October 18th, 2011

Wow, I can't believe so much time has past since my last post.

Dad continues to fight his Esophageal Cancer. He's doing fabulous. Actually, quite amazing for someone that was diagnosed with Stage IV Esophageal Cancer nearly a year ago. Dad's most recent Pet scan shows no indication of any Cancer left in any of his lymph nodes. There is also no sign of Cancer in his liver. At one time, they were questioning a spot on his liver. This spot has now been dismissed. In fact, the source cancer spot in his lower esophagus/upper stomach is no longer showing on the Pet scan. This is truly amazing.

So, where are we? They are seeing one small spot in the middle of his esophagus at this time. This is a new spot that wasn't noticed before, but it is the only spot showing on the Pet scan at this time. His recent blood work showed an increase in his Cancer marker (CA 19-9). It went from 63-232. This is likely related to the new spot they are seeing. The doctor thinks that this spot is resistant to the current treatment, so he's going to change things up to surprise attack the last of this unwanted visitor. Dad will do his new chemo treatment once every 3 weeks until this spot no longer shows on the Pet scan. This new chemo treatment is in the same family as the last treatment - just slightly different, and a heavier dose. They will watch his Kidney closely since it has started showing signs of damage due to the chemo treatments. They have to watch his Kidney function closely because he only has one Kidney and it is very easy to get dehydrated with one Kidney. His new chemo comes with the usual Diarrhea side effect. This should only last a couple of days, so hopefully he'll be able to handle it. He should have a nice break in between treatments.

Dad continues to work as much as possible. He's determined to retire with full benefits. He's maintaining a very positive attitude and continues to want to fight this disease. He is pretty confident that he will be the odds. With God's grace, he will beat the odds!

Much Love,

Shanon

May 29th, 2011

It's been a while since my last update. Dad has completed 4 of the new chemo treatments. He had bloodwork and a cat scan done last Wednesday. The results were positive. The Cancer continues to shrink - in some places as much as 50%. There are no new growths. The bloodwork indicated that his cancer cells are decreasing. All of this is very positive. They have been watching a spot on his Liver. They noticed a spot about the size of a nickle 2 cat scans ago. They said that they get a lot of false positive responses, and just wanted to watch it. The next cat scan showed an increase in size to about the size of a quarter. Suspiciously, this doesn't seem like a false positive. However, the cat scan this past Wednesday showed no increase or decrease in size from the previous cat scan. They'll continue to monitor the spot. They really don't know whether this spot is cancer or something else. Dad has had spots on his liver in the past due to medication that he takes for his high cholesterol. So, the spot could be nothing. They'll continue to keep an eye on this spot.

The plan is to continue the current chemo treatment once a week for 4 weeks, then take two weeks off, and repeat the cat scan.

Much Love,

Shanon

April 25th, 2011

I talked to Dad about his new Chemo treatments. He's getting Chemo on a weekly basis, now. He will have treatments once a week for 4 weeks, then take 2 weeks off. Then, 4 more weeks of treatment, and 2 weeks off, etc. Dad only has one Kidney, so they can't give him the full strength treatments - they have to be broken out into smaller doses. He's extremely tired - can take up to 30 minutes to get enough energy to put his shoes on. The dreaded diarrhea is also giving him trouble. However, other then that, he's feeling pretty good and still has a positive attitude. He's working as often as he can. He doesn't qualify for disability, yet. I'm not sure how disability works when you have Cancer. If any followers know the answer, please post and let me know. I would think that disability would kick in to cover the time he is unable to work?

It is so hard to believe that 4 months have gone by since the start of Dad's treatments. The Cancer is smaller then it was 4 months ago, so we're feeling pretty good about things. He's definitely heading in the right direction.

Please continue to pray for Dad's health, strength, and a positive attitude.

Much love,

Shanon

March 30th, 2011

I talked to Dad tonight. He said that the Cat scan showed that the tumor in his neck had shrunk by 50%. The other tumors (in the esophagus, across the chest, and arm pit) had also shrunk. They did note a suspicious spot on his Liver, but said they weren't concerned about it. They said that the Cat scans show false positives often. They'll keep an eye on it, but didn't feel like Dad should worry about it. The Doctor was happy about the results, but wanted to get a little more aggressive with a new Platinum based Chemo. This will bring new side effects. The most noted side effect is diarrhea. Nothing like crapping the disease out! Hey, what ever it takes, right? The doctor didn't do any Chemo today. He wanted to get as much of the previous Chemo out of his body as possible. He'll have his first round of the new Chemo on April 13th (in 2 weeks).

