Monday, June 11, 2012
RIP Papa D July 25, 1946 ~ June 2, 2012
My father passed away at his home on June 2, 2012. He passed away of congestive heart failure. This blog helped by dad get through his cancer being able to share his fight and progress. Thank you to everyone for there prayers. Sincerely his daughter Tanya Leighton of Limestone Me. my email btleighton72@att.net
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Last of the triple dose of chemo and GOOD NEWS!
On the 9th of April, 2012 I had the last of my triple dose of chemo and was told by the doctor that I will have my usual weekly blood work for the next three weeks and on my last day he will tell me what if any other procedures will be done. As before on all of my treatments still no problems, I feel good and actually got a full nights sleep.
Good news:
Tuesday 10 April, 2012 I had a routine visit with my pulmonary doctor, which included a chest x-ray. From that x-ray and my previous CAT scan he told me as far as he can see the mass is gone and he only sees scar tissue in the area where I had the radiation, I asked if that meant remission and his words were "unofficially you are in remission" but he will let the chemo doctors give me the official finding in three weeks. He also said that my body accepted the treatments very well! This was the best news ever and it was what I had hoped and prayed for over the last 5 months. Once again thanks to every one who has followed this and sent me well wishes and prayers! God bless you all!
For the record I also got my last Neulasta shot Tuesday so I will be going through the usual discomfort for the next few days, but I will be able to grin and bear it considering the news I just received :>)
Good news:
Tuesday 10 April, 2012 I had a routine visit with my pulmonary doctor, which included a chest x-ray. From that x-ray and my previous CAT scan he told me as far as he can see the mass is gone and he only sees scar tissue in the area where I had the radiation, I asked if that meant remission and his words were "unofficially you are in remission" but he will let the chemo doctors give me the official finding in three weeks. He also said that my body accepted the treatments very well! This was the best news ever and it was what I had hoped and prayed for over the last 5 months. Once again thanks to every one who has followed this and sent me well wishes and prayers! God bless you all!
For the record I also got my last Neulasta shot Tuesday so I will be going through the usual discomfort for the next few days, but I will be able to grin and bear it considering the news I just received :>)
Monday, March 26, 2012
Second Phase of Treatments ~ Third set of treatments
On Monday 19, March 2012 I had my third set of infusions with the triple dose of chemo and experienced very little reactions and for the first time actually got a good nights sleep. The following day I got my third Neulasta shot and didn't have any adverse reactions this time until Friday, but the pain was tolerable after taking Tylenol, I'm trying to not take the prescription pain pills if at all possible.
The doctor I saw Monday said I will probably get another PET Scan some time after my next and last triple dose of chemo on the 9th of April. I still feel good and I'm keeping my weight, however it does take about a week before my shortness of breath gets better from that shot.
I have a follow up visit with the radiation oncology doctor Thursday 29, March 2012. I'll update as I learn more. Thanks again to all who are following this blog.
Papa D
The doctor I saw Monday said I will probably get another PET Scan some time after my next and last triple dose of chemo on the 9th of April. I still feel good and I'm keeping my weight, however it does take about a week before my shortness of breath gets better from that shot.
I have a follow up visit with the radiation oncology doctor Thursday 29, March 2012. I'll update as I learn more. Thanks again to all who are following this blog.
Papa D
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Second Phase of Treatments ~ Second set of treatments
On Monday 27, February 2012 I had my second set of infusions with the triple dose of chemo and experienced very little reactions, which I feel were due to the fact that they reduced the amount of Benadryl this time as the full dose gave my a nervous reaction the last few treatments. I still had difficulty sleeping that night but felt good the next day. On a side note Doctor Stone did say that 2 more of these treatments should be the end of this.
Tuesday 28, February 2012 I also had my second Neulasta shot about 4 PM and didn't feel any reaction until about 12 hours later with some pain in my wrists, thankfully the pain in my joints and muscles is minimal this time compared to the first time and Tylenol is working great so I won't have to fill the prescription that the doctor gave me for Hydrocodone-acetaminophen (Vicodin) a narcotic pain reliever.
