For the first time in 43 days, we know what we're doing and when we're doing it!
Phil begins chemotherapy on Monday, March 14, which gives his port-a-cath more time to heal. And that means we get to go home for a few days! The first infusion will be at Huntsman next Monday, March 14, and if he tolerates it well, Phil can receive other infusions at Moab Regional Hospital. (Each chemo infusion will take about 5-6 hours.)
Then two weeks after the first infusion, Phil meets with Dr. Weis again to report side effects, and then he'll receive his second infusion while we're still at Huntsman. After that Phil will meet with Dr. Weis before every-other infusion, so every four weeks. If all goes well, infusions when he's not meeting with Dr. Weis can be scheduled at Moab Regional. Every 14 days, on the weeks opposite chemo, Phil will have a total of five iron infusions which he plans to schedule at Moab Regional. (Each iron infusion will take about 2 hours.)
We have our fingers crossed that this schedule works so we're not making as many trips to Salt Lake. And if you feel inclined, please pray that the tumors will shrink and that Phil will tolerate the chemo well with a minimum of side effects.
Phil is still perfectly confident that he can beat this cancer!
At University Hospital Feb. 2011
February 11, 2011 at University of Utah Hospital
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
The eye of the storm . . .
Yesterday felt like passing through the eye of the storm . . . everything before yesterday was diagnostic--everything after today is treatment.
This morning Phil checked into Huntsman at 6:00 a.m. for outpatient surgery. Under light anesthesia an area from his neck to lower chest was deadened and two incisions were made, one for the camera and one to introduce the port-a-cath, which was placed just beneath the skin below the left clavicle.
While Phil was in surgery, Dr. Weis called with results from the Tumor Board. The liver is inoperable. The idea of growing more liver was not an option. Dr. Weis will proceed with chemo immediately and Phil might possibly have his first infusion tomorrow. We'll discuss this more at our appointment tomorrow.
Phil did great in surgery and we were out of Huntsman by 11:00 a.m. We're now back at my brother's beautiful home where we're treated like royalty. Phil is taking a nap, under protest! He really wanted to get out his laptop and work, but sometimes a good wife has to put her foot down and this was one of those times!
We feel blessed in so many ways--we have our faith, each other, caring family and friends, modern medicine and advancements in chemotherapy treatments, and so much more.
This morning Phil checked into Huntsman at 6:00 a.m. for outpatient surgery. Under light anesthesia an area from his neck to lower chest was deadened and two incisions were made, one for the camera and one to introduce the port-a-cath, which was placed just beneath the skin below the left clavicle.
While Phil was in surgery, Dr. Weis called with results from the Tumor Board. The liver is inoperable. The idea of growing more liver was not an option. Dr. Weis will proceed with chemo immediately and Phil might possibly have his first infusion tomorrow. We'll discuss this more at our appointment tomorrow.
Phil did great in surgery and we were out of Huntsman by 11:00 a.m. We're now back at my brother's beautiful home where we're treated like royalty. Phil is taking a nap, under protest! He really wanted to get out his laptop and work, but sometimes a good wife has to put her foot down and this was one of those times!
We feel blessed in so many ways--we have our faith, each other, caring family and friends, modern medicine and advancements in chemotherapy treatments, and so much more.
Monday, March 7, 2011
A quiet day . . .
On January 26 Phil learned he had cancer somewhere in his body. Today, 41 days later, we have a diagnosis, but we are still waiting to find out what happens next.
Last Wednesday, March 2, Phil had a PET scan which required an IV and injection of a radioactive sugar. The whole process took about two hours. Two days later we met with a surgical oncologist, Dr. Courtney Skaife who gave us the results. We had been warned that Dr. Skaife would be very direct. She was, and her candor was much appreciated. Dr. Skaife pulled up Phil's PET scan on a computer monitor and described what we were seeing.
