Day 15 - A New Haircut

I've been feeling much better this week. I'm getting back to sleeping during normal hours, eating normally, and my energy level is up. I have a full 6 days before my next chemo treatment which, appropriately, will be given on Halloween. (Chemo causes some pretty freaky dreams.) I plan to enjoy this week. The second chemo treatment is supposed to have the strongest effect on the body; but having had the flu and a cold while recovering from a surgical biopsy and a port-o-cath placement surgery probably made the first treatment a little worse than it might normally have been. Bring on #2!

Also, I will now be saving big dollars on haircuts, shampoo, hair product, and razors. Yes, I started losing my hair on Thursday. I had a couple of random, goofy bald patches and instead of accepting the scraggly mop, I embraced the inevitable and shaved my head. Here is a picture of my glorious bald noggin.

Nice Sunday!

They say if don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. So I haven't posted anything for a week. Our whole family got the flu last Thursday. Leslie recovered quickly after a miserable night, but Kylan and I are just feeling the tail end of it. I finally feel like I'm mostly recovered from the cold that started before chemo, the flu that I got after chemo, and the side effects of chemo that are heavy the first week after chemo. I'm told my immune system is at it's lowest point six days after I start chemo. I'm now into my 10th day and won't need another chemo treatment until day 21. This gives me a little break time for some well-needed rest. I will be doing six total cycles once every 21 days and a new CT scan will done at the end of the 2nd cycle to check the progress.

In case anyone is wondering, I still have a full head of hair, but I've lost 40 lbs of water weight (mostly in my thighs and legs.) This may be the first time that I can ever remember having chicken legs.

Thank you again for your prayers and concern. Yesterday was a nice Sunday!

Bladder Stent Functioning Well

After a rough weekend at home, I went back in to the Chemo Den on Monday morning to finish my bag of Ritoxin. This drug is supposed to target the cancer cells better than a general Chemotherapy. Today my cold has improved and, after another hospital visit, we learned that the stent placed in my right kidney is functioning extremely well. I've got a couple of weeks now to recover before my next chemo treatment.

Thank you again for your prayers, love, and concern.

Greg & Leslie

Chemotherapy - Day 1

After finishing a final for my last MBA course, I headed to the "Chemo Den" to start Day 1 of my chemotherapy. I call it the Chemo Den because I sit in one of about ten Lay-z-Boy chairs set in a circle where other Chemo patients are hooked in to the drip. Nothing like a bunch of fogies sitting in a circle talking about their aches and pains ... much like the San Francisco Opium Dens in the early 1900's but with a sterile environment and nurse supervision. Oh yeah, there's no opium either, just a variety of Chemos that range in color and effects. Today I got the cherry coolaid in a vial, a smaller clear vial of sweetness, and an IV bag of watery goodness. As you can tell from my humor or lack thereof, I'm taking the Chemo well today. I ate a full Paradise Bakery sandwich after Chemo, which is more than I've eaten all week. I'm still losing weight, but at a healthy rate to win the "Ab-off" next June. Watch out former roommates, I got this in the bag!

Thank you again for your prayers, love, and support.

Greg & Leslie

Diagnosis - Follicular Lymphoma, Grade 3

Today we visited our family practitioner to have a follow-up chest x-ray done and we were given the result of the biopsy taken Monday - Follicular Lymphoma, Grade 3. This is a very common strain of cancer and there are medications and chemotherapy that can beat this strain. We continue to remain optimistic about the outcome. Thank you again for your prayers and support.

Greg & Leslie

Hospital Adventure / Good News!

Yesterday morning I took Greg in for outpatient surgery and this afternoon we finally came home. It didn't go exactly as we expected but it was a successful surgery and we continue to make slow progress toward a definitive diagnosis.

Two hours after entering same-day surgery, I spoke with the primary surgeon who informed me that the surgery had been successful. The sample taken should provide adequate information for a conclusive diagnosis and we should know results within three to four days. They also inserted Greg's Port-o-cath for the chemotherapy drips once he begins treatment.

I was relieved that everything went to plan during surgery and was told to please wait in room 166 until they wheeled Greg in for a brief recovery period and then we could be released. I waited in room 166 for over an hour and then, upon questioning several staff members from various departments, realized that nobody knew where Greg actually was AND that the entire Same Day Surgery staff had gone home for the evening. Super! My husband was drugged up on a gurney only Heaven knows where and nobody seemed to be concerned except for me.

