Prairie Dogs Nearly Vanquished -- Great News!

(Click on photo to enlarge)

The PET scan had to be rescheduled for Tuesday, and we met with the radiation oncologist today to get the results. The results have three stories connected to them. The big one first.

The original tumor is almost entirely gone, and what's left of it should disappear in the next few weeks. The doctor is considering this to be "case closed" on that side, but can't give Mike a clean bill of health until a second "100% clean" scan is made in 6 weeks or so. That is wonderful news!

A lymph node on the right side of Mike's jaw caught the attention of the radiologist, however. It is a very small growth, and they are not yet able to determine if it is benign or malignant. We'll have two treatment options--to biopsy it to see if it is malignant, or to just go ahead and remove it. We'll consult with the ENT doctor to make that decision. Either way, the node will not be allowed to grow into anything of consequence.

The third part of the great news is that the scan included Mike's body down to the pelvic region, and showed no spread of the cancer beyond the original locaation.

So, we are considering this to be 95% Great News, and that the last 5% can be achieved without major treatment--and no chemo or radiation!

We are letting this news sink in and taking things slowly at home tonight--but we need to express our thanks to all of you who read the blog, and many others, for the love, support, humor, prayers, and good vibes to help both of us make it through this very trying experience. We said right from the beginning that this would be a team effort, and that turned out to be every bit what was needed.

We'll keep posting to the blog, so please stay in touch as much as you can.

Finally, we have posted that long-promised picture of Mike, so you can see what he looks like after treatments and eating through a tube for 3 months. Hint--he's the one on the right ;)

mike and terry

May 15th update: PET Scan scheduled

Mike's PET scan is now scheduled for May 25th, but we are still waiting on the date for the followup appointment with the oncologist, who will give us the results of the scan.

More as the time approaches.

mike and terry

Update, May 14th

I am a bit more than a month past the end of the chemo and radiation treatments. I am still feeling some of the effects of the treatments, but at the same time improving on a daily basis in many ways.

The most prominent lingering effect is anemia, which causes me to have some days that I feel high levels of fatigue--and some days (like today) that my energy level is quite good. I am told that my red blood cell count will come back much more gradually than my white count. I am also prone to having symptoms of nausea on the high-fatigue days, but have meds to take for that. The key for me to fight the fatigue is to have a little physical activity every day, and we're working on that with walks and doing errands that get me on my feet and out of the house.

But there is much more to report from the positive side of the ledger. The throat pain from the radiation is almost gone and I am gaining some range of motion in my jaw area. What that means is I can eat some solid foods on a very limited basis and with great care. I'm a long way from getting the feeding tube removed, but it's a start in that direction. Also, with the reduced pain my intake of medicine has dropped considerably--which lets me be a little more alert during the day.

My voice continues to get stronger, so please feel free to call me directly if you want to chat.

We still have only an approximate date for the PET scan--last week of May or first week of June. I'll be sure to get a "Good Vibes Needed" message out once we know the date.

mike

Back Home, Again

Mike was released this morning (Tuesday) after his blood lab work showed some remarkable improvements in just the last 24 hours. The key white blood cell count went from 4.5 yesterday to around 11.0 this morning, meaning that his immunity system can handle all but the very worst attacks that might come his way. So, there was no further reason to keep in him the hospital.

The docs have shuffled his meds around and we think they have found a good combination to take care of the pain, possible infections, nausea, and other key parts of his recovery.

Also among the good news was a weight gain of 10 pounds while in the hospital--a result of around-the-clock IV fluids, regular feedings, and decreased nausea. At home this evening he was able to ingest a small amount of Italian Ice and Gatorade "Straight up, no rocks, please." That doesn't sound like much, but it's the first of many small steps in getting him back to a regular diet in the next 4-6 months.

Still no exact date on the final PET scan. The oncology unit is moving to another building and they can't pinpoint a time/date for Mike's test any closer than sometime in late May or early June.

In the interim, we are going to scan the best of the cards sent to Mike by all of you and display the on the blog. Some of you folks (and non-bloggers) are very reverent and stay within some boundaries of common decency in expressing your concern for Mike/us as we've gone down this long road to recovery. Others have clearly crossed way over those boundaries with cards that we're sure you did not share with your parents or kids before sending them to Mike. You know who you are. Just remember what they say about paybacks, and that we have your addresses.

mike and terry

Team Chemo has pulled ahead (briefly), but Mike is rallying!

Sunday, May 3, 2009

We found out Friday during an office visit to the oncologist that Mike's blood counts were very low again and that he was neutropenic--all due to the final chemo treatment on the 13th. He didn't have any signs of an infection so he was sent home to rest quietly over the weekend.

Saturday morning he woke up with a slight fever which came and went for a couple of hours. When it spiked to 102.6 in an hour we made the trip to the Piedmont ER and got there about the same time everyone in ATL decided that they had swine flu. Once he was triaged he was moved to a room in ER and found out pretty quickly that he would be admitted. We are back on the oncology floor, where they are continuing to run multiple tests to find the source of infection. There is also a concern that he might be developing blood clots in his legs so he's gone for a doppler test.

Good news: The fever broke yesterday and Mike is still fighting the battle. We haven't been given any indication as to when he will be released, but sure it will not happen until his blood counts are back up. Not one prairie dog in sight.

Keep the cards and posts coming...they boost the immune system more than you will ever know. For everyone who is following Mike's blog, if you get a chance read the post written by "Santa" Stan's son. It's the first one listed from Mike's previous post. Torre-Thanks for your "Keep Fighting" message. It came while we were in the ER and right before his temp dropped. We are so very sorry for your loss. Mike's keeping the spirit of your father alive by staying tough. Santa will always hold a special place in our hearts.

Terry