Chemo Treatment No. 5

Ed's chemo treatment no. 5 went very well today. B2 reported back today that Ed kept his weight at 190 lbs for the past two weeks. (It has been a norm for him to gain five pounds or so every two weeks), his blood pressure was good, his blood work good. Chemo infusion itself went smooth.

Dr. S had told me he would do an MRI of the brain after treatment no. 6, but I guess he has decided to do it earlier because Ed is scheduled for one next Monday. If the MRI shows the tumor is reducing in size, he will continue to receive the drug Avastin. If it shows it is still increasing in size, Dr S will stop the Avastin treatment. Oh please, please, please...ask God to have mercy and let the tumor be smaller!

A bit of encouragement received...My friend Nancy at work has a girlfriend who lives near Helen, who's husband has been fighting a battle against lung cancer. This man has tumors in his lungs, but after using the same drug Ed is on, (Avastin), his tumors have greatly reduced in size. I am really hoping and praying Ed gets the same good news.

That being said, I must say, Ed seems to be at peace with his illness. He doesn't complain, never starts a sentence with 'I wish...', or 'Why...'. He is so calm and peaceful. His concerns seem to be for everyone else around him; my Mom, his kids, his friends. He doesn't want her or any one else to worry about him or be sad. I hope if I ever have cancer or another devastating illness that I can be like him.

Prep for Chemo #5

Ed is up and chemo bound this morning. Today he receives treatment #5 with Avastin and other drugs to battle his brain cancer. Please pray for him and my brother and Mom today. For Ed to receive good care, my brother to have patience, and my Mom fell in the bathtub night before last.

There will be an update later on Ed's chemo and doctor visit.

Chemo Treatment No. 4

Ed came through chemo treatment no. 4 very well. Here are a few hi-lights:

*Ed gained five more pounds. He is now 190+ pounds.

*The blood work done yesterday revealed his blood is too thick. They upped his coumadin levels from 5mg to 7.5 mg per day.

*Chemo itself was relatively uneventful.

*Ed's State Cancer Aid expired 6/30/2009. It is time to re-apply for 7/1/2009 - 6/30/2010, but the renewal forms are proving to be elusive. Must call the State Aid office tomorrow to see if they mail out forms.

Only two more chemo treatments to go and then an MRI of the brain will be done to check the progress.




Other friends/acquaintances who need prayers from Prayer Angels (that's you reader!) for their cancer:

- Linda (sister of my friend Nancy, Linda has been fighting bone cancer for 10 years, faces the decision whether or not to start new, highly aggressive chemo that can harm her heart)

- Mrs. Hutchins (mother of my friend Dianne, 'Mama' has recurring breast cancer and is suffering from side effects of recent radiation - lymphodema)

- Name unknown - (daughter of Ed's friend John Henry, unknown type of recurring cancer)

What a sweet little prayer this is!

No. 4 . . .coming up!

Ed went today for his pre-chemo blood work-up. He is very much holding his own as he enters chemo treatment no. 4 tomorrow. He still has not had many ill effects from the drugs. He has had ankle swelling, but there is no heat, redness, or pain associated with it.

My younger brother is taking him for treatment no. 4, as I already missed one day of work this week getting my 'trigger thumb' repaired. Thank God for little brothers. Both my brothers helped Mama and Ed around the house today. I know they are thankful also.

Please send up a prayer for Ed, that all goes well tomorrow (Wednesday). Please pray that these chemo drugs are attacking and killing, or at least reducing the cancer tumor. Please keep praying for my Mom, his primary caregiver. Also, prayers for all those who send cards, drop by to visit, and bring or send food. It is all such a big help to them emotionally!

Chemo Treatment No. 3 (continued)

After we left Dr. Splichal, Ed and I headed over to the treatment center part of the building and got to pick (from a limited selection) his treatment station. If you get there early enough, you can get a room which accommodates only the patient and a family member or friend. Your next choice might be a room which holds two patients, and your next choice might be the one which holds

(Ed hooked up to receive chemo treatment No. 3)

three...and finally, there is a big communal area where people are all seated in a large oblong circle and it is quite open and quite noisy compared to the other areas.

