Thursday's visitation information

We have set a time for the visitation
Thursday, December, 10th
5:30pm - 9:30pm

See other entry for location of funeral home

Addendum to the service schedule

After the memorial service on Friday which begins at 10:00am, visitors are welcome to our home. We kindly request visitors to bring any type of food or drink (pot luck style). Our address is 606 Strey Ct., Deer Park, TX. Naturally we do not expect or anticipate our out of town visitors to bring anything.

If anyone has specific questions please call Brook at 970-333-4035.

Looking to see our loved friends and family and having a great time celebrating my mother's life.

Viewing and Memorial Service Information

First thing is first! Mom DOES NOT WANT FLOWERS! Please do not send flowers. At the bottom of this message you will find information for donations in memory of Vicki Yates.

The house is now open for visitors. Feel free to call at 281-476-9525.

Schedule:
Visitation (no viewing) - Thursday, December 10th , 5:30pm-9:30pm
Memorial service - Friday, December 11th, 10:00am

Grand View Funeral Home and Memorial Park
8501 Spencer Highway
Pasadena, TX 77505
281-479-6076

In lieu of flowers please send donations to either:
MD Anderson Medical Center - Glioblastoma Research or
The Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center (BOEC)

You can either send checks to the Grand View Funeral Home and they will distribute the checks accordingly or send directly to the agencies below

Details for MD Anderson Medical Center:
Send checks to PO Box 4486, Houston, TX 77210-4486
Write on subject line, "In Memory of Vicki Yates"

Details for BOEC:
You can either to go www.boec.org and donate electronically or send checks directly to PO Box 697, Breckenridge, CO 80424.

Let their be peace

Exactly six months to the hour after mom woke up numb on the left side of her body she courageously lost the battle to brain cancer and peacefully stopped breathing at 10:00am on December 8th, 2009.

The family respectfully asks for all phone calls and visitors to please wait until we can get details sorted and for further announcements.

Yep...still breathing

It is 11:00pm and mom is still snoring away. The hospice nurse that came by is floored that she is still hanging in there.

Final hours....still

It is 10:00am on Monday morning and mom is still hanging in there fighting for each breathe. From what we can best guess, she is not in pain or discomfort.

We had so much fun yesterday with a house full of people until midnight. Even though Mom was unresponsive, we know she could feel our presence and hear our voices. This is absolutely how mom would want this house. Filled with food, laughter, friends, families, stories, jokes and maybe even a couple of tears.

While talking with my dad and uncle this morning we came to a realization. I wrote in my blog several days ago that mom had asked two friends to speak at her funeral. She did so with such ease and confidence (which in this situation was rare for her). Our interpretation from this is that she knew this was her last day of alertness. It was her way of saying she was ready.

Final Days

As of 10:00pm Mom had been sleeping for 26 hours straight. Her breathing became more and more difficult, with moans and gurgling in her breathing. I continued to give her the most amount of pain medications I was instructed, but nothing seemed to bring her relief. I called on the hour every hour to the hospice nurse when around 3:30 the triage nurse told me that we could be coming up to the end stages of her life.

By 5:00am a hospice nurse arrived and gave us instruction and explained what we can anticipate. In her best guess mom might make it through the day and maybe until tomorrow morning, but regardless of exactly how much time she has we are within the last day or even last hours.

The family including mom's brother Brent and tons of friends have been at the house all day. We have been sitting around her bedside holding her hand, telling stories and laughing. Apparently the last function that remains is hearing. Even though mom cannot move or respond to anything, she can hear every word.

She is now relaxing without pain and several days ago she seemed to be at peace when she asked a couple of her friends to speak at her funeral.

Report from the home

Today was the fourth full day at home. The transition has been tough for mom, dad and I. We are hoping once we get into our rhythm things will go smoother. We do like our main hospice nurse but have already fired our social worker.

At this point this is how hospice is working. We have a nurse, a nurse's aid and a social worker. The nurse comes over 2-3 time a week for 1-2 hours and the nurse's aid comes on different 2-3 days a week for 1-3 hours. The social worker was a joke and offered us little resources.

Yesterday seemed to be a breakthrough for mom. She even asked two of her friends to speak at her funeral. She did so without having a major meltdown. In fact, I do not think she cried once today which is a record. It warms my heart when I can see glimpses of mom feeling at peace with her life nearing its end.

I cannot keep track of how many people have come to visit her at the house. She of course is looking forward to even more traffic. I also cannot say thank you enough to all of her friends. Since hospice is not here around the clock, the visits from friends provides a HUGE amount of respite for my dad and I to do all of the things we need to in order to give optimal care to mom as well as take care of ourselves.

As I have mentioned in previous emails, mom has swam through the array of emotions all week. One minute she is breaking down crying fearing her impending death, then she is sweet as pie, then she is incredibly confused, then she is demanding and wants to crochet or quilt, then she tells a hilarious story and then she passes out mid sentence due to fatigue.

As of today Mom has slept for nearly 30 hours. She woke up briefly in a very confused state.

