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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