Hanging In

Okay, week one after the second chemo treatment is drawing to a close. I wish I had wonderful things to write about, but I don't. I just sit here hoping that his second week goes great. If the cycle repeats itself, that is what we will see, a great second week. As for now, he is hanging in there...fighting the fatigue and other side effects.

Weekend News 3/29/09

Even though we were in blizzard conditions on Friday, Paul was able to make it to the doctors office to get the pump disconnected. While he was there, they also took an xray of his foot to check out the gout, so hopefully we will hear if they see anything "extraordinary". Friday was great with a nice big fire in the fireplace, we had an absolutely relaxing afternoon and evening. As far as yesterday and today, Paul spent the biggest part of it sleeping. I wish I could say it was a great weekend, but honestly in the midst of all his sleeping he had ups and downs with different side effects, but we are praying that part is behind us for this time. I must remember that He knows the future, and His plans for us are good and full of hope.

Snow!

Okay, the Friday after Paul's first chemo...snow. Today is the Friday after Paul's second chemo...snow. I often think of snow as a clean white blanket from Heaven, and I believe he is telling us something, and it is good news I know!

Today with school being out, it is great to be home spending time with the kiddos. Paul is going in early for his pump disconnect, they are going to close their office early. I think he is doing awesome; although I must admit the hands are worse than last time...two pairs of gloves most of the time.

I will update after the disconnect is complete, as for now...everyone enjoy the snowy day.

Chemo Infusion #2 Over!

The second chemotherapy infusion is over. Praise God! The side effects have begun...sensitivity to cold and extreme fatigue. Pray for Paul, we want those cancer cells to die and the side effects to stay away!

Gout...still

Before all this started, Paul's gout attacks were only hours...now he is on day four of a gout attack. Good thing for that medical boot, or he wouldn't even be able to walk. If I understand it correctly gout is a side effect of chemotherapy. He recently started a preventative medicine for gout, so hopefully it will keep it from happening again. Tomorrow is chemo #2. As far as we know, it will be the same as last time. We will let you know how it goes!

Sorry!

I know, I know- I apologize...I didn't post over the weekend. We picked up the kids on Friday night and all the sudden...we were busy again! The weekend went well, Paul is doing great except for a gout attack. (which we had heard might happen) It started on Saturday and by Sunday he was wearing his medical boot all day. He has suffered from gout from time to time for 3-4 years, but it hasn't been this bad in quite some time. Other than his gout and walking around in a medical boot-all is good! Awaiting chemo #2-Wednesday morning!

The kids are coming home

The kiddos are coming home! This evening we are going to meet and pickup our beautiful children. I'm sure they have had a wonderful time -- I can't wait to hear all their stories. Not only have Paul and I missed them; but also our dog, Princess, and our cat, Charlie will be excited to see them too. Paul is hanging in there, still feeling good. Of course, he doesn't quite have the energy he had before this all started, but he is doing excellent!

I want to take a second and say thanks to everyone. We are so blessed to have all of you caring for us and praying for us. THANK YOU!

Feeling Good!

Yesterday and today, Paul has been feeling good! I am so excited to share this great news with everyone! How great He is, to give comfort to Paul. Not much side effects at this time…intolerance to cold (now only in his hands) and lack of appetite. Although he doesn’t feel very hungry, he is eating, he can’t afford to lose much more weight.

We just got back from the surgeons office, Dr. L; we only heard good news there. Everything is healing well, so they released Paul. So we won’t be seeing Dr. L for a while.

As for now, we just keep praying that everyday goes as well as yesterday.

A pin drop

Well, Tuesday is here and the house is definitely quiet! The kids are still away visiting family and there are many times you could here a pin drop in the house. Paul is doing well. He does get tired, so I try to tell him to slow down (like that really works). On Thursday he goes back in to the surgeon so the doctor can look over the incisions for the biopsy and port placement. I think they seem to be healing fairly well (but I am not even close to being a nurse...ask Dr. K!). We'll see what the doctor says on Thursday. As for what Paul has been up to...doing what he can and resting when he can.

Sleepy Selection Sunday

Yesterday was Selection Sunday, the time when they announce the teams that will be in the NCAA Basketball Tournament Bracket and it was a sleepy day for Paul. With the kids gone for a few days and Paul sleeping, you could’ve heard a pin drop in our house. Paul spent a good portion of the day sleeping in the recliner, he was extremely tired. I was worried that he wouldn’t be able to sleep last night, but I didn’t need to worry….he did a good job at sleeping in the night too! The intolerance to cold seems to be getting better. He is able to have something cold to drink; but he still needs his gloves. Well, our selection Sunday was quiet and I just pray that the chemo medications are attacking those cancer cells with great success.

Chemo Pic

Here is a picture of Paul during his first chemo treatment on Wednesday. Doesn't he look comfy and relaxed? He loves to show off his Sooner Spirit! It has been 3 days since he had the treatment, he went in for the pump disconnect yesterday and everything seems to going fine. Still experiencing an intolerance to cold and a little fatigue. We are told the intolerance to cold may not last until the next treatment. Let's hope not! All in all it has been an okay three days. Thanks for thinking about us and reading our blog!

First day side effects

Not long after getting home from chemo, the pain spiked again. Although it took some time, it is now under control. The first side effect was really intolerance to cold, Paul took something out of the fridge and I could tell by the look on his face...it wasn't a pleasant experience. What a time to be having a cold spell here in Amarillo! The intolerance is only in his hands and in his mouth. So it is room temperature drinks and gloves. Other than that he had a great afternoon and evening.

On Friday morning they take off the pump and we begin counting down the days until he goes again! We pray the days ahead are as good as this afternoon and evening.

Chemo Infusion #1 Over!