I learned today that it is not uncommon for this type of brain tumor in this stage for the patient to have a string of days of alertness and a string of days sleeping.

Our goal at this point is to assist mom with days filled free of anxiety, pain and discomfort while achieving the highest state of alertness. This of course is the purpose and goal of hospice care.

Thanks a million times over for the love and support that you are all sending in your individualistic ways.

Mom has tried to explain to me the intense and indescribable love she has for her children. I am not sure if it works reciprocally, but the other day when mom demanded me to snuggle with her in the hospital bed and as I curled up next to her and watched her drift off to sleep, I felt deep in my gut love for my mother that is so intense and indescribable. I suppose the love has come full circle. There is nothing I won't do for my mom (except look for fabric in her stash upstairs - that is what her friends are for) just as there was nothing my mom wouldn't do for me my entire life.

The final departure from MD Anderson

Leaving the hospital felt ceremonial as it truly was the last time we will leave the hospital. As mom rolled down the hospital hallway in the ambulance stretcher nurse after nurse came running down the hall to give her a last good bye, hug and kiss.

As we boarded the ambulance mom had me take a picture of her with one of the EMT's. She then made me pose with the two male EMT's. On the drive she was trying to set me up with one of them - good thing he was engaged because that would have been awkward.

When mom and I arrived home we were greeted by dad and a hospice nurse. There is now a hospital bed in our living room where mom will probably spend much of her time.

Visitors: Anyone is welcome at anytime! Mom loves having company more than anything in the whole world! In regards to scheduling please check in with Bobby 713-826-3778 or Brook 970-333-4035 before making plans.

Prognosis: As many people are aware cancer is unpredictable. No one has put a stamp on mom or given a time line. It is possible (especially in mom's case) that other complications outside of the tumor may take her life. The morale of the story is mom is still very much alive and wanting to push on.

Physical: Her left arm and left leg are in large part non-functioning. She is no longer able to assist with transfers and will not be able to transfer in and out of vehicles. We can transfer her with relative ease from bed to wheelchair so that she can still spend time at her sewing machine and eat in the kitchen area. As I sit here at 12:30am she is still working on a crochet project. Although it has taken her 5 days to cast on one stitch she does not give up.

Emotional: Although it seems mom is getting closer to accepting this disease and the situation she is still lingering in the depression stage. Mom asked one of the doctor this morning, "What are you doing do fix my tumor?" Although mom has been told several times they are not doing treatment any longer, she still thinks that they should be doing something. She cried several times today expressing her fears of dying and not getting to see her grandchildren.

Mentally: Mom's short term memory proves to be a challenge everyday. This is either due to the disease progressing or the amount of drugs she is taking. Either way, please be aware that when you talk with her she might have confusion surrounding time of day and schedules. In no way has her long term been affected - she is full of stories so come and get you some stories before they run out.

Hospice shopping

Journal from Monday

Today is hopefully mom's last day in the hospital. We are interviewing 3 different hospice agencies. Once we choose an agency she will be discharged from the hospital.

She can no longer stand up so we will have to an ambulance for transportation. It is unlikely that we will be able to leave the house once she gets home.

Her mood is much more stabilized and she seems to understand and be more accepting of the situation.

Recovery from the hospice talk shock

Since the last posting mom had a couple of days obsessing over finding the counselor, fear of dying, either in a huge amount of pain or nearly sedated due to the amount of pain medications.

Her world changed around a bit on Saturday as she spent time shopping on the internet for Angee's wedding gifts. We also had Thanksgiving in the hospital. It was several hours of wonderful food, laughter, stories, card games and making fun of each other. There was so much magic in the air, it did not even feel like a hospital. I made Grandma's famous cornbread dressing which mom is quite possessive with and she gave me the stamp of approval. I will carry the torch on with pride. I was even proud of my family for going along with my cheesy question of, "what is everyone thankful for." Some of the responses included,"I am thankful: I don't have to do dishes, for our wonderful family, for being apart of the family, for spending time together, that Brook finally cooked the cornbread."

Her spirits were high but the fatigue got the best of her and she retired early in the evening. Our plan now is to wait until Monday to speak with a case manager that will help us order the equipment we need in the home and all of the other aspects of home health care. We are hoping to get her home on Tuesday.

*The picture of the food* I thought for fun I would include mom's lunch she ordered after she talked with the counselor. She said in an angry tone, "Well, if I am going to die I might as well eat whatever I want!" As pictured you can see fried catfish, fried onion rings, fried shrimp, mac and cheese, coke float, and ice cream with caramel sauce."

Hospice talk...the right way

Mom's trusted primary neuro-oncologist physician came to the room at 5:30pm on Thanksgiving Eve. He had a day full of meetings with patients and wanted to spend quality time with mom before he went home to his family. Dr. Pudavalli floored me as he spoke with such ease, clarity, eloquence and compassion. Over nearly an hour and half he gently explained to mom that the only "treatment" they can offer at this point is to treat the symptoms. He admitted that we have run out of treatment options for the brain tumor. He discussed that in order to leave the hospital we need to discuss home health care options and he deftly worked the word hospice into the conversation.

