Stan Here:
One of the things that we have noticed with the event of Deb's cancer is that there is a whole list of new terms and new thinking that come right along with it. I recall quite clearly asking one of the people in the chemo center if we could ever look forward to a "normal" existence. I remember that person saying that cancer patients establish a "new normal". As I reflect on this I think there is some wisdom in this. It kind of happens to all of us doesn't it? After all, as we age I think we all are able to accept some redefinition of the word normal. Fact is that age brings to us all kinds of things like that. Life is not like it used to be. That is really true for all of us. It just all kind of speeds up a little when you face events like this.
It seems that one of the central things in the new normal world is what is called the CA 125 counts. Once in a while I encounter a doctor "not involved in our case" and as I discuss with them what we are facing they often ask what was the CA 125 count going in ? When I tell them it was over 1000 going in they all grimace a little. You can kind of tell by the expression on the faces that the doctor world knows a lot about these numbers. Another truth is that for some, chemotherapy is not always effective. In our case the chemo has reacted very well with Deb's body and now we can report the CA 125 number as 21. In many ways life is very much more normal than it has been here for a very long time. In fact yesterday morning the hospital called requesting some help from Deb as they were very busy on her unit. She did a whole shift, 8 hours, maybe this has happened one other time but it did seem to me that things were getting closer to the old normal around here. All in all we do know that this is not the kind of cancer that ever really goes behind you but we are catching a nice break in having her body respond so well to the treatments.
We had a nice party here last weekend for my dad who turned 84. He is still preaching and was thinking about his sermon that he delivered the following night.
It appears we might be able to attend a world series game this coming weekend. Deb's brother is connected quite well in the ticket world. Those of you who know Deb realize that the Tigers are quite high on the list. Look for us on Saturday on TV. Deb's brother always gives me some sort of hat that the cameras have a problem staying away from. Go get em Tigers!!!!!
I wrote a couple of new blog posts in the last couple of days on the Humor in a Storm postings. Not sure they will meet with approval of all but if you do not like them then I can still enjoy the world of my normal. Deb thinks I am a little nuts. All I can tell you is the writing is a nice outlet for me and something I really enjoy. She said people are going to feel sorry for her when they read these. Oh well, I guess that might be one of things that make us feel as though we are living in the land of normal.
Stan the Man
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Monday, October 15, 2012
New Events
Stan Here:
It seems that no weekend is without some new events to talk about. Deb's Mom and Dad came from up north to watch the Tiger game with us on Saturday night. Good game. It looked like they were going to lose, but somehow things turned around and they won the game. Only one problem. The game lasted till the wee hours and as big of fans as they are they retired and had to wait till the next morning for the results. Tiger's aside, the next morning we were getting ready to go to church and Deb's mom was sitting on the arm of our coach drinking coffee. Quite suddenly she seemed to suffer from a moment of confusion and fainting and it was quickly determined that we needed to quickly get some medical attention. The worry was a potential stroke. All of us who read and know the issues realize that quick medical intervention can erase long term problems so we quickly got her in the car and headed over to Holland Hospital. It would appear at this point that a stroke did not occur but there was enough concern on the part of of the staff that all felt best to keep her overnight and perform a group of test today, Monday, to determine the best course of action. So at this moment Deb is with her parents at the hospital assisting them in these test and helping determine the best course. So far nothing has been determined and Deb's mom is stable and does not appear to be in danger. In any event I had never witnessed something like this and it was scary. So it seems we are spending a little more time in Hospitals than would be desired. At the same time we are thankful for them and thankful for the world of modern medicine. As I report this I wonder what people did before our modern era. I am thankful we do have the things we have today to check things out and prevent problems.
That is all for now. Will keep you posted on the updates. If you are ever a patient, Deb is good to have on your side. She knows how things work in the medical field. She loves her mom and dad, and she will do what is needed for the best outcome.
Stan
Hi, It is 8:30pm and I thought I should give an update for those of you who know and care about my Mom. She got discharged from the hospital tonight. They are going to sleep over here tonight and go home tomorrow am. They put her on a blood thinner because she has atrial fibrillation which has the potential to cause blood clots and possibly a stoke. They also increased her BP medication because that was up the whole time she was in the hospital. She will be followed by her Drs. in Plymouth. She is feeling good and after a good nights sleep, she will be even better. As anyone knows who has spent a night in the hospital, they are the worst place for getting any sleep. They kept a very close eye on her and for that I am grateful. We are very thankful that it was nothing more severe.
