We met with Dr. Lee, the colorectal surgeon yesterday afternoon. (I'm getting to meet so many nice people these days). Dr. Lee says new conventional wisdom is to wait at least 8-10 weeks after radiation prior to doing surgery. This allows for maximum healing. He also said there are several surgery options and there is no one option that is the "right answer", but we must discuss the options and come up with what is best in my situation.
I'm fine with this added time because it will allow for us to get more definitive answers and get all the options out on the table. This is a bit scary, but he said that currently, the tumor is still close enough to the end of the line that he is concerned whether he would be able to remove the remaining cancer tissue and save...well, my ass...but it is possible that it will continue shrinking in the weeks to come.
We are praying for even more great healing in the weeks/months to come for that area. We will be getting a CAT scan in about 3-4 weeks and I will see the surgeon again in 4-5 weeks.
I have been prepared that I will probably be experiencing symptoms from the radiation for several weeks to come. Praying I am able to heal, get some rest, and be pretty well "back to normal" by the time we need to decide about the next round whether that be more chemo (with or without radiation?) and/or surgery...or who knows...last night President Obama promised to find a cure for cancer in our lifetime.
More later...
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Graduation Day!
Tomorrow is "Graduation Day" from the Radiation Therapy. I met with Dr. Hansen today and he said everything looks great. He manually checked the size of the tumor and said whereas it used to be convex (protrude into the rectum) it now is concave and it just seems like some minor scar tissue there. This is excellent news to say the least!!
Dr. Hansen is also much more enthusiastic about me having surgery in the next 4-6 weeks than Dr. Chang is. Dr. Hansen has looked at the same scans as Dr. Chang and he doesn't think there is any reason not to have surgery.
Well, I meet with the surgeon, Dr. Lee, today at 2:45, so I'll see what he thinks. I'm sure, being a surgeon, he will want to do surgery...
This is all to say, we need prayer for wisdom in the decision making process in the weeks and months to come.
Dr. Hansen says the effects of the radiation will be "percolating" in me for the next 3-4 weeks and the "sunburn", fatigue, diarrhea, etc., will probably get slightly worse before it gets better. At least I will have the Chemo bag disconnected tomorrow and won't have to worry about that for a while!
Pray for SUNSHINE on Saturday!! We have another work crew coming and some of what we need to do is outdoor painting.
Dr. Hansen is also much more enthusiastic about me having surgery in the next 4-6 weeks than Dr. Chang is. Dr. Hansen has looked at the same scans as Dr. Chang and he doesn't think there is any reason not to have surgery.
Well, I meet with the surgeon, Dr. Lee, today at 2:45, so I'll see what he thinks. I'm sure, being a surgeon, he will want to do surgery...
This is all to say, we need prayer for wisdom in the decision making process in the weeks and months to come.
Dr. Hansen says the effects of the radiation will be "percolating" in me for the next 3-4 weeks and the "sunburn", fatigue, diarrhea, etc., will probably get slightly worse before it gets better. At least I will have the Chemo bag disconnected tomorrow and won't have to worry about that for a while!
Pray for SUNSHINE on Saturday!! We have another work crew coming and some of what we need to do is outdoor painting.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Slight Plan Shift
So I have two more days of Radiation and then I get to let my body heal for a while! Yippee!
Today Dr. Chang said he would like to have another CAT scan in 4 weeks after I heal some and see what kind of damage we did to the tumor and make certain it has not metastacized. He says that he would hate to put me through the surgery to remove what's left if we found out shortly that it has indeed spread so we're just going to play it cautious in that way.
It's tough to wait on that decision, but we will trust it to God and see what happens in the weeks to come. So, it may be surgery in 4-6 weeks, or maybe another round of Chemo (higher dosage, no radiation) starting in about 4 weeks.
In any case, my job is to 1) Heal 2) Lose some weight. We are going to make a concerted effort to eat better, and less, and to move more. As that has been a lifelong struggle for me, I appreciate your prayers!
Today Dr. Chang said he would like to have another CAT scan in 4 weeks after I heal some and see what kind of damage we did to the tumor and make certain it has not metastacized. He says that he would hate to put me through the surgery to remove what's left if we found out shortly that it has indeed spread so we're just going to play it cautious in that way.
It's tough to wait on that decision, but we will trust it to God and see what happens in the weeks to come. So, it may be surgery in 4-6 weeks, or maybe another round of Chemo (higher dosage, no radiation) starting in about 4 weeks.
In any case, my job is to 1) Heal 2) Lose some weight. We are going to make a concerted effort to eat better, and less, and to move more. As that has been a lifelong struggle for me, I appreciate your prayers!