The potential of getting out of the hospital - Mom is medically stable to be released from the hospital at this very moment. Dad and I, however, have reservation and fears about her coming home with no professional help lined up at home to care for mom. It is a tough decision that we must face. Mom wants to go home so bad, but since it is the Thanksgiving holidays nothing can be done until Monday in regards to setting up home health care. If we wait til Monday we have to endure the hospital for four more days through the holiday weekend. If we go home now, that will put a huge amount of pressure on Dad and I to take care of her at home. That is 24/7 intensive hands on care.

Physically - Mom is so weak at this point that it takes 2-3 people to help her transfer from the bed to the toilet seat. She is medically stable and can be released when she is ready and there is a plan of action for care at home.

Emotionally - She was just hit by a train square in the chest and is crying and screaming her way out of it. Since the highly unprofessional counselor came into the room and spoke the dreaded word of hospice out of context and out of order mom has cycled through crying spells and repeating herself, "I don't want to die. I could punch that woman. She took away all of my happiness. I have nothing to live for. Everyone is giving up on me."

Mentally - I think this is the first time since June 24th when she was diagnosed that she truly understands the severity of her diagnosis. For many of the past months she blindly trudged forward not fully comprehending that a grade IV inoperable glioblastoma malforme tumor is kind to no one. Perhaps this was her coping mechanism and perhaps that is how she has stayed so strong up until now. We do know for sure that she now understands that this disease will take her life.

I hear 20 times a day from all of our loved friends and family, "Brook, if there is anything I can do to help please let me know." I ask you all now to put on your big girl panties, pick up the phone, send an email, come visit mom and just spend time with her. Continue giving her what brings her the most joy, your love and friendship. She doesn't want food or flowers, she just wants to enjoy spending time with the people that she loves. I know it is scary, uncomfortable and sad to be around someone who is facing the last months of her life, but try to find the strength in you (just as so many of you have already) to spend time with her and call her as much as you can squeeze into your schedule.

It is 2:30am and mom is restless, but I just have to repeat one funny thing mom just said. Since this evil nameless counselor came into her room at 11:00am on Thanksgiving Eve mom has been obsessed with trying to find out who this woman is, getting her in the room, getting her boss in the room and chewing them out. She has asked everyone that comes into the room (even the nurses' aid) to find this woman's identity. She just pushed the call button and when the nurse's aid came in, mom said, "I need a police officer." I just had to laugh - at some point there is nothing else to do. Mom wants a police officer to come to her room at 2:30am on Thanksgiving to put together an investigation to find out who this woman is.

The dreaded word of hospice

A rough go for Mom on Thanksgiving eve in the hospital. Mom is medically stable and she will be released when they figure out a near perfect cocktail of drugs to manage her pain at home.

After a sluggish morning mom picked up her spirits and alertness only to have them shattered by the most unprofessional counselor I have ever been exposed to. Mom, her brother and I were sitting in the room when a counselor walked in and asked to chat. She said, "So I understand you have been talked to about hospice." Immediately Mom started to scream and yelled, "Get the hell out of my room!"

We do not know which counselor she was, we don't know where she came from, but I can assure you that is not the way to approach such a topic. That is supposed to come from a medical doctor and in a much softer, more professional manner than just so bluntly. I then heard the most blood curdling scream come from my mother's mouth. She spent hours crying, demanding the head manager from where the counselor works, repeating herself saying, "I don't want to die. I don't want to miss the wedding. I want to see my grand kids." It was the hardest day she has faced since the day she was diagnosed...and the day is not even over.

Cute mom video

In all of the bad news recently I wanted to add this cute video I took of mom a couple of weeks ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRcfjxDkczM

Latest trip to the ER

When mom woke up complaining of abdominal pain on Monday morning I knew I had to take her to the ER. Since this was the third morning of stomach pains I knew the doctors would direct us to do so. She was also in an extreme amount of pain on the left side of her body and we needed stronger medication to bring her comfort. We arrived at 9:00am and the summary was as follows:
1. She needed whole blood and platelet transfusion
2. She needs antibiotics because the diverticulitis is still present
3. They found a blood clot in her lower abdomen
4. They discussed the possibilities of a drainage for the diverticulitis
5. They put her on a two day bowel rest which means no food or drinks for two days
Morale of the story - they have admitted her again to the hospital.

At the very moment at 12:30pm on Tuesday she is stable and sleeping soundly with a good dose of some very strong pain medication. They are not concerned about the blood clot or diverticulitis at this point.

Their attention is now on the nerve pain on the left side of the body which could be an indication of the tumor working its way through the brain.

We do not know how long she will be in the hospital, it is almost not worth making a guess at how long she is in the hospital because they have not given us a time frame at all. I am guessing that we will be here for the good part of the week which means through Thanksgiving. It is so unpredictable though, it could be two days it could be two weeks.

