Well, we've had a pretty busy week around here. Monday, Bob had his 9th round of chemo and that went just fine. On Wednesday we first trekked over to the Taylor clinic for blood work, only to find out it was supposed to be fasting blood work, and as I had given Bob a bagel that morning, had to reschedule for Thursday. Wednesday afternoon we saw the oncologist, Dr. Posada, more on that in a minute. Then Thursday we trotted back over to the Taylor clinic for the, now fasting, blood work. By the time Friday rolled around, we were both so tired, we pretty much stayed in bed all day.
So, back to the oncologist. We told Dr. P. how much this cough has been bothering Bob and that seemed to trigger him to suggest radiation. You might remember that when we first started on this journey, about three months ago now, we were told that Bob should not have the radiation at that time because it might erode the tumor too fast and leave a fistula, which would be very bad. But the doc seems to think that enough time has passed and that this isn't a concern anymore. So, Monday, tomorrow, Bob is going to have a cat scan to see how things are looking right now and then we'll determine if this is a good time for radiation. I guess it depends on if he can physically handle it and if it looks like his treatment needs to progress in that direction. Apparently the chemo is good, but so slow moving that at a certain point you have to step treatment up a notch.
I have some concerns about the radiation though. We have heard some real horror stories about how people seemed to be handling chemo just fine, like Bob is, and then start radiation and go downhill rapidly. I am very afraid of the treatment being worse than the disease. So, fears aside though, we will have to wait until we have the results of the cat scan before we know what will happen. We see Dr. Posada again next Friday for the results, so we should know more then.
One good note about the coughing - we talked to a nurse who visited with us in the chemo clinic Monday and she called in a prescription for cough syrup with codeine. This ACTUALLY seems to be working. AT LAST! I wish they had done that a month ago. Anyway, no bitterness, we're just relieved something is working. Bob is a lot more knocked out now, of course, with the codeine in his system, but the coughing is so much better. So for now, it's worth it to him.
A brief shout out to my cousin Jay who starts state trooper boot camp today in Tennessee. Good luck Jay, I know you'll do great!
I'll update when something else interesting comes up.
Carol
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Friday, July 20, 2007
The Very Long Chemo Day
Hello,
First of all, yes I titled this after reading a piece about Eric Carle. And if you don't have kids or read kids book's, Eric Carle is a picture book author and illustrator and he wrote, amongst other things, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Very cool piece about him on NPR.
Anyway, Monday was indeed a very long day for us. When we got to the clinic they told us that Bob would only be getting one of his two regular chemo drugs. They said that one of his liver function levels, his bilirubin (no idea if that is spelled correctly) was elevated and that the doctor had decided that they would hold on his Taxol, which is the drug made from the Yew tree for those of you who remember the first post.
So, they went ahead and gave him the other drug. I asked to talk to someone in our doctor's office about this elevated level and what this might mean, so the nurse in the clinic went on a long search to get us in touch with someone. Turns out, our doctor's regular nurse wasn't in that day. So they tracked down the nurse filling in, and she came to talk to us. She said that our doctor was not the one who had ordered the hold, that another doctor who runs the clinic had done that because of the elevated level, but that our doctor thought it was fine to go ahead with the Taxol.
So, by this time it was already afternoon and Bob had received all the meds except for the Taxol and the clinic nurse was just getting ready to take out his IV. But the doctor wanted him go ahead and get the Taxol, so we stayed about another hour and a half. By the way, the original doctor had done the right thing it seems, but Bob's doctor just knows his case better and felt it would be fine to go ahead with the medicine. So, it just turned out to be an extra long chemo day for us.
A Walter update, though I run the risk of this becoming the How's Bob & Walter page. He's still tinkling everywhere, and it's making me nuts. I had to change the sheets two night in a row, and right before we went to bed both times. It's sort of the straw breaking my back right now. I need to get him to the vet, but it's a challenge to find the time to do that right now.
Coughing update: This week I tried a couple more things. I thought maybe a cough syrup that was only a cough suppressant and not an expectorant might help, so I bought that kind of Robitussin. Seemed to help for about two hours, but then right back to the same. So, I thought maybe he just needs something to dry everything up, so the pharmacist recommended an antihistamine, so I got Alavert, a non-drowsy one. This just didn't seem to do anything at all. So I'll try Mikki's suggestion of hoarhound drops and ginger tea next.
K, that's all for now.
Carol
First of all, yes I titled this after reading a piece about Eric Carle. And if you don't have kids or read kids book's, Eric Carle is a picture book author and illustrator and he wrote, amongst other things, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Very cool piece about him on NPR.
Anyway, Monday was indeed a very long day for us. When we got to the clinic they told us that Bob would only be getting one of his two regular chemo drugs. They said that one of his liver function levels, his bilirubin (no idea if that is spelled correctly) was elevated and that the doctor had decided that they would hold on his Taxol, which is the drug made from the Yew tree for those of you who remember the first post.
