Labor Day weekend

My first week of R&C is complete. I don't have to take it on the weekends, or holidays when the Radiation crew has the day off at the hospital. What I continue to do is the alternative healing treatments, including prayer, visualization, rebounding and Chinese herbal teas, in which I'll touch on in the coming days.

We've had Andrea home from college for the weekend, so it was wonderful having both girls in the house again. She leaves this afternoon, and will be gone for a much longer period of time as she has been cast in a main-stage production ("Elephant Man") at UNC. It's extremely rare to be cast as a Freshman, so she is very honored and excited!

Many thanks....

Already on this journey, I have so many to thank for so many different things. You'll know who you are - thank you for the creation of this blog and teaching me how to use it; for the support and laughter, and the big wooden bat, for the continual fresh flowers from your garden and the offer of airline miles, the gift basket full of movies, lotions and fuzzy socks; for the pewter Angel ornament, the gas cards to ease the pain at the pump for my many trips to Sky Ridge hospital and Andi's trips home from college, for the fresh baked bread and vegetarian cookbooks, the fresh peaches from your tree, those from the farmer's market, the pedicure certificate, the opening of an account by "friends" to help with the added expenses, the books of Prayer, of Surviving Cancer, of Meditation and Visualization; the offers to help with my work and anything else I may need, grocery store runs, the contributions to house-cleanings, the offers to talk with other cancer survivors, of alternative medical treatments; and of mountain get-aways; the cards, thoughts, prayers, visits, phone calls, emails and Comments.... It's these acts of kindness that make me emotional. I can talk about the treatments and the surgery in a matter of fact tone, but tell me I'm in a Prayer Circle and I'm a blubbering mess. Thank you all for being with me during this. I can not tell you how much it means... yes I can - it means the world and all to me, and to my family.

A special shout-out to Doug - you are my rock. You're there to take me to appointments, to hear what the doctor is saying when I'm numb, you're my cheerleader, my nutritionist, and my shoulder to lean on. You are everything to me, and I love you more now than ever before. And to Andrea, Tori, my mom and sisters, for your love and care. Everything will turn out fine.

First day of treatment.

I took my 3 (morning) chemo pills within 30 minutes of eating breakfast, as instructed by the video we quick watched right before. Nothing like waiting 'til the last minute. It didn't tell us anything we hadn't already been told, except to keep a log, and note the dosage and any side effects that day. Today was FG, "feel good." We arrived on-time for our 11am Radiation appointment, they were running just a bit behind because another patient snuck into the schedule unexpectedly. Ordinarily that shouldn't happen. It took less than 10 minutes, and didn't hurt a bit. I laid in the prone position, the beam hit me in the targeted areas making three 15-second buzz noises, with a minute or two in between. While that's happening, I am visualizing the cancer's destruction.... today I pictured a laser beam zapping the crap out of the tumor. Tomorrow maybe Pac Man chewing it up. Another day, perhaps a fast rushing stream eroding it away. I've got a few more, but if you have any suggestions, send me a Comment.

Afterwards my nurse, Gloria, weighed me, took my blood pressure and oxygen levels. She'll do that every Monday. I've lost 5 lbs. since we started, but I'm sure that's just because of increased salads and decreased dark chocolate malted milk balls. Gloria also reviewed what I might start feeling, such as skin changes, nausea and fatigue. And that it is important for me to know that feeling tired does NOT mean I'm getting sicker, it's just a side effect. And to give myself permission to take naps. I AM just a bit tired this afternoon – but I'm sure it's because I finally got the last of the newsletters to press! I still have a few days of loose ends to tie up, but I should be able to sneak in a nap now and again.

Lining me up.