She is in room P811 if anyone is interested in visiting her. Feel free to call my cell phone - 970-333-4035 if you would like further updates.

Ranch Weekend - Nov. 21st - 22nd

The family planned a surprise weekend for mom at Dad's company's ranch located two hours west of Houston. It was a very simple plan, leave on Friday return on Sunday and simply enjoy spending time with one another. Mom was very excited when she read the card that told her about the surprise (see the "youtube" video attached). While we did enjoy the comforts of the lovely ranch house, and it is a gorgeous ranch, it was tough to enjoy our time with mom because she was in so much pain. Nearly one month ago pain in her left side began and has been increasing to the point now where it is difficult to manage. She started having abdominal pains and we feared having to take her to the ER. We had good intentions and hopes for a great weekend, but it was simply a weekend at the ranch with a mom in pain and feeling fatigued.

Here is the you tube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZexeM4hBK54

Great news from the MRI

It is a miracle! We had such wonderful news from mom's neuro-oncologist. The results from the MRI showed us that her tumor has not grown in at least 8 weeks. Miraculously the "brightness" has even reduced (whatever that means). The tumor has not necessarily "shrunk" but since the swelling has gone down the images on the MRI were more accurate. This proves that the chemo and the radiation did the job it was intended to do!

Mom and I are currently at a 4 day quilt retreat in some random town in Texas. Besides the struggle of having to pack nearly half our possessions for this quilt retreat, mom is so happy to be with 15 of her friends and the opportunity to quilt all day for 4 days!

Mom is already planning every detail of Thanksgiving and delegating who is doing what which tells us one thing, "Vicki's back!"

The biggest challenge we have currently is getting mom to push herself in PT and OT as much as possible in order to maintain and hopefully gain more strength.

Milestone and Halloween

When I woke up this morning I was so excited to write nearly all good news on the blog concerning mom...until we went to her physical therapy appointment. I was putting her shoes on in the house and they nearly did not fit due to the extreme swelling in her feet. When we arrived to the PT clinic they checked her blood pressure and found a very high number. We called the doctor and they advised us to go to the ER. Shinikies! So off to MD Anderson we went again.

After spending nearly an entire day in the ER they concluded she only needed a platelet transfusion and then she could go home.

Milestone day: On October 28th the results from her blood work came in and for the first time since August she produced her own platelets!! We anticipated that a transfusion would be needed on that day but it was such exciting news that no transfusion was needed!

Mom has been busy with quilting and entertaining visiting friends. One of my BFF's (Hilary) came into town this last week and we had a lot of fun hanging out together. You will see a photo of Hilary and I dressed for a Halloween party. We also went to dinner one night to celebrate Tyler's birthday.

Mom's next scheduled MRI is November 10th so we will probably not have anymore medical updates until then. Two weeks ago she was sleeping 14-17 hours a day and now she is only sleeping about 10-12 hours a day. The headaches seem to have to have dissipated. For nearly two weeks neurological type pain has bothered her entire left side of her body and she was recently given medication to aid with this type of pain. Her general weakness in standing and walking is still very present, but she is still able to do the things she enjoys the most: quilting and spending time with friends and family.

Please remember when you communicate with mom she has trouble keeping dates and schedules straight so please confirm and check in with me if you want to make any plans with her. We are thankful to not see any long term memory affected, but her short term memory is showing signs of digression. As always, keep the phone calls coming in at anytime of the day or night and stop by anytime.

If you would like to see a video of mom quilting feel free to check out this video on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-50T3bFFRX4

Just for fun I have also posted another video of mom filmed in August during her radiation treatment. This one is very funny!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Y98Dx0wx6Q

There has been a silence on the blog as there is not much to report. Mom is busy with occupational and physical therapy and a few doctor appointments here and there. Her biggest symptom currently is fatigue, headaches and intermittent pain on the left side of her body.

We had visitors over this past week including my best friend's 2 year old daughter which brought a huge deal of joy to mom. It was a small taste at being a grandma.

With the help of many friends and family we pulled off a 60 person BBQ party at our house celebrating the engagement of Chad (my brother) and Angee. Having so many friends and family at our house eating delicious food, carving pumpkins with kids and laughter all around brought so much happiness to mom.

November 10th is her next MRI - until then we will continue to enjoy our days and make every effort to increase mom's strength and energy.

More good news from the home life status

It has been 10 days since Mom has been released from the hospital. Of those 10 days we have spent 4 out of 10 of the days at the hospital for a variety of reasons.

Currently her days are filled with physical therapy, managing her daily needs, sewing, the occasional visiting friend, and resting.

After some blood work this week the doctor told mom she did not have to have a platelet transfusion this week because her valued did not drop below 10,000! This is the longest stretch of time she has gone without a transfusion and we were very excited to learn this news.

The last two days mom has used her walker getting in and out of the car and going to PT as opposed to using her wheelchair so she is trying to push herself to regain strength.