I will post updates in a couple of days on how I'm doing with this last shot, so far so good :>)
Friday 2, March 2012 update:
I spoke to soon about the pain not being as bad this time as some time during Wednesday night the pain intensified and stayed with me throughout the next day and became even more painful early Friday morning about 2 AM, on a scale of 1-10 this was an easy 10, mostly in my knees and shin bones, by daybreak Friday the pain had subsided to about a 4. As this day continues the better I am feeling, so hopefully the worst is over this time. I WILL be getting the narcotic pain reliever before the next shot in three weeks.
Wednesday 7, March 2012 update:
Today is the best I have felt since the last shot, pretty much back to normal. I had blood work done on Monday and my counts were good and if any thing my white blood cell count was high, so the shot did what it was suppose to do! As a side note, after a month since my first triple dose of chemo the hair loss is in full swing, I should be totally hairless in about a week ;>)
Tuesday 28, February 2012 I also had my second Neulasta shot about 4 PM and didn't feel any reaction until about 12 hours later with some pain in my wrists, thankfully the pain in my joints and muscles is minimal this time compared to the first time and Tylenol is working great so I won't have to fill the prescription that the doctor gave me for Hydrocodone-acetaminophen (Vicodin) a narcotic pain reliever.
I will post updates in a couple of days on how I'm doing with this last shot, so far so good :>)
Friday 2, March 2012 update:
I spoke to soon about the pain not being as bad this time as some time during Wednesday night the pain intensified and stayed with me throughout the next day and became even more painful early Friday morning about 2 AM, on a scale of 1-10 this was an easy 10, mostly in my knees and shin bones, by daybreak Friday the pain had subsided to about a 4. As this day continues the better I am feeling, so hopefully the worst is over this time. I WILL be getting the narcotic pain reliever before the next shot in three weeks.
Wednesday 7, March 2012 update:
Today is the best I have felt since the last shot, pretty much back to normal. I had blood work done on Monday and my counts were good and if any thing my white blood cell count was high, so the shot did what it was suppose to do! As a side note, after a month since my first triple dose of chemo the hair loss is in full swing, I should be totally hairless in about a week ;>)
Monday, February 6, 2012
Second Phase of Treatments
Today I started the second phase of my treatments, which is getting the same medications as before just a higher dose of the Paclitaxel (Taxol) a three hour infusion vice the one hour. My blood work was very good and I had minimal reactions to the infusions, mainly unable to sleep and heartburn. I will get the Neulasta shot Tuesday afternoon, which stimulates white blood cell production and the most common reaction is joint and muscle pain for about 4 days. I'll get these treatments every three weeks, two or three more times.
I'm scheduled for a CAT Scan Wednesday to see what kind of progress these treatments have done, I'll know the results next Monday. I also have a follow up appointment with the Radiation department Tuesday of next week. I'll update when I know more from these appointments.
I still feel great and have gained 4 more pounds ;>)
Thursday 9 February, 2012 Update:
After the first shot of Neulasta on Tuesday the 7th of February, 2012, I experienced an increase in shortness of breath and stomach cramps the first night and the next day very severe joint pain, mostly in the legs, neck and ribs and occasionally just all over in general, on the third day I still have pain in most of my joints and leg muscles but not as bad as yesterday. Hopefully this will pass on the forth day as I have read. Tylenol has helped make the pain tolerable! The positive aspect to this is that I won't miss my next scheduled chemotherapy infusions.
Wednesday 15 February, 2012
The office visit to the cancer center went well Monday, Doctor Stone said my last CAT Scan showed "significant improvement" :>) also he was impressed with how good my blood work looked since I just had the Neulasta shot. After telling him how that shot effected me he said he will prescribe some pain medication that will work better than Tylenol when I get the next shot on the 28th of this month.
Follow up appointment at the Radiation department was pretty much routine to see how I was feeling and to let me know they want me to get another PET Scan in six weeks. I'll post more after my next chemotherapy on the 27th of this month.
I'm scheduled for a CAT Scan Wednesday to see what kind of progress these treatments have done, I'll know the results next Monday. I also have a follow up appointment with the Radiation department Tuesday of next week. I'll update when I know more from these appointments.
