In the hospital again

Mom is in the hospital again. She was admitted on Tuesday because she had become so dehydrated. The chemo drug she was on really started to take a tool on her body. She had had a couple of days where she was unable to keep anything she ate down and just wasn't feeling well and was in quite a bit of abdominal pain. Dad took her to the ER where the dr said she just couldn't see sending her home in that condition. So they said they would like to admit her for a couple of days to build back her strength and get her to where she can eat.

They did a CT Scan and found out that the drug caused her to develop inflamed small intestines. There isn't really a treatment per se, but she finished the chemo drug and isn't on it anymore and being off it should help.

She has been on pain medication and IV fluids and nutrients to help he body stay healthy. She is on a liquid diet and still has been throwing up and is still in quiet a bit of pain. They now have said they expect her to be there until Tuesday.

Please keep her in your prayers, she really is just miserable and would like to be anywhere but in the hospital in pain.

Pnemonitis

Posts from Facebook for those not on it



Teresa Hempel Johnson
July 20 · Edited ·
My mom, Julie Castleton Hempel is in the hospital. She is running a fever and believe she has pneumonia. She is under isolation and is getting a lot of sleep. Visitors are not recommended. First because may still be contagious and second she needs all the rest she can get. Please keep her in your prayers. She is feeling pretty rotten. She is where she needs to be to get better though. Love you mom!


Teresa Hempel Johnson
July 20 ·
Mom's tests came back and it isn't viral, which is good. They seem to be monitoring everything so she is getting good care. Very good nurses. — with Julie Castleton Hempel at Ihc Hospital.

Teresa Hempel Johnson
July 24 ·
Julie Castleton Hempel is doing better today. Not all better, but improving. We think they have found antibiotics that are finally working. She is still in ICU, but breathing so much better.


Teresa Hempel Johnson
July 24 ·
The best sound.. Mom laughing. — with Julie Castleton Hempel at Intermountain Medical Center.

Teresa Hempel Johnson
July 25 ·
I have the privilege of staying here with my mom in the ICU. I was able to give her a very needed head massage not only for the moisture from the dry skin of radiation but also for her headache. She won't let me post a picture of her without her hair. She forgets that I don't notice the hair, it's her beautiful smile and fighting spirit that I see. I love you mom! — with Julie Castleton Hempel.

Karie Hempel Crawford‎Julie Castleton Hempel
July 26 ·
Mom had a really restful, uneventful night! I think sleep is so crucial to healing the body.

Karie Hempel Crawford‎Julie Castleton Hempel
July 26 ·
Things are looking up! The dr is pleased with her improvements! She will be in ICU through out the weekend but he is hopeful that she will move to a general care floor after that! Thank you for all your prayers. Mom has a determined fighting spirit.
Meanwhile, I get this view!



Karie Hempel Crawford‎Julie Castleton Hempel
July 27 ·
Mom is doing really good! Working on getting out of this joint! She is quite determined to get better and go home. Dr. say tests results are looking improved and she definitely is breathing better. She was up walking around and is getting stronger!


Karie Hempel Crawford‎Julie Castleton Hempel
July 28 ·
Mom has been making leaps and bounds the last few days. She is officially off the IV, her oxygen needs are minimal and she can get up and move around unassisted. We can't tell you how grateful and amazed we are for/with her recovery. The thoughts and prayers offered on her behalf have strengthened her immensely. She can go on to fight the battle ahead of her, a chance we didn't know if she would get.
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CT Scan - Cancer is back

I had a CT scan last week (December 19th) and the doctor says I have more tumors.  They are still very smaill - the biggest one being only 6 mm.  In discussion with the doctor, he said to wait as long as I can to have chemo, because chemo is like antibiotics; the more you use them, the less effective they are.  He said though that I would have to have chemo within the next 6 months to a year, and perhaps sooner if the symptoms are unmanageable (cough and pain in the lungs).  The best news is that I don't have to have chemo through the Holidays. 

Last CT Scan Results

I had a CT scan on 8/21/2013.  The results were two nodules in my lungs, one in right lobe at 3.3 mm. and one in left upper lobe at 2.0 mm.  The doctor said that they were so small that there is nothing to do but wait.  We scheduled another CT in December.  Hopefully it is nothing.  Wait and see is very hard to do when you're talking about cancer.  Keeping my fingers crossed.

