I'll Be Home For Christmas...

After a week of uncertainty and a emotional roller coaster we are home for Christmas! Dad was discharged today at around 2:00 pm, we are so thankful for his quick recovery and that we are able to spend Christmas as a family together at home. The cause of Dad's episode is still undetermined by the doctors, there are several theories, but based on the tests Dad has been through there is not a conclusive diagnosis. However, we are hopeful and optimistic that it is not related to the spread of the cancer and is an adverse reaction related to the toxicity levels in the biochemotheraphy treatment.  Dad will follow up with his doctors after the holidays. Now is time to be thankful for the blessing God has given us and spend much need time with family and friends. Hopefully in coming days Dad will continue to get rest, love, and support for friends and family so he will heal faster. 

Our family can't thank you enough for all your love and support over the last 9 months. God Bless you and Merry Christmas to you and your family. 

Emily

Update from Fleming Rd.

We are still in the hospital.  Things are a bit better.  He is no longer on the ventilator, he pulled it out himself on Tuesday morning.  Had enough of that I guess.  Luckily he does not need the breathing assistance.  He has been talking to us a little and he seems to be aware of his surroundings and lucid.  He is still very weak, has not really eaten since beginning chemo a week ago and is still rather sick to his stomach.

This past week has been an emotional roller coaster to say the least.  The girls have been here all week and we are keeping a vigil.  The neurologists and critical care Docs have released him which is a good sign I guess. We're waiting on Bill to get stronger so we can take him home, hopefully by Christmas.  Thanks for your prayers and support as always.  Holly

Setback

I cannot believe I am writing this today.  I feel like I have been in a long nightmare.  Bill is back in the hospital after having been home less than 24 hours from the chemo treatment.  He had another seizure like episode on Sunday morning and I had to call EMS.  He is on a ventilator and heavily sedated, unresponsive.  The Drs. are not sure what is causing these episodes and like before they are treating him for everything they think if might be.  

We are keeping a vigil, I have not really left the hospital since Sunday morning.  Please continue to keep us in your prayers, and I will try and keep the blog updated.  Holly

Going Home

Today completes round 4 of Bill's chemotherapy.  The plan is to head home tomorrow.  We are thrilled and definitely ready!  Hopefully we will be able to spend some long term quality time at home where Bill can rest and work on gaining some weight.  

He has taken about all of the abuse his body can stand, and amazingly he's still hanging in there with determination.  The Drs, Nurses and staff at University Hospital 8 South have been so good to us.  We are extremely grateful to all of them for their kindness and quality of care.  

 

Our plan for the next few weeks is to rest up, relax and enjoy the holidays with our family and friends.  We may not get out to all the usual holiday parties, but we will be there in spirit.  Hopefully, we'll be ready to get out and about soon.  The next step in this battle is another PET scan in Jan. followed by a visit to the Docs at the Brown Cancer Center.  

Please continue to keep in touch, I may not update this blog again until after Christmas.  Just know that no news is good news in this case.  We wish everyone a peaceful and healthy holiday surrounded by family and friends.   Holly

Round Four

Tomorrow Bill is scheduled for the 4th and hopefully final round of biochemo therapy.  If all goes as planned we will enter University Hospital on Monday and come home either Friday night or Saturday morning.  He has had a more difficult time bouncing back this past time, but I guess that is to be expected.  Each time wears him down a little more, and he loses more weight so it takes a little longer to recover each time.  Hopefully, he will be feeling well enough by Christmas to enjoy the family and festivities.    

We had a nice Thanksgiving and it was fun visiting with family and friends over these past few weeks.  It's pretty mind blowing how quickly the holidays are upon us.  We tried to make the AOH Christmas celebration at Molly Malone's but that just didn't work out.  I know Bill misses being a part of all the Irish fun.  Maybe we'll make it to ring in the New Year.  

We wish all of our friends and family members a very warm and loving holiday season.  Thanks for your continued support, prayers and love.   Hopefully we will be home next weekend and Bill's recovery will be a quick one.  Happy Holidays  Holly

Home Once Again, Yeah!!

Bill was discharged from the hospital this morning having finished round 3 of the Biochemo therapy.  As before, he is tired and experiencing a little nausea, but otherwise doing okay.  He will more than likely sleep most of the next two to three days and then hopefully begin to gain his appetite back and gradually his strength.  So far, no additional drama thankfully.  

