Friday's numbers

I had treatment yesterday and all went well.  My liver function numbers are about the same as they have been, high side of normal.  I was really happy with my platelet numbers as they were 119 which is the highest they have been in quite a while.  It was kind of funny for Vic and I when the nurse got my numbers.  This is the first time I had this nurse handle my infusion.  She normally works at Froedert full time and comes to Waukesha once a month.  She was very concerned with my platelet count being so low and questioned whether I should get treatment.  We laughed and told her that I have had treatment when my count was in the 60's and not to worry, 119 is very high for me.  She looked at my history, shook her head and said ok.  Next we asked for my tumor marker number.  She said she would get it to me as soon as the lab got the results.  A short while later she came into the room looking very nervous.  She handed me the lab readout and walked out of the room without saying a word.  The tumor marker number was too high for her to discuss it with us, or so she thought.  It was 60 and Vic and I were very happy.  I think she checked my history again and understood our reaction.  I'm doing good and happy to be back on track.

Looking back

I went to my blog today in order to update my progress.  I realized as I started typing that I really don't have much to report.  My chemo treatment has resumed and I feel the same as I have in the past during treatment, a little more tired and fatigued than usual.  I will have blood work done on Friday in order to see if the treatment is knocking down the tumor activity that started up again while I was off chemo.  Other than that, I have nothing else to write about..... or so I thought.

The site I use for my blog has a statistics page.  It allows me to track the number of views and the location of where the views are taking place.  I was very surprised when I looked at this info.  There has been over 21,000 views to the blog from 10 different countries around the world.  I had to do something I had not done since the blog was started.  I went back and read my entries from the beginning.  This is what I realized.
It has been 8 months since my diagnosis.  Sometimes it seems like such a long time ago and other times it seems like yesterday.  I was not given a very good prognosis based on the scans and blood work presented to the doctors.  The best case scenario was 2 months, but the doctor said he would be as aggressive as possible and he was.  As I read the blog entries, I am reliving the feeling of hope as each treatment showed promise.  My faith in the Lord and the outpouring of prayer was evident in each post.  I also took notice in the way I began to see how important it is to enjoy what you have in your life.  We  all to often are looking into the future for happiness and missing the happiness we have in our life right now.  The events I have experienced since my diagnosis mean much more to me now because these were events I was supposed to miss.  Each blog entry is a testament to the miracle of healing.  It also reminds me how important my family has been over these last 8 months.  The difficulty of handling the unknown while having their lives turned upside down is harder than you could ever know.  Suddenly, I was the one who needed all the attention.  They have done everything I needed without fail.
While I was reading my blog I also read the comments made by the followers.  The feeling of love, hope and prayer is evident in all of the comments.  I did come to the realization that this blog is not mine, it's ours.  Every prayer and every positive thought is helpful in my recovery.  Keep them coming and we can review again in another 8 months.

Finally, back on the juice.

I had blood work done yesterday and based on the results the doctor feels I should be ok to resume chemo treatment right away.  There was a mixed bag of factors that went into his decision.  My finger infection looks like it is under control. My platelet count is in the upper 90's, which is as high as it has been in months.  My liver function numbers  and tumor marker number are going up which indicates that there is increased tumor activity.  Based on all this, we are going to resume treatment today.
There will be a slight change in the regiment of chemo meds I will be on.  We are going to continue taking the Xeloda pills, six per day, at the same dosage as before.  We will also stay on the drug Erbitux because of the good results we have experienced with tumor reduction.  The dosage however will be reduced by 20%.  Hopefully this reduction will slow the major side effects I was getting from this drug such as skin rash, finger infections and joint weakness/pain. We will be watching this very closely and make changes early on if problems occur.  I do know one thing for sure, we will stay as aggressive as possible in both treatment and faith in the Lord's healing power.  It feels good to get back on the offensive in this battle.  Keep praying!

