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