We will spend the next few weeks working to get him stronger and put on a few pounds if possible.  This is certainly a good time of the year to gain weight, as most of us usually work hard around the holidays not to gain.  Unfortunately, he cannot eat all those sugary goodies that come with Thanksgiving and Christmas, but I'm sure we'll find something for him.  

If all goes according to plan, we will go back to the hospital for the 4th and final round of treatment the second week of Dec.  That should give him time to recover before Christmas.  We definitely have much to be thankful for this holiday season.  We are continuing to stay focused on the positives and as always appreciate your prayers and support.  We wish for you all a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with those you love.   Holly

Cycle Three Begins Again

Today begins day 2 of Cycle 3 in Bill's chemotherapy treatment.  The labs showed a decrease in his liver enzymes yesterday so the Docs think it was indeed the medication that caused an increase in the enzyme levels.  We have now eliminated two more medications that had been prescribed as a result of the air embolism incident.  The drama lives on.

Already he is feeling pretty bad, the same symptoms, but each time they come on a little sooner in the process.  I guess that's due to the fact the his body is already in a weakened state and the residuals of the last chemo treatment are still there.  We are finding the best way to deal with these cycles is sleeping as much as possible (he sleeps, I keep watch).  

We are in a private room again, which means I am staying overnight with him.  Who could have predicted that a Coleman camping cot would see so much action? It's sure is nice to have it, thanks Mom and Dad!

If all goes as planned (and we know that is not a given) we should be able to come home by Tuesday.  Even though this is such a horrible ordeal for Bill, he is keeping a very positive attitude,  especially since we now have evidence that the process is working against the cancer.  

I know you will continue to keep him in your thoughts and prayers and I know those prayers are working.  Thanks so much for your continued support.  Holly

Another Slight Detour

Well, we had good news this morning and bad news.  The good news, or should I say GREAT news is the biochemo treatment appears to be working.  The PET scan was good and the docs were pleased.  The bad new is, we were not able to begin cycle III today as planned.  We went to the hospital, registered and he was in the bed but after about 3 1/2 hours they sent us home.

It seems that Bill's liver enzymes were up significantly just since last week.  Because he just had the PET/CT scan, they are relatively sure that cancer is not the cause.  It could be a viral infection or medication, but in any case,  subjecting him to more chemo with high liver enzymes is not a good idea.  So... we came home this afternoon, he is staying off a couple of the medications he had been taking and we are to go back for more lab work on Thursday morning.  If the labs show a decrease in the enzyme levels or at least no significant increase, we will resume chemo on Thursday.  Nothing is simple in this war, at least not from where we stand.  

We're going to take advantage of the extra days and try to enjoy the time.  I guess we'll see what happens on Thursday, hopefully the chemo will be a go.  It seems bitter sweet to find out that the treatment is working and then encounter yet another barrier.  I guess that's the nature of the illness.  We're hanging in there, trying to maintain a positive attitude.  I'll keep you posted.  

Cycle Three Begins

We have had such a good couple of weeks at home.  Bill began to feel better about the middle of week two and we have been able to enjoy the beautiful weather as well as get some work done around the house.  Unfortunately, this good time is about to be interrupted again.  Tomorrow we are scheduled to begin cycle III of his biochemo therapy.  

We have an appointment with the Doc at the Brown Cancer Center to review the results of the PET scan first thing in the morning.  If the PET scan results indicate that the chemo is working, then we will walk over to University Hospital and check in for the next 5 to 6 days.  Of course we are hopeful that the PET scan results will be good, even though that means more chemo and more feeling bad, it beats the alternative. 

We should be in the hospital until Sunday morning, if things go the way they have before, and then he will feel pretty crappy for another 3 or 4 days at home.  We're hoping that he will feel like eating turkey by Thanksgiving.  

I will do my best to keep the blog updated this week with any changing news.  Please continue to keep us in your prayers.  Bill's attitude has been very good lately, I know he feels very blessed to have so many folks thinking positive thoughts for him.   Thanks so much for your continued support.  Holly

Cycle Two of Chemo Completed

We came home from the hospital on Sunday without too much drama.  Bill is recuperating from the second round of chemo but he doesn't seem to be bouncing back quite as quickly as we had hoped.  He is still experiencing nausea most of the time, which also means he is not able to eat much.  Unfortunately, he does not need to lose anymore weight.  So, we are continually in search of something to eat that sounds good to him and that he can tolerate.  This task is not as simple as it may sound.  If you have any suggestions, please feel free to share them with us.  

