Day 3 - Going to Chicago Next Week

I scheduled the doctor consult for Marge. We are going to Northwestern University in Chicago. Our appointment is on Wed at 11:00. I spend most of the afternoon requesting copies of reports and scans from our hospital for the consulting physician. Hopefully I can get all the data by Monday, and fax it to the Doctor Monday night.

We will drive up on Tuesday. If Marge is feeling worse we'll fly. Northwestern is one of two Cancer Centers of Excellence in our insurance network that have specialty experience in carsinosarcoma. The other center is M.D. Anderson in Huston, but they didn't have appointments available till the end of August (too long).

The hospital is 4 blocks from our favorite Homewood Suites in downtown Chicago. (We have stayed there many times when visiting Phil. We know the area around it well.) The room has a small kitchen, which will give us more options for Marge's care.

Marge continues to feel poorly, sleeping most of the day. She is in quite a bit of pain as the two tumors push on everything. Thanks for prayers for her, as we take on this additional quest..

Jim

More Research and Day 2

Today was day 2 of the regime... Lots of nausea with this new drug. The side effects are supposed to be better by day 5 (Sunday), at least that is my prayer.

We did a little research today on a consult. I think we narrowed it down to Northwestern in Chicago. (MD Anderson didn't have appointments available until the end of August.) I'll call tomorrow and see what we can do....

Thanks for continued prayers for M's response to this drug, and for prayers on the right consult.
Jim

Another Day of Chemo

We started a new chemo drug today. They administered Doxil, an antitumor antibiotic derived from a species of soil fungus. It's big side effect is to make the skin very sensitive to pressure, especially the palms of the hand, and soles of the feet. The drug has a whole new set of side-effects to counteract.

Yesterday and last night were rough for Marge. Lots of pain at both sites of the tumors. Today we ordered up some meds to help, but will try to go slow on using them. After the Chemo treatment today Marge felt much better, probably the side-effect of the drugs they administer to offset the chemo. For whatever reason we were glad for the respite.

Marge has had a great nurse adviser as part of our insurance plan. She suggested Marge make an appointment with one of the cancer centers of excellence. Our insurance covers the visit. The nurse also did some research on those Centers who are doing work on Mixed Mullerian Cancer, and found that there is a center at Northwestern University in Chicago. Tomorrow we will research getting an appointment.

Please prayer for wisdom as we look at getting outside consultation...
Jim

Monday - Dr Appointment More Chemo

We saw the Dr today to review the PETscan. The news was disheartening. The cancer continues, seemingly unabated. Marge has two masses: one in the pelvic area, and the other around where her right kidney was. Both are in locations of her past tumors.

The chemo regime of the last 6 weeks has had no effect on the disease. Surgery is not an option based on the size and rapidity of the disease. After a long discussion about next steps we decided to try another drug that is administered on a 4 week cycle. We will keep to our original schedule, and have the treatment this Wed Morning at 10. Marge will continue to have blood tests weekly, but the real instant indicator will be how she feels. This drug has smaller curative success than the past ones we have used, but it is Marge's best option, with just one kidney. We pray that it will be effective in halting the tumors growth.

Our challenge now is to stay positive, and to live day to day (Matt 6:33).

Thanks for your prayers as we continue this saga,
Jim

("..and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.." NLT)

Company for the Weekend

We had a great visit from Teresa, Molly and Elena (Marge's sister, niece and daughter). We mostly hung out a home, though the ladies did do a few hours of shopping at the Mall on Saturday.

Elena is character and a true delight. Our house was invaded with Dora, but she did have room in her heart (and stomach) for Mickey Mouse. Mickey was Chris' breakfast treat for Elena.

Tomorrow is Marge's big day with the Doctor. We find out the results of the PETscan, and talk about next steps for treatment. Please pray that all will go well, that the Doctor will have wisdom, and the next steps are clear.
Jim

Another Birthday

In the middle of this round of chemo, we stopped for a small celebration. One of us had to have a birthday, so I guess it was my turn. (Had some great emails, cards, and songs sung.)
Thanks,
Jim

Chris cooked fillets for us.
I had a lesson on Chris' new Google phone.... I now have more phone envy.
Had a candle in my Ben and Jerry's New York Fudge Chunk.. Yes I ate the whole thing.

Saturyday - Day 11 Turning the Corner

Today is Saturday, day 11 of Marge's treatment. She is feeling much better. She still has some nausea, but now only at night.

We were able to get out after lunch for a walk at the exercise center. The 95degree heat kept us from walking in our neighborhood.

Big Deals. Next Tuesday Marge has a PETscan to see how the treatment is progressing. And then the following Monday 7/27 we meet with the Doctor to evaluate the effectiveness of this course of treatment based on the PETscan. Since this set of drugs has the biggest possibility of success, we approach these meetings with trepidation.

Thanks for all your prayers as we face these important events.
Jim
(Thought I would share the hats from Teresa & Molly.)

Monday-Second Cycle

Today we ventured out to get the bone marrow shot and the blood count tests. The rest of the time Marge has spent in Recovery Mode (resting in the brown overstuffed chair). Yesterday and today have been rough. Her stomach has been bothering her.

This will be our week of recovery. Next week Marge should be feeling much better.

It is now official... The hair is pretty well gone. I suggested we take a picture for the Blog. (Oh well, husbands aren't as in tune with their wives as they should be....) Instead I have included are card from Dave Horsley, which describes our current state well. And, just-in-time, today we received a box of hats from Marge's sister and niece, so we got that issue covered.

