Hello All,
Dad passed away peacefully in his sleep yesterday(Thursday)morning. He was surrounded by his family. Katie, Ken and Ben, Tricia and Mike, and Bucky and I were here for the week. Mom was awake and holding his hand as he passed.
Throughout this experience we have been surrounded by amazing people who have supported our family and shared stories about Dad that have made us laugh and have enhanced our already tremendous memories. We are so blessed.
A service will be held to honor Rick’s life on Friday, February 11 at 10:30 a.m. at Saguaro Buttes Community Church: 5825 S. Old Spanish Trail (1.5 miles south of Escalante).
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to:
Primavera Foundation:
702 South Sixth Avenue Tucson, AZ 85701, http://primavera.org,
or
Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation:
1317 King Street Alexandria, VA 22314 http://curemeso.org.
Thank you all for your love and support. We look forward to seeing you.
Holly
Friday, February 4, 2011
Monday, January 31, 2011
We have called in hospice
Hi All -
My mother keeps sitting down to start this post but cannot seem to find the words. We were supposed to start chemo on Monday but shortly after his last radiation treatment last week daddy's health started to decline. We started hospice care on Monday. He can no longer walk and is having a hard time communicating. His breathing is labored and he finds it difficult to eat. We are hopefully controlling his pain with morphine and he spends most of his day asleep.
We want to thank you all for your love and support during this time. Keep sending your prayers his way.
Love,
Katie
My mother keeps sitting down to start this post but cannot seem to find the words. We were supposed to start chemo on Monday but shortly after his last radiation treatment last week daddy's health started to decline. We started hospice care on Monday. He can no longer walk and is having a hard time communicating. His breathing is labored and he finds it difficult to eat. We are hopefully controlling his pain with morphine and he spends most of his day asleep.
We want to thank you all for your love and support during this time. Keep sending your prayers his way.
Love,
Katie
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Tests and a radiation plan
Hi all
Just to update you, we have seen Dr. Garland and discussed chemo options. She said she feels sure the chemo she has in mind will help Rick feel better and be less toxic than the ones he had earlier. No possibility of a cure, just maintenance as he is now - or maybe a bit better.
Dr. Chi, the radiologist, proposed 10 days of radiation to the spine to stop a tumor from growning and slow the meso growth in his bones. He can't do anything about the growth in the chest cavity because Rick has already had the maximum allowable amount of radiation there. He said this radiation will not be even slightly as toxic as the last cycle.
They were both very clear that there is no possibility of Rick surviving this, but they both felt that they can extend his life for months or even over a year without making him too sick.
Rick has had an MRI of his brain, a CT with contrast of his chest, and a sonnogram to check his abdomen for fluid. The MRI was very difficult because they put a mask over his face, shoved him into the MRI cannister and then asked him to hold his breath. Very difficult. He was supposed to have a MRI of his neck and thorax this a.m. but he felt sick this morning and we cancelled. (I know, extremely frustrating that they couldn't do them at the same time!) The sonnogram showed only two tiny bits of fluid and no tumors, so while we don't know why the abdomen is so enlarged, the good news is there was no tumor.
Radiation begins on January 11 and continues for 10 days. Chemo should begin after that if Rick can tolerate it. Please all send your strong thoughts and prayers that these interventions help Rick to feel better. He still holds a slim hope of spending a week sailing in the BVI and although it is unlikely, we all are praying that a miracle happens and he can go.
All very overwhelming, but we will forge ahead, like we always do. We'll keep you posted.
Sue
Just to update you, we have seen Dr. Garland and discussed chemo options. She said she feels sure the chemo she has in mind will help Rick feel better and be less toxic than the ones he had earlier. No possibility of a cure, just maintenance as he is now - or maybe a bit better.
Dr. Chi, the radiologist, proposed 10 days of radiation to the spine to stop a tumor from growning and slow the meso growth in his bones. He can't do anything about the growth in the chest cavity because Rick has already had the maximum allowable amount of radiation there. He said this radiation will not be even slightly as toxic as the last cycle.
They were both very clear that there is no possibility of Rick surviving this, but they both felt that they can extend his life for months or even over a year without making him too sick.
Rick has had an MRI of his brain, a CT with contrast of his chest, and a sonnogram to check his abdomen for fluid. The MRI was very difficult because they put a mask over his face, shoved him into the MRI cannister and then asked him to hold his breath. Very difficult. He was supposed to have a MRI of his neck and thorax this a.m. but he felt sick this morning and we cancelled. (I know, extremely frustrating that they couldn't do them at the same time!) The sonnogram showed only two tiny bits of fluid and no tumors, so while we don't know why the abdomen is so enlarged, the good news is there was no tumor.