The good news is that he is "tube free".  All holes are closed and all foreign matter is out of his body.  Considering the multitude of bad luck he has had with central lines, that is indeed positive news.  Now our immediate goal is to get rid of this nausea and get some food into him. I have to admit, it is much nicer being at home than in the hospital.  That's certainly no reflection on the folks at University Hospital, they have been so caring and efficient but we prefer our own bed.  

  

As always, thanks for your continued acts of kindness, prayers and support.  

Chemo, Round II

We're back at University Hospital in day two / round two of biochemo therapy.  So far, Bill is holding his own.  He is sleeping quite a bit, which is how he prefers to spend his time in the hospital.  His attitude is, just give me something to put me to sleep and wake me when it's time to go home.  Currently we are in a semi private room, so I am unable to stay overnight, but I am here all day with him.  

The therapy is pretty standardized.  He is given a series of 5 drugs over the course of 5 days.  They monitor his vital signs and blood work pretty closely and then if all goes as planned, he goes home on day six.  

Here's an interesting note, the oncology "team" has established a new protocol for removing the central line thanks to Bill's incident .  New plan, the central line will be removed at the hospital before discharge and a peripheral line will be used to administer the IV fluids at home.  So, the home health care nurse will be responsible only for the removal of that peripheral line (in his arm as opposed to a main artery) hopefully lowering the possibility for additional drama.   

According to the original plan,  after this round of chemo he is to have another PET scan to determine if the therapy is working.  Hopefully that will be the case, not that we want two more rounds of the biochemo, but it beats the alternative.  In the meantime, we're hanging in there, taking things a day at a time.  It's pretty peaceful here, and I'm taking advantage of the time to catch up on my reading, nothing too heavy or thought provoking though.  

As always, thanks for your continued support.  We love hearing from you and appreciate your positive thoughts and prayers.  Holly

Return to Chemo

The ups and downs that come with battling cancer can be so overwhelming at times.  We heard from the oncologist yesterday, we're scheduled to resume chemo therapy next Tuesday.  We're trying to look at this as a positive, the fact that Bill is strong enough to continue with the chemo treatments is promising.  But, it seems that as soon as he begins to feel better and resume some since of normalcy, it's time to go back into the hospital and take another hit.  

We're trying to stay strong and keep a positive attitude.  This means another 5 day stay in the hospital (University) and then another few days at home recuperating.  We've already decided that we will not have the line pulled at home again, hopefully we can avoid a repeat of our last drama.  We plan to return to the hospital or the Brown Cancer Center for that procedure from now on.  

Bill will continue with rehab until Tuesday and then get back to it after chemo when he is feeling stronger.  He enjoys the rehab sessions, in the way that one enjoys a workout, when it's over he's glad he did it.  

As always, keep in touch and thanks for your continued prayers and positive thoughts.  Holly

Update from Fleming Rd.

We've made it through another week without any drama, from where I sit, that's progress, hooray!!  Bill is embracing rehab, it takes a lot out of him but he is enjoying the challenge.  He goes about twice a week for three hours each time to Frazier Rehab at the Jewish Hospital in Dupont.  Already we can see progress.  We are still not sure about when he will be able to get back to the chemo, he has to be stronger so they can knock him down again.  I guess we want that to be sooner rather than later, but I wonder.  

We have had a good weekend, did a run through St. James, and saw a few friends, that was fun.  Both of my sisters were in to visit as well as my parents and the girls, so it has been busy.  We're hopeful that if all goes well, we will make a visit to the Garvin Gate Blues Festival next weekend. That's one we have always enjoyed and if Bill is feeling up to it we would love to make it.  Maybe we'll see some of you there.  

We're taking things one day at a time, which I guess is really all you can do given the circumstances.  It has been so nice to visit with so many friends through all of this, many of whom we had not connected with in years.  I think you really do begin to look at things differently.  I always thought that was cliche but again, just something else I have learned  through experience.  

