Update on Dad:

He has been to see a specialist regarding his MDS and worst case scenario is that the treatment may not work and it can turn in to lueukemia.  As most of you know that is not a good thing.

His MRI showed that his hip socket has basically collapsed from the treatment for the tumor.  The tumor is still there but they don't know if it's dead or alive at this point.  He is walking with a cane as he can't put any pressure on it due to the pain.

He will more than likely have to have blood transfusions bi-weekly for the rest of his life as his cells are not "playing nicely" with each other.

All we can do at this point is keep praying that this works and that he can regain his strength.  It's killing him to not be able to do the simple things that we all take for granted without getting winded and wiped out.

Dad had his first infusion for the MDS yesterday and to say the least, it WIPED him out!

It looks like a nasty little drug.  Vidaza:  An anit-cancer ("antineoplastic" or "cytotoxic") chemotherapy drug.   The common side effects are:

1. Nausea
2. Low red blood cell count (Anemia)
3. Low platelet count
4. Vomiting
5. Fever
6. Low white blood cell count
7. Diarrhea
8. Fatigue
9. Injection Site Redness
10. Constipation
11. Ecchymosis, petechiae (Bleeding under the skin...had to google it :-)

Like he needs any more going on than he already has!  Mom is working the U of A games right now and has been busy so it's harder than normal.  Dad has to go in every day for infusions and possibly blood transfusions if necessary for 7 days straight.  You know that with them pumping that toxic poison into him is going to make him feel like crap!

Today is a day that he needed a transfusion as his counts had all dropped very low.  It makes you wonder why this kind of thing always happens to the people that would give you the shirt off of their back.  I have to say that my Dad has the biggest heart of anyone I know.  He does what is necessary to take care of those that he has obligations to no matter what.  He does get burned more than someone who is focused on themselves but I guess you take the good with the bad huh?

I know that getting angry at the circumstances won't do any of us any good but it's so hard not to.  I just have to have faith that there is a reason for everything.  

Keep him in your good thoughts and prayers!  I'll keep you all posted!

Kim

Update on Dad

I haven't updated this for so long but thought that it was by far the easiest way to let everyone know what is going on with Dad.

He has been so run down and had ZERO energy.  We found out this week that he has MDS.  What is MDS?  This is what I found on the American Cancer Society site:  

What are myelodysplastic syndromes?

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are conditions that occur when the blood-forming cells in the bone marrow are damaged. This damage leads to low numbers of one or more types of blood cells.

Normal bone marrow

Bone marrow is the soft, inner part of some bones, such as those of the skull, shoulder blades, ribs, pelvis, and backbones. Bone marrow contains stem cells that divide to form new cells. When a stem cell divides it makes 2 cells: one cell that stays a stem cell, and another cell that can make other kinds of blood cells. There are 3 kinds of blood cells: red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.

• Red blood cells carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body and carry away carbon dioxide.
• White blood cells help the body fight infection. There are many types of white blood cells.
• Platelets are pieces of cells. They are needed for the blood to clot. They help plug up damaged areas of blood vessels caused by cuts or bruises.

Myelodysplastic syndromes

In MDS, some of the cells in the bone marrow are damaged and have problems making new blood cells. Many of the blood cells that are made by these damaged cells are not normal. The abnormal blood cells die sooner than normal cells, leaving the person without enough normal blood cells and with low blood counts.

MDS can turn into a fast-growing cancer of bone marrow cells called acute myeloid leukemia. This happens in about 1 out of 3 people with MDS. In the past, MDS was called pre-leukemia or smoldering leukemia. Since most MDS patients do not get leukemia, these terms are no longer used. Now that doctors have learned more about MDS, it is thought to be a form of cancer.

The American Cancer Society document, Leukemia: Acute Myeloid (Myelogenous) has more information about the leukemia that develops in some MDS patients.

Types of MDS

The system used to classify MDS is known as the WHO (World Health Organization) system. This system divides MDS into 7 groups. The group depends on how the cells of the blood and bone marrow look under a microscope and the presence of certain changes in the chromosomes of those cells. Because the differences can be very small, doctors might not agree about which group a patient’s disease belongs in. Your doctor can explain to you the exact kind of MDS you have.

Cases of MDS can also be grouped based on the cause of the disease. (This is called clinical classification.) If no cause can be found, it is called primary MDS. It is called secondary MDS when the cause of the disease is known. Secondary MDS is often called treatment-related, because the most common cause is earlier treatment for cancer. Secondary MDS is much less likely to respond to treatment.

This is  the lovely effects of Chemo for 3 years.  They gave him a blood transfusion yesterday and starting on Monday he will have infusions of drugs to help treat it.  From what I understand his counts will probably dip down before they go up so I'm sure he has some rough days ahead of him.

He is still coming in to work when he is able.  He is such a strong man it's unbelievable!!  My Mom has been dropping him off at my house and I take him into work with me and then either Bill or I take him home.  

My Mom is being a trooper!  I know she is tired, scared and most of the time irritated with him.  He can be quite a bear when he isn't feeling good.  Not intentionally but sometimes he gets snappy and grumpy.  I've had visions of Duct taping him in the closet just to get some quiet ha ha ha!