Radiation begins on January 11 and continues for 10 days. Chemo should begin after that if Rick can tolerate it. Please all send your strong thoughts and prayers that these interventions help Rick to feel better. He still holds a slim hope of spending a week sailing in the BVI and although it is unlikely, we all are praying that a miracle happens and he can go.
All very overwhelming, but we will forge ahead, like we always do. We'll keep you posted.
Sue
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Really bad news
Hi All -
Rick had a biopsy on Monday evening and Dr. Daniel found that the meso has spread along the incision lines and is also invading Rick's spine. I guess we aren't destined to be the long term survisors of this ugly disease. We will visit with the radiologist and the cancer docs next week to see what intervention might be reasonable to make Rick more comfortable and slow the progress of the disease. We all are scheduled to go sailing in the British Virgin Islands for the first week in February and Rick wants to do what is needed to be well enough to go. A small course of radiation should slow the growth of the lesions in his spine and since he tolerated chemo fairly well, we might decide to go through a few rounds of chemo to slow the spread. As you know, all decisions will be a compromise between extending life and maintaining the best lifestyle possible in this horrific nightmare.
The good news is that Rick comes home from the hospital today. All the kids will be here through the New Years weekend(including Kimi Schafer), so we will have a good time. For the next two weeks, Rick will still be receiving IV antibiotics for the infections in his lung and lasix to keep the fluid from building up.
As always, we are grateful for your love, prayers and support.
Rick had a biopsy on Monday evening and Dr. Daniel found that the meso has spread along the incision lines and is also invading Rick's spine. I guess we aren't destined to be the long term survisors of this ugly disease. We will visit with the radiologist and the cancer docs next week to see what intervention might be reasonable to make Rick more comfortable and slow the progress of the disease. We all are scheduled to go sailing in the British Virgin Islands for the first week in February and Rick wants to do what is needed to be well enough to go. A small course of radiation should slow the growth of the lesions in his spine and since he tolerated chemo fairly well, we might decide to go through a few rounds of chemo to slow the spread. As you know, all decisions will be a compromise between extending life and maintaining the best lifestyle possible in this horrific nightmare.
The good news is that Rick comes home from the hospital today. All the kids will be here through the New Years weekend(including Kimi Schafer), so we will have a good time. For the next two weeks, Rick will still be receiving IV antibiotics for the infections in his lung and lasix to keep the fluid from building up.
As always, we are grateful for your love, prayers and support.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Catching up
Hi all -
Sorry I have fallen behind with posts. It's been busy.
Rick is in the hospital again. His right lung still has pockets of infection and Dr. Daniel put him back into the hospital on Dec. 23 so that he can give him high powered antibiotic, IV (Zosyn). He will be in the hospital until Dec. 27 or 28 and then home on IV for two more weeks. The CT last week also showed some small lumps along the incision on his back. Dr. Daniel will biopsy them on Monday afternoon. Of course, there is a possibility that they are meso - but they might also be something as simple as the "buttons" that were used during surgery to tack (something) into place. It is possible that the buttons are causing irritation. I'm going with the button theory.
It's been tough having Rick in the hospital over Christmas. Kate, Ken, and Ben were here on the 23rd and 24th. They took Ben to the hospital this a.m. to visit with Rick for a half hour before they took off for Ken's family in Phoenix. It was hard for Rick to know he couldn't watch Ben open gifts on Christmas morning. The good thing is that they will be back here for New Years and Rick will be home then. In fact, all the girls and husbands will be here for New Years, so we will have our Christmas next weekend.
Rick saw a gastroenterologist two weeks ago and his stomach and pyloris were scoped. They were clear and functioning well. He has an ulcer on his esophagus, but that is no surprise after the multiple lesions he had on his esophagus in April. The only surprise is that there was only one ulcer!
He saw a cardiologist on Dec. 23 who did an echo cardiogram and said Rick's heart is functioning well within the normal range and he doesn't believe the fluid accumulation was due to poor functioning of the heart.
So - the good news is that everything but the lung looks good. The concerning news is that he seems to have multiple pockets of infection in his lung and we don't know what the little lumps are along his incision.....More later.
Merry Christmas
Sorry I have fallen behind with posts. It's been busy.
Rick is in the hospital again. His right lung still has pockets of infection and Dr. Daniel put him back into the hospital on Dec. 23 so that he can give him high powered antibiotic, IV (Zosyn). He will be in the hospital until Dec. 27 or 28 and then home on IV for two more weeks. The CT last week also showed some small lumps along the incision on his back. Dr. Daniel will biopsy them on Monday afternoon. Of course, there is a possibility that they are meso - but they might also be something as simple as the "buttons" that were used during surgery to tack (something) into place. It is possible that the buttons are causing irritation. I'm going with the button theory.
