Curve Ball

From the silence on the blog, I'm sure you've guessed there have been some issues.  In the month since my last post, Cancer has thrown us another curve ball.  Denny and I have battled his disease for the past 10 years side-by-side.  Now our enemy has found a way to divide in hopes of conquering TheWoodruff4.

Healthwise, Superman is holding his own.  The tumor is active now; his face is swollen and sore.  He is still taking the morphine and has started using the supplemental oxycodone.  Chemo started this week on Monday so he has been nauseous and not eating as well.  However, Denny is still fighting and still working around the house.  He has his garden and his jeep to work on. Until the Topotecan goes into action, he may feel a little rough until this weekend.  

There are some things that I cannot go into detail about on the blog.  This is an intensely personal issue we are battling now.  Our troubles have escalated; pitting doctor against doctor with Denny and me in the crossfire.

Bring this image to your mind.  Denny is standing on one side of the fence and I am on the other.  Picture us holding hands but neither can move to the side of the other because of the obstacle in the way.  Love is there but it is being battered by negativity: feelings of betrayal, anger, and worry.  We are working towards a solution.  The tragedy is there can be no winner. Why? Because we each love the other so much, we don't want to see them fail.  So whoever "wins" will also feel the "loss" for the other.

I am feeling the stress and anxiety from the situation now more than ever.  I am taking a hard look at how I'm doing things and resolve to make some health changes.  Stepping back from the situation, I know the long haul is going to be difficult if I'm not at 100%.  I've got work to do.

I know this post is a little different than what you are used to on the blog.  Cancer is a vicious opponent.  Not all battles go according to plan.  No doubt about it - TheWoodruff4 are in a tough place right now.  I have to have faith we will find our way through the minefield.  As I've said before, you have to go through the valley to get to the mountain top. Please say a prayer for us...

“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” – Henry Ford

Happy Anniversary to Us!

On Saturday, June 21st, Denny and I will be celebrating 23 years together.  This has been quite a journey.  We have so many great memories since our wedding day so long ago.

Let me catch you up on the latest developments.  Denny and I met with Dr. Murphy on Monday, June 16th.  She was going to start him on the Everolimus.  However, when she got the results of the MRI, she changed her mind.  The MRI said there was no significant change between the latest MRI and the one that was done in April.  Dr. Murphy feels that because the Topotecan is still has a response, she wants to keep going with it until Denny can't tolerate it or the cancer becomes totally resistant.  Even though the Topotecan cannot hold him completely from treatment to treatment, she wants to exhaust it totally before moving on to the Everolimus.  We have no idea if the Everolimus is even going to work.  So this is the plan for now.

While we were with Dr. Murphy, Denny brought up the driving restriction again.  Dr. Murphy is scheduling a driving test.  If Denny passes the test, he will be able to drive.  If he doesn't, he will not be able to drive at all.  As of right now, he can drive locally and but not on the highway. 

His next chemo begins June 23rd.  Dan and I have to go to Auburn for his New Student Orientation called "Camp War Eagle".  We will be leaving on June 22nd.  Denny's sister, Anita and our brother-in-law, Jim, are coming down to take Denny to his treatments.  Dan and I will be back late Tuesday night or Wednesday.

I have to work on June 21st so Denny and I will be celebrating our anniversary tomorrow night.  We are going to go out to eat at Cheddars.  Considering where we were last year, who would have thought we would be celebrating another anniversary?  It is one more miracle to add to the list...

Happily Everolimus

We have been very busy since my last post.  Let's see...where did I leave off?  Oh, yes..I was telling you about how the Topotecan wasn't working.  Denny went ahead and finished the week of chemo ending with a shot of Nulasta on Friday.( Nulasta helps his white cell count). He was feeling tired and somewhat nauseous through the days of chemo.  However, he seemed to perk up on Saturday.

Our friends, Bob and Linda Buechel, flew in Saturday morning to spend the day with us.  Bob and Denny went to college at Rolla and were in different fraternities together. Haha!  They have remained the best of friends all these years.  When I married Denny, they adopted me into the crowd and here we are.  They are hilariously fun and we enjoyed every moment with them.  We made bets on the Belmont horse race and used the winnings to have a great dinner at Famous Dave's. (Pictured above)
The day went by so quickly.  They flew home on Sunday morning but the memories we made that day are wonderful!

Denny ate more in the hours we were with them than he had in a week.  When we saw Dr. Murphy this morning, he had to weigh in.  He has already lost 5 pounds since the beginning of June. I said, "Denny, this is not good.  You are losing too much weight."  He said, "I can only eat so much.  I feel bloated all the time." He has lost a total of 25 pounds since the beginning of May.

