Sunday, August 30: Cast off

No, "cast off" does not mean we're going sailing.  Come to think of it, right about a year ago we did head out on a cruise to Alaska!

Mike got his cast off several days ago, so he's a happy sailor-man.

Then he visited the dermatologist's office, with a couple of biopsies and then a lot of freezing of bad spots (normal for him).  Not so happy.

Now we're just waiting until Wednesday to see the oncologist.

August 4: latest CT scan

Mike's CT scan (July 30) showed two lumps near the trachea "resolved," meaning they are gone.  Lumps near the pancreas head and in the abdomen, however, are unchanged.  Yuck. Ptooie.

Chemo was today, another tomorrow, and Mike will see the doctor in a month.

Added to his "Accessories"

I'm very late in my reports, but not because anything bad has happened.  

First, why the headline?  Mike now sports a cast on his right wrist/arm.  He fell about six weeks ago, and gradually complained more and more about pain in his wrist.  An x-ray, we were told, was hard to distinguish between arthritis and fracture, but they were pretty sure there were two small fractures and a damaged ligament.  Since he uses a walker, the wrist needed to be stabilized for a chance to heal.  Mike has four more weeks with it.

But he manages to "find" (or create) humor in most situations.  Last week a fly was buzzing around Mike's head, landing on his forehead.  Mike smacked it.  With his right hand.  With the cast.  Yup, a little owie.

Before chemo two weeks ago, the doctor was going over what the initial symptoms had been before the cancer diagnosis.  He mumbled something about some inconsistent symptoms, and announced Mike would get another CT scan, coming up late this week.  I'm sure we won't get results until Mike's next appointment, middle of next week (August 5).  But I PROMISE to give a more timely report this time.  

Until then, be safe our friends!

Thur., June 25: Some smaller

Doctor's report on the scan: there has been shrinkage, but not as much as he espected.  Mike can have up to eight rounds of Treanda -- at the point of the scan, he'd had only three rounds.  Today finishes the fifth.  

The plan, then, is mid-July for number six, early August number seven, late August number eight, another scan probably before Labor Day.  

Tomorrow is Mike's birthday!

Yes is attitude is good.  He's very fortunate not to have side affects from chemo.  We have a caregiver who comes in overnight to help him as needed (five nights a week).

We might even try out the RV Friday to Sunday to get out of the valley heat...  vroom vroom

Tues., June 2: Scan results, yes and no

Yesterday's CT scan (with contrast) went well with, as always, a few hiccups.  At this morning's appointment with the physician's assistant, she had the scan results BUT the radiologist had not compared to the February scan.  She's sending it back to get the interpretation.  

Mike is sleeping through chemo right now.

The new caretaker last night was good last night, but Mike wasn't.  After being up in the living room chair a bit in the middle of the night, he headed back to bed and told Brandon, "I'm fine, you don't need to help me."  In a minute, Brandon heard him fall (large carpeted area, so Mike wasn't hurt).  My advice was, "Don't listen to him.  Tell him you're going to keep an eye on him until you know he's safe."

Sat., May 30, 2015:

Small changes over the last few weeks.

We had an overnight caregiver last week and this week, four nights each week.  She was temporary because we have a young man starting this next week.  Quite a process to get to the right point with all this, but Mike has been quite accepting of the need for me to get some sleep (although he still questions the cost once in a while!). 

Doctor P ordered a scan; round and round we went.  Mike is allergic to IVP contrast solution, but he's been told he can be pre-medicated for it.  Silverton Hospital asked where the allergy is documented (even the doctor's office scheduler got frustrated, "Do you mind if we try here at Salem Hospital?")  Salem said his reaction had been too severe to risk it, even with pre-med.  So switch to MRI -- insurance will have to approve, of course.  Got scheduled for Woodburn, pretty cool.  Well, maybe not. When we got there, check-in said there will have to be another appointment. There are two "studies," and they each take an hour. As they were lining Mike up to go in the tube, "Now put your arms up over your head," I knew we were sunk.  They started sliding him in, and he couldn't breathe. Tried the arms at the side.  He made it through several pictures, but by then had to pee.  And there was NO way he was going back in there.

What's happening on Monday?  Oh, just a CT with contrast and pre-medications. *sigh* At Salem Hospital.

Tuesday and Wednesday will be chemo.  

Happy news is we got a (used) field mower attachment for the tractor!  Thanks to our neighbor John who has been keeping a look out for one.

Gratitude: Mike was feeling well enough today to mow between the garden and berry rows, PLUS both the front and back yards.

Mon., May 11, 2015: fourth round of chemo

Mike still has his persistent cough, so he's really tired.  Doc told us today that last Thursday's CT doesn't show anything (like pleurisy or pneumonia), but because it's been three weeks, he prescribed an antibiotic.  I'm not so crazy about that, because we have so much unnecessary antibiotic use in this country.

Doc mentioned a lymph node near the chest is about 1', but I didn't ask how that compared to two months ago!  Or compared to whatever the normal size is for that node. Argh. 

During today's chemo, daughter Brooke came to sit for an hour, and I got a play date with the granddaughter!  Remember, now, I was told at the last chemo that either I or another caretaker needed to be with Mike, because they weren't staffed to help him to the bathroom.  Hah.  Brooke texted me later, "The nurse is taking him to pee, LOL."  Talk-to-text couldn't quite translate me screaming, "Seriously??"

We are getting closer to getting overnight care here at home. 
I called four possibilities yesterday. Our location was too far for one. One call went to, "Voice mail has not been set up..."  A third hasn't answered my message.  And the fourth we will interview this week, but  he is currently helping his grandmother in California and might not be available until at least three weeks (and maybe not until two months). Mike wanted a male, because of the physical lifting, but I think I will open it up for women.........

Second day of chemo tomorrow will be very short.

We expected Mike to be scheduled for a scan in two weeks, but the doctor said today that with the CT last week, and the chest x-ray the week before, he will wait until after six treatments for a full body scan.  Two weeks after the sixth treatment will put us at July 6/7.