Bill and I had a Birthday BBQ for both my Mom and my Dad since their birthdays are 13 days apart.  We surprised them and invited some of their friends to help celebrate.  It turned out really well and I think they both enjoyed it.

I'll keep you all updated as he starts his treatment next week.  Please keep him and our family in your prayers!  

Kim

Happy New Year!



Happy New Year everyone!  I hope that 2013 brings everyone Health & Happiness!

We spent Christmas at Mom and Dads house.  Mom got some tamales and made enchaladas...yummmmm!  It was a nice day.  My company (Mike and Michelle) were both stuck at my house with a cold so they weren't able to spend the day with the family. :-(

It has been a time since I have updated most of you on Dad's condition.  I was working a seaonal job as well as the two other jobs.   I apologize for being so late in doing so but here is a recap of what has been going on.

Dad went in for his scans and his tumors have shrunk!  Whoo Hoo!!  From what I understand, the lungs showed the biggest improvement.  The external tumors really didn't change but as he said, they can cut those suckers out.

He and Mom did ring in the New Year in the ER at University Medical Center.  He had a fever of about 101 and per the Cancer Center, anything over 100 mandates a trip to the ER.  His white blood cell count was at .08 when he arrived and by last night was only at .07.  Normal range is 4.25-10.25 so as you can see it was EXTREMELY low. 

He did call me last night to give me a "to-do" list for work so I know he was feeling better.  I spoke with him this morning and he said he was just wiped out.  I banned him from work until next week as Jen's family has had a bout of the flu going around and I am still stuffy.  The slightest illness is extremely serious so why even chance it? 

Let's hope that we continue to get good news!!  I will try to update more frequently now that the Holidays are over.

Kim

I am such a slacker! Here is the update on Jerry...

Sorry for not getting this posted earlier.

Dad went in for his scan results last week.  Just to get everyone up to speed, he had a scan done prior to the treatment so they could gauge the treatment and see if anything was shrinking/growing etc.

His scan results were good!  The tumors have not shrunk but the good news is...they didn't grow either!!  I know we were all sick waiting to hear the news, not knowing what the results would be.

We did find out some interesting information regarding his blood counts.  I guess as adults the majority of our blood cells are regenerated in our pelvic areas.  Since Dad had the radiation done after the other tumors were removed in the upper thigh area his cells don't regenerate as quickly as most.  They are going to continue to give him the Marrow Booster shots to make sure his counts don't drop too low.  The last thing he needs to get sick, it could kill him if his counts were down and his body couldn't fight it.

The treatments really wipe him out physically but let me assure you...his phone dialing finger still works!  We get calls if he isn't in the office and he still calls his clients etc. from home.  I guess some things will never change.  I would worry if he wasn't always on top of everything.

He is getting used to having no hair.  He wears a ball cap most of the time be is slowly coming out and about a little more without it on.  I think he looks handsome bald but he doesn't listen to what we have to say. 

I did find the PERFECT Christmas gift for him!

Hee Hee Hee!

Everything seems to be on track

Dad had his counts checked last Thursday and his counts were up!  They were higher than when he started the Chemo so they scheduled his next treatment for the following Monday. 

Monday came and his treatment went well except for the fact that they were having some issues with his port.  It didn't want to give any blood out of it. They ended up keeping him there to run something through it to try and clear it. Hopefully it will take care of the issue.  If not they will have to go back to UMC to have it checked out.

He has noticed that his hair is falling out.  By this morning, I think he had enough so he is planning on shaving it off.  I keep telling him that it's just hair and it's better than the alternative but I totally understand how it bothers him.  He has always had really nice thick, wavy hair which I was lucky enough to inherit!!  I asked him if he wanted me to shave my head too...I have to say that I was a little relieved that he said no.  I would have done it though if it made him feel better.  We could be the cone heads here at work lol!!  He's going to really have put some sunscreen on his noggin...he always gets really red when he's in the sun and I am sure he doesn't want to have his head burned!

He seems to be tolerating the meds a little better than he was in the beginning.  He is super tired but he has been behaving...well that might be stretching it but at least he's taking it a little bit easier than he usually does.  Mom found a guy that came over and trimmed the yard up as it's just too much for Dad to do right now.  Of course he was paranoid it would look like the moonscape when he got home.  I haven't seen it but since he didn't mention it I am assuming it looked good.

Went to the Dr. today and got my flu shot, I don't want to get him sick...now I just need to get everyone else here at the office to get one!  You don't realize how fragile your immune system can get with the chemo.

It's Wednesday so we are on the downhill slide!  I'll post again soon!

Thank you to everyone that has followed the blog and sent such nice notes to Dad!  I know he has so many people out there fighting for him and it makes me so happy to see that.

Treatment Postponed

Dad went in this morning for his treatment.  They did his bloodwork and his counts are too low for him to receive treatment today.  His platelets should be around 1050 and were only at about 105.  His white blood cell counts should be around 300 or so and were only at 100'ish.

He isn't allowed to play with others...I guess we're a "germy" bunch!  He was going to go home today and try to get some rest.  He said at least he knows why he has felt so weak the past few days.

If he comes in tomorrow we aren't letting him in the door without a mask on.  If he were to get sick it could be really, really bad. 

Here's hoping that his counts go up by next week and he can continue treatment!!