Radiation done!

Madeleine’s Blog

March 19, 2012

Today was Madeleine's final day of radiation! The side effects have been fairly minimal so far, and we are really thankful that she is finished with this stage of her treatment.

Madeleine's hi-tech radiation mask

Wondering what the strange looking picture to the left is? Well, it's the custom-made mask that Madeleine had to wear during her precision radiation. (The mask actually snaps onto the radiation table at the back and helps hold you in just the right place during the treatment.) It may look a little "medieval," but the whole process has actually been pretty high-tech.

Having made it through radiation is really an accomplishment. It means that she has overcome another challenge on this journey. Once again, she has had to face some fears, and push through them. Having the support of family and friends (like all of you) has definitely helped.
 

Madeleine does have some additional treatment coming up soon (Interferon), but it hasn't been scheduled yet. For now, she is enjoying swim competitions and practices, and all the other things she is involved in during her senior year.   

With teammates - Madeleine is on the far right

Swim meet - go Vikings!

Madeleine’s Blog

March 11, 2012

 

With friends before Friday's swim meet

Madeleine has now made it half-way through her radiation treatments, and is doing amazingly well so far.

So well, in fact, that her swim coach asked her to swim in four events (!) at the swim meet Montgomery High had last Friday against Cardinal Newman. As many of you know, Madeleine has recently started physical therapy to help with "range of motion" difficulties in her left arm (as well as discomfort with turning her head) as a result of the surgery she had back in January. In addition, she has had to miss a lot of practice because of back-to-back surgeries. 

Madeleine leading the team cheer (in center, making a splash!)

We were proud to watch her press through the challenges of competing under those conditions as she swam freestyle in the 50 meter and 100 meter races, as well as the 4 x 50 relay and the 4 x 100 relay. While Madeleine may not have broken any "personal best" records, she did demonstrate an amazing ability to overcome obstacles, adapt, and persevere.

By the way, Montgomery's Varsity & JV women ended up winning the swim meet - go Vikings!

Radiation update

Madeleine’s Blog 

March 5, 2012

Madeleine had her first radiation treatment on Thursday morning, and then her second one this afternoon. She had some soreness after the first treatment, but overall seemed to be doing well. She was even able to have the swim team over to our house for an after-practice dinner and get-together!

She now has 2 radiation treatments down, and 4 to go - 2 each week (Monday afternoons and Thursday mornings). The radiation treatments themselves actually are pretty short appointments. The doctors say that the side effects tend to build up as you go...of course, we are hoping that the main effects will be on any remaining melanoma! :)

As always, thanks for your prayers.

Radiation begins this week

Madeleine’s Blog

February 26, 2012

For Madeleine, this has been a good week of enjoying recovery and getting back into some of the things she loves. She actually healed quite quickly from the wisdom teeth extractions, and continues to gain strength since her major surgery. This week she was able to enjoy some swimming, and even a little running. 

Madeleine also is excited about getting to be one of the swim captains for her swim team at Montgomery High. While the coming season of radiation and interferon treatments is expected to affect her ability to compete, she has a lot of passion for working to support and encourage her team in whatever way she can. 

This Thursday (March 1st) will be her first radiation treatment down in Rohnert Park, and she will have treatments two times a week for three weeks. The radiation will be high dose, and targeted right at the problem area. It really is amazing how much pre-planning (with computer and CT scan technology) goes into this treatment in order to target the area, but with the fewest side effects possible. 

We would really appreciate your prayers that the radiation would be effective against any remaining melanoma, and that the side effects of the radiation would be kept to a minimum. Having these kinds of treatments in the midst of your senior year can be a little challenging, so we are grateful for your prayers and encouragement.

Wisdom teeth - recovery and more

February 18, 2012

Madeleine came through the wisdom teeth surgery quite well! She is gradually healing, and has not had too much difficulty so far with pain or swelling. Of course, having pain meds and also the perspective of how difficult the previous surgery was has helped her with this. The hardest thing about this surgery so far is that it has delayed her getting back in the pool and to the gym, which are some of her favorite things. It’s hard for this girl to rest and recover (the surgeon said she needs to take it easy for two weeks)!

The next phase of her treatment for melanoma will be radiation, which will start on March 1^st. She will be having high-dose radiation (to the left side of her face and neck) 2 times a week for three weeks. While radiation has unwanted side effects, the doctors believe that it will give her the best chance possible of eliminating any residual cancer cells in the area.

Thank you for your continued prayers...for her recovery, for her ongoing fight against melanoma, and for the effectiveness of the upcoming treatments.

Unexpected surgery

February 14, 2012

Madeleine really has done so well with all of the challenges of this situation. Sometimes it is the unexpected "smaller" things, however, that catch you off guard and make you feel like you're taking a step back, even though it is a necessary step in your progress forward.

Today, we found out that because her radiation treatments start in a few weeks, Madeleine will need to have surgery to have her impacted wisdom teeth out...and it can't wait. (Apparently, after radiation, your jaw is no longer able to heal very well and so you need to take care of any potential problems before you start radiation).

So, she is scheduled to have all four impacted wisdom teeth out this Thursday morning (2/16). As you all know, she is still working on recovery from the other surgery, and had just begun to get back to the pool - which she loves.

Please be praying for Madeleine, for the surgeon, and especially for her recovery. Thank you all for the encouragement - the notes, posts, emails, texts, and meals have been wonderful. We really appreciate all of you.

Plan of action

February 11, 2012

There's no guarantee life is easy...

But because I have such amazing friends 
and family with me every step of the way

I know I'm going to make it through this next year of treatment...

We got a call from the doctor last night after the specialists met about Madeleine's situation. They feel it would be best for her to have 4 weeks of radiation treatment in the area where the surgery was done. This is because there was a "positive margin" on the cancerous lymph node that they took out, and so radiation would be the best weapon to fight against melanoma in that local area. They are also recommending a year of treatment with Interferon. (Interferon helps trigger your own immune system so that it fights cancer, and also helps "interfere" with cancer cells as they try to divide.) The specialists feel that this 2-pronged approach would be the best way to proceed in her situation.

As many of you know, these types of treatments have side effects that are bound to be challenging. We are grateful, however, that the specialists were unified in their recommendation, and that the doctors are continuing to confer with UCSF as they move toward finalizing the treatment plan.

For now, Madeleine still needs to heal up some more before this next phase of treatment begins. Although, thankfully, she avoided the major side effects of the surgery, she still has some muscles and nerves that need to recover so that she has full range of motion and comfort. As always, thanks for your prayers and encouragement.

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