Nothing new has happened since the last post. Denny still has the pump attached to his port. It has been pumping the 3rd chemo since Monday evening. It will be taken off tomorrow around 3pm. He has not had any problems dealing with this.
He has been feeling and eating normally. We got 3 cases of Ensure and some healthy recipes from our niece, Brooke, yesterday. (A big "Thank You" to our nephew, Jason, who brought it to us. We appreciate it!)
I'll keep posting with updates. Thanks for checking in!
Love to all,
Deb
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
Tonto and "Chemo-sabe"
Well, Tonto was always the Lone Ranger's sidekick! Although it was terribly sad in the chemo area, Denny was far from being a Lone Ranger today. There were so many sick people in there; it was just a revolving door. I had a tough time when a 13 year old girl with a port in her chest was in the next bed to Denny. It made my heart bleed for that little girl. What is going on in our world that so many people are suffering from cancer?
We just got back to the lodge and I wanted to let everyone know that Denny's chemo went better than expected. All of his blood levels were great. He didn't have any reaction to the new chemo. (They tested a small level of it before starting the required dosage.) He has a pump attached to the port in his chest so the next few days will be interesting. We have done this before - we can do it again!
While he was resting in bed, the nurses went over everything we are supposed to watch out for. Of course, the list is as long as my arm. He has a boat-load of medicines to take for nausea and anti-infection. Just keeping all of that straight will be a full time job!
The nurses talked to us about nutrition and how important it is for Denny to stay hydrated. They were very relieved to hear that our niece, Brooke, is in the picture. She has a Master's in Nutrition from Purdue and has kindly stepped in to help manage that area of Denny's care. She is getting together some recipes and info for me to help keep Denny physically strong. We appreciate that more than these words can say.
Denny handled today probably better than I did. Everything in me rebelled at the fact that we had to be in there again. Seeing all the mortally sick people suffering with this disease makes me even more angry and determined that Denny can beat this thing. Between the anger and sadness, I felt sick to my soul that this has become Denny's path to survival; suffering through the treatment to get to the cure. However, I also know that this therapy was successful the first time and I believe it will all be worth it the second time around.
I also say he is a VERY LUCKY man - so many wonderfully, caring people out there supporting him. With Brooke's help and all the wonderful comments he gets on the blog, Denny has everything possible to help him fight this battle. Keep the prayers, emails and comments coming! You have no idea how good it feels to open the blog and know that even though we can't "see" you, we know you are behind him. Each day is a victory!
"There is no time like the present. No present like time." - Author unknown
Love to all,
Deb
We just got back to the lodge and I wanted to let everyone know that Denny's chemo went better than expected. All of his blood levels were great. He didn't have any reaction to the new chemo. (They tested a small level of it before starting the required dosage.) He has a pump attached to the port in his chest so the next few days will be interesting. We have done this before - we can do it again!
While he was resting in bed, the nurses went over everything we are supposed to watch out for. Of course, the list is as long as my arm. He has a boat-load of medicines to take for nausea and anti-infection. Just keeping all of that straight will be a full time job!
The nurses talked to us about nutrition and how important it is for Denny to stay hydrated. They were very relieved to hear that our niece, Brooke, is in the picture. She has a Master's in Nutrition from Purdue and has kindly stepped in to help manage that area of Denny's care. She is getting together some recipes and info for me to help keep Denny physically strong. We appreciate that more than these words can say.
Denny handled today probably better than I did. Everything in me rebelled at the fact that we had to be in there again. Seeing all the mortally sick people suffering with this disease makes me even more angry and determined that Denny can beat this thing. Between the anger and sadness, I felt sick to my soul that this has become Denny's path to survival; suffering through the treatment to get to the cure. However, I also know that this therapy was successful the first time and I believe it will all be worth it the second time around.
I also say he is a VERY LUCKY man - so many wonderfully, caring people out there supporting him. With Brooke's help and all the wonderful comments he gets on the blog, Denny has everything possible to help him fight this battle. Keep the prayers, emails and comments coming! You have no idea how good it feels to open the blog and know that even though we can't "see" you, we know you are behind him. Each day is a victory!
"There is no time like the present. No present like time." - Author unknown
Love to all,
Deb
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Medicine Man
Tomorrow the chemo begins. to try to keep that off of our minds, we spent the day relaxing with Denny's cousin, Kent, by the pool at his house. Denny sat in a shady spot, dipping his feet in the pool. The kids were swimming and we had a nice visit.
We came back to the lodge and I fixed some dinner. Now we are both trying to get mentally ready for what the week will bring.
Denny will be in the chemo area tomorrow for about 8 hours. It will be a long day for the medicine man! I'll post tomorrow night to let you know how things are going.
Love to all,
Deb
We came back to the lodge and I fixed some dinner. Now we are both trying to get mentally ready for what the week will bring.
Denny will be in the chemo area tomorrow for about 8 hours. It will be a long day for the medicine man! I'll post tomorrow night to let you know how things are going.
Love to all,
Deb
Friday, June 25, 2010
Doing fine
Denny had the port put in about 11:30am this morning. They put it on the left side. The first time he had a port, he developed a blood clot. Because of that, the right side did not have a viable vein to tap so they decided to go to the opposite side. I was there when they did the ultrasound because it was a big concern for me. I was worried Denny would develop another blood clot. However, the medical personnel were aware of his previous situation and took good care of Denny.