Thanks to all of you who have sent Bill emails recently, it's so nice to hear from you, and it is a great way for him to practice his cognitive skills.  As always, it's great to hear from you and we appreciate your positive thoughts and prayers.  I'll keep you posted, hopefully from home.  Holly

We're Home Again

Bill was discharged from the hospital late Thursday afternoon.  We had a restful night at home, and he is scheduled to begin  outpatient rehab at Frazier on Monday.  He is pretty weak but happy to be at home.  His memory is not quite back to 100% yet but it's coming back quickly.  

Their is still no conclusive diagnosis for what happened to him.   The most popular theory is that he had an air embolism caused when the central line was removed.  That would have caused an air bubble to move up into his brain causing damage to the brain similar to a stroke.  The good news is that the neurologists feel confident he will make a full recovery (from the brain damage) in time with rehab.  The bad news is we do not know what this all means for future chemotherapy.  

I feel like we have been in a very long version of a "House" episode.  Nothing that happens has a simple answer, everything seems to be complex and confusing, and unusual.  I guess this kind of thing should be expected, nothing is simple where cancer is concerned.  

Hopefully we will be able to stay home for a while and Bill will have some time to build his strength.  As always, we appreciate your well wishes and prayers.  Feel free to send Bill an email, he is using email to practice his cognitive skills and I know he would love to hear from his friends.  His email address is billnolan@insightbb.com.  Keep in touch.  Holly

Good News

Good news!  Yesterday Bill began to talk, he was responding to us and actually putting words together and making some fairly coherent sentences.  He seems to be making positive progress.  The Docs are still not sure exactly what happened to him, it could be an infection in the brain, it could have been a small stroke or an air embolism, it could have been a seizure, or it could have been a reaction to the combination of meds he was taking as a result of the chemo therapy.  They have done many tests and some of the results are in but we are waiting on others.  Currently, they are treating him for everything they think it may be.  

It seems that he has had an injury to the right side of his brain, which controls emotions and short term memory.  He seems to be really happy one minute and then really sad the next.  Yesterday we saw marked progress from the morning to the evening.  He seems to be regaining movement in his left arm which was paralyzed at the onset on Wednesday afternoon.  We are hopeful that this progress will continue and he will be back to normal very soon.  

He is still in the intensive care unit, and they are very strict with the visitation rules, but if that's what's best for the patient then we'll gladly live with it.  

I want to thank everyone who has helped us out recently with the storm cleanup and the power outage while we have been here in the hospital.  We finally got power at our house last night which is one less hassle.  I'm sending good "power thoughts" to all of you still without power.  What an ordeal! 

Hopefully, my next update will be to inform you that we are going home again.  As always, thanks for your positive thoughts and prayers.  Holly

Another Unfortunate Twist

Apologies for not posting an update sooner, but like most of us here in the metro area, we have been and still are without power.  I am sorry to report that things have taken another bad turn for Bill.  

We came home from the hospital after completing Cycle I of chemo on Sunday morning.  Bill was pretty weak, but holding his own.  He was getting stronger each day and by Wednesday he was able to take a walk down the street.  He even wanted to go out for a fish sandwich for dinner, we were pretty excited about his progress.  On Wednesday afternoon the home health care nurse came to remove the central line from his chest.  She removed the line, Bill seemed to be doing okay but within about 5 minutes of removing the line something happened.  We don't know if he had a stroke or a seizure or what but he became non responsive.  We immediately called 911 and he was taken to the emergency room at University.  It was a nightmare, we were in the emergency room from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. before being admitted and put in a room.  

As of this morning, he is in the intensive care unit for neurology patients on the 5th floor of University Hospital.  He has had a myriad of tests including MRI, spinal tap to check for meningitis and a wide range of blood tests all in an effort to try and determine what happened.  He is still relatively unresponsive, not comatose, but unable to talk or communicate in any real way.  He does respond to pain, ripping off the tape on his abdominal dressing seems to bring on a response which is a positive sign.  So far, they seemed to have ruled out more cancer, which is a plus, and there has been no seizure activity since he came into the hospital.  He had evidence of having a small stroke, but nothing severe enough to have caused his present state.  We are really at a loss.  At least he seems to be resting peacefully right now.  The girls have come in and are staying with us, always a blessing and comfort to both of us.   I don't know what all of this means for future chemo treatments, clearly he will be unable to face that until he recovers from this.  One day at a time I guess.  

