Surprise in the mail

Mom got a nice surprise in the mail from Denny (Ruth's son). He sent her some tubes of the Udderly Smooth lotion for her feet. She was tickled that he thought of her and it made her day.

I will say that the stuff is good - I also bought some tubes for her and a giant bottle with a pump. I got some for myself and it has done my cuticles wonders.

Her feet have been a little more tender this week. The timing is about the same as the last Doxil session... so I guess she can expect that a couple of weeks after the treatment that she's going to have problems. Part of the issue is the shoes rubbing against the bottoms and back. Anything that rubs against her skin is going to cause a rash and redness. She found some nice backless shoes that is helping a little but for now she'll have to take it easy. We are planning an Easter dinner with the other Sparkmans and niece Shelley (Sparkman - Tom's brother Jim's daughter) is hosting the group over at the Hotel Blackhawk in Davenport. It's a gorgeous place and I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun AND plenty of food!

Spring (?) weather

This week mom felt pretty good, despite the dismal spring weather. This morning we went to the Palm Sunday Service at First U Methodist. It's so comforting to know that she has so many close friends watching out for her. Connie and Lyn Paris were back from Arizona (I heard Mr. Paris before I saw him as he was in the pew behind us - what a great singing voice) and the rest of the regulars enjoyed brunch at the Victorian Manor Inn after the service.

Last week after chemo mom had a couple of rough days but got over the hump pretty quickly. Her hands and feet are tender. The feet especially - they are red and peeling but no blisters thus far. And surprisingly her hair isn't falling out too quickly. She said that a few strands have come out here and there but nothing like she expected. I think the five-week regimen for the Doxil will work out well. Her CA125 count did get up to over 800, however it has dropped down to the 700's. Hopefully the number will be even lower when she gets in check next time. Dr. Porubcin didn't give any indication about how long he was going to keep mom on Doxil but if the CA125 count keeps going down then maybe he will have a timeframe in mind later.

Chemo yesterday

Mom had her rescheduled chemo yesterday - it went well overall. She was really tired and achy and didn't have a lot of energy, but with this drug (Doxil) that is expected. She seemed to be feeling a little better by the time we left the hospital. After she got home she immediately put ice on her feet to deter any redness and blistering. Her hands look ok and she has been taking care of them, but her feet are worse. There aren't any blisters (however Dr. Porubcin said that they may develop) but lots of redness and peeling along with some cracks. There's not a lot she can do except make sure that her shoes and socks don't create too much friction. The ice seems to help, and the Udder Cream (Udderly Smooth) which has lanolin and dimenthicone as the main ingredient. It's kind of hard to find around here but is popular in the sewing shops in the QC. 

You can also order it off of the web site www.udderlysmooth.com, so if you are looking for a gift... she will definitely be appreciative!