It seems that no weekend is without some new events to talk about. Deb's Mom and Dad came from up north to watch the Tiger game with us on Saturday night. Good game. It looked like they were going to lose, but somehow things turned around and they won the game. Only one problem. The game lasted till the wee hours and as big of fans as they are they retired and had to wait till the next morning for the results. Tiger's aside, the next morning we were getting ready to go to church and Deb's mom was sitting on the arm of our coach drinking coffee. Quite suddenly she seemed to suffer from a moment of confusion and fainting and it was quickly determined that we needed to quickly get some medical attention. The worry was a potential stroke. All of us who read and know the issues realize that quick medical intervention can erase long term problems so we quickly got her in the car and headed over to Holland Hospital. It would appear at this point that a stroke did not occur but there was enough concern on the part of of the staff that all felt best to keep her overnight and perform a group of test today, Monday, to determine the best course of action. So at this moment Deb is with her parents at the hospital assisting them in these test and helping determine the best course. So far nothing has been determined and Deb's mom is stable and does not appear to be in danger. In any event I had never witnessed something like this and it was scary. So it seems we are spending a little more time in Hospitals than would be desired. At the same time we are thankful for them and thankful for the world of modern medicine. As I report this I wonder what people did before our modern era. I am thankful we do have the things we have today to check things out and prevent problems.
That is all for now. Will keep you posted on the updates. If you are ever a patient, Deb is good to have on your side. She knows how things work in the medical field. She loves her mom and dad, and she will do what is needed for the best outcome.
Stan
Hi, It is 8:30pm and I thought I should give an update for those of you who know and care about my Mom. She got discharged from the hospital tonight. They are going to sleep over here tonight and go home tomorrow am. They put her on a blood thinner because she has atrial fibrillation which has the potential to cause blood clots and possibly a stoke. They also increased her BP medication because that was up the whole time she was in the hospital. She will be followed by her Drs. in Plymouth. She is feeling good and after a good nights sleep, she will be even better. As anyone knows who has spent a night in the hospital, they are the worst place for getting any sleep. They kept a very close eye on her and for that I am grateful. We are very thankful that it was nothing more severe.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Chemo Round 2 - #7 (Finally)
Can't believe I am really sitting in the recliner having maybe my final chemo treatment. They will send in my CA-125 early today, so they Post settingsare quite hopeful that we will know the results by the end of treatment today. If it stays in the normal range then I won't have to have any more now. Then I will schedule my CT-scan for in a week or two. Not sure when they will talk about scheduling the surgery. Kind of quiet here today, guess there will only be 4 pts. today. Only one nurse instead of two. She said the past few days have been crazy busy, so she is thankful for the break.
I am sad because of that terrible Tiger game. I stayed up to watch the end when I got home from work. Let's hope tonight is a different story!
They just gave me two oral Benadryl, then later they are giving me more IV Benadryl. I am sure I will be getting a nap in today.
Stan dropped me off today and will pick me up at the end. Tomorrow night we hope to attend the Grand Rapids Symphony that Ross is playing in. Had lunch with Mieke yesterday. She and Aaron are doing well and enjoying their new jobs. Mieke is still working a little at our church. She is leading a kids choir and she is putting on a musical with them to be performed in December. Quite an undertaking, but she is excited about it. She has asked me to help with some of the piano, plunking out the notes. So that is where I will be on Wed. nights for a while. Aaron has kindly agreed to be the adult narrator in it. He is a good guy and will be great in it!
Amber the head honcho at this office just pop into the room to tell me the CA-125 is 21 !!!!! YEH !!!!!!!!!! So this really may be my last chemo for a long while. Now I can schedule my CT scan.
No one is talking about scheduling my surgery, I will have to ask the nurse that question.
I got the IV Benadryl a little while ago, and boy does that make you feel awful!!
Chemo is done and NO REACTION!!!! Yeah!!!
I am sad because of that terrible Tiger game. I stayed up to watch the end when I got home from work. Let's hope tonight is a different story!
They just gave me two oral Benadryl, then later they are giving me more IV Benadryl. I am sure I will be getting a nap in today.