So, they went ahead and gave him the other drug. I asked to talk to someone in our doctor's office about this elevated level and what this might mean, so the nurse in the clinic went on a long search to get us in touch with someone. Turns out, our doctor's regular nurse wasn't in that day. So they tracked down the nurse filling in, and she came to talk to us. She said that our doctor was not the one who had ordered the hold, that another doctor who runs the clinic had done that because of the elevated level, but that our doctor thought it was fine to go ahead with the Taxol.
So, by this time it was already afternoon and Bob had received all the meds except for the Taxol and the clinic nurse was just getting ready to take out his IV. But the doctor wanted him go ahead and get the Taxol, so we stayed about another hour and a half. By the way, the original doctor had done the right thing it seems, but Bob's doctor just knows his case better and felt it would be fine to go ahead with the medicine. So, it just turned out to be an extra long chemo day for us.
A Walter update, though I run the risk of this becoming the How's Bob & Walter page. He's still tinkling everywhere, and it's making me nuts. I had to change the sheets two night in a row, and right before we went to bed both times. It's sort of the straw breaking my back right now. I need to get him to the vet, but it's a challenge to find the time to do that right now.
Coughing update: This week I tried a couple more things. I thought maybe a cough syrup that was only a cough suppressant and not an expectorant might help, so I bought that kind of Robitussin. Seemed to help for about two hours, but then right back to the same. So, I thought maybe he just needs something to dry everything up, so the pharmacist recommended an antihistamine, so I got Alavert, a non-drowsy one. This just didn't seem to do anything at all. So I'll try Mikki's suggestion of hoarhound drops and ginger tea next.
K, that's all for now.
Carol
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Tired Week
Bob had chemo on Monday and everything went fine with that. Since then he has been a little extra tired all week. This is normal for the days following a chemo treatment, but he's a bit more tired this week than usual. So he's just been taking it pretty easy mostly.
Today he had to get blood drawn at the Taylor clinic which he has to do every week while on chemo. They have to check all of his levels to make sure he is tolerating the medicine ok. So far so good. After that we ordered a new pair of glasses for him at Walmart. He lost his on the way to the chemo clinic a few weeks ago. He has a funky spare pair he's been using, but it'll be good to have a nice new pair for him. No big loss on the old pair. He had actually just gone to the eye doctor and he needed a change in his prescription anyway.
The cough still lingers. I'm still trying different stuff. I bought some Robitussin CF today, recommended by my Dad. We'll see if that makes any difference. So far, 2 hours after he took it, it doesn't seem to have made any impact. I still have at least one more thing to try after this.
Walter update, he hasn't tinkled on the floor quite as much the last few days, but I'm almost afraid to say that. We wanted to take him to the vet today, but he didn't have any open appointments. It'll have to wait till next week. It seems like Walter can't control this some of the time. I've seen him walking and tinkling, and it doesn't even seem like he's aware of it. Well, anyway, that's the update on that.
More later.
Carol
Today he had to get blood drawn at the Taylor clinic which he has to do every week while on chemo. They have to check all of his levels to make sure he is tolerating the medicine ok. So far so good. After that we ordered a new pair of glasses for him at Walmart. He lost his on the way to the chemo clinic a few weeks ago. He has a funky spare pair he's been using, but it'll be good to have a nice new pair for him. No big loss on the old pair. He had actually just gone to the eye doctor and he needed a change in his prescription anyway.
The cough still lingers. I'm still trying different stuff. I bought some Robitussin CF today, recommended by my Dad. We'll see if that makes any difference. So far, 2 hours after he took it, it doesn't seem to have made any impact. I still have at least one more thing to try after this.
Walter update, he hasn't tinkled on the floor quite as much the last few days, but I'm almost afraid to say that. We wanted to take him to the vet today, but he didn't have any open appointments. It'll have to wait till next week. It seems like Walter can't control this some of the time. I've seen him walking and tinkling, and it doesn't even seem like he's aware of it. Well, anyway, that's the update on that.
More later.
Carol
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Well, so far I can't title this post. The bar won't let me click the cursor in there. Not that it has to have a title. Well, I was going to title it, "just catching up." So there, that'll have to do.
Ok, so we've had a pretty quiet week. This was the week off from chemo and it was nice for letting Bob rest and letting me catch up on a few things. First things, Bob is doing pretty good. His energy level is good. He even made us a delicious omelet for breakfast this morning. Yum! He's also been spending a lot of time working on his model trains. He been buying some paint lately and starting working on several of his engines this week.
The cough still lingers. I guess it's just something he's going to have to deal with. Nothing seems to make it go away. We have tried so many things at this point. Sudephed, Benedryl, many of the over the counter cough suppressants, Elderberry, peppermints (we read peppermint oil was good for cough. Or one of you told me that, can't remember now), lifesavers, cough drops, oh gosh, just lots of stuff. I guess he just needs to cough. The docs all keep saying well it's really good, better than not being able to cough. So, hmm, there you go.