We went in this morning and first spoke with Dr. E. After that we went waited for a bit and went in for the first chemo infusion. They decided not to give all the meds on the first visit, so the chemo didn't take as long as we expected. So Paul passed the time by surfing the web, watching some favorite episodes on iTunes, and taking a short nap. After that was over, they hooked up a pump for the last of the medications. This will pump meds for 46 hours, so we will go back in on Friday to disconnect. As for now, we keep praying and hoping that Paul doesn't experience many side effects. Now to wait patiently for two weeks until the next infusion.

A little nervous

I must admit I am anxious, but I think Paul is a little nervous about tomorrow. You hear of all kinds of stories about side effects, but we are just unsure what (if any!) side effects Paul will have. Although he doesn't really want me to, I am going to stay with him tomorrow. We have to be there at 9:30 AM and it should last around 4 hours. I figure I will probably run get him some lunch sometime around noon, but other than that I plan on being there the entire time. This is the beginning of the cure for his cancer. We are are the starting line of a long race; a race in which Paul will do well, he is competitive you know!

Countdown to Chemo

Okay, the first day of chemo is rapidly approaching. Paul's chemo treatments will be 4 hours -- and at this time are planned for every 2 weeks. So this weekend we began thinking of how he is going to fill his time in the chemo chair. There are the normal answers -- books, magazines, crosswords. Although these are currently not something Paul loves to do maybe he will learn to like them. Then there are movies, not a big love either. I know most of you are thinking we're odd, but Paul and I have only been to the movie theatre 4 or 5 times in our 14 years! But now is the time Paul will be able to catch up on some good movies we've missed over the years. (If you're wondering, we prefer to attend sporting events!) Another thing that came to mind while we were attending the chemo class -- wi-fi access. Much to our surprise -- they don't have wi-fi! Don't they understand thirty somethings sitting in a recliner screams wi-fi! So we have been researching cell phone companies and their laptop connection cards. Maybe we can purchase one or even perhaps borrow one!

I know I am anxious for Wednesday to get here, unsure what the week or two after the chemo treatment will bring. But I am confident with a positive spirit, great healthcare and lots of prayers....we are gonna kick this cancer in the booty!

Nicknames

PD, this is the first nickname I heard for Paul, except I heard it as “Petey”. It was nearly 14 years ago and I thought to myself, why do they call him Petey, that isn’t a nickname for Paul. Then I finally realized they were calling him PD (pronounced PeeDee). This nickname I believe came from his high school friends in Dumas, and if I remember, several had nicknames. Paul has had several nicknames in the last fourteen years that I remember, the most recent being “Dobbers”. But all in all, I think his biggest favorites are “Dad” and “Daddy”. And honestly, what dad doesn’t love to hear his nickname when his children say it like this…I love you Dad!

Biopsy results & Chemo planned

Well the lymph nodes did come back as cancer. So let's get to the chemo, we actually went to a "chemo class" today. They told us what to do and what not to do; what to expect and what not to expect. They checked the port and it is working wonderfully, so we are really ready for the chemo now. The chemo will start on Wednesday morning, yippee the answer to all this is about to begin! Paul is getting better pain management with the new medicines he started last Friday. We are anxiously awaiting Wednesday and praying he doesn't have many side effects from the chemo medications!

When are the biopsy results coming?

I know many are asking the question and sorry I didn't post it earlier. They told us 2-3 days for the biopsy results. Paul is having some relief from the crick, ate a wonderful dinner (thanks B!) and we are getting ready to try to get some rest. Tomorrow is a new day!

Home from Surgery

Well... we are home from surgery. Dr. L took two lymph nodes from the collarbone and put in the port. The port isn't giving him any pain really to speak of, the spot where he took the lymph nodes is another story. He is experiencing pain, somewhat like a horrible crick in his neck. Hopefully that will subside soon.

Surgery time

The surgery time is 9:30 AM in the morning...we are going to be there at 7:30. Not sure when we will hear the results of the biopsy, but believe me...I will post it when we find out! We need your prayers, keep on praying!

Surgery Scheduled

We spoke with the surgeon today, they got us on the list for surgery tomorrow. So tomorrow we will be at BSA to put in the port and take the lymph node in the collarbone area. This way they can get a biopsy. Continue to keep Paul in your prayers. Praise God they were able to get us scheduled quickly.

Discovery

Monday Paul had his PET/CT scan, although we thought we would have to wait for results...they came immediately. It wasn't what we wanted to hear. Now not only the lymph nodes are in question, now they see a questionable spot on the liver. The PET scan showed the lymph, in the belly, chest and one on the collarbone and now a spot in the liver...all questionable for cancer. Now we need to have a biopsy, we are still awaiting word on when that will be done. Today we visit the surgeon, Dr. L, and talk about getting the "port" put in. The port will be where they inject the chemo treatment. Hopefully we will get a surgery scheduled today and I can update you later. Thanks for checking in and keep praying for healing!

Uneventful day

Sunday was uneventful. Paul rested on and off throughout the day. The good news is...he is eating better! For the PET/CT scan today, he had to watch what he ate throughout the day. So only eating certain foods and resting was the biggest portion of his day. Today is the PET/CT scan and tommorrow he see Dr. G, then gets to meet the surgeon, Dr. L. I doubt we will see the results of the PET/CT scan until tomorrow...thanks for checking in on Paul and keep praying!

New Meds

They prescribed Paul some new pain meds while we were at the office on Friday. He started those Friday and it seemed on Saturday they were giving him more relief than what he had before. Nothing seems to take the pain away, but he has been able to rest which I don't think he has really done in a couple of weeks. Prayer warriors...Keep praying that it isn't in the lymph and that they figure out what is causing the pain. I'll blog again soon.