It's been tough having Rick in the hospital over Christmas. Kate, Ken, and Ben were here on the 23rd and 24th. They took Ben to the hospital this a.m. to visit with Rick for a half hour before they took off for Ken's family in Phoenix. It was hard for Rick to know he couldn't watch Ben open gifts on Christmas morning. The good thing is that they will be back here for New Years and Rick will be home then. In fact, all the girls and husbands will be here for New Years, so we will have our Christmas next weekend.
Rick saw a gastroenterologist two weeks ago and his stomach and pyloris were scoped. They were clear and functioning well. He has an ulcer on his esophagus, but that is no surprise after the multiple lesions he had on his esophagus in April. The only surprise is that there was only one ulcer!
He saw a cardiologist on Dec. 23 who did an echo cardiogram and said Rick's heart is functioning well within the normal range and he doesn't believe the fluid accumulation was due to poor functioning of the heart.
So - the good news is that everything but the lung looks good. The concerning news is that he seems to have multiple pockets of infection in his lung and we don't know what the little lumps are along his incision.....More later.
Merry Christmas
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Dr. Daniel on Monday
Hi All -
We saw Jon Daniel on Monday and he decided to wait two more weeks for the fluid to drain out of Rick's lung areas and abdomen and evaluate then. Rick has lost about 10 lbs. since last Monday - quite a weight loss plan - all fluid. He is feeling MUCH better although still short of breath when he tries to walk and that pesky dry cough keeps him awake at night.
Dr. Daniel told us that the CT with contrast showed that Rick's stomach was very large and he suspected that the pyloric valve might be narrowing again. (Remember Boston - the pyloris was closed and Rick had a very extended ilius?) So he asked Rick to see a gastroenterologist (we see Dr. Hurtado next Thursday) because he might need to have a balloon stretch the pyloris again. When they took the lung, they also took some nerves that might be involved in the constriction of the stomach, pyloris. I can't remember the names of the nerves.
He sees a cardiologist in two weeks and a pulmonologist this Thursday. I'm sure everyone will tinker with his meds and we can only hope their medical advice compliments each other. All this scheduling, medical information gathering, and visiting with doctors seems to absorb most of our time, but we really feel so lucky that we have all these specialists who can support Rick's recovery...and we are also grateful for good insurance.
We saw Jon Daniel on Monday and he decided to wait two more weeks for the fluid to drain out of Rick's lung areas and abdomen and evaluate then. Rick has lost about 10 lbs. since last Monday - quite a weight loss plan - all fluid. He is feeling MUCH better although still short of breath when he tries to walk and that pesky dry cough keeps him awake at night.
Dr. Daniel told us that the CT with contrast showed that Rick's stomach was very large and he suspected that the pyloric valve might be narrowing again. (Remember Boston - the pyloris was closed and Rick had a very extended ilius?) So he asked Rick to see a gastroenterologist (we see Dr. Hurtado next Thursday) because he might need to have a balloon stretch the pyloris again. When they took the lung, they also took some nerves that might be involved in the constriction of the stomach, pyloris. I can't remember the names of the nerves.
He sees a cardiologist in two weeks and a pulmonologist this Thursday. I'm sure everyone will tinker with his meds and we can only hope their medical advice compliments each other. All this scheduling, medical information gathering, and visiting with doctors seems to absorb most of our time, but we really feel so lucky that we have all these specialists who can support Rick's recovery...and we are also grateful for good insurance.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Home
Hi Everyone -
Rick was released from UMC yesterday afternoon and was happy to take a shower and get back into his own clothes. He is breathing much easier, although not well enough to do much physical activity. He will continue to take the lasix, antibiotic, and a bunch of other drugs over the weekend and we hope the fluid in his chest (both sides) will continue to drain off. We see Jon Daniel again on Monday morning and he will decide if he needs to surgically draw off more fluid from both sides of his chest (lung on right side, not pleura and I guess the cavity where the lung was on the left). If he decides that is necessary, it will probably be scheduled for next Thursday. It's interesting that Rick's hands and feet have never been swollen. All the fluid is in his abdomen and the most likely explanation is that his heart has moved significantly and can't pump off the fluid as efficiently as it used to. (Just for the record, there was a significant decrease in his heart's ejection fraction. Tricia clarified the right word for me.) I bumped into Rick's oncologist, Linda Garland, yesterday and she said that once he feels better and is more active, his heart will probably improve. We cherish every positive comment doctors offer!