Friday's final preparation had me lying in the prone position, elevated 4' off the ground in front of the linear accelerator (radiation machine). I was repositioned numerous times until the x-marks on my backside aligned perfectly with the machine's cross-hairs. Four x-rays were taken, and I was then lowered and marked with 3 permanent pin-point sized tattoos, made with India ink and a needle. I hardly felt it. These marks will now be the ones used to line up the cross-hairs during my treatments starting Monday. Afterwards the technician invited Doug in and explained to us about the machine and procedure, and let us know that the images they will be using for the next 5-6 weeks does not show whether the tumor is shrinking, it's strictly for positioning. I imagine she'd been asked that a lot. I will have periodic tests which will show the progress of the tumor's reduction. This weekend I will open my package of chemo pills, get them in the pill organizer - and mentally prepare for the cancer destruction commencement.

Coincidence, I think not.

Dr. Basche called the other day to let me know that just after our appointment, a former patient of hers came in to touch base and offered to talk with anyone else going through what she went through. Given the fact that she is my exact age, had the same symptoms, went through the same treatment and surgery that I'm about to, and the timing of this unselfish offer - I could not ignore it. I called her late yesterday afternoon. Sitting on my patio, phone in one hand, notepad in the other, I asked questions, writing down the different things she experienced, and what I might expect. She was so kind and eloquent discussing this not-so-pleasant experience, it was quite reassuring. And then I found out that she works in Castle Rock, has a daughter just off to college and a son about Tori's age.... I felt such a connection and relief knowing a year after her own surgery, she's doing very well. We agreed to meet for coffee someday very soon.

CT and PET results.

Yesterday's test was a final high res CT of the abdomen and pelvis. The initial results showed concern in the lymph nodes but the inflamation may have been due to the procedure because the final conclusion is that the PET scan shows that other than the one mass I'm "clean as a whistle" throughout the rest of my body, including lymph nodes!

Due to the time consuming process of evaluating the results, going through the Simulation today (which is making a template of sorts for the radiation), and then us taking Andrea up to UNC, Greeley on Thursday, and then a run-through on Friday, the Radiation & Chemo (R&C) will finally start on Monday.

Chemo and scans.

Yesterday our Medical Oncologist, Dr. Basche, answered more of our questions, then she calculated and ordered my chemo pills. By 1:30 we were at the RMCC (Rocky Mountain Cancer Center) facility having a P.E.T. scan (Positron Emission Tomography), much like a CT. They started an IV, took a small blood sample to check my blood-sugar level, then I was brought outside (through the rain) and into their mobile unit lab where I was injected with a small amount of radioactive glucose (called a "tracer") from a very intimidating fat, metal syringe, then for 45 minutes stayed still while covered with blankets and reclining in a lounge chair to allow it to go through my blood stream. I finally fell asleep the last 15 minutes or so. Then to the scanning bed which moved in and out slowly, detecting the tracer - about a 30 minute process holding perfectly still with my arms over my head. Then it was over... I felt fine during and afterwards - there's no risks or side effects involved. The results will be forwarded to the Radiation Oncologist, arming him with even more ammunition to plan the most accurate treatment. Once home at 4:30pm, we finally got to eat for the first time since 6am. Doug wouldn't go get a bite, he says "we're in this together."

We have the weekend off from doctors and hospitals (I'm on deadline, so I still have to work). Monday I'll have one more high res CT scan (requested by the surgeon). Tuesday I should be able to start the radiation treatments and chemo pills, 3 after breakfast, 3 after dinner, Mon.-Fri. for 5-6 weeks.

Symptoms and finding out.

