Information on Jane's Memorial Service and Lunch-in

This is Jane’s Husband, Mike

  Before I tell you where Jane’s Memorial Service is,  I need to start with a small story that started several weeks ago.

  Bob and Debbie Sencenbaugh contacted us telling us that they were going to have a Dog Weight Pulling contest in Jane’s honor.   Bob stated that the proceeds from the Weight Pull were strictly for Jane to have some fun with.   

  Jane and I talked it over and decided to use the money for our 1st anniversary, a date that we didn’t know we would make.   

  We missed the first day of the Weight Pull, but made it the second day.   We found out that the many members of the Denver Samoyed Association had helped out both on Saturday and Sunday with people traveling as far as Colorado Springs in order to support Jane.   Jane didn’t want to go at first cause she felt slightly embarrassed, but with a little push from me we showed up.   When we got there and found out how many of Jane’s friends had come out to help,  she was glad she came and amazed how many people around were supporting her.

  The amount that Bob gave us in proceeds was far more then anyone expected.  Bob explained that many people entered without actually showing up just so Jane could receive a little something.  Again, both Jane and I were blown away!

  As we came closer to our anniversary, we made reservations for a Bed & Breakfast in Woodland Park.  We decided to explore Colorado and that looked like a good place to spend the weekend.    

  Then Jane’s condition changed.  One morning a few weeks ago, we talked and decided to cancel or reservations because Jane was spending most of the time in bed and really was to week to do anything exciting.  We talked about what to do with the money and she said that it would be nice to have a party with her friends and loved ones.   ( we had talked about having a series of parties for her friends earlier in the year, but due to chemo and not feeling good, we never got around to it )

She also stated that it would be nice to have it where we got married, at the Club House close to were we lived.    Unfortunately, Jane’s time ran out.

  This service is with Jane’s wishes in mind,

EVENT:  Memorial Service for Jane F. Reller 

                                        with 

               A Lunch will be provided after the service for all of Jane’s 

               friends.  This will give us the chance to tell “Jane Stories” 

               and to have some food and fun.

PURPOSE:   To remember Jane, but also to realize that even if 

                Jane is gone, she want to celebrate “LIFE”   Jane Loved

                each and every one of you, and wanted to give something 

                back!  This is a way for me and  Jane’s family to honor 

                 Jane's wishes.

TIME:  1:00pm to 4:00pm 

DATE:  May 3rd, 2009

LOCATION:  Heritage Todd Creek Golf Club

                     8455 Heritage Drive

                    Thornton, Colorado

                    80602

  For those who wish to make a donation, Jane worked

extensively with the Denver Samoyed Rescue.  Here is there

information

Denver Samoyed Rescue

PO Box 1564

Arvada, CO  80001-1564

Here is a little map to help show how to get to the memorial:

( if you have questions, feel free to e-mail me at msprewitt@gmail.com )

Jane's passing

  This is Jane's Husband, Mike.

  I am sad to report that Jane Frances Reller passed away today ( 4/29 ) at

1:40p.m  MDT.   

  I will find out more tomorrow ( 4/30 ) about memorial service

arrangements.   As soon as have the details, I will post them on 

this blog.

  For all the people who have known Jane,  both I and the Reller

family share your grief and sense of loss.

  Jane was a wonderful lady and I, like you, will dearly miss her.

Regards,

Mike Prewitt  ( Jane's Husband )

Mike and Jane in Feb of 2009

Jane's Status!

  This is Jane's Husband, Mike.   

After several requests for updates to Jane's blog, I have taken the roll of presenting an  update of Jane's status and everything that has happened up to this point.

April 1st, 2009  - Jane went to play pool and had brought her A-game.  she lost her 8-ball match, but won her 9-ball match.   Her play has been some of the best I have seen Jane ever do.   A good way to end her pool playing career ( more on this later ).

April 2nd - Jane went in to have a paracentesis ( a procedure that would remove fluid in Jane's abdomen ).  Excessive fluid has been collecting for 2-3 weeks within Jane's abdomen and was causing her breathing problems and the sensation that she was full all the time.    This is a common thing with cancer patients.   They took out 4 liters, or about 10 pounds of fluid.

April 3rd -  Jane had some bleeding issues so we went to University Hospital.  After looking at her blood test, it was felt that she needed to be hospitalized overnight in order to give her some vitamin K and a blood transfusion.   

April 4th, Jane was released from the Hospital feeling somewhat better,  but was still weaker then she had been earlier in the week.

April 7th - Jane went in for a post hospital doctor's visit.  They took Jane's lab and found that her kidney function  was seriously compromised.  This is big news because we were  hoping onto getting in another Phase 1 Study, but the kidney levels were to high for Jane to qualify.