Stan dropped me off today and will pick me up at the end. Tomorrow night we hope to attend the Grand Rapids Symphony that Ross is playing in. Had lunch with Mieke yesterday. She and Aaron are doing well and enjoying their new jobs. Mieke is still working a little at our church. She is leading a kids choir and she is putting on a musical with them to be performed in December. Quite an undertaking, but she is excited about it. She has asked me to help with some of the piano, plunking out the notes. So that is where I will be on Wed. nights for a while. Aaron has kindly agreed to be the adult narrator in it. He is a good guy and will be great in it!
Amber the head honcho at this office just pop into the room to tell me the CA-125 is 21 !!!!! YEH !!!!!!!!!! So this really may be my last chemo for a long while. Now I can schedule my CT scan.
No one is talking about scheduling my surgery, I will have to ask the nurse that question.
I got the IV Benadryl a little while ago, and boy does that make you feel awful!!
Chemo is done and NO REACTION!!!! Yeah!!!
Finally, Platelets up, chemo tomorrow
My Platelets were 117 today, finally over 100 so I can have my chemo treatment tomorrow. It is 12:20am and I just got home from work. I worked a 4 1/2 hr. shift tonight. I am watching the rest of the Tiger Game, they are winning 3-1!!! I will try to do a longer post while I am in the recliner tomorrow. Good Night All.........
Monday, October 8, 2012
Short Blast from the Recent Past
Stan Here Again:
A little new news and a reason to update. Deb had her platelet count done again Sunday night and she scored 96. They require 100 for her to receive her last Chemo. I think last night she hoped that it was close enough to go in and have chemo today. So at 8 this morning she called to see if she could talk her way in. However, they are pretty firm with this number and have found that if the administer the treatment below 100 the recovery time can be longer. They had to draw a line somewhere. So they suggested waiting till Thursday and checking it again the day before. The good news is that just a few days ago these counts were hanging in the mid 50's At least things are moving in the right direction. Again, the timeline of this thing is that once this treatment is given there is a time period before she can receive the reversal surgery for her ileostomy. In my humble judgement I would say that for obvious reasons this surgery is at the very top of the list. While it is true that we have often heard of people who endure these things, it is also true that this has been a source of great pain for Deb. Knowing that she is not a wimp, I would say for certain that when she says this thing hurts I know she means it.
We had a fine trip to Cleveland for a wedding of one of our neighbors sons. It was held on the campus of Case Western Reserve. Somehow when you are there you can feel the presence of many smart people all around. Plus the buildings on that campus are kind of cool. A real interesting
place. They put on a nice wedding and it was really fun to visit with a number of their relatives who are from Ireland. Somehow the Irish people have kind of neat spirit. They just are nice. They have kind of a cool way of expression and humor that somehow grabs you. Plus some of the neighbors that we have known for years were there. All in all a good time.
We did visit Great Lakes Brewing on our way out. This is the firm that that employs Alden. They are real popular in the Cleveland and the whole state of Ohio. Alden's job is to market their products here in Michigan. So over these past few years I have seen their products in more and more places. At one time I would have said a beer is a beer. But now that I know a little more (and Alden has bought over a few samples) I might say that they all taste like water with alcohol in them except for the stuff he sells. I go in to every restaurant and when it come time to order I ask if they carry Great Lakes. Not sure that this has made a difference but we do take care of our own don't we all. I must warn this stuff is a little higher octane than the average, so be careful.
On the way home we stopped at Cabella's. I said to Deb at one point that we might have been the only ones there who where not wearing camo gear. This place was packed. It had fish swimming around in streams and about everything you can think of to set you up for spending time outdoors. I felt a little sorry for animals. If you were an animal, this place sold quite a bit of stuff that might be dangerous to you.
On the way home we listened to the Tigers win. 2 zip in the series. While I was driving Deb was going nuts cheering in the car. Some things never change. All in all a fine trip. Now we must get a few breaks on these blood counts. I think the idea here is to shag the bag. Anybody want to bet against that? The good money is on her quest to make this happen. Oh, by the way after the game was over we listened to Garrison Keiller.
That is the new from here. All the women are good looking, all the children are obedient, all the trees have nice color, and winter is still a couple of months away.
So long from Stan the Man.
