CT Scan Update

Today we met with our oncologist, Dr. Wong to go over CT results and check in.  He is happy with James' recovery from pneumonia so as long as he keeps resting and taking his antibiotics, all looks good for full recovery.

The results of CT were mixed and lung reading was not clear due to pneumonia.  The tumor in the adrenal has grown about 20% which is obviously not the direction we were hoping for.  So Jim will be starting a new chemo regime on 12/6, giving him time to complete the full augmentin cycle.  The new drug is called Taxotere.  It will still be a 3 week cycle. It's good that it's only one drug (as opposed to the two he's been getting) though doc says Jim will lose all of his hair.  I'm bummed about the beard, he's bummed about his eyebrows /:>}

Thank you for your continued support and prayers.

Going Home!

I showed up today to find out that James gets to come home today!  He's getting a final cycle of the 3 IV antibiotics, one more unit of blood and then we can go home. These feet are ready! (The booties are the best part of a hospital stay.)

  

He'll be on augmentin for 10 days and confined to home with limited activity for a few days. We'll meet with Dr. Wong as scheduled, on Wednesday to review CT results and determine next steps.

We are grateful for each day and moment that we have.  Thank you for being part of it.

Good Morning El Camino

A bright and sunny day in NoCal. Two doctors visits this morning, the hospital MD and our oncologist. Both confirm pneumonia. They plan to keep James here at least until Monday to 'keep a captive audience'. They have no concerns about the heart, they feel it was related to shortness of breath, lung function and low blood. He's getting a unit of blood this morning and will continue receiving blood thinners (painful shots in the gut, once a day) while he is here.

Dr. Wong will be able to review CT scan tomorrow and we won't have to do the scheduled one on Tuesday since he got on in the ER yesterday. The scan will give us an idea of the impact of chemo on the cancer. We'll know later this week if we are going ahead with maintenance chemo this week or later.

Mike is calling in Vikings play by play, so the nurses are wondering what the screams of agony are, coming from room 24 :). Other than Vikings, he is in good spirits, though a little ornery...which means he is feeling better...yay.

Thanks for your continued love, prayers and calls.  Your support means a lot.

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Location:North Dr,Mountain View,United States

El Camino Hospital ER

At ER. EKG, CT and X-ray done. Possible infection, possible pneumonia. Taking all precautions. IV levofloxacin (antibiotic) and fluids. Jim not happy but it's better to be safe. I'll smuggle lamb curry in later. 

4:30 Update

They'll be admitting him. ER doc says a few days. I'll be happy if he stays one....he wants to go home now...can't say that I blame him.  I did some research on the 2 antibiotics they are pumping into him.  The good news is he is also now protected from the plague, anthrax and e.coli. The bad news is he has so few white blood cells we could name them.

5:45 Update

They've got him a room so we'll move up soon. He had some broth so is feeling better.  On 3rd antibiotic, vancomycin.  All vitals are strong. Feeling grateful.  

6:35 finally in his room.  Comfier bed, food on the way, good care team.  We are on oncology floor so they'll be taking good care of him.

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Pink is the new...You!

He is pink! Seriously!  Transfusion went fine, it took about 4 hours to get 2 units of blood into him but it was incredibly uneventful...which is a good thing!  I got a lot of work done on report cards and he was mostly hungry through the whole thing!  We went out for dinner afterwards with Linda and Ed.  Jim is still feeling great and we are quite relieved.

Only My Husband

Has an ice chest brought to him!

Everyday is a New Adventure

So we are sitting in the infusion center, minding our own business.  Jim mentions he's feeling a little itchy, which is not uncommon when I change laundry soap, so I'm not too worried.  Then the little dots appeared.  I called the nurse over and sure enough, he had an allergic reaction to the carboplatin.  Apparently that is quite common on 6th to 10th infusion...we are right on schedule, it's his 6th full dose of carbo.  The nurses were all over it and gave him Benadryl and hydrocortisone to get the itching down.  Once the bumps (hives) go down, they'll finish off the carbo.  Sorry ladies, no early Friday for you.

Being Present in the Here and Now

It is so me to be anxious about what might be. I'm much better about not looking back.  So my mantra is captured in the image below.  I try not to worry about the things I cannot change, and the strength to change the things I can.  I try to stay present with what is, and not worry about what might happen.

It's the eve of Chemo #6, the last of the big boy chemo!!  We have gone through so much since this adventure started, it's hard to imagine it was only 6 months ago.  And here we are.  We met with Dr. Wong today for our usual. He was usual self, but was happy at Jim's color and maintenance of his weight.  Due to chemo, Jim is pretty anemic so he'll have a transfusion next week.  It's a little weird for us, as it's his first, but I'm sure he'll feel better with it.  He'll go for a CT scan Thanksgiving week and we'll meet with doc after that to determine when to start maintenance chemo.  Weirdly, we are hoping to start before Christmas,so we can get a sense of whether Jim will be able to go back to work in January.

Jim started prednisone last week to help with the healing of his lungs.  Dr. Singha said the renewed coughing is normal due to all the dead cells in Jim's lungs needed to be shed. The steroid should help, as well as the heavy duty cough syrup he takes when the coughing gets bad. He will have a chest x-ray tomorrow just to make sure everything is as it should be.  Conveniently, I need a knee x-Ray as well, so we'll be the family that scans together.

Trying not to worry about things we cannot change, and changing the things we can.