Please continue to keep Dad in your prayers.

Much Love,

Shanon

March 20th, 2011

Overdue update...

There really isn't anything new to report. Dad is doing about the same with his chemo treatments. He's still doing the Taxotere chemotherapy once every (3) weeks. He always takes it with Dexamethasone and anti-nausea meds. He also continues to take shots to increase his white cell count. The side effects have been things like extreme fatigue, bone pain, diarrhea, swelling in the feet/legs, loss of taste or foods like hamburger tasting very badly. He's also having some pain in his fingers like someone smashed his fingers. He says that the pain moves around from one group of fingers to another group. His fingernails are also getting discolored with white spots. Dad has been able to continue working except the week following a chemo treatment. This seems to make Dad happy. He's talked about working in his garden, so obviously he's not letting this get the best of him. Mom and Dad are very happy that they didn't get rid of their Aflac Cancer insurance policy. Mom and Dad considered getting rid of the insurance when money was tight. They are very thankful that they decided to keep it. The insurance has come in very handy and has helped relieve a great deal of stress.

The tumors haven't spread, but they're shrinking a bit too slow according to the doctor. Dad will have another Cat scan on Wednesday. The doctor will review the results and determine where they go from there. He has mentioned moving onto a more aggressive chemo, but the decision hasn't been made at this point. It's great that the tumors haven't spread, but we really need to shrink the existing tumors in order to kick this Cancer's butt and put it into remission. Dad may have to switch to a new chemo treatment with worse side effects in order to get the process kicked into high gear. Slow and steady is not going to win this race.

Thank you for all of the prayers. Please continue to pray for Mom, Dad, the doctors, and everyone effected by this terrible disease.

Much love,

Shanon

February 16th, 2011

Dad had a Cat scan done last Friday. Today the doctor went over the results of the Cat scan. According to the Cat scan, there really hasn't been much change. The tumors in the lymph nodes have shrunk a bit, but the rest appears to be unchanged. This isn't necessarily bad news. It's still early. He's only had 2 chemo treatments. The positive news is that there is no new growths. The doctor wants to do 2 more chemo treatments - same as the last 2. Then, he'll do another Cat scan and decide where to go from there.

Dad received his 3rd chemo treatment today. We're hoping the recovery from this treatment is as good as the last treatment recovery. Overall, he did very good after his last treatment. He tires easily, but that was the worst of it.

Prayers for a smooth recovery and lots of cancer shrinkage!

Love,

Shanon

January 30th, 2011

Tonya talked to Mom yesterday. According to Mom, Dad is doing much better after his second chemo treatment. So far, he's feeling pretty good. He hasn't even experienced a soar throat! Amazing! He has 3 more days of the nasty white cell boosting shots, then he gets another break.

Still waiting to hear when Dad will receive his next Pet scan. I'll keep you posted.

Thank you for the Prayers. I believe in the Power in Prayer. Our God is an awesome God.

Much Love,

Shanon

January 26th, 2011

Dad met with his Oncologist today. The news was very positive. The lump in Dad's neck has shrunk by 1cm - down to 3cm from 4cm in size. This means that the chemo is doing it's job and the torture has been worth the reward. He gained 3lbs. Mom attributes this to her fabulous bread pudding. The good news really lifted Dad's spirits. The Oncologist said that for now, he plans to do 5 months of chemo. More will be known once Dad gets his next Pet scan.

With no time to waste, Dad was sent for his second round of chemo. Dad was feeling pretty good after getting his chemo. In fact, he felt so good, he went for a walk in the mall. Dad has been really weak since his first round of chemo. Partially due to the chemo, part due to recovering from bronchitis (he had the bronchitis right before his first round of chemo), and part related to being unable to do much because of the chemo and the bronchitis. Needless to say, he wasn't getting up and about much during that time.

Dad starts his week long series of Neupogen shots tomorrow. He's not looking forward to the shots, but again they have to be done to boost his white blood cell count.