A little new news and a reason to update. Deb had her platelet count done again Sunday night and she scored 96. They require 100 for her to receive her last Chemo. I think last night she hoped that it was close enough to go in and have chemo today. So at 8 this morning she called to see if she could talk her way in. However, they are pretty firm with this number and have found that if the administer the treatment below 100 the recovery time can be longer. They had to draw a line somewhere. So they suggested waiting till Thursday and checking it again the day before. The good news is that just a few days ago these counts were hanging in the mid 50's At least things are moving in the right direction. Again, the timeline of this thing is that once this treatment is given there is a time period before she can receive the reversal surgery for her ileostomy. In my humble judgement I would say that for obvious reasons this surgery is at the very top of the list. While it is true that we have often heard of people who endure these things, it is also true that this has been a source of great pain for Deb. Knowing that she is not a wimp, I would say for certain that when she says this thing hurts I know she means it.
We had a fine trip to Cleveland for a wedding of one of our neighbors sons. It was held on the campus of Case Western Reserve. Somehow when you are there you can feel the presence of many smart people all around. Plus the buildings on that campus are kind of cool. A real interesting
place. They put on a nice wedding and it was really fun to visit with a number of their relatives who are from Ireland. Somehow the Irish people have kind of neat spirit. They just are nice. They have kind of a cool way of expression and humor that somehow grabs you. Plus some of the neighbors that we have known for years were there. All in all a good time.
We did visit Great Lakes Brewing on our way out. This is the firm that that employs Alden. They are real popular in the Cleveland and the whole state of Ohio. Alden's job is to market their products here in Michigan. So over these past few years I have seen their products in more and more places. At one time I would have said a beer is a beer. But now that I know a little more (and Alden has bought over a few samples) I might say that they all taste like water with alcohol in them except for the stuff he sells. I go in to every restaurant and when it come time to order I ask if they carry Great Lakes. Not sure that this has made a difference but we do take care of our own don't we all. I must warn this stuff is a little higher octane than the average, so be careful.
On the way home we stopped at Cabella's. I said to Deb at one point that we might have been the only ones there who where not wearing camo gear. This place was packed. It had fish swimming around in streams and about everything you can think of to set you up for spending time outdoors. I felt a little sorry for animals. If you were an animal, this place sold quite a bit of stuff that might be dangerous to you.
On the way home we listened to the Tigers win. 2 zip in the series. While I was driving Deb was going nuts cheering in the car. Some things never change. All in all a fine trip. Now we must get a few breaks on these blood counts. I think the idea here is to shag the bag. Anybody want to bet against that? The good money is on her quest to make this happen. Oh, by the way after the game was over we listened to Garrison Keiller.
That is the new from here. All the women are good looking, all the children are obedient, all the trees have nice color, and winter is still a couple of months away.
So long from Stan the Man.
Friday, October 5, 2012
Big Bird
Stan Here:
Big Bird seems to be coming up a lot lately, not sure why but I think it might have something to do with running for president. All I can say is that only in the USA could a character like this creep in to the picture. I was kind of glad Romney knew who Big Bird is. I was kind of sad that he wanted to fire him, I thought for a few moments Obama looked a little like Big Bird during the debate and I am still trying to figure that out. Anyway, I find this an interesting season. Lots going on. The Tigers pulled it out in the last couple of weeks, Cabrerra won the triple crown, I went to a Bible thing at church the other night for a study about heaven, Deb seems in a decent mood, we are packing it up to go to a wedding in Cleveland this weekend, the trees are turning pretty colors, the debates are interesting, and for the most part life seems good right now.
I mention the triple crown only because last year when Deb was first diagnosed she wrote a letter to the Tigers and told her story. They invited us down to a game and we got to be on the field to watch batting practice and meet a few of the players. While she was over flirting with Justin Verlander I watched from up close Cabrerra take batting practice. It still kind of amazes me recalling the power and agility of a man of his size. Standing on the field it looks like a long ways to hit it over that fence and he does it with such ease. More importantly it was at that time that all of us thought in terms of a "bucket list". But now one year later there is not much left on that list and here we are, our thoughts are more optimistic. One of the things that is true in this is that even though she faces a very undesired disease, that the learning and the love for life has not diminished. She is sitting here in the TV room and the thought I have is that she falls in the triple crown of cancer survival. Works a little, does not complain all that much, and still manages to do most of the normal things that she has always enjoyed. The triple crown of cancer survival.
