Keep a personal wellness journal on DailyStrength to track your health and communicate with friends. http://dailystrength.org/people/42036/journal Thu, 04 Dec 2008 02:25:08 +0100 DailyStrength RSS 0.11.3.0.6833 (FeedCreator 1.7.2) http://dailystrength.org/images/comprofiler/avatar/42036/1213319864.jpg http://dailystrength.org/people/42036 http://dailystrength.org/people/42036/journal/1234139 Today is a new CT scan with results on Monday. Fri, 08 Aug 2008 08:06:50 +0100 http://dailystrength.org/people/42036/journal/1132190 After having low platelets the first 2 times they scheduled chemo, he was finally able to have chemo on the 12th - and this is his week off, except he felt crappy until today (for a whole week) now he has one week to try to gain some weight back so he can have chemo again next week (the 26th) - we s... Wed, 18 Jun 2008 23:48:27 +0100 http://dailystrength.org/people/42036/journal/1119253 After not having chemo for two weeks due to low platelet count it finally got OK so RM had chemo yesterday. This stuff is strange - the first round (last year) he simply felt tired all the time (he was having radiation at the same time).  Then the March/April round of this year he felt gre... Fri, 13 Jun 2008 08:29:58 +0100 http://dailystrength.org/people/42036/journal/1096912 well, the last round of chemo helped - cancer cells are fewer and less active - now it is time to come back with another round of the same stuff since it worked pretty good.....two weeks off and then back for four more sessions. unfortunately, his platelet count was down after the first week, s... Tue, 03 Jun 2008 14:30:42 +0100 http://dailystrength.org/people/42036/journal/1066899 well, yesterday we went to see Dr. P who seemed pretty pleased; turns out this chemo is working pretty well - no new signs of EC - things aren't "lighting" up as much as in March and lymph nodes are shrinking.  Life looks pretty good - at least for this week. Chemo starts aga... Tue, 20 May 2008 21:52:14 +0100 http://dailystrength.org/people/42036/journal/1012052 well, May will "tell the tale".  after the next two chemo sessions he has a week off from treatment and he will have an entire day of testing; first chest X ray, then CT and PET scans.  That is on a Friday; the following Monday we go back to see Dr. P - gee we used to wait a week... Sun, 27 Apr 2008 23:29:28 +0100 http://dailystrength.org/people/42036/journal/971059 well, half of this round of chemo is over.  The first two sessions were in March, he had one yesterday with another one next week then there will be two in May.  I don't think we will know anything as to whether or not this is working until after the 2 in May. The second one in Ma... Fri, 11 Apr 2008 14:04:30 +0100 http://dailystrength.org/people/42036/journal/925092 well, last week's chemo went OK - no real side effects except maybe some fatigue.....the bad part is.....it takes NINE hours.  The chemo itself is 'only' four hours but then they also spend four hours on hydration.  We got there at 7:30 AM (we were early) and left at 6:51 PM.... Tue, 25 Mar 2008 08:19:50 +0100 http://dailystrength.org/people/42036/journal/906745 Back in Dec when DH was having swallowing problems Dr. G did an ultrasound and discovered lower portion of esophagus hardly open - then he did a dilation/biopsy mid Jan.  At that time he told me he thought the cancer was back, but the biopsies came back fine.  Fast forward one month and it... Mon, 17 Mar 2008 21:20:28 +0100 http://dailystrength.org/people/42036/journal/867839 Good news in that the EUS from week before last turned out great - the biopsies of the 'lumpy tissue' came back negative.  Now if the doctors can only figure out how to a.) get rid of the 'lumpy tissue' and b.) how to get rid of the irration to the esophagus and c.) enlarge the ... Sun, 02 Mar 2008 18:12:48 +0100 http://dailystrength.org/people/42036/journal/795161 It would be SOOOOO nice if Anderson got their act together.  First RM was scheduled for his new EUS first week of March, the a week earlier (when we'll be out of town) then a week before that (2/20).  Last night (SUNDAY) we got a call from someone there who wanted to change the 2/20 ap... Mon, 04 Feb 2008 16:52:35 +0100 http://dailystrength.org/people/42036/journal/778643 Apparently this cancer is 'rare', at least compared to lung, breast, prostate, etc so that the 'average' GI hasn't had a patient with it.  RM's regular Dr. told us RM was only the second patient he had ever had with this cancer. I am really concerned that Dr. G is not ... Tue, 29 Jan 2008 14:13:42 +0100 http://dailystrength.org/people/42036/journal/766496 well, it certainly has been an "interesting" week to say the least.  RM had a new endoscopy last Friday and his regular GI sadly informed me there was a mass, it was cancer and he had done several biopsies.  Needless to say I was a 'wreck' until we called for the biopsy r... Thu, 24 Jan 2008 23:03:21 +0100 http://dailystrength.org/people/42036/journal/727575 well, such a long time after the end of treatment you would think RM would be eating up a storm by now - well, NOT.  He had an ultrasound done the Fri after Christmas and the area that had radiation has shrunk so much you could barely see the barium in there - like a white thread instead of a w... Thu, 10 Jan 2008 23:44:47 +0100 http://dailystrength.org/people/42036/journal/676293 The feeding tube was removed in late Nov and the PET scan done at that time came back NED again (thank goodness).  Getting back to eating 'by mouth' is taking quite some time.  I guess when you haven't used a muscle for 5 months it takes a while for it to return to normal.RM is... Thu, 20 Dec 2007 23:07:39 +0100 http://dailystrength.org/people/42036/journal/567808 well, it has been some time since my last entry.  RM was hoping to be able to eat 'real food' in September but unfortunatelly, it was early October before that happened.  In fact, he went back to work before he went back to eating.I finally had to 'entice' him with fried sh... Fri, 02 Nov 2007 00:04:34 +0100 http://dailystrength.org/people/42036/journal/380344 it has been a very 'quiet' month - not much happening.  RM is at 'loose ends' with nothing to do, no where to go after having been on a 'schedule' June & July.  He is doing yard work, etc but has not returned to work.  He still has the PICC line because he ... Fri, 17 Aug 2007 08:57:21 +0100 http://dailystrength.org/people/42036/journal/348554 Saw the PA on Wednesday - PICC line still in - this is getting old 'flushing' the darn thing every day and now both lines every day.According to Dr. Chang, RM should be able to actually eat by mouth in another week....that will certainly be a change.  I haven't cooked for 2 months -... Sat, 04 Aug 2007 01:20:09 +0100 http://dailystrength.org/people/42036/journal/324868 we met w/Dr. P's PA yesterday - they are pleased with his progress.  two more days of radiation....we are to meet w/Dr P next Wed.  hopefully, the PICC line will come out.  RM will see Dr. Chang for (hopefully) the last time Thursday.  More next week. Tue, 24 Jul 2007 22:20:01 +0100 http://dailystrength.org/people/42036/journal/319048 this is probably the next to last entry for a while.  Tomorrow begins the last 4 days of radiation.  RM has done soooo well.  I really feared that half way through treatment he would feel so bad he would refuse to go any further.  Instead, to both our pleasant surprise, he has ha... Sun, 22 Jul 2007 18:41:03 +0100