Please continue to pray that the chemo is able to shrink the cancer into remission.

"Everything is possible for him that believes." (Mark 9:23)

Much Love,

Shanon

January 21st, 2011

I talked to Mom tonight. She said that Dad has had a nice break from the chemo. He's still very weak, but he definitely feels better. He was able to work and is going to continue to work when he feels well. This helps keep him busy and keeps his mind from wondering. His bones still ache, but not nearly as bad as they do when he's getting his shots to boost his white blood cell count. His throat feels better, so he is able to eat again. He isn't eating steak yet, but he's definitely consuming more then just fluids. Dad is starting to lose his hair. In Dad's words, "Hair today, gone tomorrow".

Dad sees his Oncologist on Wednesday, then will receive his second round of chemo. He had blood work done earlier this week. He didn't hear anything back about his blood work. Typically, no news is good news.

"St. Jude, you witnessed the healing power of our Lord Jesus. You saw his compassion for the sick and dying. You yourself touched the sick, shared the sorrows of the mournful, and encouraged the despairing. You received this authority and healing power to work wonders, to cure the incurable, to make people whole. We ask you to intercede with our brother, Jesus, to send his saving grace to heal the sickness and suffering of Alan, to uplift his despondent spirits, and to instill hope in his heart. Amen."

Love always,

Shanon

Issue with Comments

All-

I'm sorry if you've tried to post a comment and later found that your comment disappeared. I have no idea what's going on. I posted a comment myself earlier today and it disappeared. This evening, I posted a test comment, and it appeared to "stick". I deleted it and posted a real comment, and it appeared to "stick". So, keep trying to post your comments. Hopefully, blogger has corrected the problem.

Shanon

Caregiver

I want to thank everyone for the words and prayers. This means a lot to Alan & I . Alan is feeling much better today, he is getting his strength back . You know, it is the small things in life that matter the most . Take care!

January 12th, 2011

Tonya and I had a conference call tonight with mom. Mom got a kick out of it - this was her first conference call. Mom gave us the scoop. Dad received his last Neupogen shot today - last shot for round one of chemo, anyway. Needless to say, he was very happy. This is the shot that stimulates the bone marrow to produce more white blood cells. His blood work indicated that his white blood cell count was down, but this is to be expected. Without the shots, the counts would be even lower. He lost 4 1/2 lbs this week. The nurse that seen him was pleased. She thought that most of the weight loss was probably water weight. Dad's kidney tests have been indicating that he's dehydrated due to not being able to eat or drink much. He's had to have fluids via IV on a few occasions over the past week. Swallowing has been very difficult. The mouth wash (Swizzle) has helped a lot. It numbs the inside of his mouth. The chemo is causing his throat to be very soar. He has to take very small bites in order to get the food down. Most of his nutrition has been through fluids. He drinks a high calorie diabetic drink similar to ensure, and gatorade. His back has been bothering him quite a bit lately. His chiropractor burned his back while treating him this past week, causing a big sore on his back. He'll have to watch it closely for infection. He's a little grouchy, but that's also to be expected. He's developed some diarrhea. He says it's not too bad, but nobody likes diarrhea. He was able to get his port-a-cath yesterday. This will help tremendously. He won't have to get stuck nearly as much. They can do his chemo, and take blood via the port-a-cath. He plans to return to work on Friday. Depending on how well it goes, he may opt to take add'l time off.

Dad now has a week and a half of down time before doing his next round of chemo. Hopefully, he'll get some relief before starting the next round. He feels like the lumps in his neck have started to shrink. Please pray that the chemo is doing its job, and the tumors are shrinking into remission.

Hang in there Dad. We all love you and we are so proud of how strong and courageous you have been. We know you're enduring this for all of us and we admire you for it.

Much love,

Shanon

January 9th, 2011

I just wanted to post a quick update on Dad. Dad was not able to get his port-a-cath last Wednesday. Instead, they will place the port-a-cath next Tuesday. My Dad takes a low dose asprin daily, and the doctor wanted him to be off the aspirin at least a week before placing the port-a-cath. This didn't prevent the first round of Chemo from taking place. The Chemo took place as scheduled last Wednesday, and Dad drove home from the appt. Yes, he drove home from the appt. Now, I specifically asked the doctor if Dad should be driving after Chemo and I very clearly remember the doctor saying that Dad shouldn't drive himself home after his Chemo treatments. Did I not say that he was a strong man?

