We had a wonderful Christmas.  The whole family was together on Christmas Eve.  We are having a tea party for the girls on New Years Eve, while Bubba and boys do some bowling.  It should be a little quieter, at least until the boys get home.  We didn't have a white Christmas and it looks like we won't have snow before the end of the year.

The December CT showed some growth in liver and lymphs.  So today was the first of the next series of chemo.  One chemo is administered every three weeks and the other will be a continuous infusion Monday thru Friday with weekends off.   We are ready for whatever comes next.  The break in chemo brought our spirits up and our weight up.  The weight things was not so good for me, except maybe I'll get all new clothes.  Ha Ha Ha. 

We hope everyone has a happy and healthy 2012.

Until the next time,
Jan
P.S.  The hair is thin but still there.

November news

Visited the oncologist this morning.  The CT done last week is pretty good overall.  The liver lesion is barely discernible, the abdominal lymphs are same size, the thoracic lymphs have slight (3mm) increase probably from post halloween illness.  (a cold, maybe)  We'll bask in the good news.  I'll open a bottle of champagne.  Tom can smell it and maybe have a sip.  He can't drink carbonated drinks, so I guess I'll have his share.

The plan is to get a break from chemo and recheck in a month.  If there is no progression seen on the next CT, then we'll keep rechecking.  If needed, we'll start chemo again but after the holidays.  Tom is still fighting the good fight! 

The leaves keep falling and I keep raking them up.  I love the brisk fall weather.  I just hope the snow stays in the mountains for a month or two.  We don't have any trips planned, but spur of the moment plans are always an option.  Everyone enjoy the Thanksgiving Holiday, we sure will.


Until the next time,
Jan


PS the curls are still there!

We've been enjoying the colors of fall.  The leaves changing to reds and yellows bring smiles.  The one thing I miss is the smell of burning leaves.  No more burn barrels and we are in the middle of town.  Maybe I need a ride out to the country.  The patio furniture is all put away and the drip system is off.  The snow of the last couple of days has our Mulberry trees dropping all their green leaves at one time. 

The last week of the fourth round of chemo was the most difficult so far, or maybe I should say pretty exhausting.  The grands came over on Halloween to show off their costumes .  I think it was a little to much for Bubba.  We've been to the doctor's office every day since last Wednesday.  Low grade temp.  Low blood counts.  Dehydration.  Neupogen shots, a couple of liters of saline and antibiotics seem to be making things better.  The CT is scheduled for next Wednesday.   

He still has hair on his head and it's still curly.  Granted its thin, not many eyelashes left, skimpy mustache and beard, but the nurses still call him a chia pet.

Until the next time,

Jan

the next step

Here it is October already. Pretty soon it will be a year since Tom's surgery. We got through the last session of chemo without any major problems. He will start the next (fourth) four week session on Thursday. Right now the plan is to repeat the CT scan after the end of this session. The results will determine the next steps. The hair is getting thin but he still has his curls. He won't get it trimmed, so we'll see how long it lasts.

September in Reno brought the Rib Cook Off. Our kids were nice enough to bring us ribs so we didn't have to fight the crowds. Then we had the Hot Air Balloon Races. We had a group over for breakfast on Saturday and we got quite a show! The balloons were close enough to our house that we could talk with pilots. Then the Air Races. Tragedy struck but all of our friends and family were safe. Part of the family had left about a half hour before the accident and another part of the family were in the bleachers, but a few sections down from the crash with no injuries.

September also brought us to a family photo session. We all got together at Rancho San Rafael Park and had photos taken, big groups, little groups, pairs, etc. I got to see them all when we got home from Oregon. What great photos. We were all so pleased with the results.

The last week-end we headed up to Coos Bay Oregon to go crabbing. The first day we got there, Tom and I celebrated our 45th wedding anniversary with champagne and cake and a whole lot of great friends! On to the crabbing - what a haul!! We all got to bring home enough crab to probably last until next crabbing trip. As usual we ate a lot of good seafood meals along with that fresh cooked crab every afternoon. I wouldn't be surprised if Bubba put on weight.

