Monday, December 31, 2012

The best laid plans....Blah Blah Blah

For those of you who haven't heard, my grandson Charles Owen Katula was born last Thursday.  Both Vic and I tried our best to time our visits out east in order to be there for his birth.  I went out a little early and Vic stayed a little later.  Unfortunately, we both missed his arrival.  We were able to see him via the computer but it wasn't enough.  I had to hold this boy!  Vic had this week off and I have everyday off so the choice was simple....ROAD TRIP!  That's right, we decided we would drive out to Baltimore, stay a couple of days, meet our grandson and get back for the weekend.  The only thing I needed to do is change my blood work appointment from Thursday to today so we could leave early on Wednesday.  The oncology department was able to change my appointment, and I was able to get my numbers today.  This is where the "best laid plan" part comes into play.  My numbers were not good at all.  The two major things we look at, in order to mark my progress, are platelet count and tumor marker. My platelet count is at the lowest it has ever been at 38 and my tumor marker went up 20 points to 137.  Based on these numbers the Oncologist feels I am to sick to travel.  He said he doesn't know exactly why my platelets are so low and feels there is a good chance they may go lower.  The chance of me having an internal bleed is just to great for him to allow me to leave the area.  The tumor marker increase is much easier to explain, the tumors are actively growing again.  It seems like we are going to have a battle over what is the right balance of chemo drugs vs tumors vs platelets.  This could take some time and I pray for guidance and patience.  I am devastated that I cannot hug and kiss my grandson now, but I know God will allow me to see him soon.  So in the meantime, I have to be satisfied with pictures and FaceTime in order to get my "Owen fix" and believe me he is cute enough to pull it off.  Keep praying!

Thursday, December 27, 2012

He is finally here!!

I am so happy and honored to announce the birth of our first grandson.

Charles Owen Katula   (He will be called Owen)
9 pounds
23 inches

Yeah, thats right,  he's huge and so beautiful.  Allison is also doing well. (Matt too)  More info as I get it.

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Merry Christmas 2012

Merry Christmas to everyone.  As I said in my last post, what a difference one year makes.  Last year we were all celebrating Christmas with the black cloud of my cancer diagnosis hanging over our heads.    We had a full house.  Matt, Allison and the girls came home from out east.  Many friends and relatives stopped by.  Everyone wanted to show their support and share in what was supposed to be my last Christmas celebration.  Well, here we are a year later and I'm so blessed to be able to celebrate another Christmas but, with a great difference.  The storyline this year is one of life, not death.  My illness has not gotten the best of me.  God has allowed me to continue to live and enjoy the wonderful events over the past year.  The shadow of death has taken a back seat to the miracle of life.  The main event that is  driving this years Christmas celebrations is the pending birth of my first grandson.  So far we have tried our best to time things up in order to celebrate the birth and Christmas together.  I went out east early to see the girls and maybe the "boy"..... nope!  Vic came out a little later so she could be there for the birth and get back home in time for Christmas....... nope!  As of today, Vic is still out there and the baby is still in there.  God only knows when the time is perfect for our little guy to arrive, I just hope it is soon for Allison's sake. ( Can you say, Uncomfortable!!)  So, as I write this entry on Christmas morning, I am happy to be able to concentrate on a pending birth and all of it's future implications.  It certainly is a much better alternative to last years thoughts.  We may have to celebrate Christmas a little later this year when everyone is available but, we will celebrate.  We will celebrate both the birth of our Lord and the birth of a son, brother, grandchild and great grandchild.  Someday he will appreciate how he has made this a special Christmas for me. He has allowed me to put my problems aside and enjoy the season for what it should be enjoyed for.  The celebration of life and the love of family and friends.  Keep praying!        

Monday, December 24, 2012

Still no baby

Wow, I just re-read my post from last Christmas Eve and what a difference a year makes.  Last year I had a house full of family eating and enjoying each others company.  This year I am here with just  Sam and Ali.  That's right, no baby means Vic stayed out in Baltimore.  Allison's parents are scheduled to get to Matt and Al's house on Wednesday so Vic is staying out there until then.  We decided to have our Christmas Eve celebrations on Thursday so Vic can be here.  We did open presents with the girls via the computer earlier tonight.  Both Lillian and Caroline were very happy with their dolls, markers, nail polish and more.  I just left those girls and I miss them already.  I hope to give a better update on my grandson, like length and weight, very soon.  I hope Santa got you everything you wanted.  God bless all of you.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Long Day