Rick was released from UMC yesterday afternoon and was happy to take a shower and get back into his own clothes. He is breathing much easier, although not well enough to do much physical activity. He will continue to take the lasix, antibiotic, and a bunch of other drugs over the weekend and we hope the fluid in his chest (both sides) will continue to drain off. We see Jon Daniel again on Monday morning and he will decide if he needs to surgically draw off more fluid from both sides of his chest (lung on right side, not pleura and I guess the cavity where the lung was on the left). If he decides that is necessary, it will probably be scheduled for next Thursday. It's interesting that Rick's hands and feet have never been swollen. All the fluid is in his abdomen and the most likely explanation is that his heart has moved significantly and can't pump off the fluid as efficiently as it used to. (Just for the record, there was a significant decrease in his heart's ejection fraction. Tricia clarified the right word for me.) I bumped into Rick's oncologist, Linda Garland, yesterday and she said that once he feels better and is more active, his heart will probably improve. We cherish every positive comment doctors offer!
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Visiting University Medical Center
Hi Everyone
Rick was getting more and more short of breath and on the way home from San Diego on Monday, he called his primary care because he thought he might have picked up a virus/cold from the boys (niece Jen, husband Paul, three boys - and of course, Ben) over Thanksgiving. On reflection, he had been gradually becoming more and more short of breath for about 3 weeks, but it was gradual and took awhile to reach a critical level.
His primary care doctor was away and he was sent to someone else who took a chest X-ray and said there was fluid in the area where his left lung had been. Also, he had gained 7 pounds since his last weigh in - while in fact he has been eating very little because he doesn't feel well. A CT scan was ordered. When he got home, we called Jon Daniel, the surgeon who studied with Sugarbaker and is now practicing here (and doing the same surgery Rick had). His assistant, Shawn, e-mailed Jon while I was on the phone and called back a few minutes later saying Jon wanted Rick to be admitted to the hospital for observation. (According to Shawn, he also said "Of course there is fluid on the left side - that's all that is there!" We waited all day (at home) for a bed to be available and checked into University Medical Center at 7:30 p.m. Rick started in a shared room but then they moved him to a private room at the end of the hall...very quiet and nice view of the people coming and going from the front of the hospital.
They started Rick on Lasix right away and by morning he had dropped 8 pounds. (Take a pill, lose 8 pounds - this could be a miracle drug!) He has been put on a strong antibiotic (IV - Zosin). Lots of tests were ordered...A CT with contrast, a sonogram of his right lung, a screening of his thorax, an echo cardiogram, and the ever popular generic chest x-ray. He has a small amount of fluid in his right lung, but the intervention radiologist thought it was too little and too risky to try to draw some of it out. The person who did the thorax screen said there was some fluid - but needs to compare to previous tests to see if it has always been like that or if this is a change.
Dr. Daniel came by last night to review the situation. He has read the report from the PET scan done in Boston and said that while there is still inflammation in the area where the lung surgery was done, there is nothing to indicate that this fluid retention is directly related to meso growth. What is more likely is that consequences of the surgery have caused changes in Rick's body that are making it more difficult to pump off fluid. His heart has shifted significantly and has lost a lot of his ability to pump off fluid. (Ejection rate, ejection click - I keep forgetting the right words - but that rate has dropped from the 60's to the 40's.) Also, Rick's digestive system is sluggish and whenever he is sick it slows even more creating backup that causes pressure on his lung.
The most uplifting thing Jon said was that he has no reason at this time to think this is a result of growth of the meso. He said we have every reason to be cautiously optimistic and that, as much as possible, we need to just move on with life. (Hard to do when you are sitting in a stiff, upright hospital chair resting the computer on a hospital meal cart.)
If Rick continues to improve (his breathing and shedding off the fluid) we should be released tomorrow (Friday). It sounds like the fluid might reaccumulate. We'll just have to wait and see.
Thanks to everyone who has called, visited, e-mailed. We appreciate your support and your prayers.
Rick was getting more and more short of breath and on the way home from San Diego on Monday, he called his primary care because he thought he might have picked up a virus/cold from the boys (niece Jen, husband Paul, three boys - and of course, Ben) over Thanksgiving. On reflection, he had been gradually becoming more and more short of breath for about 3 weeks, but it was gradual and took awhile to reach a critical level.