Until the next time,
Jan

results

WOO HOO! We got the results of the CT scan today. All adenopathy is reduced in size. Lymphs and liver. Looks like the chemo cocktail is working. As Tom says - "I'm winning" The next round of chemo starts next week.

The next break is our trip to Oregon. We were talking with some of the others who are going and everyone is excited and wishing we could go now. However, we need to get through Labor Day weekend, the balloon races and the air races.

We had to abort our trip to old Sacramento yesterday. We made it to Boreal and had a flat tire. Rather than traveling on the spare we came back home and got tire fixed and enjoyed the nice weather at home.

Today was our Kemma's birthday. Got to see all the grandkids at the birthday party. They are pretty entertaining and we always enjoy visits with them.

Summertime

Bubba has finished two of the six scheduled sessions. No long trips for this two weeks off. CT scans for both of us and scheduled lab work. At least with this warm weather Tom is wearing short sleeved shirts and leaving his sweatshirt jackets at home.

Both girls were with us last Thursday. One stayed with Tom during treatment and the other went with me for my procedure. When we all were together in one room after my appointment we were all smiles. Ten years clear on my bladder cancer!!! The infusion room felt kind of empty when the girls went back to their families and jobs.

When treatment was done Tom was making sure he would see his fellow patients when he came back for the next session. We were all comparing how many more treatments, how everyone was feeling, how the hair growth was coming along, etc. We've been teasing Tom because now that his hair came back, it's curly. He told the infusion nurse she might not recognize him with his long curls. Her response was - I heard your hair was growing like a chia pet!

Everyone in the oncologist's office laughs along with us. They are a great group to take care of you if you need them.

Until the next time,
Jan

Onward

After the first round of chemo, Tom had a two week break. We decided to attend a family gathering in Washington. We took our travel trailer which has almost all the comforts of home. It was a tiring trip but the rewards of seeing so many family members in one spot was worth it.

We were so fortunate to have one of our daughters and three of our grandchildren with us on the trip. I actually got a sunburn in Olympia Washington! Besides visiting with family we were able to get some great fresh seafood. We also drove to old homesteads and stirred up some great memories of our time living in Washington.

It's always nice to be home. Yesterday was the first of the next four weekly rounds of chemo. Bubba seems to be handling the treatments fairly well. He still has his curly hair and we are still trying to put more weight on him.

We haven't decided yet if we will travel on the next two week break. However, the following two week break is when we do our yearly trip with great friends. We go to Coos Bay, Oregon and get fresh crab. I can't wait!

Until the next time,
Jan

chemo

Today was the second chemo treatment of this round. The plan is to do four weeks (once a week) then two weeks off. The Oncologist is looking at six of these sessions which will take us to the end of the year. The port is in place and the biopsies showed malignancy in the lymphs.

Bubba seems to be tolerating the treatments with the usual slight nausea and being tired. He manages to keep fairly active in the garden, but not running any foot races. The girls and their hubbies have been supportive and helpful with stuff needing done around the house.

I think maybe our warm weather might be here to stay for a while. Of course, I've thought that before and have been snowed on!

School is out so hopefully we'll see more of the grands, the bigs, (Andee and J.T.), the middles (Kemma and Graham), and the littles (Maria and Jackson). I think a family Bar-B-Que and Crab feed is in order.

Until the next time,
Jan

PS he still has hair.

Onward

Well, the CT showed a lesion on the liver and lymph node enlargement . Bubba will start chemo in two weeks. They will probably not needle biopsy the liver because of the location of the lesion. The plan is to have an ultrasonic gastroscopy to get biopsies of the lymph nodes. Then a port will be placed for chemo. I think the chemo will be cisplatin and irinotican.

Tom feels well and as his oncologist said today "Perfectly healthy except for a few cancer cells". As Tom says, another bump in the road. We are going to destroy this beast, no question about it. Tom will lose his hair again, but it's almost summer, so it would be gone anyway.