The family would kindly like to ask for people to resist from bringing over sweet baked goods. She is on the verge of diabetes and when she takes steroids her cravings for sweets and carbs increases. We know these baked goods are filled with love and we appreciate the thought, but you would be supporting more by bringing over sugar free and gluten free foods (although please understand we have TONS of food at the house).

Thanks again for everyone's love and support!

Enjoying home life

I would like to apologize for the delay on this update.

Mom was released from the hospital on Monday Oct. 5th. Dad worked hard to prepare the house for mom's return home. We had to make adjustments to accommodate mom's new needs and of course rid the house of the possum smell. Once we arrived home that night mom enjoyed sleeping in her own bed.

It seemed for a couple days merely a tease for leaving the hospital. We spent all day on Tuesday and Wednesday at MD Anderson meeting with doctors, therapists and conducting even more tests. Mom blew me out of the water on Wednesday. We had to wake up at 5:30 am in order to make our first MD Anderson appointment.

This might be mundane to read, but for me it was such a memorable, fun and exciting day that I do not want to forget this epic adventure at the hospital. Mom had her first appointment with an OT to get fitted for a wheelchair, we then raced across the opposite side of the hospital to draw blood, then we went back to floor 8 to visit some of our patient friends who were not yet lucky enough to be out of the hospital, we then had an appointment with the owner and nurse of At Your Side company who would be providing in home health care for mom when needed, then we raced to the Mays clinic to meet with the Hematologist who conveniently forgot he had an appointment with mom so we left the Mays clinic without seeing the doctor, we raced back to the main building to meet with her lead oncologist doctor, after that appointment we went to the Gastro-Intestinal Center to meet with a doctor and as soon as we finished with him we raced back to the Mays clinic to meet with the Hematologist doctor. At the end of the last appointment we found ourselves at the furthest place in relationship to our parking spot. Pheew - I was exhausted!

The details of the day are not as important as the reflections on mom's spirit and energy. It was the first day mom felt full of energy and seemed back to her old self (relatively speaking) in months. We met so many people that day in the waiting rooms and on shuttles, shared our story, listened to even more stories, gave out hugs, laughed, cried and became enraged by the inefficiencies in the hospital system.

The most memorable part of the day came when mom, dad and I met with her head oncologist doctor and for the first time in MONTHS he shared some good news. Dr. Puduvalli in his calming, sincere and heartfelt tone said, "Mrs. Yates, reviewing your MRI I can say that your tumor is stable and it has not grown in four weeks." F*%$ yeah! Finally, finally, finally, finally we have something to really smile about.

The next four weeks will include outpatient physical and occupational therapy, blood work and transfusions every 5-6 days and occasional doctor check ups. We are looking forward to a light hospital schedule and enjoying time at home. Until the tumor shows growth activity mom will not be given any treatment (chemo or radiation) so she can regain strength and normal bone marrow results.

I am currently in Vegas with my brothers and Angee (Chad's fiance) for my cousin's (Blair) wedding. It was hard to leave mom behind as she could not fly with such low platelets. Her rock of a husband also stayed behind to be with her. While we miss their presence with us, it is comforting to know that mom is in the comforts of her own home. We hired a certified nurse assistant to help mom since I would not be around during the days while dad is at work.

Mom is getting back to her sewing room and her friends have been coming over to spend time with her. Nothing could raise her spirits more than quilting, spending time with friends and being at home with Dad. We have to sing songs and celebrate each time we have good days with mom.

Brook's thoughts on the doctors and nurses: I cried the other day thinking about the doctors who have to share horrifying news to patients and their families and a daily basis. When Puduvalli shared the good news with mom the you could feel the thick relief and joy radiating from everyone including the doctor and his nurse. Sadly, the opposite can be said for the days when knife stabbing news is shared but with equal intensity. The doctors and nurses at MD Anderson are incredibly human and they care so much about their patients they take on their joys and sadness. It must be exhausting to be in their shoes. I also found it interesting that mom praised Puduvalli for the good news even though Puduvalli had no part in the fact that the tumor did not grow.

Back to "In-patient" status

Mom stayed in the ER for nearly 30 hours until they finally finished with all of the tests and found an open room. When we arrived that day the hospital was 106% full. She found her way back to the 8th floor in room P821.

Every four days mom will still need platelet transfusions as her platelets are not producing on their own.

Mom is extremely weak and although the doctors tell us she only has several days to spend in the hospital, from experience we might interpret that as at least one week and then go from there.

My family generously let me go to Salt Lake City for the weekend as I had a previously planned committee meeting for the non-profit organization Ski For Light. This weekend has been a good respite for me and I want to thank my family for stepping in during my absence.

Back to the ER we go!

Our morning started with a routine trip to the hospital for blood work. Finally we got some great news! Mom's platelets were at a satisfactory level which means we do not need a platelet transfusion.

Before leaving the hospital mom had to share with the doctor that she had some indigestion issues and abdominal pain. They sent us to the gastrointestinal center. When we finally met with the GI doctor they reviewed the symptoms and decided to send mom to the Emergency Center.