April 9th -  I found Jane sitting on the floor babbling and not making any sense.  I had been sleeping in a different bedroom because of the pain, Jane has become a very light sleeper.  ( Jane says I snore, but I never heard myself snore, since I always am sleeping ) For several mornings previously, she had been calling me by telephone around in the morning to feed the dog and cats.   This morning, I woke up at 6 in order to get ready to go to the hospital.   I was surprised that Jane hadn't called me, and seeing the animals demanding food, I knew that Jane hadn't fed them.   I went into the bedroom, found a very upset Jane trying to figure out how to stand up and who's speech didn't make any sense.   I got her into bed, fed the dogs/cats and called Jane's sister to help.    

Since we had an early appointment with Jane's doctor, we decided to take her to the University Hospital Cancer Center so he could evaluate her condition.   The doctor took blood tests and came back saying that her kidneys were to far gone for any chemo-therapy.   His advice was to contact Hospice and try to make Jane as comfortable as possible.    He said that she had weeks maybe couple of months.

The doctor admitted Jane to University Hospital again.  Anne called Jane's other sisters and family and stated that they may want to come.  Jane wasn't looking so good.

April 10th - I spent the night in the hospital with Jane.  About every hour or so, she needed to use the bathroom.   I helped every time because she was not able to walk under her own power.  But as the early morning went on,  Jane became more and more cognizant of what was happening.  by mid morning, she was back, though she was very weak and had very little color in her skin.

The Hospice contact came in, and Jane was upset that the Doctor hadn't told her that chemo was not an option.  ( remember, Jane had no memory of the day before )   We got the doctor on the phone and he told Jane that her options were pretty limited at this point.  It was hard to see Jane relive what the rest of us had gone through the day before.  It was decided that she would spend another night in the hospital while Hospice set up everything for Jane at the house.  

April 11 - After a major cleaning of the house by Jane's sisters and a few friends, Jane came home.   She was functioning better, and seemed to be stronger.  Hospice provided a walker and an oxygen machine  to help with Jane's breathing.    Both Jane's parents showed up and helped around the house.    Some people came to visit, and for the most part, it was a good but exhausting day.

April 12 -  Jane saw more visitors and again, another really exhausting day.  

April 15 -  Jane started the day out good, but ...   we were out on the front porch in the swinging chair.   It got cold and we decided to go in.   Last I saw was jane up and walking to the door.  Next thing I know she and fallen on her back and hit her head on the cement.   We tried to stand her up but it seemed like she was in deep pain ( later we found out that she had a strong case of vertigo and nausea )  so we left her lying down, putting a pillow over her head, covering her in blankets and waited for the ambulance to arrive.   

The EMT's arrived and together we decided that it would be best if we went to the hospital.   We arrived at the emergency room at University Hospital where they gave her anti-nausea and pain medication.   The doctor said that there was a big knot on Jane's head, but because Jane was so weak, there wasn’t a lot they could do.   We got home around 10:30 that night..  

April 16 -  Jane slept most of the day.  Every time she got up to either take her pills or use the bathroom, she vomited. 

April 17th -  Jane was doing better.   By this time, she wasn't vomiting, but was still dizzy when she got up.    That afternoon, she had her second paracentesis.   This time they pulled out 7.4 liters, or pretty close to 8 quarts.  Again, this is like 15-16 pounds of fluid.  

April 18, April 19 -   Jane has started to eat a little bit, and has gradually been getting stronger.  She is still pretty fatigued and is very frail.    

April 20th -  In the morning, Jane got up and with the walker came out in the breakfast nook area.  After a while, she decided to move to the living-room and sit in her chair.   she napped for a few hours.   When she got up again, she headed towards the bed-room to take a nap.  On the trip back, her legs collapsed due to lack of strength and she fell down and again wacked her head on the wood floor.  After about 30 minutes, we got her into the wheel-chair and got her to bed.   

This morning as I write this, she wanted me to wheel her out to the living room and is sitting in her recliner.  so today is starting out good.

Currently, Jane isn’t able to walk, can move with a lot of assistance,

doesn’t talk very much because talking takes large amounts of energy, and hasn’t eaten in 2 days.   Jane is also being medicated for pain.  Jane’s family and I are doing our very best to keep Jane comfortable.     We feel that Jane’s time in this world is short.   

We are now up to date more or less on Jane's status.   I know she has a lot of idea's to post to this blog, but to be honest with you all, I am not sure if she will be able to post again.  Like you all, I am keeping my finger's crossed that she will.  

A few weeks ago, she told me that the time is coming soon when she will be making that trip over the rainbow bridge herself.  I just hope that Sydney, Cooper, Nikki ( her first dog ) and all her other pets are there to greet her.    

I don’t know what to say at this point except thank you for all the positive support!   

Mike Prewitt ( Jane’s Husband )     

Realism vs. Optimism

A few weeks ago I wrote about optimism vs. realism. After actually reading my CT scan report, I think I also need to look at things from this perspective as well. We had looked at the scan while the doc read some of the notes. When I read it myself it doesn't sound as rosy. There were lots of uses of the words 'bigger, more, new, increased, spread', etc.