We'll have to plan our trips around doctor visits for a while. That only means shorter trips. Keep the good thoughts and prayers coming our way.

Until the next time,
Jan

Progress????

The Davis family is keeping one local surgeon busy. He did Tom's esophagectomy, bitlateral inguinal hernia, our daughters's gastric bypass and a few days ago he removed my gallbladder. We take turns sacking out on the couch. So now I need a low fat diet and Tom needs goodies to put on weight. LOL, you ought to see our refrigerator! Other than being a little sore, we are all doing well.

We did have some snow a few mornings ago, but mostly sunny days. It feels good to get out in the garden. The little ones hunted eggs on Easter morning and I think they had a good time. We sure enjoyed being with them. This month is full of doctor appointments, lab work and CT scans. We'll keep you posted.

Until next time,
Jan

PS his hair almost needs trimming.

Spring?!?!

Improving by leaps and bounds! Bubba is doing well enough to get out in the garden and clean out the old and get ready for the new. Had a visit with the Radiation Oncologist last week. He is extremely pleased with the recovery. Weight is improving enough to go buy new pants a little bigger in the waist. It's probably all those peanut butter shortbread cookies!

We managed a short trip. It was good to get out of town and have a change of scenery. We drove and enjoyed seeing the wild flowers and the snow capped mountains. We had some warm days and some not so warm days.

We have been taking more walks and the stamina is improving. The lathe has been getting a lot of use. I now have a new pen and a beautiful pepper mill. I have been doing some sewing, mostly for Kemma, which I thoroughly enjoy. I'm back at my water fitness classes. I'm thinking really hard about doing some spring cleaning LOL!

Until the next time,
Jan

PS His hair is growing back!!!

OH NO. His hair is gone!! Actually it started getting pretty thin with more hair on the pillow than his head. The solution was to shave it off which normally happens closer to summer. An early start leading to wearing that motorcycle helmet. In the meantime a tam o chanter will have to do.

Chemo is done and another visit with the oncologist will be in three months. Labs and x-rays at that time. Most days are pretty good. If it would just warm up. Tom has felt good enough to get out in the snow and run the snow blower. When the snow blower comes out, it seems it always ends up like a neighborhood party with everyone out cleaning walks and driveways.

Until the next time,
Jan

Started chemo yesterday - epirubicin, cisplatin and xeloda. It was a long infusion day, we were almost the last ones out. A little nausea and a lot tired today. So glad we finally got started - it makes the end of this tunnel a little closer.

Other than wishing for a little more recuperation time between events, Bubba is doing pretty well. He is making forays out to the woodworking area and ordering up bowl blanks. Our sons-in-law installed the air filtration system this last week-end, so now we just need to sharpen the tools.

So looking forward to good weather and mighty glad we don't live in the NE. We are making plans for summer travel.

Until the next time,
Jan

PS He still has hair

The next step

The snow is finally melting. Is it Spring yet?? We have been staying warm with only occasional walks in the neighborhood. Brrr, our noses are cold by the time we get home.

Next week Tom is having surgery for hernia repair. We had hoped to wait until chemo was done, but the discomfort is very limiting. It can be embarrassing when we are out shopping because Tom is grabbing his groin. Kristi says she tells her kids - Make sure your hands are clean and do it in private. LOL It's "same day surgery", so we are hoping the recovery is quick as well.

Tom still has bouts of nausea and vomiting. We just add those foods to the list of "Maybe it's not a good idea to eat this". Tom still celebrates every time he eats a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. In fact, he was so excited because Andee bought him a box of them for Christmas. (He does share them with the little kids but the big kids need to "get your own!") The past difficulty with eating chocolate is just that - past.

We are anxious to get the chemo started and finished before riding weather! The bike, affectionately known as the Charley Ferguson, is at our friend Lou's house. I guess we'll have to straighten up the garage so we can bring it home.

Until the next time,
Jan

PS He still has hair