What a wonderful weekend this turned out to be! We had a houseful for the KU/K-State game on Saturday night .....lots of good food and great friends......Sunday brought friends as well..it was so good to see Keith and Judy....Gary and Heather from Olathe stopped in on their way back from Oklahoma. Gary and Dave were roommates at Emporia State, and I really think if it had not been for Gary and Heather, Dave might not have ever asked me out for the first time...Dave was really shy back then.....
Dave has really been hobbling around today..his sciatic seems to be acting up....poor guy...if it is not one thing it is another.....
We go in for blood tests tomorrow and then a body scan on Wednesday, this is in prep for his treatment that begins on Thursday. Hopefully the side effects will not be too bad, I can't help but think that after what he went thru before with the Interleukin, (maybe) this will be a bit easier to tolerate. Beth from Hospice will be here in the morning to take off his pain pump. We will replace that med with Ibuprofin....I will be sad to see her leave....Hospice has been such a source of strength and support to Dave and to me as well.
Thanks to all who continue to follow this blog......Some of you who pray are friends of friends...from miles away, ........you lift us up with your kindness.....
Blessings to all...have a great week.......
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Friday January 29th
We went to the Oncologist here in Wichita. He was very straight forward with us on the results of the scans. Dave's cancer has progressed and there is liver compromise in the form of lesions. He also has a 1 cm. nodule on an adrenal gland. Although that is not what we wanted to hear, it was the truth and it was presented to us in a very compassionate way, his honesty put our minds at ease.
He did suggest a form of chemo that has had some good results. Dave is willing to try and is entering into it with a very positive frame of mind. He will receive 3 weeks of treatment and then have 1 week "off". He will be closely monitored for positive results. If he does not respond and is only "maintaining" he will have the option of continuing or not.....At the moment he feels very good...very little pain, no nausea, and we are able to go places and enjoy our friends. We have Hospice to thank for that, however we will have to give them up as of Monday in order to pursue this path. Dr. Reddy is pleased with the drug protocol and does not want us to change anything unless we feel that it is no longer effective. We both feel very good about this.....we continue to find strength in the relationship that we have with one another.
Blessings to all!!
He did suggest a form of chemo that has had some good results. Dave is willing to try and is entering into it with a very positive frame of mind. He will receive 3 weeks of treatment and then have 1 week "off". He will be closely monitored for positive results. If he does not respond and is only "maintaining" he will have the option of continuing or not.....At the moment he feels very good...very little pain, no nausea, and we are able to go places and enjoy our friends. We have Hospice to thank for that, however we will have to give them up as of Monday in order to pursue this path. Dr. Reddy is pleased with the drug protocol and does not want us to change anything unless we feel that it is no longer effective. We both feel very good about this.....we continue to find strength in the relationship that we have with one another.
Blessings to all!!
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Thursday January 28th
Beth, our Hospice nurse, came by this morning and "reloaded" Dave's pain pump. They have worked miracles....I am determined to "pay forward" the kindness that they have given to us!
I want to thank all of you for the support, phone calls and e - mails....they are the answers to the "what can I do"....
Some of you have been concerned enough to suggest web sites...don't please. Some of them, although fairly accurate are very blunt and certainly offer no comfort at all. I am not sure that you would have suggested them had you first read them for yourselves. It leaves me with the task of watching Dave's heart in his throat and that makes me very angry .......
His cancer came back in the spine, it skipped the soft tissues and organs initially, so it does not follow the "typical" tumor malignancy that can be easily measured.....I am not going thru this with blinders or uninformed. I have a wonderful doctor that goes thru every report, sentence by sentence, until I understand, and we have Curt Pickert, our friend and a very informed doctor who has been with us since this was first diagnosed.
My purpose in "blogging" has been to inform accurately Dave's journey, and blogging also helps me put things in perspective each day. I read the messages and we have both appreciated the strength that friends and family have given us. Please respect our wish to gain information on our own.
I want to thank all of you for the support, phone calls and e - mails....they are the answers to the "what can I do"....
