Finally, an answer, of sorts.
Not a great answer but at least we know. The fluid collected from Nora’s spinal tap (sorry for the typo last time) showed that Nora has cancer cells in the spinal fluid. There is no “mass,” (tumor) so that’s good. But the cancer caused Nora’s meninges (pardon my anatomy – a system of membranes that envelope the central nervous system) to swell, causing her headaches, back pain and tremors.
She is still in the hospital (Savannah, St. Joseph Candler, Room 416) so Dr. Yannucci (Nora’s wonderful oncologist) can figure out what drugs work for pain management. Nora had a chemo treatment Friday in her back to attempt to kill the cells in the spinal fluid. (She’ll be having them every two weeks.) She still can’t see all that well (so she can’t play her computer games, a real gamer frustration …. who knew?), but she’s walking (sort of), being stubborn, funny, and loves my homemade (from scratch) chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies.
Based on the number of Nora’s friends who visit this site, we had a very small representation of her fans this weekend: Jaine (sister), Dustin (son), Michelle (hangs with Dustin), Sarah (daughter), Jeremy (hangs with Sarah), me. Nora loved it. Saturday Dr. Yannucci’s medical partner, Dr. Negrea, came by on rounds and was truly impressed by Nora’s fan club (the room isn’t that big).
When Dr. Yannucci is convinced the pain management is under control, she’ll release Nora from the hospital. We’re arranging palliative care for Nora when she gets home. O.K. What is palliative care you might ask? Here’s a pretty good definition: palliative care “focuses on providing patients with relief from the symptoms, pain, and stress of a serious illness—whatever the diagnosis. The goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family.” We’ll be using the services of Lowcountry Hospice (a non-profit, volunteer-based organization) which is an example of what goes around … I served on their board of directors when we approved funding the palliative care initiative . Who knew?
It has been a long week. Thank you for what you’ve done for us.
Paul
WHERE IS SHE?
Her dog sleeps on floor
stretched bedside
though no one is there
he doesn’t know he sleeps
waiting sleeping wonder
ing where is she?
Answers are good , dealing with the unknown is never a good thing, gotta know the demons you’re dealing with. Love , faith and determination can get you through some amazing things.. You two with everyone behind you are a formidable force…keep on keeping on. All of you are doing an incredible thing. Lots of love to you all !