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Wonderful Wonderful People
We had a bunch of people from ISI (where I've worked 16 years and Jeanah worked for almost 8) come out to our house and do a BUNCH of work today in preparation for selling the house. More are coming next Saturday. Incredible!
We plan to put it officially on the market on Thursday and have an Open House next Sunday. So, if anybody wants to buy it at a discount before Thursday, let us know! :)
It's always a shame to have your house looking its best an know that you're doing it to sell it rather than some other fun reason. But, we believe it's for the best for us to have a bit of a living space lifestyle change.
I have 3 more radiation sessions left, and I'm very happy to be done. I've been feeling lousy the last few days. I'm very glad not to have to go another 2 or 3 weeks or something like that.
My skin has actually been healing some from the sunburn now that I've been using the "wonder cream" and have been able to control the number of daily movements to some extent.
We will be visiting with Chaz (our former foster son) tomorrow. We are very excited to see him. We talked to him on the phone for about 10 minutes on Thursday and he seemed very excited to see us as well. The foster placement he is in sounds perfect for him...a real answer to our prayers!
We plan to put it officially on the market on Thursday and have an Open House next Sunday. So, if anybody wants to buy it at a discount before Thursday, let us know! :)
It's always a shame to have your house looking its best an know that you're doing it to sell it rather than some other fun reason. But, we believe it's for the best for us to have a bit of a living space lifestyle change.
I have 3 more radiation sessions left, and I'm very happy to be done. I've been feeling lousy the last few days. I'm very glad not to have to go another 2 or 3 weeks or something like that.
My skin has actually been healing some from the sunburn now that I've been using the "wonder cream" and have been able to control the number of daily movements to some extent.
We will be visiting with Chaz (our former foster son) tomorrow. We are very excited to see him. We talked to him on the phone for about 10 minutes on Thursday and he seemed very excited to see us as well. The foster placement he is in sounds perfect for him...a real answer to our prayers!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Closing in on Round 1
6 More days of Radiation until Round 1 is done.
Dr. Hansen and I discussed the "sunburn" and it's not bad enough that we think we need to take a pause so we're going to push through until next Wednesday, the original goal date.
My blood numbers are very good and so we're not too worried about the Chemo right now. I do have some fatigue and it gets steadily worse each week, but once we reach the peak next week it should start getting better!
Dr. Hansen and Dr. Chang are discussing options for a surgeon. We think the surgery to remove whatever is left of the tumor will be around 4 weeks after next Wednesday. (Sometime between 4 and 6 weeks, but Dr. Hansen indicated he would like to see it happen closer to 4 weeks). So that's about March 25 or so...mark your calendars :)
Pray that we would find a very skilled surgeon who has done this type of surgery many times previously. This one is going to be a bit tricky because of proximity to the end of the track (which we want to keep around if possible!!...although right now sometimes I think pooping in a bag might not be such a bad thing...I'm sure later I will feel differently).
Dr. Hansen and I discussed the "sunburn" and it's not bad enough that we think we need to take a pause so we're going to push through until next Wednesday, the original goal date.
My blood numbers are very good and so we're not too worried about the Chemo right now. I do have some fatigue and it gets steadily worse each week, but once we reach the peak next week it should start getting better!
Dr. Hansen and Dr. Chang are discussing options for a surgeon. We think the surgery to remove whatever is left of the tumor will be around 4 weeks after next Wednesday. (Sometime between 4 and 6 weeks, but Dr. Hansen indicated he would like to see it happen closer to 4 weeks). So that's about March 25 or so...mark your calendars :)
Pray that we would find a very skilled surgeon who has done this type of surgery many times previously. This one is going to be a bit tricky because of proximity to the end of the track (which we want to keep around if possible!!...although right now sometimes I think pooping in a bag might not be such a bad thing...I'm sure later I will feel differently).
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Catching up with me
Monday's visit with Dr. Chang was uneventful...still boring (is good). The "sunburn" down south is getting to the point where the skin is very irritated and there sometimes is a slight bleeding. Dr. Chang said this is normal (doesn't seem normal to me :) and I will talk to Dr. Hansen, the Radiation Oncologist about it Tuesday. Blood counts = normal, but slightly lower
Tuesday, got some wonderful "Silver Sulfadiazine" cream which is specifically for treating burns, says the pharmacy. It does soothe the pain, but the bummer is I am not supposed to use it in the morning before going to radiation, so I'll hurry home!
The radiation is "catching up with me" as I was quite fatigued Tuesday and didn't work at all. Mostly just laid on the couch by the fire and ate a few times. Now I know what it's like to be a cat.
Today (Wednesday) I'm feeling much better and have been/will be working...
Tuesday, got some wonderful "Silver Sulfadiazine" cream which is specifically for treating burns, says the pharmacy. It does soothe the pain, but the bummer is I am not supposed to use it in the morning before going to radiation, so I'll hurry home!
