It’s a Pain

I’ve been so impressed with the quality of care – and specifically from the line staff – that I have received every place I’ve gone.  I’ve had multi-CT scans, PET scans, MRIs and now daily radiation.  I really appreciate the professionalism and efficiency I’ve experienced.  Currently that is at Rush University, a large teaching hospital complex close to the Loop, downtown.

I’ve completed 3 of ten radiation treatments, finishing a week from Tuesday.  The procedure itself is quite manageable – the three visits to set it up, not so much.  But now it is a 20 minute in-and-out routine.  Thanks to Adam for driving me nearly every day, what a blessing!

The main purpose of radiation is to reduce the bone tumors’ size and hence the pain produced.  That seems to be happening in the lower back but my hip is very painful yet, now with pain radiating to the knee.  Last night was quite an ordeal as the morphine does not seem able to do much.  I’ll be talking with the doc on Monday to try to understand this more and see if other measures are needed.

I’ve determined that cancer is a lot like trying to repair very old plumbing – complications do easily arise that require significant interventions in all sorts of unexpected arenas. Both are messy and gross, too!  :-) 

So my current prayer request is simple – relief of pain in the hip, knee and leg.

Thanks friends.

Radiation Update

Lonni and I had our radiation consult and here is my layman’s report:

In cases like mine where tumors are numerous it is not practical to treat them all as a course of eradication.  However, treatment can be effective for those tumors that are creating pain.  Therefore, in a few hours I shall return to the scene of the crime to be scanned, measured, aliened and tattooed (honestly) in prep for radiation treatments.

The treatments will be daily but the in and out time of only 20 to 30 minutes, total of 10 sessions in all.  They are optimistic that this will bring pain relief but cannot venture to say to what extent.  There is a standard answer, which I completely understand, to the specificity people like me want: “Well, everyone is different.” – got it – but I still going to ask.

I very much want this procedure ASAP as the situation has made me far too sedentary.  Meds help quite a bit but do not enable me to get around without pain (mainly the hip is a problem.)  

So we shall see and hopefully in 2 or 3 weeks things will be improved.  So to my millions and millions of followers out there  (My dark side wants to be Rush L) – I’ll keep you posted.  So to those who find it tedious to follow along I’ll include pictures – but only if I end up glowing in the dark.

When the radiation is done my chemo treatments will include several more drugs and, as I said before, the doc is optimistic that there will be reduction in tumor size and make this a manageable complication over the long haul.  This cancer springing up in new places is to be expected -- the doc doesn't to say that, but that is kinda my sense.

Thanks for caring!

glen

An Elusive, Complicated Bugger!

In the interest of transparency this edition will share my current struggles and direction as we know it.  The last few weeks have been filled with medical consults and scans.  Cancer is an elusive and complicated bugger that morphs in more ways that Mitt Romney. 

The main issue is the spread to the bones --  the pain the lesions cause and the course of treatment.  This is not the worst pain I’ve experienced (chest surgery and a 6 month battle with mega kidney stone top it), but it is debilitating.  I move like a 100 year old.  So the issue is pain management.  We’ve ratcheted up to a morphine patch that I just put on 12 hours ago and will take another 12 to fully kick in.  I did have a pretty good night last night; slept more that I had in weeks.

Of course, the long term use of morphine is not attractive so, what’s up on the treatment side?  I’m starting two additional drugs.  One is to strengthen the bones because cancers invades and deteriorates them, the other is another chemo drug that will begin after radiation.  I saw a spine and a long bone orthopedic specialist.  Had my vertebrae and/or femur deteriorated and at risk of breakage?  -- Major complications!  If so, surgery with metal implants would be necessary.  So, as has been our experience traversing the dark trails, God’s grace is always active.  I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOO happy to say that in both of those places there is not yet bone deterioration!!  That is a tremendous thing to be thankful for, and we are.

So, nice guys as they are, I was happy to say goodbye to the surgeons.  So now it is hello to the radiation oncologist with a consult next Wed.  With him we will determine how many of these lesions will be zapped with radiation.  Our hopes and prayers are that this treatment will reduce pain and that the new drugs will reduce the cancer tumors.

I continue to be more than pleased with the Block Center.  Such caring and knowledgeable professionals!  Yesterday was chemo day but those are not bleak days – in fact, another evidence of God’s grace is that these chemo days give me an uplift, not a downer.

Along that line my precious family and friends continue to be amazing blessings.  Susan found us a wheel chair to borrow and Sunday afternoon our little brood spent Sunday evening on the Lakefront from the 12 st beach to Millennium Park.  My wife -- she strong like bull!!  That was great fun.  It was great to be mobile but very strange to be in a wheel chair.  Man if I l only had a segway!! :-)   I do like having a handicapped parking permit though!!

You know the old saying, “Be careful what you wish for”?  I was reflecting with a nurse that I battled all my life with weight and often thought, “Man I wish I didn’t have a desire to eat.”  Well that wish came true!  I used to live to eat, now I only eat to live.  It is a chore and such a weird deal not to ever be hungry.   At the worst of my fatness I was 265 lbs years ago.  Yesterday I weighed in at 165.5lbs (40 lbs were intentional, the rest a spinoff of the battle.)  Think about that – I have.  So another prayer request is that I will eat more to get my weight up to 175 – 180.

I’ll finish with telling you of another joy in my life.  Cy (who will be 8 yrs old tomorrow) and I have developed a tradition.  We read a Harry Potter book together and BEFORE we see the movie (currently on book three.)  The reading times (averaging twice daily) are great times for cuddling and fun interaction.  BUT, of course, one thing leads to another so now the birthday Lego requests are HP centered.  Hogworts is not cheap!!

I lied, I’ll really finish with a request: do you know of a mobility scooter hanging around someplace getting dusty?  Circle is such a big facility that in my condition I can no longer transverse.  With a scooter I could get around a lot of it.  I pray this is a temporary condition so I don’t want to buy one, nor can we afford to.  I also figure that there are a lot of these things around.  If you know of a possibility please shoot me an email: glenk@circleurban.org.

Blessings and thanks for the support

glen