Many have asked about symptoms and how I knew. Until this, I too wondered how people knew to get checked for cancer. What were they feeling or experiencing? What are the signs? The quickest answer is to listen to your body. If something is just not right - question it. And don't put it off. My issues are intestinal, so I prefer not to go into great detail - and I'm sure you'll appreciate that - but if you have concerns and would like to talk to me personally, I'm here. Already in conversations with close friends, there's been a few who were experiencing similar symptoms but weren't sure if it was serious enough to pay attention to. Please do! The best thing that can happen is you have nothing wrong and can be relieved that you had the colonoscopy that you needed to get done anyway! A place to start..., call:
RMGA (Rocky Mountain Gastroenterology Assoc.), Aurora 303-671-5553

What I will tell you is the colonoscopy itself was a piece of cake. These days they put you under enough to not give a $@#! (no pun intended). It's the preparation the day before that I'll remember as the worst - having no solid foods and the drinking of 64 oz. of Gatorade with the Miralax in it. Uuggghhh. Not even the other part that is involved was that terribly bad. I could not stomach the 10th glass of it, no matter how I tried, my body would not let me drink it.

Going into the procedure, the doctor was quite sure that he will just discover internal hemoroids and we'd just need to deal with them. Imagine my surprise as I came out of the groggy state to see him explaining to Doug what was found. I remember wondering "why are they saying these things, and why does Doug have the look of shock and awe on his face." The next day's visit with the surgeon confirmed the findings. I actually asked "How quickly could it get removed because next week I start my deadlines again." He paused and said, "Uh, it's not going to be that easy." In his office, he began discussing Radiation, Chemotherapy, Surgery. "Wait!" Again, what's this you're saying!?? I presumed this was the worst-case scenario, and that there's a lot less "worse things" we'd actually have to go through. So far, that's not the case.

I've had a few days off from doctor appointments. Tomorrow (Friday) I have a couple more, one of which is a P.E.T. Scan which will tell in more detail the extent of this cancer, if there's any others lurking anywhere else, and will give the Radiation Oncologist the precise information he needs. Then next week sometime the treatments will begin. Hopefully not Thursday, as we'll be taking our oldest daughter to college and getting her set up in her dorm. Just this week our youngest started high school! So very much to think about, do and feel. But God wouldn't give me more than I can handle. Right? Right!!

Cancer is like a skunk...

Hi all, I'll be stepping in from time to time for Debbie and updating you. We had a good day yesterday. We met the radiation oncologist and he is the most eloquent, confident, and easy to talk to doctor I have ever met. A true gentleman. If the medical profession had more docs like him, we'd all be in a much better place. He was very confident that the first stage of Deb's treatment, of which he's involved, will be successful in reducing the tumor size allowing for success down the road. Friday will be a long day for us as we have tests and consultations at two different hospitals and I'm sure they will turn out good also.

Deb's spirits are good and all of your calls, thoughts, and generous offers of help are inspiring to us.

Oh and referring back to the title of this post...it comes from Dr. Acker, Deb's radiation oncologist. He said "Cancer is like a skunk – if you're going to kill it with a bat, you'd better hit it with the first swing."

Positive vibrations and blessings to you all. - Doug

The beginning....

Only a week has gone by since the diagnosis, and I am quite sure that we have been through every emotion possible. I can finally speak about it without tearing up so I feel it's a good time to start this Blog to share my experience, hear from you and answer questions.

To fill you in....
Last Monday I had a colonoscopy, Tuesday we met with a surgeon, Wednesday was the ultrasound, Thursday met with the Oncologist. The weekend was a time for rest and realization. Tomorrow we'll meet with the Radiation Oncologist to set up the Radiation and Chemotherapy treatments which should begin this next week. Surgery will come sometime in November, then we'll go from there.

Both our daughters are starting new school adventures, one into high school the other into college. Doug and I didn't know we'd be adding this new journey among all that excitement, but we'll face it with determination.

As for my work, those who know me well know that publishing my newsletters has been a great pleasure for me these last 18 years, and I'm not done yet. I fully intend to print a September, October and November issue - and to have them out on the first of the month like usual, but that may have to be flexible. After that, it will likely be necessary to forgo a few months but please be loyal readers and Advertisers, and watch for me to return in the Spring.

The well wishes and prayers thus far has been very touching! We are so keenly aware of how blessed we are to have such an awesome circle of friends like you.