His primary care doctor was away and he was sent to someone else who took a chest X-ray and said there was fluid in the area where his left lung had been. Also, he had gained 7 pounds since his last weigh in - while in fact he has been eating very little because he doesn't feel well. A CT scan was ordered. When he got home, we called Jon Daniel, the surgeon who studied with Sugarbaker and is now practicing here (and doing the same surgery Rick had). His assistant, Shawn, e-mailed Jon while I was on the phone and called back a few minutes later saying Jon wanted Rick to be admitted to the hospital for observation. (According to Shawn, he also said "Of course there is fluid on the left side - that's all that is there!" We waited all day (at home) for a bed to be available and checked into University Medical Center at 7:30 p.m. Rick started in a shared room but then they moved him to a private room at the end of the hall...very quiet and nice view of the people coming and going from the front of the hospital.
They started Rick on Lasix right away and by morning he had dropped 8 pounds. (Take a pill, lose 8 pounds - this could be a miracle drug!) He has been put on a strong antibiotic (IV - Zosin). Lots of tests were ordered...A CT with contrast, a sonogram of his right lung, a screening of his thorax, an echo cardiogram, and the ever popular generic chest x-ray. He has a small amount of fluid in his right lung, but the intervention radiologist thought it was too little and too risky to try to draw some of it out. The person who did the thorax screen said there was some fluid - but needs to compare to previous tests to see if it has always been like that or if this is a change.
Dr. Daniel came by last night to review the situation. He has read the report from the PET scan done in Boston and said that while there is still inflammation in the area where the lung surgery was done, there is nothing to indicate that this fluid retention is directly related to meso growth. What is more likely is that consequences of the surgery have caused changes in Rick's body that are making it more difficult to pump off fluid. His heart has shifted significantly and has lost a lot of his ability to pump off fluid. (Ejection rate, ejection click - I keep forgetting the right words - but that rate has dropped from the 60's to the 40's.) Also, Rick's digestive system is sluggish and whenever he is sick it slows even more creating backup that causes pressure on his lung.
The most uplifting thing Jon said was that he has no reason at this time to think this is a result of growth of the meso. He said we have every reason to be cautiously optimistic and that, as much as possible, we need to just move on with life. (Hard to do when you are sitting in a stiff, upright hospital chair resting the computer on a hospital meal cart.)
If Rick continues to improve (his breathing and shedding off the fluid) we should be released tomorrow (Friday). It sounds like the fluid might reaccumulate. We'll just have to wait and see.
Thanks to everyone who has called, visited, e-mailed. We appreciate your support and your prayers.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Boston visit yesterday
Hi everyone -
Back in Boston again. Yesterday, Rick had a PET CT and we were supposed to visit with Dr. Sugarbaker. Our doctors in Tucson and Boston wanted the PET CT to have a look at what is happening in Rick's chest although all cautioned us not to expect any clear information at this point. With the PET CT, Rick is given an IV with glucose and then he sits very still for an hour. They run the scan and anyplace in his body where there is injury, significant metabolic activity, and cancer will light up. Rick's chest cavity is still recovering from surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, so we were told that the area of injury will still light up.
After the test we went to Sugarbakers office and checked in - only to learn that Sugarbaker had been called away on an emergency and wouldn't be back until Friday. We waited for 4 1/2 hours in the outer office because DaSilva was seeing all the patients and they were extremely behind schedule. Heather and Rod Nash were also waiting so we had a great time chatting and laughing about how awful this whole process has been. (Heather had her surgery right after Rick's and we have become friends.)
Finally, we were called back and after another significant wait, DaSilva came in, flipped through the images from the PET CT and said there was still uptake at the site of the surgery and it was too soon to know if it was just injury of if there was still meso there. (Just as predicted.) There was good news though....No other part of his chest, lung, abdomen lit up at all - so there is no meso in any other part of the body. The part that did light up was a very thin line of pink to blue coloring - not the ugly hot yellow that glowed at us on earlier PET CT's.
We will be coming back to Boston in late February and they will be able to tell us more then. In the meantime, we will wait for the written report from the scan and will show the scan to our oncologist and surgeon in Tucson. I also plan to e-mail Dr. Sugarbaker to ask him to review the scan and tell us what his impression is.
So we continue to live with uncertainty, but we feel that there was a lot of good news to celebrate about. Thanks to all of you for your calls and continuing support.
Sue
Back in Boston again. Yesterday, Rick had a PET CT and we were supposed to visit with Dr. Sugarbaker. Our doctors in Tucson and Boston wanted the PET CT to have a look at what is happening in Rick's chest although all cautioned us not to expect any clear information at this point. With the PET CT, Rick is given an IV with glucose and then he sits very still for an hour. They run the scan and anyplace in his body where there is injury, significant metabolic activity, and cancer will light up. Rick's chest cavity is still recovering from surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, so we were told that the area of injury will still light up.
