Moving Forward with Cancer

I apologize for being long overdue in writing a post about Dad.  Life got a little crazy for me and it was hard to have a minute to sit down and write a post-- (side note:  having four kids is a lot of work).

SO--- a lot has been going on recently.  About a month or so ago, Dad went in for his scan results which he received at the end of his chemo round.  This is the same round of chemo that he was getting over Christmas and through the New Year-- I think most of you knew that he was on chemo because they found a few spots.

The results of the scans were kind of good news/bad news.  Good news first (because frankly, who wants to get to the bad stuff right away?)... the chemotherapy was effective on the spots that were there and which started him going on the chemo.  This was great news.  So, the bad news is that the cancer popped up somewhere else and not in one of the best of areas.  Therefore, he stopped his latest chemo and has been started on a new treatment plan.

 TREATMENT:  So, because cancer SUCKS, and doesn't like to stay away apparently, the same drugs don't work the same for everyone and they also don't work the same for each type of cancer or each area the cancer spread.   This really is the frustrating part of CANCER.  It's just so subjective and such a wide range.  Dad has started on a trial that involves several stages -- though I am not sure of all the details on this entire process, we are excited that this particular chemo drug works with Dad's own immune system.  It uses his own immune system to help fight the cancer cells instead of poisoning him (basically).  Since the typical Esophageal Cancer patient is usually older, in not as good physical health and has poor eating/drinking habits, this could be really great for Dad's treatment.  So, there are lots of possibilities here.

Where we are at:  With most cancers, when it comes back it will probably continue to come back.  It's crappy, but people often live with cancer for many, many years and it's more about maintenance, prevention and controlling what is left in one's body.  That's where we are at.   With the new treatment plan, we hope there is success in keeping it all at bay.  

I want everyone to know that right this minute, Dad is FINE!!  He is still not on any sort of drug that is going to make him grow hair or lose hair (hehehe).  He goes to work everyday and continues, loves and excels in his church calling as well as being a pretty amazing Dad and Papa.  It's surreal to think that he even has cancer, because he is just his same old self.  On occasion he gets a bit tired, but I am willing to bet I am more tired than he is these days... just sayin'.  I asked him a few weeks back if he thought that maybe the doctors were lying to him and perhaps it is some kind of conspiracy theory and he doesn't have cancer at all.. because he doesn't seem to have cancer to me.  Of course, he gave me that look of, "Erin, you seem like an intelligent person, but you say the stupidest stuff".  Whatever.  Point is, HE IS DOING GOOD.  We will just continue to do whatever we can do and try not to worry about the things that are out of our control.  His doctors' always say, "Mr. M, you are are unremarkable" (which is hilarious) "you are in excellent health, except for the cancer".

Our family is so blessed and we are incredibly grateful to all who think of us and pray for us.  Thank you.

Another go around!

Writing this blog is tricky business.  I want to be informative but I also want to respect the fact that sometimes writing out the gory details doesn't exactly respect my dad's privacy nor does it really help matters.  That being said, here is what I've got to report:

A couple of weeks ago, my dad went to MD Anderson for his checkup.  This is the checkup he has every few months where they do endoscopies, cat scans, pet scans, etc.  After the endoscopy, they said things looked great and his esophagus looked very clean.  That's great news.  However, when the tests came back from the other scans, it showed some spots popping up in a couple places.  Of course, last time there was a spot on his lung and they just zapped that sucker and that particular spot disappeared.   This time they have chosen to go with chemo to hopefully attack any cancer that is in his body.

The chemo now comes in pill form (no more fanny pack.... too bad, I really thought they'd make a comeback!).  He takes 5 chemo pills a day.... Mom says they're like horse pills!  In addition to the pills, he goes in every other Monday for "the juice" which is administered through the port on his arm.  This round of chemo will take 6 months.

To be honest, I have no idea what all this means.  It seems to me, now that we have a bit of experience in all this cancer stuff, that cancer really sucks!  Once it shows its ugly self, it usually will continue to pop up and you have to deal with each little appearance on its own.  So, I think that is where we are at.  We aren't FREAKING out or anything... we are just dealing with another little appearance which should be taken care of with this round of chemo. 

Dad is looking and feeling good.  He is a bit more tired but is his normal self.  I think that is one of the must frustrating things... you expect if he is actually sick that it would be obvious, but it just isn't.  This is a good thing in that the better he takes care of himself and the healthier he is, the better able he is to recover quickly and fight off anything that comes in his way. A month or so ago Dad went to scout camp in west Texas and was hiking and running around like a teenager, so I think you can probably get an idea of how he really is in good shape!

So, this is where we are at.  Dad is doing great so far!  He will have some scans in the next while to make sure the chemo is doing its thing, but besides that life goes on as normal plus five pills.

Apparently, Dad needs more attention...

Below is a letter that my mom sent out to the family a few weeks ago:

Okay... so it seems my husband has decided that he hasn't had enough attention lately and needs the good folks at MD Anderson to give him a booster dose!

