup was so great (they took out 30 liters of it - or 7.9 gallons in October and November) that it forced her internal organs out of their normal position including the stomach and intestines -- and this meant the food would not go down her esophogus and if it did the intestines could not properly digest it. A couple weeks ago we were talking and Mom recalled that whatever she ate, "it just got stuck in my throat and wouldn't go down."

When they did the abominal taps, her organs eventually "migrated" back to their normal positions and she could begin to consume solid foods again and her body would digest it correctly.

So the ascites fluid is one of the reasons why she lost so much weight so fast (close to 100 pounds in just about 8 months). And the fact that the chemotherapy treatments are keeping it from building up again means that she can consume more calories, put some weight back on, and build up her strength.

Mayo Update

I just heard from John.

The evaluation is still underway but he called to let everybody know that the results of the blood tests from last evening looked good.

She has gained five pounds.

The doctor asked Mom whether she noticed any ascites fluid buildup and Mom said she did not.

The CA-125 marker is a blood test the doctors use to assess how the treatment is working. High CA-125 marker levels are bad. When Mom first arrived at the Mayo Clinic, her CA-125 marker was close to 500. This month the CA-125 marker is down to 6.3. It was 6.3 last month too.

The doctor also mentioned that the surgery option may be revisited.

When they finish up with Dr. Preema, they will head over to Desk 10 South and check in for her chemotherapy appointment.

Dr. Preema

Mom has her oncology evaluation with Dr. Dr. Prema Peethambaram today at 9:45 a.m. CST. John is with Mom in Rochester.

The evaluation is in the Gonda Building, 10th Floor.

If everything looks good there is a chemotherapy scheduled for 11:00 a.m.

Angelina

So let me set the scene.

Today Angelina Jolie was in Penn Quarter on the corner of 7th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue in DC (right across from work!). She was filming a sprint scene this morning where she runs across the street and through the small park right next to the Archives metro station. They shot the scene a few times and before each shot, she ran in place to get warmed up. She was doing all of the stunts herself but her stunt double was walking her through everything.

The cars in the street were not real traffic though. They were props! After each scene was cut, all the cars backed up and got ready for the next shot. All of this required the real traffic on Pennsylvania Avenue to be halted, and soon drivers started beeping horns like crazy, and so then the director (or whoever) stopped shooting and let the traffic through, then set up to shoot the same scene again.

It was fun to watch! I never did get that close to her (ten yards away at one point) but most of these shots were taken with me about 20 or 25 yards away. The crew kept the crowds at bay. She did sign a few photographs at one point but I just couldn't get that close. But it was all cool to see.

My impression: she is tiny! I always thought that she was tall (at least 5' 9" - tall by my standards) but she is 5'5" tops. And scrawny! Somebody really needs to order her a cheeseburger.

In the picture below you see her laughing with [co-star] Liev Schreiber in between takes.

And finally, there was a paparazzi there today with a gigantic telephoto lense. I realized these paparazzi dudes totally know what they are doing because his pictures are way better than mine! He was running around the whole time getting shots from different angles though. You can see his pictures here.

And here are more paparazzi shots including one of her coming up the Archives metro escalator! So she must have been coming up the escalator while we were all "held" underground.

Salt

My morning started out as it normally does.

If I had to I can get to my office on auto-pilot – I ride the orange line train to the Archives-Penn Quarter metro stop, step off the train, take the escalator up, swipe my electronic farecard, stroll through the turnstile, take another escalator up to the street level, cross 7th street, stop at my local Starbucks to order a tall coffee in a grande cup (I use a lot of creamer), and proceed the few steps to work.

Except this morning, it did not happen like that at all.

I, along with about a hundred other people, were “held” on the train platform – we were not allowed to walk through the turnstiles. Upon hearing the announcement from the station chief over the loudspeaker, all of us stood looking at each other, with some bewildered, and others clearly annoyed. Off the microphone, I heard the same guy tell one of my fellow riders that there was some filming going on and they were rolling at that very moment.

I speculated that it must be a local TV news crew, but then grew increasingly anxious, since being trapped underground is not the most pleasant experience one might ever have.

We all stood there for a few more minutes and then we were released to go about our days. Once on street level, I realized it was no simple matter of a TV news crew, but a full blown movie set on location!

Check out this picture of some fo the film crew at the entrance to the metro escalators.

Below is the angle they were shooting. It is a small park in front of the Archives Metro stop.

Some film crew guys shuffled all of us commuters up 7th street. We had to walk one block north and then cross over 7th. And the cops even stopped traffic on 7th Street (a major thoroughfare). This is a picture of the corner of 7th and D Streets.

Below is a picture of all the equipment trucks on 7th.

Here is a picture of some of the crowd watching the action.

And below is a picture of an actual scene being filmed. And if you look very closely you can see a figure running across the street in a light brown coat with a black backpack on.

Guess who that is?

It’s Angelina Jolie!

If you click on the photo twice it'll enlarge and maybe you can see it better.

The building in the background is the National Archives building. The Archives Building is majestic and its architecture dominating. Besides the White House and the Capitol Building, the Archives is one of the most filmed buildings in DC.

Once I heard from my fellow gawkers that Angelina Jolie was actually here filming on location, I ditched my iPhone (which I used to take these pictures) and pulled out my new Canon SX110 from my own backpack and then started shooting better pictures of her standing around between takes. I found out the zoom on my new camera is great!

I’ll post the pictures from my Canon tonight when I get home. I have to download them to my laptop at home. There are some good ones too!

By the way, the movie is an espionage thriller called “Salt."

Survivor Stories

Every person touched by ovarian cancer has a story. Click here to read some of them.

You might find, like I did, that these women embrace and celebrate every day they're alive and they are fighting ovarian cancer with dignity, determination, and courage -- just like Mom.

Road Trip

Mom's two-week break from the chemo treatments went by fast.

Tomorrow Mom is making the road trip to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota for a 5 p.m. CST appointment for blood tests.

It is about an eight-hour drive from Baraga - if the weather is good - so she'll have to leave relatively early.