Chemo Treatment No. 7

I have been bad! I have not written about Ed's Journey in two weeks! Yesterday I went with Ed for check-up and chemo treatment. Here are some high lights of his appointment with Meredith, the Physician's Assistant:

* Ed lost two pounds since his last visit two weeks ago.

* His blood pressure was 120/70.

* All his blood counts came back good.

* His coumidin level is good. No adjustments needed on that medication.

* Dr. Splichal noted for Meredith to cut Ed's steroids in half once again. Now he is taking 2 mg
per day.

* Meredith said there is no problem with Ed taking coumidin and eating all the green vegetables he wants. His blood is checked every other week, so they will know if something has gone awry and will adjust his coumidin if needed.

I explained to Meredith that Ed has begun to experience some nausea and loss of appetite since his last visit. Also, he has weakness and shortness of breath. Meredith explained that as Ed gets more and more of the chemo drugs in his body, his weakness will increase and his appetite will continue to lessen. He has got to try very hard to continue eating well and drinking fluids. This has become a struggle, especially the taking in fluids part. My mama is getting quite frustrated with this, as she always tries to coax him to eat and drink. In the past, that really hasn't been a very big problem, now each day she reports it is getting harder and harder to convince him to eat and drink enough.

Meredith said cutting back on the steroids is not what is making him weak, in fact, taking large doses of steroids over a long period of time is harmful and will make you weak. We are hoping as he weans off steroids that some of his strength will return. Steroids do increase the appetite. Therefore; she does feel like coming off the steroids do play some part in his loss of appetite, or at least diminishing of his appetite.

There were a couple of days near the end of last week that Ed was dragging his right leg and having trouble getting out of bed even with assistance, and had to go back to using his wheel chair a couple of days. But then his strength came back in a small surge and he is now using his walker again.

Dr. S and Meredith have stressed the importance of good nutrition, plenty of fluid intake, some exercise, and sufficient sleep to keep his strength up.

Ed seems to have headaches more frequently...the tumor has decreased in size, so what is causing the headaches??? According to drug info, his Lyrica and/or Dilantin may be causing the headaches...not to mention the chemicals he receives every other week in chemo. He does take Tylenol, Lortab or Morphine, depending on how severe the headache is at any given time.

This Sunday, me and my brother and step-brother are supposed to take Ed to his family reunion in Cumming...we are hoping and praying that he feels well enough to go. Ed's mama is in a nursing home there, and he has not seen her since he fell ill last year. We all feel like he needs to see her...and she him. He will have several sisters there, and their families. I am not sure his younger brother will be there, he lives in Florida and it is difficult, financially, for him and his wife to drive here sometimes.

Senator Ted Kennedy died from his glioma (brain cancer) this week. He had the same kind of cancer Ed has...but Mr. Kennedy was much older than Ed was when his tumor was detected and Mr. Kennedy's tumor was inoperable for whatever reason...perhaps his age and the location of his tumor.

Please pray for Ed to have strength and appetite in the upcoming days, weeks, months and that he is doing the right thing by choosing chemo. Ask God to be gentle with him and help him physically and emotionally. Pray that we, as his family and friends, will know how to help him. Pray for my Mama as she continues to be the main caregiver. Thanks everyone who follows Ed's Journey.

"Half"

Half is a good word.

Today Ed got the results of the MRI done of his brain last week. Dr. Splichal waltzed in assuming we had already received news from Dr. Walpert (the neurosurgeon). We had not. So he started out with..."Well, the tumor is now HALF the size it was at the time of the last MRI (May, 2009)".

I started clapping. B2 looked relieved. Ed was smiling so big it nearly cut his face in HALF!

He stated that back in May, the MRI showed that the tumor was so big that it had shoved portions of the brain that belonged on the left side of the skull over in the right side of the skull. Also, at that time, there was alot of edema (swelling). Now, with the reduction of the tumor, the left HALF of the brain was in the left HALF of the skull, where it belonged. The mid-line of the brain was centered in the skull again. Also, there is very little edema.

Because the edema (swelling) is reduced so much, Dr. S said he is reducing his steroid dosage to HALF what he is currently taking.

His blood work came back showing his blood is a little thin...the warfarin (generic for Coumadin) is working quite well, a little too well. So he wants Ed to take the normal dosage on even days, and HALF the dosage on odd days. (or vice-a-verse).