A PET (positive emission tomography) scan captures full color images of the body in three-dimension, slice by slice. Cool areas appear blue or black, while warmer areas are yellow, orange and red. Heat is generated when rapidly reproducing cancer cells uptake the radioactive sugar creating "hot spots" which appear bright red.
We were grateful to learn that Phil's cancer is confined to his colon and his liver and adjoining lymph nodes. These lymph nodes were expected to be involved, since they're the vehicle that transported the cancer from the colon to the liver. However we were disheartened to learn that instead of four lesions in Phil's liver, as identified in his CT scan, in fact, he has eight.
We also learned that due to a congenital defect, Phil is missing most of the left lobe of his liver so surgery may not be an option. The liver is a remarkable organ because it can regenerate, but only if there's enough liver remaining to reproduce itself. In Phil's case, there's not enough. However, Dr. Skaif had an innovative idea to cauterize a major blood vessel going into the right lobe where it branches right and left, to give the left lobe more blood, in hopes that it will grow. She plans to discuss that option at tumor board tomorrow.
Also tomorrow, Phil has surgery to place a port-a-cath in his chest so he can begin receiving chemotherapy. The port-a-cath provides a portal to a major vein in the chest and eliminates the possibility of damaging surface veins and tissues. And because it's under the skin, there's less possibility of infection.
Then on Wednesday, we have a 9:40 a.m. appointment with Phil's medical oncologist to find out what the tumor board recommends.
I know this sounds pretty dismal . . . and it is . . . but we still have some good laughs! Like the other day when Phil found out that two glasses of prune juice worked twice as good as one! After a couple of unexpected trips to the bathroom that night, we couldn't stop laughing. (The kids will relate to this--it was the same uncontrollable laughter they've witnessed when their dad plays Grand Theft Auto or watches The Pink Panther.) And he was still laughing in his sleep!
Last Wednesday, March 2, Phil had a PET scan which required an IV and injection of a radioactive sugar. The whole process took about two hours. Two days later we met with a surgical oncologist, Dr. Courtney Skaife who gave us the results. We had been warned that Dr. Skaife would be very direct. She was, and her candor was much appreciated. Dr. Skaife pulled up Phil's PET scan on a computer monitor and described what we were seeing.
A PET (positive emission tomography) scan captures full color images of the body in three-dimension, slice by slice. Cool areas appear blue or black, while warmer areas are yellow, orange and red. Heat is generated when rapidly reproducing cancer cells uptake the radioactive sugar creating "hot spots" which appear bright red.
We were grateful to learn that Phil's cancer is confined to his colon and his liver and adjoining lymph nodes. These lymph nodes were expected to be involved, since they're the vehicle that transported the cancer from the colon to the liver. However we were disheartened to learn that instead of four lesions in Phil's liver, as identified in his CT scan, in fact, he has eight.
We also learned that due to a congenital defect, Phil is missing most of the left lobe of his liver so surgery may not be an option. The liver is a remarkable organ because it can regenerate, but only if there's enough liver remaining to reproduce itself. In Phil's case, there's not enough. However, Dr. Skaif had an innovative idea to cauterize a major blood vessel going into the right lobe where it branches right and left, to give the left lobe more blood, in hopes that it will grow. She plans to discuss that option at tumor board tomorrow.
Also tomorrow, Phil has surgery to place a port-a-cath in his chest so he can begin receiving chemotherapy. The port-a-cath provides a portal to a major vein in the chest and eliminates the possibility of damaging surface veins and tissues. And because it's under the skin, there's less possibility of infection.
Then on Wednesday, we have a 9:40 a.m. appointment with Phil's medical oncologist to find out what the tumor board recommends.
I know this sounds pretty dismal . . . and it is . . . but we still have some good laughs! Like the other day when Phil found out that two glasses of prune juice worked twice as good as one! After a couple of unexpected trips to the bathroom that night, we couldn't stop laughing. (The kids will relate to this--it was the same uncontrollable laughter they've witnessed when their dad plays Grand Theft Auto or watches The Pink Panther.) And he was still laughing in his sleep!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)