After the test we went to Sugarbakers office and checked in - only to learn that Sugarbaker had been called away on an emergency and wouldn't be back until Friday. We waited for 4 1/2 hours in the outer office because DaSilva was seeing all the patients and they were extremely behind schedule. Heather and Rod Nash were also waiting so we had a great time chatting and laughing about how awful this whole process has been. (Heather had her surgery right after Rick's and we have become friends.)
Finally, we were called back and after another significant wait, DaSilva came in, flipped through the images from the PET CT and said there was still uptake at the site of the surgery and it was too soon to know if it was just injury of if there was still meso there. (Just as predicted.) There was good news though....No other part of his chest, lung, abdomen lit up at all - so there is no meso in any other part of the body. The part that did light up was a very thin line of pink to blue coloring - not the ugly hot yellow that glowed at us on earlier PET CT's.
We will be coming back to Boston in late February and they will be able to tell us more then. In the meantime, we will wait for the written report from the scan and will show the scan to our oncologist and surgeon in Tucson. I also plan to e-mail Dr. Sugarbaker to ask him to review the scan and tell us what his impression is.
So we continue to live with uncertainty, but we feel that there was a lot of good news to celebrate about. Thanks to all of you for your calls and continuing support.
Sue
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Last Chemo Today
Hi All -
Rick had his last chemotherapy infusion today. When it was finished the nurses all gathered and distributed tiny tubes of bubbles. We all blew "champagne bubbles" and someone took Rick's picture. They gave him a small momento, picture, and graduation certificate. He still has to weather the effects of this chemo, but then life moves on.
We visit Dr. Sugarbaker in Boston in mid-October for a check-up. His Tucson oncologist, Linda Garland, said she thought he looked great and that David Sugarbaker would be very happy to see how well Rick was doing.
We are looking forward to a positive report in Boston. Thank all of you for your continued support and prayers. They carried us through.
Big hugs to all of you.
Rick had his last chemotherapy infusion today. When it was finished the nurses all gathered and distributed tiny tubes of bubbles. We all blew "champagne bubbles" and someone took Rick's picture. They gave him a small momento, picture, and graduation certificate. He still has to weather the effects of this chemo, but then life moves on.
We visit Dr. Sugarbaker in Boston in mid-October for a check-up. His Tucson oncologist, Linda Garland, said she thought he looked great and that David Sugarbaker would be very happy to see how well Rick was doing.
We are looking forward to a positive report in Boston. Thank all of you for your continued support and prayers. They carried us through.
Big hugs to all of you.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Second Chemo Done
Hi All -
After two wonderful, relaxing, recuperative weeks in San Diego, Rick and I are back to reality. Rick had his second infusion of chemotherapy on Thursday. Instead of Cisplatin, Dr. Garland ordered Alimpta (same as last time) and Carboplatin. She said that carboplatin is a "cousin" of cisplatin - just as effective and less toxic. The total infusion process took about 2 hours instead of the over 4 hours it took to infuse the alimpta and cisplatin. The information on carboplatin also says he will only feel nauseous for about 2 days. Today is day two and he is still feeling pretty nasty. Tomorrow will be better.
Sue
After two wonderful, relaxing, recuperative weeks in San Diego, Rick and I are back to reality. Rick had his second infusion of chemotherapy on Thursday. Instead of Cisplatin, Dr. Garland ordered Alimpta (same as last time) and Carboplatin. She said that carboplatin is a "cousin" of cisplatin - just as effective and less toxic. The total infusion process took about 2 hours instead of the over 4 hours it took to infuse the alimpta and cisplatin. The information on carboplatin also says he will only feel nauseous for about 2 days. Today is day two and he is still feeling pretty nasty. Tomorrow will be better.
Sue
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Good-bye radiation!
Rick has just had his last radiation treatment and this is one ending that we won't mourn a bit. It has been a tough 5 weeks. He has been tired, like everyone who has undergone radiation, but because of the area they are hitting he has also been very nauseous. He has two kinds of nausea pills, Tricia and Mike brought Coca Tea from Bolivia, and friends have delivered other homeopathic cures. Everything helped - most of all the support of family and friends.
We are sad to miss Lori and Brian's wedding tomorrow, but Rick is not strong enough to travel right now. His friend Steve Maynard adjusted his visit to Tucson and is here with us now - so Rick has had a truly wonderful distraction from the side effects of radiation. We will take a week to recover, visit the oncologist, and then spend two weeks in San Diego. Cindy and John will visit there. Then back to Tucson to start chemotherapy again. Three rounds of chemo - each three weeks apart - and then life goes on. It's important to cherish every moment, but we are looking forward to cooling autumn breezes and an end to the chemical warfare against the mesothelioma.
