Holidays

Tom and I want to wish everyone a merry Christmas and the best of everything in this coming new year.

After a visit with the oncologist and a lengthy discussion of the pros and cons, it looks like a new round of chemo will be started after the first of the year. After nine weeks, which is three sessions of chemo, then a decision will be made to stop or do one more session. Of course the testing and exams will depend on tolerance and time. We continue to be optimistic that all of the cancer cells were removed with surgery and that a cancer free future is in the making.

Until the next time,
Jan
PS He still has hair.

final visit with the surgeon

We had a great Thanksgiving. The doc told Tom he could try regular food, but to take it easy. He had turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing, gravy and pecan pie!! He almost forgot how to chew his food after a month of only having clear liquids. Since that went so well, Tom's been trying other foods and doing fairly well with them.

Woo hoo!!! Today turned out to be the final visit with the surgeon. While at the office the surgeon pulled the chest tube, the PICC line, and the J tube. Of course Bubba looks like he's been through a war with many healing and many bandaged sites. But he didn't mind giving up his various "purses". Now it's up to us to get all the nutrition he needs by mouth with no "help" from a tube. I'm looking forward to seeing Tom across the dinner table.

We will be seeing the Oncologist again this month to set up more chemo. Of the twelve lymph nodes removed, three had microscopic evidence of cancer cells. However, the margins were clear on the parts of the esophagus and stomach which were removed, so we are very optimistic.

Until the next time,
Jan

We are home

Home at last. Bubba was discharged from the hospital about 4pm yesterday. He came home with his chest tube and a PICC line for IV feeding. By the time the equipment arrived and the home health nurse helped us get everything set up we were both exhausted.

He is comfortable in his recliner for now because he can't lie flat. If we need to, we'll get a hospital bed. His IV feedings run for 18 hours, so he gets a 6 hour break carrying only one "purse" (for the chest tube drainage). He is up and about but not quite ready for a marathon. That's not unusual, he wasn't ready for a marathon before surgery!

Until the next time,
Jan

hospital stay

Home for shower and more clean clothes. Here is a quick synopsis. Started J tube feeding a few days after surgery. Cloudy fluid in the chest tube. Probable leak in lymph system. Back to surgery on 11-3. Sealed up a leak. Recovery room - collapsed Left lung. To ICU, bi-pap machine reinflated lung. Started J tube feeding with cloudy fluid in the chest tube after a day. Back on TPN. Now is the waiting game to see if fluids clear and any leftover lymph leaks seal themselves. Phew, I'm off to the hospital again.

Until the next time,
Jan

PS He still has hair and could probably use a haircut!!

A quick note - successful laproscopically performed surgery. I'm home for a break and Tom is in ICU, but awake and talking with us. He looks wonderful to me!!! He has is button for his pain meds and seems to be resting well. The pathology reports should be ready this week-end. With luck, he'll be out of ICU tomorrow and to a private room, so I can stay with him.

Until the next time,
Jan

PS He still has hair!

Visited the surgeon today for last minute questions, explanations and instructions. Everything is set for next Wednesday, October 27th. We are still expecting a 5 to 7 day stay in the hospital and to come home with a "J" tube which is a feeding tube in the jejunum (part of the small intestine). I've heard stories of vodka infusions thru the feeding tube, hmmmm, guess I'd better check the supply! The good news is that Bubba's weight is higher than before all the testing and treatment started.

Last night John, Maria and Jackson brought the trout they caught to our house so I could cook it for them. Neither their mom nor dad like fish or seafood, so they get to come to our house for the good stuff. I have to say it was the noisiest dinner we've had in a long time! Bubba was certainly entertained by the grand-kids!!!

Until the next time,
Jan

We're home. The trip was the best so far, but I think we say that every year. We had good weather at Coos Bay while Reno was setting records for the wettest October. Bubba and Grace wore their hats when down at the bay. We stuffed ourselves with crab, soooooo good hot out of the pot, drank some good wine, laughed with good friends and just enjoyed ourselves.


On our way home we had a flat tire on the truck. We were at the top of a mountain pass with no cell service. A good Samaritan stopped and changed the tire after Tom had the trailer unhitched. So we hitched back up and went about five miles to a rest stop. Well the spare definitely needed air so AAA got a call, they sent someone out, aired us up, and we were off again. The rest of the trip home was uneventful.

Sleeping in your own bed has advantages!! We feel well rested and quickly settling back into our routine. Fortunately it hasn't been too cold as our heater is on the blink. Monday will be busy taking care of heater, tires, and finishing up craft projects. We'll get the travel trailer winterized and back into storage this week. This coming week-end is the McQ Craft Faire. It would be nice to sell out!! Oops, can't do that we have another fair in November and no time to make product.

