Gary had a catheter put into his stomach on Friday, June 3rd, so that we can drain his stomach here at home when needed. We had to take him to the emergency room last Sunday to have fluid removed for the third time, so Dr Leo decided to have the catheter installed to make it easier on Gary to remove the fluids. This is just a temporary situation for now until we go to St Louis for testing. He has one more chemo treatment on June 8th, then all his treatments will be over for now. He should start feeling better the end of next week after recovering from the last chemo treatment.
His weight is holding at 160 lbs and has been there for the last couple of months or more. He no longer has to take insulin or potassium. His tumor marker is down to 47 which is close to normal. There is no cancer in the fluid in his stomach. His other organs are all showing good responses. He has a good appetite, but his taste is still off and will be until after chemo is over. To show how optimistic he is, he renewed his driver's license for 6 years!!!
He will definitely have to have an operation to fix the blockage in his stomach, but until they know if the tumor is pulling away from the artery, we will not know what his options are.
Will post again after June 23rd when we find out the results of his CT scan in St Louis.
Jannis
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
Update May 22nd
OK.... I know I should be posting more often, but I have been extra busy with work outside. Will try to post more often now.
We did not go to St Louis the 18th as I said in my last posting. The reason is that Dr Leo wanted to give Gary another round of chemo. He said Gary is responding so well to the treatments that he wanted to get another round in before we do another CT Scan. Gary's tumor marker (that marks cancer activity) has now dropped to 47 (down from 693). Normal is 40 or below. Yeah!!!!
However, there is now another problem he is dealing with. Last Tuesday, May 17th, Gary had to have a procedure done to remove fluid that was building up in his stomach. They removed 5 litres that weighed 15 pounds. He felt better immediately and in the afternoon spent 1 1/2 hours helping to plant his garden. He felt good on Wednesday morning but had his chemo treatment Wednesday afternoon. By Thursday, he was utterly exhausted from the chemo treatment. He has not felt good since last Wednesday morning. The fluid is building up in his stomach again, so when the chemo is not getting him down, the fluid is.
They are running tests on the fluid they removed. As soon as we hear the results of the tests, we will be calling Dr Anderson in St Louis and get his opinion on what to do next. Will let you know as soon as we know.
Until then.....Jannis
We did not go to St Louis the 18th as I said in my last posting. The reason is that Dr Leo wanted to give Gary another round of chemo. He said Gary is responding so well to the treatments that he wanted to get another round in before we do another CT Scan. Gary's tumor marker (that marks cancer activity) has now dropped to 47 (down from 693). Normal is 40 or below. Yeah!!!!
However, there is now another problem he is dealing with. Last Tuesday, May 17th, Gary had to have a procedure done to remove fluid that was building up in his stomach. They removed 5 litres that weighed 15 pounds. He felt better immediately and in the afternoon spent 1 1/2 hours helping to plant his garden. He felt good on Wednesday morning but had his chemo treatment Wednesday afternoon. By Thursday, he was utterly exhausted from the chemo treatment. He has not felt good since last Wednesday morning. The fluid is building up in his stomach again, so when the chemo is not getting him down, the fluid is.
They are running tests on the fluid they removed. As soon as we hear the results of the tests, we will be calling Dr Anderson in St Louis and get his opinion on what to do next. Will let you know as soon as we know.
Until then.....Jannis
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Update April 26th
More good news than bad this time:
Gary's tumor count (tracks the cancer activity) is now down to 57!!! It started out at 693 on Dec.21st!!!
The target number is 40, so he is getting very close. This shows very positively that the cancer is not spreading. What we still do not know is if the tumor is pulling away from the artery, and we will not know that until we go to St Louis May 18th.
Gary has had several good days since last Friday (April 22nd). His pain has subsided enough that he has reduced the pain meds he is taking. He did not sleep quite as much and started to get a little sassy (this is good!!). Unfortunately, he had a chemo treatment this morning, so he will be set back for a few days.
For the best news: Gary's birthday was yesterday...68 years young!!! Next one he will celebrate will the 69!!!