They suspect that her diverticulitis or colon infection has returned. In order to properly diagnose these infections it requires a CT scan. A CT scan itself is a walk in the park, however, the contrast that she has to drink is not a walk in the park. This liquid causes violent diarrhea for nearly 24 hours. This will be mom's third CT scan in nearly one month.

It is now 7:00pm and mom is still waiting in the ER room. We have been waiting all day for our turn at the CT scan machine with no hope in sight. Two days out of the hospital and now I am sitting back in the visitor chair looking onto my mother as she lays in the all so familiar hospital bed waiting for the "pooping juice".

As awful as the story I am painting my mom is still able to have fun in the darkest of hours. Mom, Peggy (her best friend from high school) and I sat in the room all day telling stories, jokes and making the best of the situation. Mom still gives hugs to each and every nurse and makes such a beautiful connection with every person who tends to her.

As many things that have gone wrong and continue to go wrong, my mother and I still find ourselves in a state of gratefulness. Thanks for the continued love and support.

Much love to all of those who send their love, thoughts and prayers.

The day after escaping from the hospital

To add to the complication of our current life, a big, fat nasty, flea infested possum made its way into our home several weeks ago. Dad thought squirrels had nestled their way into the attic through a hole from the outside of the house. He thought he "chased" the squirrels out of the attic and then closed up the hole. Several days before mom was discharged from the hospital dad and I noticed an awful smell in the house. Dad went investigating with a respirator and proper equipment and he found a starved and dehydrated dead possum. Sooooooo, instead of going home from the hospital, mom and I went to my uncle's condo which is near downtown Houston.

Mom's first day away from the hospital included a trip back to the hospital as the nurses forgot to give us all of the proper medication. We also went grocery shopping which typically would not sound like a milestone, but after spending 29 days in the hospital going anywhere in public is news worthy.

Nothing else of significance happened as mother's fatigue had taken over. For a variety of reasons the following two days out of the hospital mom basically slept all through the day.

Discharge day!

September 29h

(Mom took her "Big Girl Panties" off the wall to go home. These are her therapists that came by to say good bye)

This morning I had to perform a dressing change, flush the line and cap change on her central venous catheter which is semi-permanently in her arm. I passed with flying colors :)

Dad also took this class....and well, he almost failed. While in the class he was working with a practice syringe in order to practice our home duties with her catheter. Dad pulled back on the plunger and pulled it out completely spilling the liquid in the barrel all over his station. Oh Bobby Yates, we can always count on you for some comedic relief!

Our last day in the hospital did not go as quickly or as smoothly as we would have wished for. By now though we should have anticipated this sort of thing happening. They wanted us to check out by 11:00 but they shared with us that her platelets level was at 16,000 (normal 140,000 - 300,000) and they wanted her to do one more transfusion before leaving the hospital.

While waiting for the platelet delivery Dad and I packed up her room. Also, tons of doctors, nurses, therapists and friends came by the room to wish mom well and to say goodbye.

After the transfusion we also had a surprise visit from her lead oncologist, Dr. Puduvalli.

Our next appointment with Dr. Puduvalli to decide the next step in attacking the tumor is October 14th. Between now and then mom will most likely need platelet transfusions every four days. She will have doctor appointments with the Gastro guy and the blood guy. She will also be going to PT and OT sessions at a facility in Deer Park.

Physical status: She will be using a walker and a wheelchair, but will also need to be spotted by someone at all times while using the gait belt as her knees can give out on her at anytime. She can take her of daily needs with very minimal assistance.

Emotional/mental: From the very beginning Mom has had a very strong and hopeful spirit. This month in the hospital has truly challenged her spirit, especially when she learned that her brain tumor is still growing. She oscillates between angry, peace, sad, elated, grateful, scared - basically she goes through the rainbow of emotions on a daily basis. Spending time with friends and family always brightens her day and boosts her spirt. Keep those phone calls coming and please visit us at the house if and when you can.

Medical explanation of Mom's health status (if you are interested in reading about all of the detail here you go).

- The biggest challenge we are currently facing is her low platelet levels and mom's inability to naturally create these vital cells. Since her level is 16,000 they gave her a transfusion which typically jumps her level to 50-65,000. Over a few days her levels have typically dropped to 10-20,000. The dangers of having platelet levels lower than 10,000 include spontaneous bleeding (internal bleeding, blood in stools, bleeding nose etc.) and can become life threatening. She has to be careful not to cut herself and avoid major bruising. A medical treatment to stimulate platelet production does not exist so we must wait for nature to kick in and start producing those darn platelets.

- October 6th she goes in for another MRI and we will check in with Dr. Puduvalli on October 7th to learn the status of the tumor.

- We are still anxiously waiting to start the next tumor treatment called Avastin. Before she can begin with this bio-therapy treatment her diverticulitis has to be completely healed, therefore we are meeting with a gastro doctor in the next couple of weeks.