Counting down - seventeen days. Vacillating between dreading the day and wishing it were here already. Tom keeps saying all these incidents are just bumps in the road. He's right - we always come out on the other side in pretty good shape, so we will this time, too.

Until the next time,
J

PS He still has hair!

Okay, on to the next step. I'm feeling some relief now that we have a plan of action. Tom's surgery will be on October 27th at St. Mary's. There was a bit of a wait in the doctor's office this morning. I told Tom he must be feeling better because he was grumpy about waiting!!

We both like the surgeon and we think he's the best man for the job! He answered almost all of our questions before we asked them. It is definitely a long involved surgery. We expect Tom to be in the hospital about a week if there are no surprises or complications.

Now on to Coos Bay so we can eat our fill of crab and other fresh seafood and visit with friends. We've been watching the weather and the first couple of days may get rain but it should improve after that. Tom's rarin' to go. If the trailer were packed he'd be hooked up and on the road already.

Until the next time,
Jan

travelin' man

We decided to do a trial run to Graeagle with the camp trailer. We left Reno on Wednesday and came back home today, Friday. We also wanted to celebrate many things, one of which is today is our anniversary. FORTY-FOUR YEARS!!!! We also celebrated that Tom was feeling well enough to take this short trip. I celebrated with Mimosas and Tom stuck to red wine. Carbonation and Tom don't get along. We deemed ourselves ready for the trip to Coos Bay next week. The difference is that we'll have lots of help from great friends getting to Oregon and back home.

We stayed at Little Bear in Blairsden. The camp site had marauding bears a few days before we got there - appropos don't you think?? Fortunately, or unfortunately, we didn't see any live bears, only the carved ones in the camp ground. While there we visited our lake (Lake Davis), down town Portola and Graeagle.

We had an appointment with a surgeon earlier this week and will see another one next week. Then we'll have to make some decision on who, what, when, where and how. We'll keep you posted and want to say thanks for all of the support!

Until next time,
Jan

rest

Now that Tom isn't being abused on a daily basis, he's starting to feel better. He's eating better and probably putting on weight. He tells me that he is not ready to get on the scale just yet. We have appointments later this month with two surgeons.

We had a great visit with my brother and sister-in-law. Tom sure enjoys visiting with friends and family which we got to do on Balloon Race week-end. We are both looking forward to our annual trip to Coos Bay. I'm sure Tom will be a good adviser!

Until the next time,
Jan

WooHoo!!! Today was the last day of radiation and chemo. The Rad. folks presented Tom with a certificate, pomp and circumstance, and hugs all around. What a great group!!!

The next step is to rest and recuperate. In a few weeks we'll make appointments with a couple of surgeons and go from there. The expectation is that Tom will be feeling better in a week or two and hopefully will regain his appetite.

Until next time,

Jan

PS He still has hair.

Therapy home stretch

Today started a reduced area of radiation treatment and the next to last chemo treatment. Let's put it this way...we think that next Wednesday will be the last of the chemo and radiation treatments before the rest and recovery period needed prior to surgery. I'm fairly certain more testing is in the near future. The probable sequence of events is three to four weeks after treatments are completed we should see a surgeon who may or may not want another gastroscopy and who knows what other tests.

I've been brushing hairs off the shoulders of Tom's shirts. Natural hair loss???? Maybe??? His eyebrows are still bushy, but I have my eyebrow pencil sharpened just in case I need to use it on him. I'm now trying to line up some false mustaches. I think maybe a black one and he can wear a black fedora for a whole new look.


Until the next time,
Jan (and me too, (Bubba))

We've made it to the half-way point of treatments. Everything is going as planned and as expected. The radiation oncologist told us things are going well. Tom usually feels really good for a day or two after chemo. They tell us it's the steroids. Tom jokes about looking forward to chemo. Still working on keeping the weight on.

Today was chemo day and Kemma's birthday party. We got to visit with the kids and most of Rollie's family. A good time was had by all. No pictures because I forgot my camera. Maybe Raina will share her pictures.

Tom wants you all to know how much he appreciates all the cards, calls and visits! They sure perk him up.

Until next time,
Jan

A week and a half into treatment and Bubba's doing well. We're still working on putting weight onto to him, not me. Oh, well, can't say I don't support him in eating every couple of hours. We bought a juicer and that has helped get his fruits and vegetables down without too much hassle. I put together a big salad then dump it in the juicer. If you don't look at, it's not too bad (says me, who doesn't have to drink it). When he has his chemo they give him certain drugs just before the actual chemo and one of those is a steroid. Due to that he feels pretty good for a day or two. We took food and drink and our own blanket last time. Oh yeah, Tom had his ear buds in and I had to tell him to quit singing. It looks like three hours is going to be the usual session time.