As always,  we so very much appreciate your cards, calls, emails and kind words of encouragement.  Please continue to keep Bill in your thoughts and prayers.  I will do my best to keep this site updated.  My guess is that we will be here in the hospital for a while.  

Round One of Chemo

We started the first cycle of the biochemo therapy yesterday.  After seeing the Oncologist yesterday morning, Bill was admitted to University Hospital and began the process around 2:00 p.m.  So far he is holding his own.  The side effects of this particular therapy are like having a very  bad case of the flu.  He is beginning to feel those side effects.  The Drs. and Nurses here at University have been wonderful so far, very attentive, efficient and caring.  

This morning we were moved to a private room, which is quite nice.  Maybe I can bring my bed in now, sleeping in the hospital chair gets old fast.  We are on the 8th floor, the south wing room 838.  Hopefully the stay will only be the 5 days as expected and there will be no "drama" this time.  

Bill was feeling so good last week, he even cut the grass.  I know that gave him such a lift psychologically.   It's hard to see him feeling so bad again, but hopefully this will pass quickly and he will be strong again soon.  I know you will keep him in your thoughts and prayers.  We hope to be home by Sunday.  I'll keep you posted.  Holly

Update from Fleming Rd.

Thankfully, we are still at home and doing well for the time being.  Bill continues to work on eating enough to put on some pounds, not as easy as you might think, and gaining strength.  We have been walking every morning and have even made a trip to the zoo.   We are trying to do as many "normal" things as we can.  Yesterday we finally made a trip up to Northern KY to visit with the kids and see Amy and Troy's  beautiful new home.  That was quite a morale booster!

Bill's wound seems to be healing nicely, hopefully it will be healed enough to move forward with the chemotherapy treatment by our Sept. 9 appointment.   We're really not looking forward to starting that treatment but we know the importance of moving ahead.  We are so grateful to everyone for continuing to check in with us and let us know how much you care.  We truly appreciate your kindness.   Keep in touch.  Holly

Next Steps

As promised, we saw the oncologist this morning at the Brown Cancer Center.  The suggested treatment for Bill is called Bio chemotherapy, which is a combination of three chemotherapy drugs and two immunotherapy drugs given over a period of 5 days.  He would be in the hospital for the treatment.  The nurse explained to us that the first week home is usually pretty rough, still a lot of the side effects, but the third and fourth weeks are usually pretty good.  If the treatment works, the PET scan shows no further cancer growth, then he would have another cycle of the treatment.  If it does not seem to be working, we would seek an alternative treatment. 

He is tentatively scheduled to begin the first cycle of the bio chemo treatment on Sept. 9, at University Hospital provided the wound in his belly is healed.  The oncologist does not want to begin chemo until the wound is healed.  It sounds like this is a solid plan, from all that we've read about metastatic melanoma, this seems to be the most aggressive and successful treatment.  

We're still trying to absorb it all, as you can imagine, it is overwhelming.  We know you will  keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we make these decisions.  More time in the hospital will not be easy, but if that's what it takes, then that's what we will have to do.  Please stay in touch, I know if we do not go back into the hospital until Sept. 9, we're going to get out and do some things as Bill feels better.  Holly 

Still At Home!

It's been over a week now and we're still at home.  I really hesitate to make that statement for fear that I might jinx things, but so far things are moving in the right direction.  Bill is getting stronger each day and eating more.  He is still not up to a  2000 per day intake, so he continues with the TPN (intravenous feed) in order to build his strength.   Everyday he is able to walk a little further in the neighborhood and putter around the house more.  Today in fact he went to the grocery store with Emily.  He was rather put off by the recent changes in the Kroger store, as most of us have been I'm guessing.  

We're planning a low key birthday celebration this weekend with the kids and granddogs.  Bill's birthday is Tuesday, the day we are scheduled to see the oncologist to discuss next step treatments.   Hopefully we will get some positive news, which would be a wonderful birthday gift.  

We are so thankful for the continuous stream of thoughtful cards, emails, responses to the blog and visits.  We feel so blessed.  Your prayers are working.  Please stay in touch, and I'll keep you posted on things as we find out more about the upcoming treatment.  