As I mentioned, we met with Dr. Murphy today.  She is taking Topotecan off the table now.  It is no longer working. She has also scheduled him for an MRI tomorrow night at 7pm.  This is to get a baseline on where the tumor is now.  If his labs come back good on Monday, June 16th, she will start him on the chemo identified through Foundation One through the biopsy.  Since it is not approved for head & neck cancer, she will have to get it through the samples pharmacy.  Our insurance will not pay for a non-FDA approved therapy so she said she was going to see what she could do.  It is very costly but I know she will come up with something.  The name of the drug is "Everolimus". (Pronounced: Ever-o-lime-us)  Brand name is Afinitor.  She said we need to pray that this works.  It is our last line of defense.  She will keep looking for other therapies but doesn't have any possibilities in the horizon.

Yes, this is a very scary time for TheWoodruff4.  In Church on Sunday as I was listening to the sermon, I was surfing through the pew bible.  Isn't it a coincidence that this verse caught my eye?

Proverbs 17:22 - "A cheerful heart is a good medicine, but a downcast spirit dries up the bones."

I take this to mean that we should stay positive and not get pulled under by fear.  So, TheWoodruff4 will continue to live each moment; savor the time and cherish the memories.  We will not lose hope until the last minute of the last breath... 

Graduation Goal

We celebrated Daniel's big day on May 31st.  He graduated high school with honors and distinction.  Guess who was there to see it?  Superman met his goal!  Here he is with his son on Graduation Day!  I remember when he was first diagnosed in 2004.  His one wish was to get to see both of his children graduate from high school.  He has fought very hard to make it happen. You have no idea how happy I am to be able to post this picture!

We have gone straight from graduation to chemotherapy this week.  We saw Dr. Murphy on Thursday, May 30th.  She felt the chemo was still working and decided he should go through chemo this week.  She said he was looking great!  She said as long as the Topotecan is working, we will keep using it.

Sadly, by Saturday night, I saw Denny's left eye start to water.  That is the beginning symptoms of the tumor becoming active.  By Sunday afternoon, his face was starting to swell.  The bulge in the roof of his mouth has returned.  I sent Dr. Murphy an email yesterday telling her of the return of the symptoms. Denny said the chemo is failing.  He is waiting to feel better but that time hasn't come.  Dr. Murphy sent a reply to my message that we will be coming back in on Monday to talk about another type of chemo.  I'm guessing it is the one she has found in the sample pharmacy.

Denny is not feeling very well.  The chemo gets tougher for him every time.  He has not been eating much but has been drinking Ensure and Boost.  Hopefully, this will help him through the rough spots until he feels like eating more solid food.  Superman is still fighting!  The courage and tenacity of this man is just amazing.  I am so, so proud of him.  You are awesome, Denny!

TheWoodruff4  are doing everything we can to help him with his battle.  Dana and Daniel have helped with the trips for chemo.  I'm coordinating doctor appointments and dealing with the insurance. Denny is doing all he can to keep his body going.  Please continue to say prayers for him.  They are much appreciated!

Driving Restriction Friction

This has been a very busy week for TheWoodruff4.  Denny went through chemo last week and it knocked him pretty hard.  He wasn't looking or feeling too well.  This week, though, he is doing much better.  We saw Dr. Murphy on Thursday morning for a mid-cycle check.  His counts are good and the topotecan is working.  The biggest problem is the driving restriction.  Superman was viewing Lois as the enemy; saying the words were being put into the doctor's mouth.  However, Lois says Superman has selective hearing and didn't remember Dr. Murphy saying he couldn't drive on the interstate, long distances, or back to Missouri.

I brought this up during our meeting with her because the friction is getting pretty tense every time we have to drive him somewhere. He felt he could drive himself to chemo treatments, taking 90 mg of Morphine, in the rain, in road construction, through downtown Nashville during rush hour.  We (Dana, Daniel, and I) understand his frustration but do not want to have anything happen to him or someone else on the road.  So whoever drives him has to have thick skin.  Our driving is critiqued from the minute we get in the car until we get home. Depending on who drives, we are either mad as hell or nervous wrecks by the time we all get home.  However, we will gladly do whatever it takes to keep everyone safe.

On a more happy note, Denny and I got to attend Daniel's Senior Awards Day Banquet.  Dan was given 2 leadership awards, a National FFA scholarship of $1000, and 6 scholarships from Auburn; including an out-of-state-tuition waiver.  When Dan's name was announced I looked over at Denny and saw tears in his eyes.  He was so proud of his son and so happy to be there. I got choked up when I took this picture of them.  So much emotion wrapped up in those little blue award squares.

We have much to be thankful for during this time of transition.  Our baby, our youngest, our son is getting ready to leave the nest.  No more running like mad dogs trying to get to every function, proofreading projects at the 11th hour or ironing official dress for FFA events.  I'm going to miss it but I find I'm looking forward to tailgating at college football games, Parent's Weekends, and school shopping for supplies with the smell of pencils, paper, and new books in the fall with Dana and Daniel.  This chapter is closing but I'm looking forward to the next book.