Last Sunday, April 17th, Bolivar High School sponsored an alumni game for Relay for Life, in honor of Gary. About 30 girls came to play, & several of his former players (boy's teams) from Pleasant Hope, Jasper and Gravette, AR came to just be there. Several members of his family were there also.
Gary was very surprised and elated to see everybody. After the game was over (which included our daughters Dawn and Brandi, and daughter-in-law Lea Ann) they all got in the middle of the floor in a circle and had Gary get out there with them. They circled their arms and said a prayer. What a moment!!! The whole afternoon was very fun and emotional.
Again, thank you for your prayers, phone calls, visits, cards, etc.......
Until next time...... Jannis
Gary's tumor count (tracks the cancer activity) is now down to 57!!! It started out at 693 on Dec.21st!!!
The target number is 40, so he is getting very close. This shows very positively that the cancer is not spreading. What we still do not know is if the tumor is pulling away from the artery, and we will not know that until we go to St Louis May 18th.
Gary has had several good days since last Friday (April 22nd). His pain has subsided enough that he has reduced the pain meds he is taking. He did not sleep quite as much and started to get a little sassy (this is good!!). Unfortunately, he had a chemo treatment this morning, so he will be set back for a few days.
For the best news: Gary's birthday was yesterday...68 years young!!! Next one he will celebrate will the 69!!!
Last Sunday, April 17th, Bolivar High School sponsored an alumni game for Relay for Life, in honor of Gary. About 30 girls came to play, & several of his former players (boy's teams) from Pleasant Hope, Jasper and Gravette, AR came to just be there. Several members of his family were there also.
Gary was very surprised and elated to see everybody. After the game was over (which included our daughters Dawn and Brandi, and daughter-in-law Lea Ann) they all got in the middle of the floor in a circle and had Gary get out there with them. They circled their arms and said a prayer. What a moment!!! The whole afternoon was very fun and emotional.
Again, thank you for your prayers, phone calls, visits, cards, etc.......
Until next time...... Jannis
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Update April 12, 2011
Since the last blog, this has been Gary's situation:
First the good things:
All we can do now is keep following the doctors orders and hope for good news in May from the doctor in St Louis. We will whip the cancer first then the leaking heart valve.
Thank you for your continued prayers. Also, we have seen such amazing support from family and friends. They have brought us meals, shopped for groceries for me, cleaned up our yard, built the frame of a barn, spent many hours visiting with Gary in peson and on the phone, sent numberous cards. Tax season will be over next week, so I will be able to take over the grocery shopping and preparing meals.
Till later...... Jannis
First the good things:
- He has gained four pounds....2 lbs in each of the last two weeks!!!
- He has been to his shop for about 30 minutes at a time for several days!!!
- He spent all day this past Saturday lying in a lounge chair watching friends help build the frame for a storage barn that he had started last fall!!!
- He still has stomach pains and had to add Tylenol to his current medication (the Fentanyl patch 100 mg and Oxycod 5 mg)
- He still sleeps a lot
- He still has trouble with the taste of some of his favorite foods
All we can do now is keep following the doctors orders and hope for good news in May from the doctor in St Louis. We will whip the cancer first then the leaking heart valve.
Thank you for your continued prayers. Also, we have seen such amazing support from family and friends. They have brought us meals, shopped for groceries for me, cleaned up our yard, built the frame of a barn, spent many hours visiting with Gary in peson and on the phone, sent numberous cards. Tax season will be over next week, so I will be able to take over the grocery shopping and preparing meals.
Till later...... Jannis
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Update March 29th
Gary is showing signs of improvement, at least in his energy level. He is eating good and getting a little more energy every day. He is in his second round of chemo treatments on Mondays only. One more week then he will be off a week.
Dr Anderson from Barnes in St Louis called us last Wednesday, March 23rd, and said he wanted Gary to come up for another CT Scan in 2 months. He had talked with Dr Leo in Bolivar and was happy with the treatments Dr Leo has planned for Gary. Dr Anderson is going to consult with other oncologists who are in charge of clinical trials to see if Gary would qualify for one. If so, we should hear from the oncologists. For now, we have not heard anything from them.