Sometimes I may gloss over how things really are and how I present them to people. Today you get the true version of JRz pancreatic cancer (pancan). I'll try not to get too graphic, but give you the gist of it.

I've lost >60 lbs in less than a year. Not just the unattractive fat, but the muscle as well. I have loose skin hanging from my upper arms, thighs, and stomach. If I was healthy, I'd be all over getting a full body lift and makeover. But... Also, I have no padding anymore. Sitting on hard furniture is really uncomfortable. I can, tho, cross my legs and have the leg on top touch the floor and sometimes wrap behind the other leg. That's a new one for me.

My abdomen is distended. I look like I'm pregnant. Tomorrow I will have some fluid removed. I can't wait. I constantly feel like I've just eaten three turkey dinners and feel slightly nauseated. It's very uncomfortable. I'm hungry and I just can't eat enough, and I know that's not good. Hopefully I'll be able to eat again and maybe gain a little weight back.

I probably usually look better than I feel. I sleep on average (between night and nap) about 12 hours per day. I'm not full of energy, altho I try to summon, save, or build up energy for the things I want or need to do. That's pretty invisible to most people.

Being on a narcotic wreaks havoc with my bowels. I go from constipation with cramping, bleeding, and pain to the other extreme of gas and diarrhea. Can't quite seem to find the balance. I'm really hoping getting the abdominal fluid removed will help.

Chemo brain is the least physical, but it's a scary thing to deal with. I can't focus well, have a hard time working on one task for any period of time, and of course have memory problems. It's just flat out disturbing, since I remember the person I used to be who could juggle several things at once.

I just feel weak. I used to be strong, and even tho overweight, in some semblance of reasonable shape. I surprise myself sometimes, by how much of that strength is gone. It worries me.

I'm happy that I haven't had to spend a night in a hospital, have surgery, or have radiation. I'm not saying the good outweighs the bad. I am always aware that things could be worse than they are.

Thanks again for your prayers, positive thoughts, support, and help with some of the more mundane tasks of life. You all are inspiration in the fight forward. xo

A Glimpse Into Alzheimers?

Last week while I was playing pool, something happened. My opponent scratched on her shot, so it was my 'ball in hand' to put anywhere on the table. I saw that I needed a bridge to get at my target ball, so put the cue ball at the end of the table to get the bridge. When I stood up, I saw that the cue ball was at the other end of the table from my target ball, and got confused as to why I would need a bridge. What was I thinking? I put the bridge back and made the shot. Then I realized that it had been my 'ball in hand' and that I was going to move the ball closer to my target ball and then use the bridge to shoot. I was shocked by the mistake I had just made. A few minutes later I realized that I had missed my afternoon pain killer and was pretty uncomfortable. Plus the confusion over what I had just done, was very disconcerting.

I'm not saying that I have Alzheimers, but I think I got a glimpse of what it is like to momentarily have forgotten what I was doing. Once I took a pain pill and it kicked in, I was able to focus better.

This wasn't like we all forget why we got up from the couch, went into the other room. It was disturbing to know that I could completely 'lose my place' doing something I've done before.

I can't imagine how horrifying it must be for people who have the disease and how devasting to their families and friends who have to watch their loved ones slowly become someone else.

Not the Greatest News, but It Certainly Could Be Worse

I think Michael and I got through the waiting period fairly well this time. No major blowups, nice pretty even keel interactions.

We looked at the last scan today. There is no horrible news like my lungs are full of tumors now, or things have quadrupled in size. There has been growth. Not a whole lot of it is new, but some things have increased in size in the 3-4 cm range. The drugs may have slowed things down a little but there was no growth stoppage. So, these drugs are not working for me.

Once I've cleansed my chemo 'palate' in about about 3 weeks I will start another Phase I study. My organ functions are all still good. I'm not starting to fail, so it is still valuable to try something else. If I did nothing, I got the 3-6 month speech (nobody really knows anyway). So, it will be on to protocol #3. I haven't read the study yet, but this will be a pill. So, no twice-weekly infusions and hopefully just bloodwork on a regular basis. Also, apparently it is tolerated pretty well. What's not to love?

I'm not ready to give up. I have a launch to go to in May, visits from family, and our anniversary to celebrate. Today the landscape people were here to do Spring cleanup. WOW! They removed 14 dead trees/bushes, and literally the flower beds are starting from scratch. I am going to take pictures of it as the seasons go on. With a proper cleanup in the spring, then it will probably look even more fantastic.

Tomorrow is a new day, new normal, and we move on. Today was for crying, wallowing, and napping to escape.

End of Cycle 2

Yesterday I had my last study drug treatment of this cycle. My platelets recovered substantially over the weekend. Friday I will have my after-cycle bloodwork done. Monday is the CT scan, and next Thursday we will meet with the doctor to review the before and after scans. I am trying to live in the moment and not to project or worry. I am being moderately successful.