Good Report -- Again! Woo Hoo!

I had a CT scan last Monday, April 16th, and from what I could read all of the spots we could see on the last scan were from the blood clots. I reserved my excitement until I could hear it from the doctor. My appointment was today and he confirmed that there are NO NEW TUMORS!!! I think this is a miracle as the form of cancer I have is very aggressive and has a low survival rate past 5 years. I have now been stable for two years in May.

The next scan isn't until August so I am going to have a great summer!

I THOUGHT I WAS DONE WITH THE PAIN!

Since I had no pain on Saturday, I thought it would be safe to go to dinner to celebrate David's birthday. Just as I was finishing up dinner, I started getting pain again in my back. Wayne took me home immediately and I took Lortab and laid down. The Lortab helped rather quickly -- within a half hour. At about 5:30 in the morning I woke up with that same pain. So again I took some more Lortab and waiting for the pain to subside before going back to sleep.

It's Monday now and I have had any of the same debilitating pain since Sunday morning. I did take a Lortab one more time last night just in case. I don't plan on taking anything tonight, so we will see if the pain comes back. Hopefully not. Still when I breathe deeply I can feel that the clots are still there, but the constant pain is no longer there. I am to just watch my activities -- nothing too strenuous -- and the clots should dissolve in a few days.

Another week at home and I will be back to my old self again. I'm glad this episode of my life had a happy ending. I get a reprieve for another two months and I'm hoping for another good ending.

What is going on with my body?

Last month I had another surgery (female stuff). Since then I have been feeling really tired, hard to catch my breath, and my back hurting when I breathe deeply. I thought the cancer must have returned, so I waited patiently for the CT scan that was scheduled for February 22. After the scan, the tech asked me to wait until after the radiologist looked at it. (RED FLAG!) She came back and told me she called my doctor's office and they wanted me to go right over. (ANOTHER RED FLAG) The short walk to their office seemed longer than I remembered it. Wayne said "now they've got me worried." They called us in and the doctor was there but the PA said I had four blood clots in my lungs, two in each lung. No wonder I couldn't catch my breath. I also asked if there were tumors, and he said yes. My heart sunk and thought I would have to start chemo again right away. They gave me a script for Lovenox (blood thinner) and told me start taking coumadin again. Also, he said my vitals were good so he would send me home if I promised to "lay low" and do nothing strenuous. I had a doctor appt. with my doctor on Friday already scheduled so he said to come back and see him then.

That night I was trying to sleep and my body hurt, when I would lie down my back hurt and I couldn't get comfortable. About 1:00 a.m. I just started sobbing and couldn't control it. I guess I needed to get all those emotions out. Wayne held me close and thought that perhaps I should be in the hospital. I said no, they couldn't do anything more for me than I was doing for myself. I took some tylenol (because now I can't take ibuprofen with blood thinners) and an anxiety pill. I found a comfortable spot on my body I could sleep on and I fell asleep until morning. I stayed in bed all day Thursday and cancelled everything for the next week.

Friday Wayne, Karie and I went to the doctor. He said that he wasn't 100% positive that the cancer had come back. He wasn't sure if the spots on the CT were cancer or blood clots. So the plan now is to wait two months, get another CT scan and see what's left. The blood clots will be gone so if there are any further lesions on my lungs, then it would be cancer. He told me to do what I was doing already for the blood thinners, and that I wasn't in any danger of them moving because I already had been doing everything for two weeks and if they would have moved, they would have already done so. It looks like I missed another bullet that could have killed me. Thank goodness.

On the way home from the doctor, my back started hurting a little, then a little more, then a lot more, then severe pain. I had to take shallow breaths. Wayne drove me straight to the hospital. They got me in immediately and started an IV in my port, took a couple of tests including an x-ray, and then finally - they gave me morphine. The pain finally subsided. The doctor told me I could go home because again I could do for myself what the hospital would do for me anyway. So after four hours or so, we finally headed home with scripts for Lortab and Zofran. I went directly to bed, watched a little TV, took my medicine (didn't need Lortab - I hate that stuff) and fell asleep.

I woke up this morning with NO PAIN -- anywhere. It's so amazing. Now just another long two months to see if the cancer has come back. Keep those prayers and thoughts coming. I am hopeful that all will be well.