A few weeks ago Bill had a PET scan that showed a small "something or another" in his left lung.  They thought it was probably just a small infection or something.  So they just put a watch on it.  Well his latest PET scan showed that the mass was growing and was more then just an infection.  So, onto the biopsy we go!  The biopsy came back positive for lung cancer.  NOW DON'T PANIC AT THIS POINT!  It is a very small mass, is not in the lymph nodes (so no chemo) and should be able to be taken care of with a few more doses of radiation!  He starts radiation on Monday and will be done by the end of the week.  Then he will just go back on the watch list to make sure the radiation gets it all.  If it doesn't then we may have to go to option "B" - surgery.  But, we are confident we will not have to go that drastic!

There is no way of knowing if this is a new cancer or if this is a cancer from a seed cell that decided to choose that spot in his lung to continue to develop.  His surgeon seems to believe that by the shape of the mass that it is a new cancer... but either way... it's cancer and needs to be taken care of ASAP!

I want everyone to know that Bill can't get a pimple on his butt without it showing up on his PET scans every few weeks, so as long as we keep catching these things early, he will probably out live us all because the rest of us get to be ignorant about our insides!

Just wanted everyone to know!

On a happier note... my seventh grandchild should make his way into the world tomorrow (Erin will be induced tomorrow) and I will, of course, keep you all posted on that!

Love to all,
Maureen

I should have posted the letter weeks ago, but alas, you see that I have just had a baby, so let's give this blog's author a little break.

Dad finished his radiation last week and while a little tired, is feeling fine.  He is actually off on a business trip.  So, if all goes well, this will have zapped out the lung 'crud'.  I guess we just wait until his next scans and hope that it is all gone again.  We shall see and I will keep you all posted. 

PS- I was totally grossed out by the mental picture of a pimple on my dad's butt... but also quite pleased that my mother has obviously picked up on my good humor :)

BIG NEWS, GREAT NEWS!!!

"I can't see any tumor and don't see anything cancerous", is what the endoscopy doctor told us today after Dad's appointment.  We still are awaiting results from the PET scan and CT scan before surgery, but this is the best case scenario at this point and we couldn't be any happier about this!  Now that the good news has been shared... here's how things went...

Today was dad's endoscopy--performed to let us see how he has responded to his treatment--and yours truly got to take him to his appointment.  I have to admit, I was kind of excited to go as it made me feel more a part of things and I am sort of a busy body and like being in my parents' business and this enabled me to do more of that. 

Here is dad waiting to get prepped with an IV before his procedure.  We are in a large room with 10+ little rooms like this separated by curtain partitions.  Dad was kind of amped up at this point because for the last endoscopy he received, they gave him some really good drugs that put him out for a good hour.  He says it was one of the best naps he's ever had.

Check out these socks!  How cool are these?  Double sided for double wearability.  Will MD Anderson think of everything!?  I certainly thought these were the coolest things ever.... plus they kept his toes nice and toasty.  This was good because it was freezing cold in that place.  I was fortunate that I thought to bring a sweater or I would have turned into an ice cube.  They brought dad as many heated blankets as he wanted.  No one asked me if I wanted a blanket.  --- The nurses at MDA are very nice.  They are great in fact, though they don't always appreciate dad's humor and appreciated his side-kick's (me) humor even less.  What!?  We're funny people.... we crack ourselves up and that is enough for us.

Post recovery and awaiting results, Dad was adventurous and tried out cran-grape juice.  I was glad he found something he liked as he was a bit cranky because the nurse informed him that he would not be sedated as he was last time and would not receive as much medication.  This meant he was awake mostly and gagged a few times... you would too.

The interesting part came at the end while the doctor was giving us the results.  You see, endoscopy involves tubes going down the hatch like in my dad's procedure and tubes going up as in a colonoscopy.  Apparently, during colonoscopy, air gets up into your system.  Well, in the recovery area, it was like some disgusting chorus as the colonoscopy patients woke up out of sedation and released their air.  A lot of air.  It was gross.  Natural I suppose, but still gross.  Dad was just happy they used the correct tube for his procedure... he wouldn't have appreciated the after taste if they hadn't.

All and all, AWESOME NEWS TODAY!  Seriously, this could not have been better news to have and we certainly are feeling encouraged by this.  Tomorrow dad goes in for his CT scan.  He will have to drink gross barium.  All results from biopsies, CT scan and PET scan will be received on Monday.  This is the big one where they tell us if or how much cancer is still in Dad's body.  Tuesday-  meeting with the surgeon.  Wednesday-Scheduled surgery.  

Lots happening, check back regularly for updates!!!

More about EC

Esophageal Cancer is usually a cancer that is not discovered until late in staging because it has very few symptoms. Early symptoms could include chronic heartburn (more than 4 times a month), mild back pain, reflux, weight loss, but often times there are NO EARLY SYMPTOMS! Later symptoms include difficulty swallowing, throwing up, nausea, regurgitation, excessive saliva, coughing, chest pain, upper airway obstruction, fever, shortness of breath and jaundice.