We are sad to miss Lori and Brian's wedding tomorrow, but Rick is not strong enough to travel right now. His friend Steve Maynard adjusted his visit to Tucson and is here with us now - so Rick has had a truly wonderful distraction from the side effects of radiation. We will take a week to recover, visit the oncologist, and then spend two weeks in San Diego. Cindy and John will visit there. Then back to Tucson to start chemotherapy again. Three rounds of chemo - each three weeks apart - and then life goes on. It's important to cherish every moment, but we are looking forward to cooling autumn breezes and an end to the chemical warfare against the mesothelioma.
Friday, July 2, 2010
7 radiation treatments down, 18 to go
Hi All -
Rick has a radiation treatment every night at 6:30 - although often they run late. We get home at 7:30 and Rick eats a small dinner and then goes to bed. What a nightlife! The treatment is 12 minutes of radiation and takes about 20-25 minutes all together. Most of the people Rick talked to about radiation said that he would be very tired but otherwise ok. In Rick's particular situation, they are radiating the lung area and hit the stomach area (spleen and kidney too) for a long time and he has been very nauseous. He is taking medication to try to control that side effect. His Tucson surgeon, Jonathan Daniel, said by the end the radiation may also affect his esophagus and make it difficult to swallow. All unpleasant stuff - but as we all know, getting old isn't for wimps...add cancer treatment to that and you are really in a deep vat of nothing good. Rick keeps trying to find that Zen place that will carry him through the next few weeks of radiation and then the chemotherapy. I know he will travel this path in good mental balance - he's remarkable in his ability to do that. It's interesting how many people we talk with who have walked similar paths - cancer, surgery, radiation, chemotherapy. Then, life went on. It's a great vision and we cling to every successful story.
For those of you who are computer savvy - there was a tv show on last night called Boston Medical on ABC at 9:00 Tucson time. It's a reality show with multiple stories and one of them featured Rick's Boston surgeon, David Sugarbaker, and his Tucson surgeon, Jonathan Daniel (When JD was in Boston studying with Sugarbaker). If you go to the website you can watch a brief bit about a man with mesothelioma.
That's all for now. It's significantly hot here in Tucson. Significantly.
Rick has a radiation treatment every night at 6:30 - although often they run late. We get home at 7:30 and Rick eats a small dinner and then goes to bed. What a nightlife! The treatment is 12 minutes of radiation and takes about 20-25 minutes all together. Most of the people Rick talked to about radiation said that he would be very tired but otherwise ok. In Rick's particular situation, they are radiating the lung area and hit the stomach area (spleen and kidney too) for a long time and he has been very nauseous. He is taking medication to try to control that side effect. His Tucson surgeon, Jonathan Daniel, said by the end the radiation may also affect his esophagus and make it difficult to swallow. All unpleasant stuff - but as we all know, getting old isn't for wimps...add cancer treatment to that and you are really in a deep vat of nothing good. Rick keeps trying to find that Zen place that will carry him through the next few weeks of radiation and then the chemotherapy. I know he will travel this path in good mental balance - he's remarkable in his ability to do that. It's interesting how many people we talk with who have walked similar paths - cancer, surgery, radiation, chemotherapy. Then, life went on. It's a great vision and we cling to every successful story.
For those of you who are computer savvy - there was a tv show on last night called Boston Medical on ABC at 9:00 Tucson time. It's a reality show with multiple stories and one of them featured Rick's Boston surgeon, David Sugarbaker, and his Tucson surgeon, Jonathan Daniel (When JD was in Boston studying with Sugarbaker). If you go to the website you can watch a brief bit about a man with mesothelioma.
That's all for now. It's significantly hot here in Tucson. Significantly.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Radiation FINALLY
Hi All -
Rick was a trooper through his first round of chemotherapy. The first few days were fairly easy, but from about day 4 through 8 he felt exhausted, nauseous, and another feeling of general YUCH that he said he couldn't really describe. So much skin fell off of him that one morning it looked like it had snowed on our bedroom floor. (Too much detail?)
During that same time, the dermatologist removed a squamous cell carconoma from his arm. He was so sick from the chemo, that he had to lay down while they removed the growth from his arm. On the positive side, he was oblivious to what the doctor was doing. He said that compared to all the other pokes and prods he has had, the arm surgery was nothing.
Rick was supposed to start radiation on June 21, Monday. Dr. Chi was on vacation last week and he did not like some component of the radiation plan that had been developed - so when he got back on Monday, they had to rework the plan. We were anxious about the delay because the radiation is scheduled to run for 25 working days and based on the original plan, Rick would have been finished in time to go to Lori and Brian's wedding in Philadelphia. The radiology office was very aware of the wedding schedule and managed to get the new plan finished today (Wednesday) and we are supposed to get a call this afternoon telling us what time radiation will be tomorrow. So again, we wait - but with the hope that it may all work out after all.
