Wednesday, September 9, 2009 brought another trip to the Northeast Georgia Cancer Center for a visit with Dr. Splichal and chemo treatment number 8 for Ed.
The visit with Dr. Splichal came and went quickly. Dr. S was not running late for a change. We barely waited 5 minutes before he bounded in with a smile and a handshake for Ed. He told us that Ed's weight, blood pressure, and blood work were all good and encouraging. He commented again on how pleased he was that Ed's MRI last month showed a 50% reduction of his brain tumor. Hi-lights of this check-up are as follows:
* Ed weighed in at 188 lbs. That is about the same as the last visit, give or take a pound. We are especially pleased with that news, as his appetite has been less than good the past two or three weeks!
* His blood pressure was slightly higher than week before last, but still in the 'great' range.
* The blood work was all in the 'ideal' range; his coumadin (blood thinner) levels included. Therefore his coumadin dosage will stay the same.
* As per his plan, Dr. S reduced Ed's steroid dosage by half once again. He now only takes 1mg of the Decadron per day, in the morning. He said probably the next visit will bring about taking the steroid completely off his medication list.
* Dr. S said it is time for Ed to start working on walking more and getting out of the wheelchair and being less dependent on the walker. He said the only way for Ed to regain his strength is to practice walking and get more exercise. I think this is going to be his biggest challenge in the upcoming weeks and months.
Dr. Splichal closed the visit with reiterating that he feels Ed has come such a long way and is doing wonderfully. He told Ed he was proud of him and was really encouraged by his progress.
After that we went right over to the Treatment Center (located in the same building) and got settled in for chemo. It takes a few minutes for them to get his meds together...he still takes a concoction of 5 different drugs, and only the first one does he get as an injection into his IV line. The rest must drip slowly into the vein. But even at that, the chemo part usually only takes between two and two and half hours! Not bad!
The nurse, Lynn, came in to start the IV and she began with wrapping Ed's forearm in a warm towel to make the veins 'pop up'. This was a first for Ed and I think he was puzzled by it. The first stick attempt wasn't so good...the vein she used 'exploded' and she had to go in a second time, but that one was good and the rest was routine. This time one of the nursing assistants remembered to bring Ed a urinal bottle and we didn't have to play 'Wrestle the IV Pole to the Restroom' game. I just left his private treatment room and let him pee in his bottle and then he would yell when he was finished. That is the advantage of getting to the center early, getting in and out of the doctor visit quickly, so that you can get back to treatment and get a private room before they are all snatched up! Of course me, I don't mind getting a communal room, I love to talk to people. But it's not about me.
On the way home, Ed and I stopped at KFC to get lunch and I got a call from my brother. He asked me to wait at Ed and Mama's house for him to get there; to not leave before he got there. I passed this on to Ed and we pondered why he'd want me to stay and why he was coming over. He has been in CDL License school for a few weeks and we wondered aloud if maybe he had bought a big truck or something.
Once home, we sat to eat lunch, but my brother beckoned me out to the porch where he and his girlfriend were sitting and whispered something in my ear. I could barely eat after that, but sat down with Mama and Ed to pick at my plate and encourage Ed to finish his lunch. Ed asked me 'Why is Bo and Terry here?'. I replied, just to visit I think.
After he had eaten what he could, we all went to the front porch to sit and rest, and that is when Mama told Ed that she had gotten a call with bad news while we were gone. She then told him that his mother, whom we had just gone to see at the nursing home the last weekend of August, had passed away just an hour or so ago.
At first, Ed seemed in shock, and his reactions were slow. But when I asked him if he was okay, he closed his eyes and begin to cry. I hugged him, Bo hugged him, and Mama hugged him. We all cried with him. We talked with him and let him cry and then would try to make him smile. Mama had called my stepbrother, Tony, and he arrived in just a while and he too tried to make Ed smile.
We are so glad Ed got to see his Mama one last time just a week and a few days ago. We are glad he got to spend a few minutes with her. She was in pain at the time, and we smiled and laughed at how 'grouchy' she was, but looking back, we realize she was probably in more pain than anyone knew.
