Ascites

Ma had her CT scan Friday. She did have fluid in her abdomen, and they drained 2.5 liters from her.

Correction to her weight. She had told me she weighed 159. Turns out she meant 129. Big difference. Anyway, she was down to 123 after the procedure.

She's been having cramps and diarrhea and takes Vicodin for the pain. Pa thinks it's all due to the Xeloda. Her last dose is Wednesday morning. Maybe her symptoms will be relieved after that. She sees Dr. Irwin on the 25th. I think he plans on giving her a break from the chemo.

Acid Reflux

Ma has been complaining of acid reflux for a week now. She's also bloated. Three days ago she weighed 123 lbs. Today she weighed 159! The extra weight is probably due to fluid in her abdomen. That's like 4 lbs. of water. She's having a CT scan done on Friday and will have the fluid drained then. Dr. Irwin doesn't know if the ascites is due to her cancer or her liver. Her PET scans show spots on her liver that the radiologists interpret as cirrhosis.

A Xeloda Side Effect

When Ma first started taking Xeloda, I kept asking her if she had any side effects. She said no. Today I found out she's been getting dry lips and mouth sores. She's been using her leftover "magic mouthwash" from last year. It's a mixture of Nystatin, lidocaine, Benadryl & Maalox I don't know if it's helping, but she's able to eat. In fact, sometimes she eats too much. Last night her blood sugar was nearly 400!

Ma saw Dr. Irwin today. He'll keep her on Xeloda for now and will see her again before Thanksgiving. Her breast isn't as angry red as it was before, but we don't know if it's the Xeloda that made a difference. Her tumor marker CA 15-3 went up to 49.4. It had been 38 in early September. Normal is 0-25.

No Radiation

Ma had an appointment this morning with Dr. Shank, the radiation oncologist. Dr. Shank feels that additional radiation will not help Ma at this stage. This is what I expected to hear.

Afterwards Ma had her port flushed. I keep forgetting to ask if Ma should have it removed, but maybe it's better to keep it just in case.

Crappy Insurance

I spent over an hour making phone calls to the online pharmacy and insurance company and the pharmaceutical company. It looks like the $366 copay is correct. That's $530 a month or $6350 a year. I thought Ma had good insurance but apparently not when it comes to her chemo pills.

Xeloda Arrived Today

Ma's pills arrived today, and she took her first dose of 3 pills tonight. She'll be taking them twice a day for the next two weeks, then she gets a week off. If she gets severe side effects, the oncologist can adjust the dosage.

Ma ordered her Xeloda online hoping that will save money, but the online pharmacy claims she has a copay of $366. That's too much! I hope it's just a billing error. According to the manufacturer (Roche), Xeloda is covered under Medicare Part B. I suspect the pharmacy is erroneously charging her meds under Medicare Part D (prescription drug coverage). Apparently a lot of pharmacies don't know how to bill oral cancer medications. Roche even provides the correct billing codes. I'm hoping we can clear this up in the next few days.

Skin Metastasis

Ma's cancer has spread to her skin. The symptoms: red, itchy skin on one breast only (the one that got a lumpectomy) along with tumor nodules. The treatment: An oral chemo called Xeloda. It's milder than IV chemo. The worst side effects are diarrhea and hand & foot syndrome. Hair loss and nausea, while possible, are less likely to happen.

Ma will take 3 pills (500 mg. each) in the morning and 3 pills at night every day for two weeks, take one week off, then start the cycle all over again. She'll be on it indefinitely.