Rick was a trooper through his first round of chemotherapy. The first few days were fairly easy, but from about day 4 through 8 he felt exhausted, nauseous, and another feeling of general YUCH that he said he couldn't really describe. So much skin fell off of him that one morning it looked like it had snowed on our bedroom floor. (Too much detail?)
During that same time, the dermatologist removed a squamous cell carconoma from his arm. He was so sick from the chemo, that he had to lay down while they removed the growth from his arm. On the positive side, he was oblivious to what the doctor was doing. He said that compared to all the other pokes and prods he has had, the arm surgery was nothing.
Rick was supposed to start radiation on June 21, Monday. Dr. Chi was on vacation last week and he did not like some component of the radiation plan that had been developed - so when he got back on Monday, they had to rework the plan. We were anxious about the delay because the radiation is scheduled to run for 25 working days and based on the original plan, Rick would have been finished in time to go to Lori and Brian's wedding in Philadelphia. The radiology office was very aware of the wedding schedule and managed to get the new plan finished today (Wednesday) and we are supposed to get a call this afternoon telling us what time radiation will be tomorrow. So again, we wait - but with the hope that it may all work out after all.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Chemo - another interesting thing to learn about
Hi All -
Rick is feeling well and continues to be stronger every day. He still marvels at how weak he is, but every single day he is better than the day before (mostly). We took a chemo class on Wednesday and learned that for 48 hours after the infusion of the chemo, his body fluids are toxic and that he is even supposed to wipe off the toilet seat after using it to prevent someone else from absorbing the chemicals!
On Thursday, we went to the Cancer Center - which is a very cheerful place that has been arranged to make the patients as comfortable and supported as possible. Rick was taking a steroid and anti-nausea medication before the chemo was started and would continue those drugs for two more days. The nurse infused the Alimta first, which took about 10 minutes. Then came the cisplatin, which is the drug that has more harsh side effects. It took 2 1/2 hours for the cisplatin to drip into his vein and then we were done.
For the first two days, Rick was "wired" on the steriod. He was out for walks, busily cleaning the kitchen, and hopping into his car to pick up a prescription. He couldn't settle down, so finally I had to order him to lie down for an hour! He rested on the sofa and finally asked, "Can I get up NOW?" Today, Sunday, is the first day he has felt the effects of the chemo. He is very tired and at times he says it feels like there are little things crawling in his hands and feet. (Who knows, maybe there ARE little things crawling in his hands and feet.) He and Conner have still been taking 4-lap walks around the pool every hour or so and thankfully, he is still not nauseous. Other than that, he has rested most of the day.
What is amazing to me is Rick's ability to maintain a positive attitude. He always manages to smile and look on the bright side. So far, the chemo hasn't been as bad as we feared. We'll hope the effects continue to be minor and we'll keep you posted.
Rick is feeling well and continues to be stronger every day. He still marvels at how weak he is, but every single day he is better than the day before (mostly). We took a chemo class on Wednesday and learned that for 48 hours after the infusion of the chemo, his body fluids are toxic and that he is even supposed to wipe off the toilet seat after using it to prevent someone else from absorbing the chemicals!
On Thursday, we went to the Cancer Center - which is a very cheerful place that has been arranged to make the patients as comfortable and supported as possible. Rick was taking a steroid and anti-nausea medication before the chemo was started and would continue those drugs for two more days. The nurse infused the Alimta first, which took about 10 minutes. Then came the cisplatin, which is the drug that has more harsh side effects. It took 2 1/2 hours for the cisplatin to drip into his vein and then we were done.
For the first two days, Rick was "wired" on the steriod. He was out for walks, busily cleaning the kitchen, and hopping into his car to pick up a prescription. He couldn't settle down, so finally I had to order him to lie down for an hour! He rested on the sofa and finally asked, "Can I get up NOW?" Today, Sunday, is the first day he has felt the effects of the chemo. He is very tired and at times he says it feels like there are little things crawling in his hands and feet. (Who knows, maybe there ARE little things crawling in his hands and feet.) He and Conner have still been taking 4-lap walks around the pool every hour or so and thankfully, he is still not nauseous. Other than that, he has rested most of the day.
What is amazing to me is Rick's ability to maintain a positive attitude. He always manages to smile and look on the bright side. So far, the chemo hasn't been as bad as we feared. We'll hope the effects continue to be minor and we'll keep you posted.
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