Home Again!

Bill was discharged from the hospital today, hoorah!.  We just got home about 30 minutes ago and it is so nice to be home again.  We're keeping our fingers crossed that we can stay home for a while this time.  He is feeling pretty good, weak but in good spirits.  Thanks to everyone who visited at the hospital this time, it's always good to see friendly faces and catch up on things.  Please give us a call or come by the house sometime, visitors are always welcome.

I'll keep you posted on his progress.  Holly  

The response to our blog has been very positive.  Thanks for your feedback.  We've had a pretty good couple of days.  Bill seems to be recovering nicely from the surgeries he endured last week. He is walking and exercising a little more each day.  So far he has managed to remain fever free, and he is eating more and more.   He has a rather large wound in his gut, at the incision site.  It seems that the incision got infected, so they are trying to drain the infection, which is what is currently keeping us in the hospital.  We are hoping that the Dr. will release him soon to the care of "Nurse Holly"and we can go home.  

Thanks for all the visitors this week, it has been so good seeing everyone.  The calls, visits and emails always lift our spirits.  Hopefully, the next entry on this blog will be to say come visit us at home.  Stay in touch.  Holly

July 22, 2008

The girls and I decided that maybe the best way to share information and updates on Bill might be by creating a blog.  So, this is my first attempt at moving into the world of high tech.  Hopefully, as I get a feel for this, I will get better at blogging.

As you may or may not have heard, we are currently in the hospital for the 4th time since his first surgery on April 28.  It has to say the least, been a very long and weary spring and summer.  I think we've been home for about a total of four weeks since the surgery.  Each time we go home, we think, this time it's going to work, but not yet.

This last time, we had been home for about a week, and he was feeling good and even eating quite a bit.  Unfortunately, he began having terrible pain late on Sunday night, July 13, so on Monday morning we came back into the hospital for X-rays to see what was causing the pain.  We discovered that he had a small bowel obstruction and he was immediately admitted.  After several tests we were told that the obstructions were more cancer.  

Bill has metastatic melanoma, a recurrence of the melanoma that was taken from his leg back in 1980. We, as well as the Drs., are finding it hard to believe that after 28 years of being cancer free, it has returned.  But, this seems to be the case.  The mass that was in his stomach was melanoma, and now they think that there is more in his small bowel.  

He had a second surgery on Friday, July 18 for what they thought was going to be a bowel resection, to remove the masses in the bowel.  But as it turns out, the mass was scar tissue caused by the first surgery, not cancer, however, he has tiny little polyps which they suspect are melanoma all throughout his small intestine.  The Dr.  was not able to remove all of these polyps, too small and too many, so it looks like chemo is our next step.  As if this was not disheartening enough,  he had to have a third surgery on Saturday, the following day because he was bleeding internally.  Friday night his blood pressure plummeted and he was in terrible pain, it was pretty scary.     So on Saturday they opened him up again to stop the bleeding.

He seems to be recovering well, we've moved rooms three times since Sunday, each time into a less intense setting.  Today, he was able to get up out of the bed and sit up in a chair for a good while.  Tomorrow the goal is to begin walking a little.  He's a fighter, and we just keep fighting.  

The girls are spending some extended time with us this week, which of course is wonderful and definitely lifts our spirits.  We hope things continue in this positive direction and we can go home for a while before beginning chemo.  We have an appointment with the chemo Drs. on August 12, his birthday.  Maybe we'll have some good news.  

We want to thank everyone for the incredible support and prayers.  Family members and friends have been so wonderful pitching in to do things for us in so many creative ways and we have received so many cards, phone calls and emails expressing  concern and well wishes.  It helps knowing you care and are keeping us in your prayers. 

I will try to keep you posted through this blog as often as possible, but please don't stop calling or checking in.  If you call home and we're in the hospital, it may take a while for me to return your calls, as I don't always have time to check the voice mail on my "shower runs" home, but I will get to them eventually and we really appreciate your checking on us.  

Right now we are in Norton's Hospital on Chestnut in room 4A01, but that room could change tomorrow so if you want to visit you may want to check first.  I don't expect we'll be discharged for a while yet.  

Please keep us in your prayers.  We sure miss the way things were, and are hopeful we'll be able to return to a more normal life style soon.  Keep in touch, Holly

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