Stiches are finally out

I got the stitches removed yesterday and boy does it feel good.  The doctor was happy with the results from the medication to knock down the infection.  There is some infection still remaining but it looks like it is on the way out.  I go to the hospital tomorrow for blood work.  If everything looks good I should be able to start up treatment again on Friday. This is very important because I am experiencing some of the symptoms I had experienced before when the tumors were growing.  I really feel I need to get back on the offensive and attack the cancer with what was working before the infections.
Thanks for the prayers and please keep them coming.

Quick update

My fingers are slowly getting better.  I got a call from the surgeon Tuesday night and he told me they found something in the cultures they did during my surgery.  I have a fungal infection as well as a bacterial infection.  The antibiotics I've been on were strictly for the bacterial infection so they are now putting me on an anti fungal.  Both my surgeon and oncologist feel this should solve the infection problem and my stitches should still come out as scheduled next Tuesday.

In regards to my mother in law's broken elbow, she came through the surgery fine.  She has some hardware in her arm now and the recovery is going to be rough.  Please keep the prayers coming.

A few things going on.

I have a couple things regarding me to report first.  I do not have any treatment or blood work this week.  It has been a long time since I had a full week off from the oncology wing.  It really seems weird but, I should start up again next week.  I went to the surgeon's office today for a follow up on my fingers and toe.  I have to leave the stitches in until next Tuesday.  The infection is still there so they hope the antibiotics will do their job this week.
I need some prayer help for Vic's mom, Barb.  She took a nasty fall and broke her elbow today.  She is scheduled for surgery tomorrow afternoon.  Please send your prayers and positive thoughts that she has a successful surgery and a quick healing process.

More time off

I went to the hospital yesterday for blood work.  The LP nurse also wanted to see my surgery wounds in order to decide on my future treatment plan. After looking at my fingers it was decided that the best course of action was to let the fingers heal first.  The doctor feels the chemo drugs will inhibit the healing process.  Unfortunately, my tumor marker number has gone up while I've been off.  This means there is some tumor activity but, the doctor feels the lessor of two evils is to let the fingers heal.  Once that is done we will get back on track with the chemo and start attacking the tumors again.  I do go to the surgeon on Monday for the removal of the stitches.  One week after that we should be ready to go.

Now for the best news of the day.  Ever since I was diagnosed, I have really looked forward to certain events.  These included holidays, special events and birthdays.  I am pleased to announced that I've made it to be around for another special birthday.  On this day 30 years ago, my daughter in law Allison was born.  Not only is she the love of my son's life and the mother of my beautiful granddaughters, she is as much of a daughter to me as there could be.  I'm so happy she is part of our lives and I wish her the best on her special day. I pray I can share many more in the future.  Love You! Happy Birthday!!!

Happy Fourth of July 2012

It's been an excellent holiday.  I was able to go to the lakefront fireworks and they were great.  I can't thank everyone enough who helped me be as comfortable as possible.  It was very hot and my fingers and toe were throbbing after the long walk to the park but, it was worth it.  Then came the traditional 4th celebration at Mom and Pop's today.  Again it was very, very hot and the food preparation in the kitchen made it even hotter.  Most people were able to find relief in the pool.  Unfortunately, my recent surgery did not allow me to get wet.  Even with that, I had a really good time.  It is all about being together with people you care about.  That is what makes everything worth while for me.  That is what keeps me looking forward to the next event.  Family, friends and fun.  Thanks for everything!!

Surgery Complete

My surgery is over and I hve large bandsgds on my finhers.

Just kidding, I am having a little problem typing but I do have two fingers available.
The surgery was successful according to the doctor.  I still have some anesthesia in my system so the pain is not bad right now. I do have some pain meds and I have been told I will need them.  This should heal in about ten days.  He also did one of my big toes so the walking thing is a bit of a pain, literally.  I do plan on going to the downtown fireworks tomorrow.  If I can , I will be there.
Thanks for the prayers and good thoughts it is always appreciated.