Some of you have been concerned enough to suggest web sites...don't please. Some of them, although fairly accurate are very blunt and certainly offer no comfort at all. I am not sure that you would have suggested them had you first read them for yourselves. It leaves me with the task of watching Dave's heart in his throat and that makes me very angry .......
His cancer came back in the spine, it skipped the soft tissues and organs initially, so it does not follow the "typical" tumor malignancy that can be easily measured.....I am not going thru this with blinders or uninformed. I have a wonderful doctor that goes thru every report, sentence by sentence, until I understand, and we have Curt Pickert, our friend and a very informed doctor who has been with us since this was first diagnosed.
My purpose in "blogging" has been to inform accurately Dave's journey, and blogging also helps me put things in perspective each day. I read the messages and we have both appreciated the strength that friends and family have given us. Please respect our wish to gain information on our own.
Wednesday January 27th
This morning when I woke up and went into the kitchen, Dave was sitting at the table eating his cereal and reading the paper. He had started my coffee and the kitchen smelled warm and cozy....for just a moment it was as if life was normal...I hope that the options that Dr. Reddy has for us can offer more of those moments....
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Tuesday January 26th
Today was another day without much pain.....the pump has been good for Dave. He is eating better too. I called Dr. Reddy's office this morning and we have an appointment on Friday at 12:45. We are considering this a consultation. Dave wants him to go over the test results from his last scans in detail, and we both want to hear options.
Beth our Hospice nurse comes tomorrow, it gives me so much peace of mind to have someone checking on him, and they have been wonderful to us both. They have been a real source of strength .
Blessings to all....
Beth our Hospice nurse comes tomorrow, it gives me so much peace of mind to have someone checking on him, and they have been wonderful to us both. They have been a real source of strength .
Blessings to all....
Monday, January 25, 2010
Monday January 25th
This was another good day for both of us! Our nurse came this morning and tweaked Dave's meds a bit, nothing major... she hooked a pain pump to his port and for the first time in 5 months Dave says that he is nearly pain free. That makes me so happy....He has eaten well today and no nausea.....
Our KC Oncologist called us tonight and after careful consideration Dave has decided that he has had enough of the Interleukin. He was able to withstand 24 treatments in all and I can't begin to share with you the strength that it took for him to do so. He has shown such courage. My love and respect for him has grown with each passing day. Dr. Reddy, our Oncologist here in Wichita contacted us this weekend and asked that we consider other options. I am going to contact his office first thing in the morning for a consult to see what he has to offer in the way of treatments. We are seeking honest answers......
Once again thank you for your constant support and prayers....blessings to all!!
Our KC Oncologist called us tonight and after careful consideration Dave has decided that he has had enough of the Interleukin. He was able to withstand 24 treatments in all and I can't begin to share with you the strength that it took for him to do so. He has shown such courage. My love and respect for him has grown with each passing day. Dr. Reddy, our Oncologist here in Wichita contacted us this weekend and asked that we consider other options. I am going to contact his office first thing in the morning for a consult to see what he has to offer in the way of treatments. We are seeking honest answers......
Once again thank you for your constant support and prayers....blessings to all!!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Sunday January 24th
Today was a good day..pain and nausea is under control.....thank goodness. The nurses will be out tomorrow to check on him..it is always good to see them walking in the door.
We are supposed to hear from Doolittle tomorrow...that will determine where we go from here. Dave is not giving up nor am I...so tomorrow will hopefully bring answers. I will feel a terrible let down when Hospice leaves us (they cannot be involved as long as we are undergoing treatments) Their involvement has taken so much stress off of me....
I did practice giving injections today. The oranges in my kitchen are now abundantly full of saline solution. Cayte said that I did well.....I can definately save fruit in a crisis situation!
We are supposed to hear from Doolittle tomorrow...that will determine where we go from here. Dave is not giving up nor am I...so tomorrow will hopefully bring answers. I will feel a terrible let down when Hospice leaves us (they cannot be involved as long as we are undergoing treatments) Their involvement has taken so much stress off of me....
I did practice giving injections today. The oranges in my kitchen are now abundantly full of saline solution. Cayte said that I did well.....I can definately save fruit in a crisis situation!
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