TheWoodruff4 wish to send encouragement and love to our friend, Ann Price.  Ann is a cancer warrior princess and we are in awe of her tremendous strength.  She fights every day for more time with her beautiful family.  Don't give up, Annie!  Hear us cheering you on?  All you have to do is listen.

We hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day!  May the sun shine and the burgers be cooked just right.  God Bless America!

The Miracle on Laguardo Street

In my last post, I told you Dr. Murphy had much to say.  What I didn't do was give you many details. Dr. Murphy, as optimistic as she usually is, was very realistic.  The meeting with her on April 25th was pretty grim.  We didn't want to put much on the blog until the kids were home and we could talk about this as a family.

Dr. Murphy told us that the Topotecan was barely holding the tumor down.  She didn't know how much longer it would be effective.  She also said that Denny's body is wearing down.  His counts have been okay to give him chemo but they are a little lower each time.  In order to even continue the Topotecan, she has to have bone marrow counts.  Denny's body has been through so much that the battle is getting harder.  Dr. Murphy told us when the Topotecan failed, the tumor would grow extremely fast.  Denny would not have much time.  She said she was going to keep looking but at this time she had nothing more to treat him with.

As you can imagine, this was devastating.  However, Superman said as we were leaving Dr. Murphy's office, "I've heard this before and I'm not ready to quit fighting."  I said, "You know what?  That is what I love about you!  Me either!"  Denny kept taking the morphine to help with the pain and pushing himself to eat.  He drank Ensures, Gatorade, ate vegetables; did anything he could to help his body keep fighting.

On Monday, May 5th, we met with Dr. Murphy again.  She has Denny scheduled for chemo on Monday, May 12 - May15.  She looked at Denny and said, "I don't believe it!  The Topotecan is holding!"  The tumor bulge in the roof of his mouth has receded.  His face wasn't as swollen.  His mouth still has a little droop due to facial nerve involvement.  He is still going to need to stay on the morphine because of that nerve.  He can drive small distances; like into Lebanon or Mt. Juliet but no long drives.

In addition, she said there was a FDA-approved drug identified in the biopsy that Denny could not have because it wasn't approved for his type of cancer.  Being the fighter she is, Dr. Murphy located a "Samples Pharmacy" that has a supply of this drug.  He doesn't have to go through the insurance process or fight with any clinical trials to get it.  She says it is an option she is willing to try.

Our main worry was that Denny was not going to make it to Dan's graduation.  That has been his goal since he was first diagnosed; to see both of his children graduate.  Dr. Murphy said, "That is not a worry. You have gained a little more time."  It's our Miracle on Laguardo Street!  TheWoodruff4 are still holding strong.  Superman is fighting for every minute of time.

Thank you for all the prayers,cards, phone calls and emails.  Wayne Foster, I need to give you a different phone number.  Denny doesn't get the messages left on the answering machine.  Remind me the next time I see you!  Ronnie & Tammy, thank you so much for the smoked pork.  It came in handy for us.  I didn't have to worry about what to fix for dinner. Thank you to Marilyn, Denny's stepmom, for staying with him after his hospital adventure.  He enjoyed his visit with you. Pam and Dorothy, I have no words to Thank you two for all you have done.  You are neighbors beyond compare!  Ron & Karla, Thanks for the little sign.  It couldn't have come at a better time. TDK & Lana, thank you for the beautiful quilt.  I promise the Thank you note will go out soon to your church.  Mark Youngman, Thanks for the encouraging texts while I was waiting with Denny in the ER and the visits to his hospital room.  You are truly a blessing!  If I have missed anyone, it is not intentional. Just know you all matter to us.  We couldn't get through this without you.

Balanced on a Blade

We went to see Dr. Murphy on Monday, April 25th.  She had several things to say. 

1. Radiation is no longer an option.  The Vanderbilt Doctor got the file from the Washington University Doctor.  He said the field of radiation done in 2004 was the strongest possible dose.  There is no way to do any more radiation in this area.

2. The biopsy sent to Boston revealed a couple of drugs currently on the market.  Dr. Murphy sent information about Denny's tumor to Dr. Lovly, a thoracic malignancy doctor.  She looked at the genetic markers identified in the tumor and told Dr. Murphy the drugs would have no influence on the tumor. This was devastating.

3. The topotecan chemo is the only option left.  Denny is balanced on a blade trying to keep the cancer in check.  Dr. Murphy is doing all she can to keep this cancer suppressed.  

Denny feels the topotecan working.  His face swelling is almost back to normal.  He visited with family over the weekend.  He seemed in good spirits and is eating much better.  Maybe Superman can turn this thing around!  Please send prayers his way!  Thanks.