I still feel great and have gained 4 more pounds ;>)
Thursday 9 February, 2012 Update:
After the first shot of Neulasta on Tuesday the 7th of February, 2012, I experienced an increase in shortness of breath and stomach cramps the first night and the next day very severe joint pain, mostly in the legs, neck and ribs and occasionally just all over in general, on the third day I still have pain in most of my joints and leg muscles but not as bad as yesterday. Hopefully this will pass on the forth day as I have read. Tylenol has helped make the pain tolerable! The positive aspect to this is that I won't miss my next scheduled chemotherapy infusions.
Wednesday 15 February, 2012
The office visit to the cancer center went well Monday, Doctor Stone said my last CAT Scan showed "significant improvement" :>) also he was impressed with how good my blood work looked since I just had the Neulasta shot. After telling him how that shot effected me he said he will prescribe some pain medication that will work better than Tylenol when I get the next shot on the 28th of this month.
Follow up appointment at the Radiation department was pretty much routine to see how I was feeling and to let me know they want me to get another PET Scan in six weeks. I'll post more after my next chemotherapy on the 27th of this month.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Week Nine
I want to to thank everyone at the St. Vincent's Mary Virgina Terry Cancer Center for their friendly and professional treatment and service I received over the last nine weeks, specifically but not in any order ~ Cathy at the front desk who always had a warm smile and pleasant hello when I checked in everyday ~ the Nurses Cathy and Jennifer who handled my weekly doctor consultations ~ Dr. Snead and Dr. Ossi who always explained all of the procedures and results in a clear and precise way that made it easy for me to understand ~ Radiation Therapists, Sylvia, Janie, Ruth and Linda who also greeted me every day with a warm and friendly smile and made sure I understood what procedures they were performing. The external beam procedure was a different experience as were the Pet and Cat scans but I will have to say that the Brachytherapy was the most interesting and I'm glad I only had to have three of them. Thanks again to a great staff of highly skilled and professional people.
I also reported to the cancer oncology center for blood work and
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Week Eight
This will be a routine week for my radiation treatments and I will have my last treatment on January 20, 2012. I had my weekly consultation with the radiation doctor and she said pretty much the same thing that my pulmonary doctor said, that everything is looking great!
Well I didn't get my chemotherapy infusions today as my white blood cell count is too low, it was 1.5K/ul and normal range is 4.1-10.9, so the doctor said I'll get my last of these infusions next Monday, then a month off followed by some scans and then 3 cycles of stronger infusions every three weeks. I'll update more later if anything changes. Thanks again for the support to all who are following my progress :>)
Well I didn't get my chemotherapy infusions today as my white blood cell count is too low, it was 1.5K/ul and normal range is 4.1-10.9, so the doctor said I'll get my last of these infusions next Monday, then a month off followed by some scans and then 3 cycles of stronger infusions every three weeks. I'll update more later if anything changes. Thanks again for the support to all who are following my progress :>)
Friday, January 6, 2012
Week Seven
Week seven started out on Tuesday January 3, 2012 with my third and final bronchoscope with brachytherapy catheter placement for the internal radiation procedure. The bronchoscope also revealed that the right upper lobe blockage is now open and looking good. The outer mass (tumor) is still shrinking.
Wednesday thru Friday I had my standard radiation treatments using the narrower field of radiation. After today I will have 7 more treatments and then I will be finished with radiation treatments. Wednesday I also had chemotherapy infusions, with minimal side effects. My blood work was good.
Thursday I had a follow up appointment with my pulmonary doctor and he is quite pleased with the outcome of my treatments so far. He said I'm doing great and my system is reacting really well to the treatments. :>)
I still feel great and my breathing is the best it has been for some time.
Wednesday thru Friday I had my standard radiation treatments using the narrower field of radiation. After today I will have 7 more treatments and then I will be finished with radiation treatments. Wednesday I also had chemotherapy infusions, with minimal side effects. My blood work was good.
Thursday I had a follow up appointment with my pulmonary doctor and he is quite pleased with the outcome of my treatments so far. He said I'm doing great and my system is reacting really well to the treatments. :>)
I still feel great and my breathing is the best it has been for some time.
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