Headline From the Daily Planet: "Superman is NOT Clark Kent!"

That's right.  Superman is NOT Clark Kent.  He is Denny Woodruff.  The man is out of the hospital less than 24 hours and he left for work at 6:15am as usual today.  Why I'm surprised is a mystery.  He has always had the strength of 10 men; unfortunately, Cancer is his Kryptonite.  Superman managed to find a way around that so Denny will too.

I thought I would fill you in on the latest news.  This may be lengthy so get comfortable.

As you know, Denny was discharged from the hospital yesterday.  While he was there, he noticed his hair was starting to fall out.  Last night, he asked me to get the clippers and give him a haircut.  It was a bittersweet moment as we both knew it would be the last time he would have hair on his head.  However, we didn't dwell on this.  It is only hair.  You do not have to have hair on your head to live.  He says we will save money on shampoo.

Today, I spent quite a bit of time on the phone trying to get answers for the future.  Is Denny having treatment on Monday or not?  Is it going to be in St. Louis or Nashville?  It is a little frustrating to be hanging in limbo.  Denny and I always deal with the situation better when we have the facts and information.  Waiting is the hardest part.

Here is the conclusion to the day:

Denny has been officially handed off to Dr. Barbara Murphy at Vanderbilt; who will now become the primary on his case.  Dr. Adkins and the rest of the St. Louis crew will move to an advisory capacity.  Dr. Adkins and Dr. Murphy had an extensive conversation discussing Denny's case.  Dr. Adkins felt that since Denny is no longer in a curative capacity but more of a maintenance situation, it would be better to be treated locally due to the complications that he has experienced.  We know for sure Denny will never be cured of this cancer.  Our hope is that it can be contained for as long as possible.  The 6 hour road trips every 3 weeks are very wearing, expensive and unnecessary.  He is scheduled to go in Monday for labs so we will see.  He can't get chemo while on blood thinners so the decision will be based on what the labs reveal.

Dr. Adkins has worked with Dr. Murphy before and has great respect for her in the oncology community.  Dr. Murphy is the Director of Head and Neck Cancer Research at Vanderbilt.  He feels Denny is in good hands.

What will the future bring?  We are uncertain.  Denny will continue the Taxol chemo regimen until further notice.  Dr. Adkins had a patient go through this therapy and she lived for over 2 years.  Dr. Murphy is less positive.  Her comment was, "Taxol is only effective until the third cycle." (A cycle is 9 weeks.)  Both doctors agree that, by nature, this cancer is a malignant wild card.  What works for one patient doesn't necessarily work for another.  That is why he is excluded from all clinical trials, bone marrow and stem cell transplants.  This cancer's track record is unknown and it's reaction unpredictable.  However, Denny has outlived every statistic so we remain hopeful that the Taxol will work.

I asked Toni (Clinical Nurse & Assistant) at Dr. Adkins office if this means Denny is terminal.  She said, "No."  Their definition of terminal is someone with less than 6 months to live; not under active treatment and preparing for hospice.  Denny is not at that point.  Toni also pointed out that new generations of chemotherapy are being introduced every week and that maybe one of these will be the one that works.  The new generation chemotherapies are also used long term because their toxicity to the body's organs is minimal.  That was another concern we had. 

Time is precious.  He is still continuing to be positive and is not giving up.  He is just changing the plan a little bit.  Denny has begun to consider retiring.  He wants to be able to do things he wants to do; spend time with his kids, golf, and relax at the farm.  I support him in whatever decision he makes.  This is his life and he has the right to make the best decisions for himself.  My superman needs to hand off his cape to someone else.  This is his gift - Time.  Time to enjoy and bask in life's simple pleasures.  Time to just BE.