- Even if and when she is approved to begin the Avastin treatment mom will have to make the tough decision to treat or not treat as there are many side effects that could cause harm. No one can predict whether the side effects will or will not effect her so that is why it is a tough decision.

Rehabilitation Day 6

September 28th, 2009

Mom's last day of rehabilitation went smoothly. She worked very hard in PT, group exercise and OT. She took a shower on a similar shower bench to prove her readiness for home.

Medically everything is stable except for her low platelets which we might have to come to MD Anderson every couple of days for a transfusion.

The next appointment with her primary oncologist will be tomorrow to check her platelets. When we get back to Deer Park we will be going to a local PT for continued therapy and enjoying days away from the hospital.

We will miss the fellow patients, patient's families, nurses, doctors, therapists and administrative staff we have become close to over this month in the hospital. They feel like my only friends in the Houston area. Everyone at MD Anderson maintained a strong work ethic, demonstrated compassion, patience and love. They made our stay as pleasant as a stay in a hospital could be.

Rehabilitation Weekend

Mom had a great weekend. We are still looking forward to a discharge date of Tuesday, September 29th.

While good news is all around at the hospital, we have some bad news concerning our abode. After suffering a house filled stench for days, dad finally had time to investigate the ridiculous problem. This evening he found a dead possum in our attic. Mom is excited to go home, but we may be staying at my Uncle's condo in Houston until the vomit inducing smell of a dead animal has found its way out of our home.

White blood cells are still holding up very strongly!

After her platelet transfusion several days her level went from 10,000 to 65,000. They have since dropped down to 35,000 still showing signs that she is not producing her own platelets.

Mom and I would want to give a big shout out to all of the wonderful friends and family who visited this weekend! The swinging door kept mom entertained and her cup of love was filled.

Tomorrow she faces her last day of in-patient rehabilitation. Send her a text to remind her to kick some ass and work hard!

Rehabilitation Day 4

It was an early morning when they woke mom up at 5:00am to draw some blood and to tell her they would be picking her up at 7:15am for her IVC procedure. By 7:45 they had already started the drugs. The procedure went smoothly and in one hour she was waiting in the recovery room. By 10:00am she made it back to her room for a day full of rest.

She tried to tough it out with OT and PT although she could not give much effort because of the residual effects from the near sedation.

This weekend she gets a vacation from physical and occupational therapy and it looks like she will have tons of visitors!

We are still hoping for the discharge date of September 29th.

Rehabilitation Day 3

(This picture is from her last day of radiation on August 24th)

A great day to report! Nothing exceptionally bad or exceptionally good happened today.

Platelets have dropped to an all time low of 10,000 so she will get another platelet transfusion today (that just means they hook her back up to an IV).

Tomorrow she is scheduled for her ICV filter procedure at 9:00.

During PT she lapped the nurses station 4 times with only one break.

Nothing tastes good to her so she is still not eating very well but her blood work in regards to her nutrition is good. She is actually losing some weight which in the end might be good so she doesn't have to carry so much weight when she walks and stands up.

Group therapy was extremely boring as they played memory with a deck of cards.

During occupational therapy we came up with some strategies and home care products we need to purchase.

Brenda came to relieve me for the night.

All in all a great day.

Rehabilitation Day 2

(This photo was taken the weekend after she was diagnosed - June 26th)
The day of realization: Mom woke up this morning and just before attempting to eat breakfast she asked me, "Brook, is my tumor growing?" I stood quiet for a moment and somberly nodded my head. Even though Mom was told by the doctors one week prior that the tumor has grown, it was only in this moment she was ready to process the news. Naturally she broke down and this started a day full of tears and telling each person she came into contact with that her tumor is growing. Through the tears and anger she is working towards accepting her tumor.

News updates:

White blood cells - they are remaining at healthy levels

Platelets - They dropped back down to 16,000 (normal range 200,000 to 400,000)

Nutrition - Even though she has only been able to eat several bites of food at each meal the blood work shows her nutrition is exactly where it is supposed to be! Tonight they gave her medicinal marijuana to hopefully increase her appetite. I am still trying to figure out a way to sneak some for myself :)

Bone marrow biopsy report - The doctors reported that they have every reason to believe that the lack of platelet production is due to the residual response from the chemo and they are not suspecting any other secondary condition. This is good because it means we are not dealing with a secondary medical condition/cancer, but it is negative because she is no longer a candidate for chemotherapy

Diverticulitis - healed to 50%-75%

The rehabilitation team has given her a tentative discharge date for September 29th! The light is at the end of the tunnel.

She pushed hard during physical therapy and made three laps around the nurses station with no breaks!

After a rest between therapy sessions we made our way to group therapy. Wednesday's is music therapy which mom HATES! After social directing the group and once we got started with the actual music therapy which consisted of making notes with the letters of your name, mom gave me the predetermined signal for me to get her the hell out of there!