He is just taking it easy after the sedation. I fixed him a nice lunch and he is resting in an easy chair. He is doing fine.
Thanks for checking in!
Love to all,
Deb
He is just taking it easy after the sedation. I fixed him a nice lunch and he is resting in an easy chair. He is doing fine.
Thanks for checking in!
Love to all,
Deb
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Back at the Lodge
Glenda got to our house yesterday about 3:30pm. Things have been so busy that I haven't had a chance to update the blog. We are now in St. Louis at the Hope Lodge. We got here about 6pm tonight.
Denny is having a port put into his chest tomorrow. It will be done as an outpatient surgery. He will be in and out in about an hour or so. Then, first thing Monday morning, he will go to the lab to have his blood levels checked; see Dr. Adkins, and then begin his chemo. We will be at the hospital all day. It is going to be a long one!
I'll update the blog as things develop. Thanks for checking in.
Love to all,
Deb
Denny is having a port put into his chest tomorrow. It will be done as an outpatient surgery. He will be in and out in about an hour or so. Then, first thing Monday morning, he will go to the lab to have his blood levels checked; see Dr. Adkins, and then begin his chemo. We will be at the hospital all day. It is going to be a long one!
I'll update the blog as things develop. Thanks for checking in.
Love to all,
Deb
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Still Digging for the Pony
Things are moving quickly. We don't have specific appointment times, just dates. It looks like Denny's chemo will begin the week of June 28th. The first cycle will be complete by July 2nd. We will leave St. Louis to come home after he finishes treatment on Friday.
Denny's cousin, Glenda, is coming down from Missouri to stay with the kids while we are gone. We are very appreciative of her generous offer to help us out. That brings alot of relief to our situation.
It truly amazes us to find out how much family and friends care when life brings challenges like the one we are facing. The "No man is a Island" quote is very true. No one could go through something like this without a support system. Denny and I are very grateful to have such a wonderful team cheering us on because the battle continues. At this point, we are still "digging for the pony." [See previous blog entry]. We have appreciated every prayer, card, blog comment, and email sent. To all of the "team", we say "Thank you"!
Love to all,
Deb
Denny's cousin, Glenda, is coming down from Missouri to stay with the kids while we are gone. We are very appreciative of her generous offer to help us out. That brings alot of relief to our situation.
It truly amazes us to find out how much family and friends care when life brings challenges like the one we are facing. The "No man is a Island" quote is very true. No one could go through something like this without a support system. Denny and I are very grateful to have such a wonderful team cheering us on because the battle continues. At this point, we are still "digging for the pony." [See previous blog entry]. We have appreciated every prayer, card, blog comment, and email sent. To all of the "team", we say "Thank you"!
Love to all,
Deb
Friday, June 18, 2010
Looking Forward
We got home about 3pm yesterday. As we drove up the driveway and the familiar things came into view, it was like the house was saying, "Welcome Home! Glad you're back!" That never gets old for me. I could tell Denny was glad to be home too.
I was mentally exhausted when I wrote the last blog so my thanks to our friend, Jill, for pointing out something obvious that I forgot to put in. Denny will be doing his chemo treatments in St. Louis. The doctors work in a team. We discussed the idea of getting chemo in Nashville, but that would take his chemo doctor off of the team. (Barnes is ranked #5 for Ear-Nose-Throat as compared to Vanderbilt at #16.) We want to keep Denny with the doctors that know his history and that work on the same team; communicating with each other about his case.
[As a side note: "Thanks" to Anita & Travis, and Brooke & Jason for taking time out of their busy schedules to have dinner with us on Tuesday night when we got into town. It was a nice, relaxing visit.]
Denny went in to work today. He couldn't wait to get back to his life. Work is important to him. It helps keep his mind occupied with positive things. He is an amazing man!
We are looking forward..... We are looking forward because dwelling in the past isn't productive. Everything that needs to be in place for success, is there. He has the A-Team of doctors, he is strong, he is positive, he has a huge team of family and friends supporting him, and the most powerful..He has prayers. We are looking forward to conquering this disease and claiming victory! Carpe Diem...Seize the day!
Love to all,
Deb
I was mentally exhausted when I wrote the last blog so my thanks to our friend, Jill, for pointing out something obvious that I forgot to put in. Denny will be doing his chemo treatments in St. Louis. The doctors work in a team. We discussed the idea of getting chemo in Nashville, but that would take his chemo doctor off of the team. (Barnes is ranked #5 for Ear-Nose-Throat as compared to Vanderbilt at #16.) We want to keep Denny with the doctors that know his history and that work on the same team; communicating with each other about his case.
[As a side note: "Thanks" to Anita & Travis, and Brooke & Jason for taking time out of their busy schedules to have dinner with us on Tuesday night when we got into town. It was a nice, relaxing visit.]
Denny went in to work today. He couldn't wait to get back to his life. Work is important to him. It helps keep his mind occupied with positive things. He is an amazing man!
We are looking forward..... We are looking forward because dwelling in the past isn't productive. Everything that needs to be in place for success, is there. He has the A-Team of doctors, he is strong, he is positive, he has a huge team of family and friends supporting him, and the most powerful..He has prayers. We are looking forward to conquering this disease and claiming victory! Carpe Diem...Seize the day!
Love to all,
Deb
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