We arrived at the Cancer Center at 8:20 that morning, but since it took so long for us to see Dr. S, we were not so early getting into the treatment center. But we were able to get a room that seated only three patients and only one other patient occupied it when we arrived. At 9:40 Ed was hooked up to bag #1 of 5 bags of different drugs he would receive intravenously over the next several hours.




The gentlemen seated in the next treatment station was Homer, age 76, former board of education member, former resident of Ellijay, Georgia. Homer was of a quite and gentle nature. He lay in his recliner with his left arm propped on a pillow and his feet raised. He said hello and Ed and I said hello...I asked 'how are you', and he replied, 'I am fine now'. He explained that the nurse had a hard time finding a vein. Luckily for Ed, his veins are quite visible and plump and the nurse got it the first stick and without fanfare.

Homer's wife sat on a stool near her husband's feet and quietly and haltingly told their story. They were retired and moved to Athens from Ellijay five years ago at their daughter's urging, so that Homer could receive better care for his emphysema. Homer had begun to have stomach problems earlier this year.They had a cruise planned for spring but the wife didn't feel they should go with all the stomach problems her husband had been having, but he insisted they go. She stated that he barely a bit the entire trip. Upon their return she insisted he see a doctor. Tests revealed he had pancreatic cancer. She said Homer had just had surgery to remove the cancer about three weeks ago and this was his second round of chemo. She said Homer had lost 40 lbs since the onset of his illness.

We didn't know Homer before today, and to just look at him, you would never guess he had any type of cancer. He would dose off during his treatment, but otherwise seemed fine. He was a gentle speaking, humble man. Homer's treatment lasted only about two hours, and soon he and his wife were packing up their stuff and leaving.

Ed lay on his recliner and patiently took his bags of liquid Hope. After Homer left, Ed inherited the gizmo that attached to the IV line that alerted the nursing staff when a bag was empty. At 11:00 he was on bag #4 which was the Avastin, the drug we are putting all our hopes and prayers into.. I left to get us some lunch and was back in twenty minutes with a sack full of Krystal's and french fries. We ate 'picnic' style at the treatment station...Ed sitting up in his recliner, me in my straight back chair, balancing burgers, fries and drink on my lap. As we ate, a nurse (or technician?) came and changed Ed's IV to the last bag of drugs. We were on the last leg of this treatment.

Twice while receiving his drugs, Ed had to use the restroom. Now, that is an experience! He cannot walk unassisted and here he was attached to needles and tubes, which were in turn hanging on an IV tower, which looks like a pole on wheels. A very sweet nurse showed us how to work as a team to get Ed to the bathroom and not interrupt treatment. I helped Ed move from his recliner to a wheelchair, unplug the IV monitor gizmo, (it works on battery backup long enough to provide restroom breaks), position the IV tower in front of Ed in such a manner that the can grasp the handle that juts out from one side...then as I pull the wheel chair backwards out of the room, Ed has both hands on the IV tower and pulls it along with him. At the bathroom it is difficult to hold the hinged door open with one arm or foot and maneuver the wheelchair in such a way that you can push wheelchair with IV tower in front and get them into the bathroom without smashing the IV tower, the patient or yourself. But it is do-able, and it was easier the second time around. Thank God, Ed can stand and urinate with the aid of bars and locked wheels on the chair. Then he yells ok or rams the door with the wheelchair to let me know he is finished. Whew!

I went up to the front of the building to use my cell phone (as there is very limited access in the treatment center of the building) and when I returned I sat down to wait out the last of the drugs when Ed looked at me and said, 'Are you ready to go?'. I looked at him puzzled and noticed he had his 'check out' papers in his lap. I looked and saw that the IV tower was empty of tubes and bags and clip-board, and the IV was gone from his arm. I hadn't even noticed!