The Chemo treatment took about 4 hours. Dad was given medicine to help with any nausea or vomiting. Dad appeared to be feeling pretty good until later that evening. Then, extreme fatigue set in. The next day, he had to get the first of a week long series of shots to boost his white blood cell count. The shots work by stimulating the bone marrow to produce more white blood cells. Unfortunately, the nasty side effect of this shot is bone pain. However, the shots are very necessary. Having a low white blood cell count puts Dad at an increased risk for infection, and could delay his next round of Chemo. In addition to the extreme fatigue and severe bone pain, Dad has a terrible taste in his mouth and has developed a very sore throat. Mom picked up some drugs to help with the sore throat, and Dad is still making it a priority to eat.

These treatments are very strong. Dad says that if you want to see him with hair, you better hurry. His hair is expected to fall out within 3 weeks. I told him that wasn't a big feat - he hardly has any hair left, anyway. In any event, I have ordered him a buff to keep his head warm. I hope you enjoy your new Buff, Dad. You should recieve it in a few days.

Keep the prayers coming. We're just in round one and the fight must go on!

Much Love,

Shanon

January 3rd, 2011

Unfortunately, esophageal cancer often doesn't present symptoms in the early stages of the disease. The symptoms are not obvious, at all. For example, some of the symptoms are indigestion, heartburn, acid indigestion (caused by chronic acid reflux), hoarseness, chronic cough, and hiccups. The most common symptom is difficulty swallowing. However, the latter of these symptoms doesn't appear until the more advanced stages. Just to give you an idea, my Dad still hasn't had any difficulty swallowing and he is at Stage IVA. His cancer was found when he went to the doctor due to a swollen lymph node in his neck. He thought that it was related to an illness that he couldn't kick. At this point, he was already at a Stage IVA. Esophageal cancer is considered to be a stage IVA when the cancer has spread to nearby or distant lymph nodes. A pet scan revealed that Dad has a tumor in a lymph node in his neck, a tumor in a lymph node in his armpit, a tumor just below his diaphragm where 2 lymph nodes come together, and then the primary source - his esophagus and upper stomach. Mom originally said the tumor in his esophagus is 5 in. It is actually 5 cm.

Today, I attended my Dad's appointment with his Oncologist. I don't know much about cancer and I wanted to understand what we were up against. Esophagus cancer found at a Stage IVA doesn't have very good survival odds. My Dad's cancer is at the base of the esophagus and the top of the stomach. Removing the cancer at this point is not recommended. The surgery is horrible and the risks are very great. This is something they would attempt at a Stage I, II, and maybe III. If there was nothing else they could do, they may attempt it at Stage IV, but the risks are overwhelming and don't carry very good odds. The plan of attack for my Dad will be to start Chemo right away. He goes in first thing Wednesday morning to get a Port-a-cath. Then, later that afternoon, he will have his first round of Chemo. He will repeat the Chemo once every 3 weeks. They will do another pet scan after 2 rounds to see if the tumors are shrinking. If they shrink, then this is good. They will continue the Chemo once every 3 weeks until the tumors are no longer noticeable on the pet scan. If the Chemo doesn't shrink the tumors, they will try a more aggressive Chemo. This will also take place once every 3 weeks, and will be tested to see if the tumors shrink. If this doesn't work, then they will try radiation. At this point, his cancer is not curable. It's "treatable" with the possibility of putting the cancer into remission. It is optimistic to say that there is a 10-20% chance of putting the cancer into remission. These odds are no different then bringing Kinnick and Carver home alive from the hospital after being born at 23.4 weeks gestation. I come from a family of very strong men and women. We are all fighters. My Dad is ready to kick this cancer's butt! Please pray with me that he has the strength to remain positive and the courage to fight this terrible disease. Please pray that the cancer doesn't make him really ill and that his quality of life doesn't have to suffer. Please pray that the Doctors have the knowledge and skills to address the cancer head on without missing a beat. Please pray that my Dad is able to beat these odds.

My heart is so heavy. My Dad is such a strong man and doesn't ever show his emotions. He's such a private person. I know he is hurting and scared.

Much Love,

Shanon