For me, I was able to get our dogs to the vet this week. They needed shots, tests, food, flea meds, heartworm prevention, everything. Woof! Then a couple of days later they got a nice bath, a toenail trimming and a lovely flea dip at For Paws Only, a little Taylor place. They smelled beautiful for at least 24 hours. It was nice to get all that taken care of.
On a pet note, Walter has been tinkling in the house lately. A LOT. He's older, about 12. I don't know if this is just something he's decided is a great idea, or if he's gotten senile. He's had a few house training issues before, but nothing like this. Either way, it's not helping my stress level right now.
So, that's the Tureaud update. Thanks for everything, I've had some mighty delicious food lately!!
Chemo tomorrow. I'll update later,
Carol
Ok, so we've had a pretty quiet week. This was the week off from chemo and it was nice for letting Bob rest and letting me catch up on a few things. First things, Bob is doing pretty good. His energy level is good. He even made us a delicious omelet for breakfast this morning. Yum! He's also been spending a lot of time working on his model trains. He been buying some paint lately and starting working on several of his engines this week.
The cough still lingers. I guess it's just something he's going to have to deal with. Nothing seems to make it go away. We have tried so many things at this point. Sudephed, Benedryl, many of the over the counter cough suppressants, Elderberry, peppermints (we read peppermint oil was good for cough. Or one of you told me that, can't remember now), lifesavers, cough drops, oh gosh, just lots of stuff. I guess he just needs to cough. The docs all keep saying well it's really good, better than not being able to cough. So, hmm, there you go.
For me, I was able to get our dogs to the vet this week. They needed shots, tests, food, flea meds, heartworm prevention, everything. Woof! Then a couple of days later they got a nice bath, a toenail trimming and a lovely flea dip at For Paws Only, a little Taylor place. They smelled beautiful for at least 24 hours. It was nice to get all that taken care of.
On a pet note, Walter has been tinkling in the house lately. A LOT. He's older, about 12. I don't know if this is just something he's decided is a great idea, or if he's gotten senile. He's had a few house training issues before, but nothing like this. Either way, it's not helping my stress level right now.
So, that's the Tureaud update. Thanks for everything, I've had some mighty delicious food lately!!
Chemo tomorrow. I'll update later,
Carol
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Appointment with oncologist
Friday we saw the oncologist, Dr. Posada. He's seems like such a nice man. He gives us plenty of time and treats us with respect. Anyway, he seems very happy with how Bob has been improving and, as I thought, ordered another round of chemo. This is really good, because when we first started this, there was always the possibility that the chemo wouldn't help at all, and we wouldn't do more than one round. But so far so good, and so we'll keep it up.
Bob had gained 5 pounds. I thought it was 8, but that was on two different scales. This increase is on the same scale, so it is truly 5 pounds. But that's still really good.
Bob has been getting blood work every week and Dr. Posada talked to us about how his levels are all good. His nutrition level is normal, as is everything else. His red blood cells and everything are fine. So that's all good too.
Today we are both having a tired kind of weekend. I took Saturday night off work, and slept all night and have been laying around in bed all day. I feel kind of bad for not taking care of more stuff, but also, am realistic that if my body says you're tired, stay in bed, I probably should.
Bob has been coughing a lot today which wears him out. We have talked to all the doctors about it and they all don't know of anything else that will help other than what we are currently doing, which is giving him Sudaphed every 4-5 hours. They all also say that it's good he can cough, that they really worry when people lose the ability to cough because that can lead to pneumonia.
A word about the Sudaphed too. You know these days you have to show your driver's license and sign and almost get fingerprinted to buy it. Every time I pick it up at the pharmacy, I am the only one who has bought it. I can tell because it's just a line of my signature down the book I have to sign. And I'm talking about over a period of weeks. I feel like it's only a matter of time before the sheriff's department shows up at my house looking for a meth lab.
Later, :-)
Bob had gained 5 pounds. I thought it was 8, but that was on two different scales. This increase is on the same scale, so it is truly 5 pounds. But that's still really good.
Bob has been getting blood work every week and Dr. Posada talked to us about how his levels are all good. His nutrition level is normal, as is everything else. His red blood cells and everything are fine. So that's all good too.
Today we are both having a tired kind of weekend. I took Saturday night off work, and slept all night and have been laying around in bed all day. I feel kind of bad for not taking care of more stuff, but also, am realistic that if my body says you're tired, stay in bed, I probably should.
Bob has been coughing a lot today which wears him out. We have talked to all the doctors about it and they all don't know of anything else that will help other than what we are currently doing, which is giving him Sudaphed every 4-5 hours. They all also say that it's good he can cough, that they really worry when people lose the ability to cough because that can lead to pneumonia.
A word about the Sudaphed too. You know these days you have to show your driver's license and sign and almost get fingerprinted to buy it. Every time I pick it up at the pharmacy, I am the only one who has bought it. I can tell because it's just a line of my signature down the book I have to sign. And I'm talking about over a period of weeks. I feel like it's only a matter of time before the sheriff's department shows up at my house looking for a meth lab.
Later, :-)
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