We continue to take one day at a time. We are thankful for at least one full week of normalcy (?) without any sudden pain attacks, nausea, etc. We are so thankful for the prayers. The doctors need all the help they can get.
Jannis
Dr Anderson from Barnes in St Louis called us last Wednesday, March 23rd, and said he wanted Gary to come up for another CT Scan in 2 months. He had talked with Dr Leo in Bolivar and was happy with the treatments Dr Leo has planned for Gary. Dr Anderson is going to consult with other oncologists who are in charge of clinical trials to see if Gary would qualify for one. If so, we should hear from the oncologists. For now, we have not heard anything from them.
We continue to take one day at a time. We are thankful for at least one full week of normalcy (?) without any sudden pain attacks, nausea, etc. We are so thankful for the prayers. The doctors need all the help they can get.
Jannis
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Update March 15th
There have been some changes since the last update. We thought we were going to St Louis tomorrow for a CT Scan on Thursday; however, we ended up going to St Louis last week on Thursday and had the CT Scan on Friday. Dr Anderson at Barnes was concerned about Gary's sudden pain and problems with the stint, so he didn't want to wait another week.
The news was not what we wanted to hear. The tumor has not pulled away from the artery and is possibly a little larger around it which means that the treatments have not worked like they needed to so far. Dr Anderson said that radiation continues to work for 7-8 weeks after the treatment stops and it has only been 3 weeks since the radiation treaments ended. Needless to say, we were very disappointed and somewhat depressed, but after a couple of days, we are back in the saddle and thinking positive. The positive results are that the cancer still has not spread to other organs.
Dr Anderson is now in the planning stage of consulting with other doctors (who are in charge of clinical trials) and Dr Leo (our oncologist here in Bolivar) to see what the next stage of treatments will be. We have not heard from him yet and it may be next week before we hear from him. As for now, Dr Leo is going to start chemo treatments again next week on Mondays for 3 weeks then off one week. These treatments should be much easier for Gary to handle because they will just be one treatment a week. That all may change after we hear from Dr Anderson.
Gary is feeling better, eating better, getting some energy back and gained 2 pounds this past week!! We try to stay as positive as possible, but sometimes that is hard to do because of all the negative issues about pancreatic cancer. We ask for your continued prayers and support. It means a great deal to both of us and to our children. I will post again after we know something for sure about what will be next for us.
Jannis
The news was not what we wanted to hear. The tumor has not pulled away from the artery and is possibly a little larger around it which means that the treatments have not worked like they needed to so far. Dr Anderson said that radiation continues to work for 7-8 weeks after the treatment stops and it has only been 3 weeks since the radiation treaments ended. Needless to say, we were very disappointed and somewhat depressed, but after a couple of days, we are back in the saddle and thinking positive. The positive results are that the cancer still has not spread to other organs.
Dr Anderson is now in the planning stage of consulting with other doctors (who are in charge of clinical trials) and Dr Leo (our oncologist here in Bolivar) to see what the next stage of treatments will be. We have not heard from him yet and it may be next week before we hear from him. As for now, Dr Leo is going to start chemo treatments again next week on Mondays for 3 weeks then off one week. These treatments should be much easier for Gary to handle because they will just be one treatment a week. That all may change after we hear from Dr Anderson.
Gary is feeling better, eating better, getting some energy back and gained 2 pounds this past week!! We try to stay as positive as possible, but sometimes that is hard to do because of all the negative issues about pancreatic cancer. We ask for your continued prayers and support. It means a great deal to both of us and to our children. I will post again after we know something for sure about what will be next for us.
Jannis
Monday, March 7, 2011
Update March 7th
The tumor count is continuing to go down!! It is now 134 and started at 693 in December. 40 is the magic number, but I can't tell you why or what it means. They took blood tests today, but we will not know the results of the tumor count until next week. The other tests all came back looking good. Also, next Thursday, March 17th, is when Gary has another CT Scan and meets with Dr Anderson. We will go up to St Louis on Wednesday because the CT Scan is at 8:00 am Thursday. I will probably not post another update until after we go to St Louis on the 17th.
Jannis
Jannis
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)