The radiation is "catching up with me" as I was quite fatigued Tuesday and didn't work at all. Mostly just laid on the couch by the fire and ate a few times. Now I know what it's like to be a cat.
Today (Wednesday) I'm feeling much better and have been/will be working...
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Pizza could be the Cure
I'm not convinced that Wallery's pizza is the cure for cancer, but isn't it nice to think about!
This morning I didn't feel like going to church, but we watched a bit of a TV preacher, not because we felt like we needed to, but because he looked...interesting. He said something that was striking to me.
"If God had not put Goliath in David's path, and David had not chosen to go up against him, David would still be a shepherd, not a king and the patriarch to the Messiah."
His premise was that God puts obstacles in our path to take us from season to season in our lives and when we run into an obstacle, we know it's time for a new season. Kinda what I thought.
We're just trying to beat this giant right now by taking it day by day. I've noticed my heart beating faster when I move around and up and down the stairs. I've been having more irritation on the skin down south, but none of this is unbearable.
Will meet with the doctor tomorrow and report the results!
This morning I didn't feel like going to church, but we watched a bit of a TV preacher, not because we felt like we needed to, but because he looked...interesting. He said something that was striking to me.
"If God had not put Goliath in David's path, and David had not chosen to go up against him, David would still be a shepherd, not a king and the patriarch to the Messiah."
His premise was that God puts obstacles in our path to take us from season to season in our lives and when we run into an obstacle, we know it's time for a new season. Kinda what I thought.
We're just trying to beat this giant right now by taking it day by day. I've noticed my heart beating faster when I move around and up and down the stairs. I've been having more irritation on the skin down south, but none of this is unbearable.
Will meet with the doctor tomorrow and report the results!
Friday, February 6, 2009
Oooh, We're Halfway The-ere...
Yesterday was the 14th of 28 total radiation treatments. It's not the treatment per se that is tough, but the results. I have started getting quite itchy and tender. The doctor says he doesn't want me to go to the bathroom more than 3 times per day, but also does not want me to get constipated...so...we're trying to get the right dosage of Imodium AD to do exactly that.
Wednesday and Thursday I did pretty well, but today...I've been interrupted several times.
Thankfully, I really haven't seen any other side effects from the Chemo still besides fatigue. My blood count levels continue to be normal but slightly lower.
Hoping for a good weekend! Staying inside and staying warm!
Jeanah's uncle Steve and aunt Eileen from Salem are bringing Wallery's pizza (my favorite) tomorrow night...I'm looking forward to it!
God Bless!
Wednesday and Thursday I did pretty well, but today...I've been interrupted several times.
Thankfully, I really haven't seen any other side effects from the Chemo still besides fatigue. My blood count levels continue to be normal but slightly lower.
Hoping for a good weekend! Staying inside and staying warm!
Jeanah's uncle Steve and aunt Eileen from Salem are bringing Wallery's pizza (my favorite) tomorrow night...I'm looking forward to it!
God Bless!
Monday, February 2, 2009
A Drop in the Bucket
Jeanah and I were talking yesterday about how our lives here on this Earth are like a drop in the bucket of "eternity" or "forever". Just like these 5 1/2 weeks are a drop in the bucket compared to the rest of our lives.
2 weeks down, 3 1/2 to go! I don't have many problems other than some itchy dry skin starting and more regular trips to the little room. Going to start watching both and trying to nip those symptoms in the bud.
Today, Dr. Chang said, "No nausea, hand or foot swelling, eye swelling/pain, mouth sores?...man, you're pretty boring...and boring is GOOD!"
I'm more tired than I was last week and do have more irritation down below, but other than that, doing pretty well.
An answer to prayer is that we sold our 5th wheel that we had as a project for a long time. It is no longer in our front yard! Thursday, we will be talking to the realtor about selling "the big house".
Did you see the big game this weekend? No, not Hyper Bowl XLIII...the hoops civil war! OSU 57, oregon 54!
God be with you!
Victor
2 weeks down, 3 1/2 to go! I don't have many problems other than some itchy dry skin starting and more regular trips to the little room. Going to start watching both and trying to nip those symptoms in the bud.
Today, Dr. Chang said, "No nausea, hand or foot swelling, eye swelling/pain, mouth sores?...man, you're pretty boring...and boring is GOOD!"
I'm more tired than I was last week and do have more irritation down below, but other than that, doing pretty well.
An answer to prayer is that we sold our 5th wheel that we had as a project for a long time. It is no longer in our front yard! Thursday, we will be talking to the realtor about selling "the big house".
Did you see the big game this weekend? No, not Hyper Bowl XLIII...the hoops civil war! OSU 57, oregon 54!
God be with you!
Victor
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