First Oncology Appointment

Good evening everyone. Today Momma had her very first oncology appointment at the Montgomery Cancer Center with Dr. McDaniel. Dr. McDaniel was, in my opinion, excellent today as he walked my mom and dad through what the upcoming months will hold. However, Dr. McDaniel had news for us that was more somber than any of us were anticipating. We got to the Cancer Center at 7:15 this morning and after several stacks of paperwork and visits from some of momma's favorite coworkers, we were finally in the back waiting on Dr. McDaniel. Dr. McDaniel introduced himself and allowed my Momma the opportunity to tell her side of this awful story before he dove into what the charts and paper had to say about it. Then, Dr. McDaniel started to give us the news that science and medicine had presented to him. Dr. McDaniel confirmed that Dr. Christien at UAB did get all of the cancer and negative margins to the naked eye. Dr. McDaniel informed us that momma's tumor was roughly 2 inches in size. Dr. McDaniel then went on to talk about the lymphnode involvement that Dr. Christien had told us about. Dr. Christien removed 6 of momma's lymphnodes and of the 6, 3 lymphnodes tested positive with cancer. Dr. McDaniel then told us that cancer is rated on a scale of aggressiveness 1 to 3. 1 is that least aggressive form of cancer and 3 is the most aggressive form of cancer. Unfortunately, we found out today that momma's cancer was rated at a 3, and with the lymphnodes involved, Dr. McDaniel wants momma to have a PET scan so we can see more in depth what we are dealing with and if the cancer has spread elsewhere. With this shock still weighing on us, Dr. McDaniel kept pressing on with more information. Given that momma's cancer is at a stage 3 aggression level, Dr. McDaniel wants momma to have the most aggressive form of chemotherapy possible. He listed 3 different chemotherapy drug names, and please forgive me because this teacher has no idea what the drug names are, and said that he wants to start momma off with the drug that is used on patients that have stage 3 and 4 cancer. Momma's cancer is staged at a 2, so Dr. McDaniel seems to think that this drug will be the best bet for momma in giving her the best chance at "survival". Momma will start chemotherapy sometime between mid December and the beginning of the new year. Dr. McDaniel told us that momma would be coming to the cancer center on Mondays for 6 to 8 hours worth of chemo. Momma will then go home with more IV administered chemo through Tuesday and she will return on Wednesday to turn the IV chemo off. Momma will get a week's worth of rest and the the process with begin again. Chemotherapy will be done for at least 6 months. Dr. McDaniel said that this chemotherapy drug is tough on the body. He warned momma that she would be weak, sick, and fatigued and that she will also have weight and hair loss as an affect of the chemo. He also did not sound very hopeful about Momma being able to work during her time of chemotherapy. Dr. McDaniel was very matter of fact, but he was also very thorough. He did not rush his time with us, and he made sure that all questions were answered before he left the room. Prior to leaving, Dr, McDaniel joined hands with us and lead my family in a prayer. We all thought very highly of this, and it meant a great deal to us. Upcoming prayer requests include: -Momma's PET scan tomorrow, November 18, 2016 and results of this PET scan -Momma will be having an IV port put in on Monday, November 21, 2016 -Momma is concerned about not being able to work during chemo -Lifted spirits for momma and this family -Strength for momma as she begins the road with chemotherapy -The doctors and nurses that will be taking care of momma during this time ahead I saw a quote today that read "If there is a Goliath in front of you, then there is a David inside of you". My momma has a David inside of her and a GOd that will fight FOR HER. She needs only to be still. More updates to come in the following days. As always, thank you for the prayers and keep them coming!! Exodus 14:14 -Kailey

Let's Play Catch Up

Good afternoon to all! Please let me start by apologizing that this is the first blog post in the past few weeks. Things have been crazy in the Barkley household, but I am happy to report that things with Momma are going great! A few weekends ago, the weekend of October 21- October 23, I was at school anxiously awaiting 3 o clock so I could come home and see momma. I had been texting her off and on throughout the day and Momma had said that she was feeling great, almost back to her old self. Unfortunately, mom was having some issues with her JP drain. The drain was essentially draining everywhere except for the actual drain. Momma ended up going to our family doctor and was referred back to UAB where she was admitted for the weekend. Once momma was finally able to come home, she had taken a complete 180 in the way she was feeling and her spirits. She made some comments that Sunday night that scared me tremendously, and Luke, Sheila, and Daddy were all uneasy as well. Throughout the next week, I stayed home with Momma. I finally felt like I was able to do something helpful throughout this whole ordeal. It was extremely difficult to feel helpful when I was living three hours away in Huntsville. I am happy to say that Momma has improved tremendously in the past couple of weeks. Momma is actually looking like MY momma for the first time since this nightmare started. Momma's strength is improving everyday. She is able to do more with each passing day. She is getting her sense of humor back, and her spirit is the best I have seen it since this whole ordeal started. Thanks be to God! As always, we ask for continued prayers. Pray that her spirit stays positive and that the strength keeps improving. Most specifically, we ask that you pray for her appetite. The surgery has done a number on her taste buds and she says that nothing tastes good to her. The surgery also had an end result that left Momma without a fourth of her stomach. She is eating very small portions because it is al she can handle right now. In my mind, Momma has had a significant weight loss. Please pray that we can keep the weight loss to a minimum so that she will be strong and ready to fight once she starts her chemo. We love you all and are so incredibly grateful for the love, support, and prayers that you continue to pour out on our family. Please keep the prayers coming! "Though she stumbles, she will not fail, for the Lord upholds her with his right hand." Psalm 37:24 -Kailey