Homer's wife remarked that when you left the house to go for chemo, you packed just like you did when your kids were babies. She is right. We brought a big carry all with Ed's treatment notebook, my reading material, snacks, drinks, wipes, and any other items we felt like we might need. In the trunk of the car is another bag. It contains wipes, towels, spare shorts, spare adult pull-ups. Just in case Ed has a 'bathroom accident'.

This was Ed's third chemo treatment, it was my very first experience with it. Ed has brain cancer, and he is gravely ill, but when I look at some of the other patients receiving chemo, I cannot help but think how well Ed looks compared to some of them. Some are bald, some are so painfully thin, some have skin as gray as clouds on a stormy afternoon. I praise God for Ed looking and feeling and doing as well as he is.

Next week...Chemo treatment No. 4.

This is what a 'communal' chemo treatment room looks like.

Chemo Treatment No. 3

(This is not one of the side effects Ed has experienced from taking steroids for brain healing and swelling).

I had the pleasure of taking Ed in for his 3rd chemo treatment yesterday (July 1, 2009). My brother advised me to get us to the Cancer Center early in order to secure a 'private' room. However, anyone who knows me well, knows I am rarely on time, what less early.

We were on time, but unfortunately, Ed has to see Dr. Splichal before receiving chemo and I have known Dr. S to be 'on schedule' only once since Ed began seeing him late last year. No hard feelings for Dr. S, I know a lot of unforeseen things happen in a cancer treatment practice.

Our appointment was for 8:20am, and Dr. S came in to see Ed finally at about 9:15. Here are the highlights of this visit:

*Ed weighed in at 185.6 lbs. Up one pound from three weeks ago. A total weight gain of about 25 pounds since last November.
*His blood pressure reading was 80/100. The bottom number is up, but nothing to freak out over.
*His blood work was good.
(Dr S answered the following questions we had)
*Is it okay that Ed is urinating a lot - to the point of excessively (getting up 3 or 4 times during the night and still waking up with a soaking wet 'pull-up'. Yes, this is okay and desirable. He drinks a lot of liquids during the day to combat dehydration and to flush the kidneys.
*What causes his ankles to swell, is it dangerous, can anything be taken or done to reduce this swelling? The ankle swelling is probably caused by a nutrient (or mineral) being drained from his body by the cancer. The nutrient (cannot remember the name of this nutrient!!!) is being depleted and it is needed to help the body return liquids from the extremities back to the main body. It is not particularly dangerous, only uncomfortable and startling to look at. If any swollen areas become hot to the touch, painful or red and angry looking, then it could be a problem (such as indication of a blood clot). Neither heat nor cold compresses help this type of swelling. A water pill or other fluid evacuating drug would not help this type of swelling either. Suggested wearing tight hose purchased from drug store and elevating the legs.
*What causes the sensation of water trickling down the forearms and shins? Dr S seemed a little perplexed by this. He said he didn't think he'd heard of this before but was sure it is caused by either the location of the brain tumor or side effects of steroids and/or chemo.

Dr S. decided to reduce Ed's dosage of steroids from three 4 mg tablets a day to two 4 mg tablets a day. He said he was concerned that the dosage and the length of time taking the steroids would effect Ed's sugar levels...meaning he could develop medically induced diabetes. Other side effects blamed on the drug since he began taking them in November of last year...red 'blood blotches' appear on his arms, hair growth all over his body including knuckles of his fingers and toes, weight gain, muscle weakness, tingling in arms and hands. Dr S. is hoping to slowly wean him off steroids. Very good news...since Ed's last visit to the neurologist three weeks ago and subsequent medication adjustment for seizures, Ed has not had a seizure for exactly 4 weeks now! Hallelujah!

After Dr. S finished up with Ed's check up, we headed to the other side of the building to get set up for chemo. I fully expected to be at the center a good 5 to 6 hours from that point, but it ended up only taking about three hours. More details about Ed's 3rd chemo and my FIRST experience with it (as an onlooker) in my next post.