Persons that have an increased risk for esophageal cancer have a history of cancer in the family, and reflux. Obesity, smoking, drinking, men and being over 60 (average age is 67) put a person at increased risk.

With all this that we NOW know, my dad really did not have much warning at all. He has none of the criteria to be at increased risk and almost none of the early symptoms. He did on occasion have heartburn, but not chronic. Also, looking back he did have some back pain during this past summer but he had also started playing racquetball at the gym and chalked it up to being sore after a workout as it went away. (This was also about the time I had him help me move into my new house and paint my entire house).

After doing blood tests at MD Anderson, the doctors even told him that there would have been no way to know about the cancer from routine blood tests as his count looked so good!  They said he was one of the healthiest EC patients they'd ever seen!

This is incredibly scary to know, but also a bit comforting because we know that we could not have caught this earlier unless we were psychics!!!

The Official Diagnosis

Finally, January rolled around and the MD Anderson appointment came and now they needed to perform their own tests. For a couple of weeks they performed more tests. At one of the appointments doctor mentioned the word "cancer", but even then it wasn't officially diagnosed. On Wednesday, January 20th the official diagnosis came in as Stage III Esophageal Cancer.

This was a shocking diagnosis. I mean, I would have pegged my dad for a few psychological disorders (:)) but cancer was a real surprise. Cancer does not run in our family. When Dad turned 50 he had a physical and a doctor's visit just because he was 50. He visited a doctor to check out his heart and had the colonoscopy (ew) that we keep hearing needs to be done once your 50 (thanks Katie Curic) and everything was fine. Not only was the cancer diagnosis shocking but also the stage. Stage III!!!!

After the official diagnosis came in, there were more tests (there are apparently lots of tests when it comes to cancer and then when those are done, there are more) and the result came back with the official staging of T3N1aM0. This basically means that it is in the 3rd stage (out of 4), that the tumor has grown through the esophageal wall, has spread to 1 (only 1) lymph node and it HAS NOT metastasized to other areas.

The Holidays

Over the holidays, my dad started noticing that he was having a hard time getting his food to stay down. He wouldn't necessarily throw up but more regurgitate his food back up. You know, kinda like a mother bird does before she lets her babies eat the regurgitated food out of her mouth? Gross. Anyway, it was only once in awhile and was more annoying than anything else. Still, without even much nagging from my mom, he made an appointment to have it checked out. (completely out of character for both mom and dad:)).

During one of the first appointments he had an upper endoscopy performed. This is basically a tube being jammed down your throat to see what is going on inside your digestive tract. Luckily, they knock you out for this... Dad said he actually had a pretty nice sleep. ---They said it was probably Barrett's esophagus, which is basically where your esophagus has some damage, probably from stomach acid. They saw an ulcer and did a biopsy to test for any cancerous cells. At this point it was assumed by our family that this was just a matter of him getting to a doctor to cut out this stupid ulcer so he could eat a little better.

Meanwhile, dad is losing quite a bit of weight and really having a hard time keeping food down on some days and others he is usually fine. There doesn't seem to be any sort of pattern, just once and awhile this ulcer acted up. Honestly, I would say that at first dad enjoyed the weight loss. I mean, he wasn't obese or anything but I think every middle aged man (or woman) wouldn't mind shedding 20 or 30 pounds! In fact, mom and I were thinking, "why does he get to have an ulcer and not eat and we can't stop!" (joking of course, sorta). I'd like to say we were considerate and didn't eat anything in front of him when he wasn't able to eat, but we did. You know, we can't go a-wastin' food in this family.

After Thanksgiving and closer to Christmas this 'ulcer' became a bit more of a concern. We were all done seeing dad lose weight and wanted it fixed. Watching him try to stuff food down and not being able to was getting old and I think mom was sick of paying for him to eat food when they went out and him having to constantly excuse himself from the table to expel it! Eating out is already pricey and a waste of money, but when you don't even get to enjoy the entire digestive process, what's the point!?

He was more tired from not getting enough nourishment and his face was really starting to show it. His racquetball skills were really lacking and I was getting sick of having to whoop him on the court every week (ok, that might not be how it happened, but let a girl think she could beat a sick middle aged grandpa). He soon had some more tests done including a CT scan which showed the growth... ---those CT scans require you to drink like 4 huge cups of that barium liquid that they claim tastes "just like Purel water"... uh, no... it does not, it is NASTY and 4 huge cups is a little overkill if you ask me...they also pump stuff into your IV that makes you feel really warm in, ehem, certain parts of your body, ehem.---Anyway, this time around the doctor said that it was a tumor with a few pre-cancerous cells. Dad would have to meet with someone at MD Anderson and the first available appointment was six weeks away. 6 FREAKING WEEKS! Annoying? Yes, but after all, he just has PRE cancer and there are so many people with actual cancer needing to be treated at the World's Number 1 Cancer Center.

Dad endured (as did we) and kept on trying to eat, mostly liquids at this point, just waiting for his appointment to cut this stupid growth out so he could eat again!