He still gets out and does his wood turning and works in the yard. He mowed the lawn a few days ago and cleaned out the flower bed that has the day lilies. Lo and behold there was the missing egg from last Easter's egg hunt. It started out as a hard boiled egg, then got dyed. Well, there was no color left and fortunately it was still in tact, so no smell either. Neither one of us was brave enough to crack it open.



Tom went to Carson City this morning without me. Not on the bike, but in the truck. I think he needed to get away from me always 1) asking him how he feels and 2) asking him if he can eat something. Whatever the reason, it lifted his spirits to get out and talk to people.

Until the next time,
Jan

The family celebrated John's (J.T. - but only the babies can call him J.T.) birthday. He'll be nine on Monday. Basketball is the sport and John's pretty good at making baskets!!!! The little kids all had a great time in the pool, including using their squirt guns on each other and anyone who came close, namely me. Bubba had the best seat in the "house" because he brought his own chair. The weather was great and so was the food.

Until next time,
Jan

This picture was taken on Tuesday, July 27, 2010. The blue + mark, center, right and left are the initial marks for radiation placement. Kemma and Graham decided to add their own artwork. The "don't hurt Bubba" was a hit with the radiation therapists.

Today was the real deal. Tom had his radiation treatment early a.m. then to the oncologist's office for chemo. The whole rigmarole of chemo lasted about 3 1/2 hours. This will happen once a week for five more weeks. However, as you can see, Tom had a comfortable place to be while those drugs were dripping through the IV. Next time we are bringing earphones, lap top and snacks!!

Until next time,
Jan

We got together with friends last Saturday for a BBQ. We were having such a good time that I forgot to take pictures. Fortunately, we were just finishing up some great desserts when the thunderstorm rolled over us. We got the worst of the storm driving home through Washoe Valley. Can't wait for the new section of freeway to be completed!

As I said before, plans change. Tom saw the oncologist today and due to a published study that has better results than the planned treatment, he is changing the chemo regime. The good thing is that Tom won't need a PICC line inserted. The chemo mix is now Carboplatin and Taxol, which will be given once a week. This study was done specifically with patients that have Tom's stage and type of esophageal cancer and showed good results.

J

After reading our last post I wandered around the site and checked the View My Complete Profile and had to laugh at "age: 43". The date we entered was our anniversary!!!! I guess that was the start of this Davis family.

What we know today is that after many appointments and another endoscopic ultrasound, chemo and radiation treatments will start next Wednesday, July 28. We are both sighing with relief that we have a real start date. I must say that we have met some very nice people on the way. Most have been extremely helpful and haven't seemed frustrated with all of our questions and concerns.

Otherwise, we are still working on our woodworking projects and enjoying the summer heat, the flower garden and the vegetable garden. What I should say about the garden is that Tom does all the work and I thoroughly enjoy the results, both flowers and vegetables.

Three of the six grand kids have summer birthdays. Graham's was last week and he wanted a giant cookie instead of a cake. It was yummy. John (JT) is next with a party next week-end. Then Kemma Jo. Kemma thought it was pretty cool that her Bubba might glow in the dark. What's really nice is we get to see them all together at each of the parties. Graham's party was an exception because Maria was one day post op for tonsils, adenoids and ear tubes. It sounds like she's enjoying the "sick card" and gets her brothers to run errands for her.

We got to enjoy a nice lunch with Andee today. We had intended to take her to Craig's but low and behold there is no Craig's anymore. So we had Sinbads hot dogs instead and Tom had about 2/3 of a Kraut dog. Whoopeeeeee

I'll close with saying that Tom is actually feeling pretty good and maintaining his weight.

Until next time........

Jan

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Tom and I thought we could have a place for family and friends to visit and to "hear" the latest in our battle with esophageal cancer.

Tom was diagnosed June 18th during a gastroscopy. He was having difficulty swallowing. When they put us in a private consultation room after the procedure instead of talking to us in the recovery room was my first clue to news they would impart.

It has been a whirlwind since that day. We left the procedure center with pending appointments for more testing and different doctor visits. Each time we found out what the next step would be, it entailed waiting for that next doctor visit or next procedure. Tom has had an endoscopic ultrasound, a CT, a visit with an oncologist, a PET CT scan and a visit with a surgeon and the radiation oncologist. The one thing we have learned is plans change. Some days they seemed to change by the minute.

What we know today is that, hopefully soon, Tom will start radiation therapy with adjunct chemo therapy. The chemo drugs are cisplatin and 5FU. Please ignore any misspellings, particularly of drugs and procedure names. I think the chemo will be given the first week and fourth week of 5-7weeks of radiation treatments. I think they will do retesting and if all is as it should be, a month or so of rest, then surgery.