It's Wednesday night and I am beat.  I left Baltimore very early this morning in order to make my treatment appointment today.  More about my trip later.  First I'll update you on my day at the hospital.  Thanks to Sam for picking me up from the airport and spending his whole day with me.  It all started at 9am with blood work.  My results were not very good.  I still have a low platelet problem which is wreaking havoc on my treatment.  My tumor marker went up to 117 from 110.  Fortunately my liver function is still ok.  After the lab work was complete, Sam and I met with the Oncologist.  He was concerned with the low platelet count and decided to suspend the chemo pills from my treatment in the hopes this will give my body a chance to produce more platelets.  He did not want to fully stop the chemo so he decided to continue the infusion of Avastin.  I have a feeling that if this platelet thing does not get better we may have to have the spleen removal surgery.  Both the doctor and the nurse told me not to worry abut the increase in my tumor marker and to give this new treatment an opportunity to work.  At this point I have no other options so I have to stay positive.  Our meeting with the doctor took longer than usual so I lost my spot in line for the chemo suites.  It is sad to see the large number of people in need of chemotherapy.  This cancer is a bad thing.  We eventually got in, got my infusion and  got home late afternoon.  Finally, nap time!
Now, about my trip out east.  Awesome!!!! I am so glad I decided to go.  The game plan of being out there when Allison has the baby did not work out (stubborn little guy) but, seeing the girls was well worth the trip.  I was able to play, draw, read, watch movies and more from the time I got up until the time they went to bed.  Every morning started out with both girls waking me up and watching cartoons together before we had breakfast.  They were the best alarm clock I could ever ask for.  I think the highlight of the trip for me was being able to attend the girls Christmas concert.  I thought this would be very emotional for me to watch knowing it may be the only one I may ever see and I was right.  The funny thing was it was not a sad moment, it was a very happy moment thanks to Lillian.  Caroline and the 2 year olds sang first and like most 2 year old concerts the teacher was the only one singing while the kids stared into the crowd.  Very cute!  Then came the 4 year olds and our little performer.  Once the music started our Lillian was belting out the songs.  Every word, every note and every movement was perfect and very, very loud.  When it comes to performing this girl does not have a shy bone in her body and the joy I felt was overwhelming.  Thank you sweetheart, you made Papa's day!
Now, Vic is still out there and hopefully this little boy will grace us with his presence before she leaves.   That would be great for Vic and especially great for Allison, believe me she is ready.  I fully expect my next update to include the information on my new grandson.  Keep praying! Stay positive!

Thursday, December 13, 2012

1st numbers from new treatment

I went in yesterday for blood work.  Based on the past couple months of cancelled treatment, finger problems and more, I was really looking forward to some good news.  Well, it wasn't as good as I was hoping for.  My liver function numbers were unchanged and remain on the high side of normal.  My hemoglobin or red cell numbers are low which is the cause of some of my fatigue.  I also have to watch for abnormal bleeding and bruising that can happen with low red cell numbers.  My blood pressure is now on the high side.  They prescribed some medicine for me to curb this problem. (Yay, more pills) These problems are all a direct side effect of the Avastin and I am told not to worry, we will just have to keep an eye on these things.  My tumor marker did not go up but,  it only went down by 1 point.  I have to look at that as good news because it did not go up and it has only been one treatment so, I'll take that for what it's worth.  It is good to be back on treatment as opposed to doing nothing.  I just have to be patient and let the medicine do it's job.  I also have to continue to pray and allow God's will to be done and accept the results of both.
Now I do have some real good news!!  The best way to tell you what's going on now,  is to start at the beginning.  Approximately 2 months ago Vic and I decided we would go out to Baltimore to see the girls sometime in December. We selected a week in December that would allow us a chance to celebrate Christmas and more importantly we might be out there when Allison has the baby.  We booked the flights.  Fast forward to my new treatment plan and this is where the wrench got thrown into our plans.  My second round of treatment fell in the middle of our trip so we asked if I could reschedule it.  The answer was "absolutely not, change your vacation plan, this treatment is too important  too your outcome." I did not like the answer but, we decided it would be best for me to stay home and Vic would go out by herself.  This did not go over real well with both the girls and Allison, they wanted me out there.  Now Allison went to work to solve the problem.  She called Southwest Airlines and had my flight changed, for no charge, and booked me new flights in between my appointment yesterday and my treatment next week.  To make a long story short, I am leaving for Baltimore tomorrow morning and returning in time for my treatment next week.  Vic will keep her flights and we will overlap our trips by a few days.  WIN, WIN, WIN, that's how Allison described it and I agree.  God's will is not only for the treatment, it's for everything around us.  Thank you Lord!!

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

One "weak" later

I wanted to give my new treatment a week before I commented on it.  As you can see in my title, the main side effect I am facing is weakness.  This new drug feels very similar to the first chemo drugs I was on.  The first few days after the infusion are the worst.  I feel very tired and my muscles and joints are very sore.  The good news is that as time goes by I am starting to feel better.  I don''t know if this is my body getting used to the drug or if this is the way it will always be after each infusion.  We'll see after the next treatment.
On a different note, I have to mention a couple of things that I was not certain if I would be here to experience but, by the grace of God I have been able to do so. First, putting up Christmas decorations.  We went all out this year and really decked out the house both in the front and the back yard.  It was a lot of work and I thank Sam and Vic for all their assistance.  Actually,  they did all the heavy lifting while I was more of an artistic supervisor.  It looks great.  Second and more importantly, watching Sammy coach his JV basketball team.  He is doing a great job.  It was always a great feeling when you would hear comments about how well your son was playing during a game and fortunately for me my boys earned a lot of those comments.  Now I hear parents making comments about how well the team is coached and how it's fun to watch their sons play and finally win.  It is actually very fun to get back to high school sports.  The atmosphere is very different from the college and pro scene, it is just raw sport.  The games are all exciting and the students are unbridled fun.  I am so happy I could see this! Sam is doing a great job and I am very proud of him.
I am now into my second year of what they call "survival".  That makes it sound like it has been nothing but a struggle, not true.  This has not been easy but, at the same time I have been able to truly absorb things that have been happening around me and get the best out of what they really mean to my life. Enjoying events like birthdays, holidays and even seasonal changes are more important to me now. Looking forward to special events takes my focus off the illness and gives me reasons to keep going.  So, what's next for me to enjoy?  Here are just a few..... Sam's continued success of his season, the Christmas Holidays and the big one for me, my first grandson!  Look forward to the important things that are coming up in your life. It will help you to enjoy them more when they are here.
Thanks for the support and keep praying!