After we snuck out of group music therapy the white coats entered our room to tell us more news. Mom cannot go home with low platelet levels without a way to manage the potential risk of blood clots. To avoid blood clots she has been taking blood thinning shots each morning. She cannot take this blood thinning medicine however when her platelets drop below 20,000, therefore she has to have yet another operation. On Friday she will have an Inferior Venna Cava Filter installed via a catheter via a port on her chest. This will prevent blood clot in the lungs.

After some more crying we took a nap together in the hospital bed. It reminded me of the days when I was afraid to sleep by myself and mom would always let me sneak in bed with her.

She worked with the occupational therapist in the afternoon with bath rooming and grooming. She got another shower and this time managed not spray her shoes and her guests with the nozzle. She was a little out of control the other day in the shower.

Her friend Tater came for a bit to give me a break. Soon there after another friend Kathy came to give me big relief for the evening.

Mom made a friend during music therapy in room 22 who is also a quilter. Kathy took mom to see her and they had a nice long chat about quilting and cancer.

She went down early for another peaceful rest.

Day 1 of Rehabilitation Therapy

(This is a fun family photo taken - June 26th)

The day started with an attempt at breakfast but deterred by the overriding nausea.

Her first rehabilitation meeting was with Ellen for speech therapy to work on cognitive skills such as memory and concentration.

She reached another milestone when the nurse removed her catheter.

During physical therapy she walked using her walking two laps around the nurses station! This is the most she has walked in three weeks! It was so exciting. We even made it to the PT gym and she did 10 minutes on the cardio leg press machine.

We were done by 12:00 with all of the hard work and after a trip to the cyber center we spent rest of the afternoon watching movies and relaxing. She went down early in the evening as the morning wiped her out.

We are still waiting for the results from the bone marrow. The delay of the test results is no surprise to us as everything in hospital land is late.

9/21 - Turn around day!

(Mom and some of her closest friends in her quilt world)

I started the blog in 3rd person, but now I (Brook) am switching it to 1st person because it is easier. Sorry for any confusion.

Although the morning did not show potential signs of a "turn around day", as the hours passed during Mom reached more milestones and positive news spilled from the doctors mouths.

Mom's white blood cells have climbed their way to 2.4 (normal range 4-11) compared to the stationary 0.6 level she has had for nearly three weeks. This means we no longer have to wear masks when we are in the room!!!

She took a shower for the first time in 21 days :)

Perhaps the biggest highlight of the day came when one of her favorite physical therapists, Nahir, came for a PT session and assisted her with walking 20 feet using her walker. I am convinced I know the reason for this new found strength. Earlier in the day we hunted down Nahir who told Mom one week ago she was having trouble with a specific technical aspect of quilting. Mom had me bring from home the beginners quilting manual my mother made and a sample binding piece to show Nahir. During Nahir's lunch break Mom taught Nahir how to properly sew a binding of a quilt. This brought so much joy to my mom - she had a sense of purpose and passed along some wonderful knowledge to a young quilter who soaked up the advice like a sponge.

After three days of an uneasy and a testy stomach she finally put down some food that will aid her in regaining her strength.

Another milestone reached today occurred when Dr. Shin came into the room to announce that she had been transfered to rehabilitation services. This means that medically there is nothing else the doctors need to do at this time because she is stable. Even though her new in-patient primary doctor has changed luckily we get to stay in the same room. She will be with rehabilitation services until she can safely transfer out of bed to the walker to access the toilet and shower. A loose estimate of one week was given, although we have learned through this experience that time lines and schedules in the hospital mean NOTHING! Whenever mom is ready is when mom will be ready to go home.

We are still waiting for the bone marrow biopsy test results - hopefully we will have them tomorrow.

Request for electronic photos

If you have electronic photos of Vicki please email to brookyates@gmail.com. Thank you!

Details of hospital and visitation

It is likely that Vicki has weeks to months left in the hospital. She loves to have visitors and the family will be looking to have people to take "shifts" as Vicki cannot handle being at the hospital by herself. Vicki's daughter, Brook, is acting as one of the primary "care givers" spending most days and nights in the hospital. If you are interested in visiting or taking a shift please communicate with Brook (brookyates@gmail.com - 970-333-4035). Vicki is on so many drugs and her short term memory has been affected she cannot keep up with the schedule.

She is at MD Anderson in room P816. If you park in parking lot #2 (this is the best parking lot) walk across the street towards the MD Anderson building you will get on elevator E. Take the E elevator to the 8th floor. There are two units on the floor - walk to the unit on the left and just ask for room P816. If you walk to the unit on the right it is not a problem because it is only 30 feet away. When you arrive you will need to wash your hands and put on a face mask.

There are not set visitor hours, feel free to stop by anytime. You can call her room directly - 713-834-8724 or call my cell phone 970-333-4035 and I will let you know when would be a good time to see her.

Generally speaking during the day therapists and doctors are in and out of her room working with her so if you take a "shift" or visit during the day there will be lots of action. If you want to come in the evening there are typically not many interruptions.

Disclaimer - DO NOT SEND FLOWERS! At this point we have everything we need and I know people want to do something for Vicki and the family and when we think of things we need we will ask and appreciate the out-poor of support.