Thanks for the prayers,
Jim

Sunday -- Marge is Home

We are home. Marge finished her treatment Saturday Morning. We arrived at home by 10:30am, and she slept much of the rest of the day.

We have a bit of a scare on Saturday morning. She had developed the shakes and experienced hallucinations... much like the end of the last treatment. It happened a day earlier in the cycle. It was so distressing that Marge want to forego the third day of treatment and go home. The Doctor thought it was probably a withdrawal symptom and added benadryl and an anti-nausea drug to the last cycle. It worked. Marge didn't have the side effects, and slept through the 3rd day, from 1:30pm to 7:00 the next morning. A truly great answer to prayer.

Yesterday and today have been sleep catch-up days for both of us. This next week will be the hard one for Marge with the cancer fatigue. (We have the bone marrow shot and a blood test on Monday. Otherwise Marge will be close to the overstuffed chair.)

Thanks for the prayers. They were truly answered as we seemed to have found a way to endure the three day treatments.

Jim
(The gourds and pumpkins are from Marge's garden. Picked while she was in the hospital.)

Thursday - Second Day

Today was a good day. Much better than the last cycle. Marge was up and about a lot of the day, and the pain was bearable. (Three weeks ago on Day 2 she slept most of the time, and was in a lot of pain.)

Today her treatment didn't start till 1:30pm, so she was untethered from the IV in the morning. We walked across the street (via sky bridge) to the Cancer Center and looked at hats and scarves. (Her hair has pretty well departed...)

We are looking forward to getting through tomorrow, and being home. I think we'll ask the Doctor if we can't just check out at 1:30am Sat and come home. We'll see how we feel as we get closer.

Your prayers for a less stressful treatment this time are being answered.
Thanks,
Jim

Wed - First Day of Second Round

Marge had a good day today. They switched the anti-nausea drug, which seems to be what Marge reacted to the most during her last treatment. We'll know by Sat if that truly was the culprit.

We didn't get started on the drug protocol until 9:15 this morning, which means her day will end about 1:00am Thursday. We shaved a couple of hours of the start time by beginning the treatment at the Cancer Center where they do the same-day therapies. We moved to the hospital at 3:00pm. The room is at the end of the hall away from the nurse's station, and seems to be a quiet area.

Tomorrow her regime will start at 1:00pm and end at 1:00am the next morning. The next two days will show whether we have the correct anti-nausea drugs.

Prayers were certainly answered today. We had a Nurse Assistant at the Cancer Center who we had worked with in the hospital. It was her first day to help in the Cancer Center. She gave Marge special care, and was the person who took her wheel chair to the Hospital. (She was a special blessing.)

Thanks for the continued prayer over the next days, that the process will be bearable.
Jim

Tomorrow Starts the Second Round to Chem

Marge had her appointment with the Doctor's assistant this morning. Her blood composite number was 5600 (min for treatment is 1500). Her Cancer Marker (CA125) was in the low 40s, normal is 30 or below. Her last reading was 300+, so she has made good progress. All looks good for the next round. The bone marrow shot did a great job of getting her blood counts elevated.

We start tomorrow at 7:30am in the Cancer Center, and then move to the hospital during the day for the rest of the treatment. Tomorrow's procedure takes over 16 hours: 4+ hours for Taxiol and then 12 hrs for IFEX/Mesma.

We are grateful for all the good blood /cancer marker results. Despite the good results, Marge has been feeling marginal since Sunday (maybe the flu, since we both have felt crummy). She has a had a temperature off and on during the last 2 days (100.2deg). (Cancer patients don't experience high temperatures. They are to call the Dr if it reaches 100.5).

Please pray for her as she starts this second round of Chemo. The temperature won't keep her from treatment, but may add to the kind of medicine they give her while she is in the hospital...

If all goes as planned, we will be home early Saturday morning. Thanks for the prayers..
Jim

Tomorrow we see the Doctor and check of blood count. Hopefully all will be in order for the start of Chemo on the following day (Wed).

For the last week Marge has felt much better. Yesterday evening however her stomach bothered her all night. We both felt crummy, so it must have been something we ate.

We did have fun time yesterday at the Midtown Fourth of July Parade in North Springfield with our friend David Hoffner. It was like the parades we had in Edwardsville with lots of old cars, candidates for political office, and candy-thrown to the kids.

Hope you had a good Fourth of July as well. (Please pray for Marge as she starts this next round of chemo. A stomach ache is not how you want to start the whole ordeal. They're enough of those coming in the next 10 days.....)
Jim

The Edwards's Visit

We have been fortunate the last 4 days to have a visit from Nancy and Dave Edwards, and Christine (my sister, brother-in-law, and niece).

They were good company, and great help with odd tasks. While Dave and I were out checking out the new iPad, Nancy and Christine did a couple of jobs for Marge. They hemmed a curtain and labeled a new spice jars... They gave Marge a good lift of spirits, and something to think about other than the fact that her hair is starting to fall out.

In general Marge is feeling better than she has in the last 2 weeks. She does get tired quickly. The cancer tireness comes with little warning. When it does we just stop and take a nap.

Marge really didn't want to turn the page on the calendar to July. She dreaded looking at July 7 and the next cycle of treatment.

Please pray for her, and the strength to be ready for the hard days of battle.
Jim