So, this Sunday we will take Ed and go to his mother's funeral. Please pray for him and his family.
The visit with Dr. Splichal came and went quickly. Dr. S was not running late for a change. We barely waited 5 minutes before he bounded in with a smile and a handshake for Ed. He told us that Ed's weight, blood pressure, and blood work were all good and encouraging. He commented again on how pleased he was that Ed's MRI last month showed a 50% reduction of his brain tumor. Hi-lights of this check-up are as follows:
* Ed weighed in at 188 lbs. That is about the same as the last visit, give or take a pound. We are especially pleased with that news, as his appetite has been less than good the past two or three weeks!
* His blood pressure was slightly higher than week before last, but still in the 'great' range.
* The blood work was all in the 'ideal' range; his coumadin (blood thinner) levels included. Therefore his coumadin dosage will stay the same.
* As per his plan, Dr. S reduced Ed's steroid dosage by half once again. He now only takes 1mg of the Decadron per day, in the morning. He said probably the next visit will bring about taking the steroid completely off his medication list.
* Dr. S said it is time for Ed to start working on walking more and getting out of the wheelchair and being less dependent on the walker. He said the only way for Ed to regain his strength is to practice walking and get more exercise. I think this is going to be his biggest challenge in the upcoming weeks and months.
Dr. Splichal closed the visit with reiterating that he feels Ed has come such a long way and is doing wonderfully. He told Ed he was proud of him and was really encouraged by his progress.
After that we went right over to the Treatment Center (located in the same building) and got settled in for chemo. It takes a few minutes for them to get his meds together...he still takes a concoction of 5 different drugs, and only the first one does he get as an injection into his IV line. The rest must drip slowly into the vein. But even at that, the chemo part usually only takes between two and two and half hours! Not bad!
The nurse, Lynn, came in to start the IV and she began with wrapping Ed's forearm in a warm towel to make the veins 'pop up'. This was a first for Ed and I think he was puzzled by it. The first stick attempt wasn't so good...the vein she used 'exploded' and she had to go in a second time, but that one was good and the rest was routine. This time one of the nursing assistants remembered to bring Ed a urinal bottle and we didn't have to play 'Wrestle the IV Pole to the Restroom' game. I just left his private treatment room and let him pee in his bottle and then he would yell when he was finished. That is the advantage of getting to the center early, getting in and out of the doctor visit quickly, so that you can get back to treatment and get a private room before they are all snatched up! Of course me, I don't mind getting a communal room, I love to talk to people. But it's not about me.
On the way home, Ed and I stopped at KFC to get lunch and I got a call from my brother. He asked me to wait at Ed and Mama's house for him to get there; to not leave before he got there. I passed this on to Ed and we pondered why he'd want me to stay and why he was coming over. He has been in CDL License school for a few weeks and we wondered aloud if maybe he had bought a big truck or something.
Once home, we sat to eat lunch, but my brother beckoned me out to the porch where he and his girlfriend were sitting and whispered something in my ear. I could barely eat after that, but sat down with Mama and Ed to pick at my plate and encourage Ed to finish his lunch. Ed asked me 'Why is Bo and Terry here?'. I replied, just to visit I think.
After he had eaten what he could, we all went to the front porch to sit and rest, and that is when Mama told Ed that she had gotten a call with bad news while we were gone. She then told him that his mother, whom we had just gone to see at the nursing home the last weekend of August, had passed away just an hour or so ago.
At first, Ed seemed in shock, and his reactions were slow. But when I asked him if he was okay, he closed his eyes and begin to cry. I hugged him, Bo hugged him, and Mama hugged him. We all cried with him. We talked with him and let him cry and then would try to make him smile. Mama had called my stepbrother, Tony, and he arrived in just a while and he too tried to make Ed smile.
We are so glad Ed got to see his Mama one last time just a week and a few days ago. We are glad he got to spend a few minutes with her. She was in pain at the time, and we smiled and laughed at how 'grouchy' she was, but looking back, we realize she was probably in more pain than anyone knew.
So, this Sunday we will take Ed and go to his mother's funeral. Please pray for him and his family.