On that same topic there are a few challenges. Blood platelets are still too low to have that last chemo treatment. Another test this weekend to get them checked again. We are told that this is quite normal after a person has had Chemo for this long. So not that big of concern but some anxiety on getting this over with. She had a nice day at Art Prize in GR today with Mieke, Jackie and Deb's parents. Mieke had the surprise of driving into her school parking lot and seeing no cars. Turns out that her elementary school was cancelled for the day because almost 200 kids were out sick with the flu. Her principal came running out and said, oh no, you were not on our "call list". She hopes she is now added to that list. We are attending our last of 12 (2012) weddings this weekend. We pack up at 7 in the morning and feed the toll machines down I-80 till we get to Cleveland. If Big Bird would ever run for president I might ask him why all the other states get toll and you drive in Michigan for free.
I suppose this mystery might not be solved till I get to heaven so I was glad to learn a little about heaven the other night as well. Turns out it seems there a quite a few opinions on heaven and the guy who wrote the book that we study seemed to know more about it than I did. Kind of hope he is right about some of the stuff he writes. I suspect though that he does not know much more than I (or anybody) does about it. Might have to ask Big Bird about it. Lately he is looking like a pretty smart option.
That's the news from Holland, where all the women are good looking, all the children are smart, and the couple who resides at 1133 Silverstone appreciate your prayers and concerns. They seem to be working!!!
Stan the Man
Big Bird seems to be coming up a lot lately, not sure why but I think it might have something to do with running for president. All I can say is that only in the USA could a character like this creep in to the picture. I was kind of glad Romney knew who Big Bird is. I was kind of sad that he wanted to fire him, I thought for a few moments Obama looked a little like Big Bird during the debate and I am still trying to figure that out. Anyway, I find this an interesting season. Lots going on. The Tigers pulled it out in the last couple of weeks, Cabrerra won the triple crown, I went to a Bible thing at church the other night for a study about heaven, Deb seems in a decent mood, we are packing it up to go to a wedding in Cleveland this weekend, the trees are turning pretty colors, the debates are interesting, and for the most part life seems good right now.
I mention the triple crown only because last year when Deb was first diagnosed she wrote a letter to the Tigers and told her story. They invited us down to a game and we got to be on the field to watch batting practice and meet a few of the players. While she was over flirting with Justin Verlander I watched from up close Cabrerra take batting practice. It still kind of amazes me recalling the power and agility of a man of his size. Standing on the field it looks like a long ways to hit it over that fence and he does it with such ease. More importantly it was at that time that all of us thought in terms of a "bucket list". But now one year later there is not much left on that list and here we are, our thoughts are more optimistic. One of the things that is true in this is that even though she faces a very undesired disease, that the learning and the love for life has not diminished. She is sitting here in the TV room and the thought I have is that she falls in the triple crown of cancer survival. Works a little, does not complain all that much, and still manages to do most of the normal things that she has always enjoyed. The triple crown of cancer survival.
On that same topic there are a few challenges. Blood platelets are still too low to have that last chemo treatment. Another test this weekend to get them checked again. We are told that this is quite normal after a person has had Chemo for this long. So not that big of concern but some anxiety on getting this over with. She had a nice day at Art Prize in GR today with Mieke, Jackie and Deb's parents. Mieke had the surprise of driving into her school parking lot and seeing no cars. Turns out that her elementary school was cancelled for the day because almost 200 kids were out sick with the flu. Her principal came running out and said, oh no, you were not on our "call list". She hopes she is now added to that list. We are attending our last of 12 (2012) weddings this weekend. We pack up at 7 in the morning and feed the toll machines down I-80 till we get to Cleveland. If Big Bird would ever run for president I might ask him why all the other states get toll and you drive in Michigan for free.
I suppose this mystery might not be solved till I get to heaven so I was glad to learn a little about heaven the other night as well. Turns out it seems there a quite a few opinions on heaven and the guy who wrote the book that we study seemed to know more about it than I did. Kind of hope he is right about some of the stuff he writes. I suspect though that he does not know much more than I (or anybody) does about it. Might have to ask Big Bird about it. Lately he is looking like a pretty smart option.
That's the news from Holland, where all the women are good looking, all the children are smart, and the couple who resides at 1133 Silverstone appreciate your prayers and concerns. They seem to be working!!!
Stan the Man
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