I finally stepped out of room 166 for about 2 minutes to make a phone call in an effort to retrieve my Sweetie Pie and when I returned to the room he had miraculously appeared. Nobody knows who brought him there or where he was, not even Greg (as he was just coming off the effects of general anaesthesia.)

An hour later, and after a good shot of Demerol for Greg, they informed us that they had orders from the doctor to perform another ultrasound because of a fluid buildup around another lymph node. We waited yet another hour (it was now 10 P.M.) and were wheeled into radiology where he was poked and prodded a little more. (Poor Sweetie Pie!)

They kept us overnight to make sure Greg's pain was controlled and we were finally released around noon today. Greg is up and walking around, eating and feeling pretty well with the assistance of some Lortab. Better living through chemicals, right? This should be the last preparatory operation/procedure before treatment, so hopefully he can rest up for a few more days and feel well before chemo.

In addition to a successful biopsy, the bone marrow samples came back negative so the cancer has not spread to the bone. Also, this morning we learned that none of the lymph nodes outside of Greg's chest and abdomen seem to be affected. This means that although the tumor and affected area seems large, the cancer appears to be contained within the abdomen. Great news!

We will let you all know when we get the final diagnosis later this week.

Thank you again for all of your kindnesses, thoughts and prayers.

Best Regards and Love,

Greg and Leslie

The Jist

Doctors have been investigating various symptoms Greg has been suffering for about 4 or 5 months now and have treated him for possible kidney failure and possible congestive heart failure but have not had any conclusive answers to the problems. Last week his chest cavity filled up with fluid almost immediately after being drained of fluid which inspired the doctor to order a CT scan on Greg's chest and abdominal cavities.

We received the results of that scan on Friday, September 26th, which showed that Greg has a tumor in his chest and abdominal cavities. One tumor, it's just really big (about 7" wide by 12" tall.) Each doctor said that they are positive it is cancerous and thus we have been hurriedly searching for information in order to make some educated decisions regarding treatment. After an emotional and prayerful weekend we determined that traditional medical treatment is the path we should take to address this issue.

On Monday, September 29th, we had the tumor biopsied via a needle insertion. The doctor took 6 samples which, for one reason or another, ALL came back inconclusive. We will go in for a surgical biopsy this Monday, October 6th, and hopefully have a more conclusive result from that.

The tumor is also obstructing the ureter which leads from his right kidney to his bladder and some damage has been done to that kidney already. We were in the hospital yesterday to have a stint placed in that ureter which will hopefully facilitate better drainage and allow us to save that kidney.

We met with the Oncologist yesterday, October 1st, and felt confident that there is a good likelihood that his condition will be very responsive to treatment because it has all the signs and visibly appears to be a lymphoma cancer (although we will not know for certain until the results of the second biopsy come back.)

The Oncologist also took a bone marrow sample in order to determine whether the cancer is at such an advanced stage that a transplant may be necessary. We will receive the final results of that test on Monday, October 6th. However, the doctor thinks, based on the blood test results, that it is unlikely that the cancer has spread to the bone. Thank goodness!

Once all the information is gathered and we have a conclusive answer as to exactly what type of cancer we are dealing with, we will start treatment...most likely chemotherapy. The doctor has said that the treatment process will begin either Wednesday, October 8th or Friday, October 10th.

So, now that business is out of the way, I will say that Greg and I are both doing very well. For a few days things were quite emotional and we both felt like we were walking around in a dream world. But now that it's all settled in and we have some answers and a plan of action we are actually really motivated and encouraged that we will come out of this all just fine.

Greg is recovering beautifully from the stint placement and enjoying a long, restful weekend before the surgical biopsy on Monday. There really have not been any undue or unforeseen complications and all of our doctors have been very professional and efficient, which we are grateful for.

We really appreciate all of your faith and prayers and friendships - that's the best thing anyone can do for us. We're sorry not to answer all the calls and e-mails; however, we do read them and listen to them all and are encouraged by them, so don't hesitate to send a message or post on this blog. It's just a little overwhelming dealing with it all over and over again, so please don't take it personally. We really do love you all :)