Ed had lost one pound. This is a good thing.

His blood pressure was good.

Ed did give me a look when I told Dr. S about a 'sore spot' in his groin area. I had to leave the room while Dr. S took a look...and I got 'that look' from Ed again when I came back in the room. He told me later that Dr. S had put a rubber glove on one hand to have a look-see. Hmmm...alot of looking going on. Ed said he would pay me back for that one. (He doesn't like anyone looking at his private area I take it!)

Ed's chemo took about HALF the time it took the first treatment he received. We believe because he now gets the nausea drug as an injection into the line instead of having it drip into the line.

Everyone is so glad to hear Ed's good news. I called Mama, who laughed and cried. She called several people and I called and texted others. What do we contribute this wonderful news to? First of all, to God. God listens to prayers. Ed reads a 'healing' scripture from the Bible everyday. I know God likes that. Also, he eats asparagus everyday. My husband not only believes in prayer, he believes in using the brain God gave you and he tells Ed eating asparagus helps heal cancer. Also, Ed has a 'not giving up' spirit. You have to count Mama taking good care of him into the equation too. And of course, the miracle drugs he is taking. Avastin is really making the news these days for helping reduce cancer tumors and giving people more time on this earth. Ed has a lot of people who love him and help him day to day. All these things I think are helping him fight this cancer.

I went back to work after our trip to the doctor. I have already made up HALF my time from going in to work an hour early the past few days. Even if I didn't, I wouldn't have missed this doctor visit. It was a good one.

Thanks to everyone who has prayed for Ed's healing! I hope your week is going at least HALF as well as mine!

Hoping and Praying for Good News!

B2 offered to take our Dad to his appointment Wednesday, and I thought how good this was. (Because I would not lose any time at work) But the more I think about it, the more I want to be there when the news of the MRI results are delivered. My boss will let me go in early and take short lunches to make up my time.

If it is good news, if the tumor has gotten smaller, or at the least, not grown, we will celebrate and praise God!

If it is bad news, if the tumor has grown, we will be sad, but we won't be mad at God.

If the news is good, Ed will get his regularly scheduled chemo treatment with Avastin.

If the news is bad, I believe Dr. Splichal will say no more chemo. But if Ed wants to continue, we may have to wrestle Dr. S to the ground and hold him down until he says 'uncle'.

Whatever the outcome, I know Ed will be okay. It will be the rest of us who will take it the hardest. Especially Mama.

I went with Ed to a chemo appointment a few weeks ago and watched the medication clipboard to see exactly what his chemo-cocktail consists of, and this is what I learned:

He received the following drugs, one bag at a time, in this order;

1) Sodium Chloride 100ml = This medication is an intravenous (IV) solution used to supply water and electrolytes (e.g., sodium, chloride) to the body. Basically, it is salt water. It is also used as a mixing solution (diluent) for other IV medications. (MedicineNet.com)

2) Aloxi .25mg = Aloxi is used to prevent nausea and vomiting that may be caused by surgery or by medicine to treat cancer (chemotherapy or radiation). (Drugs.com)

3) Decadron 8.0mg = As an anti-inflammatory medication. (a steroid) Decadron relieves inflammation in various parts of the body. It is used specifically to decrease swelling (edema), associated with tumors of the spine and brain, and to treat eye inflammation. (Chemocare.com)

4) Avastin 833.0mg = Avastin is a cancer medicine that interferes with the growth of cancer cells by blocking the formation and growth of new blood vessels in the tumor which slows their growth. (Drugs.com)

5) Irinotecan HCI 245.0mg (generic for Camptosar) = Camptosar is the trade name for irinotecan. Camptothecin-11 and CPT-11 are other names for irinotecan. It is to stop or slow cell division in regards to treating cancer. (condensed information gathered from Chemocare.com)

Chemotherapy is treatment with drugs to try and stop growth and also kill cancer cells. In the meantime, you try to not destroy or compromise healthy cells. It is a crazy combination of stuff that kills, and stuff that protects.

Hopefully, Ed will be getting this cocktail again Wednesday.

MRI follow up

We are disappointed, but we will not get any news on Ed's MRI done on Monday until his regularly scheduled appointment next Wednesday (August 12). If he gets positive news, he will go ahead with chemo that day. If bad news, chemo will be canceled. Please pray for good news.