All
Just a quick update to let you know what transpired yesterdat at Duke. We were scheduled to meet with my surgeon and the medical oncologist. Met with the oncolgist first. She was totally mystified as to why my previous 6 weeks of chemo hadn't taken care of these "newly discovered" small tumors at the top of my esophagus while they had been addressed everywhere else. She said they didn't show up in the PET scan due to their small size (< 1cm).
Bottom line, yesterday wasn't all that productive. The surgeon basically said he is done with me unless I need something in the future like my esophagus streached or possibly a feeding tube installed. Otherwise, he says they have no plans to operate on me. The last thing he said to us was that he will be "praying for me." I'm not sure how I should interpret that but I will look it positively.
So back over to the medical oncologist, she then contacted the radiation oncologist to see if I am still a viable canidate for more radiation treatments. He said yes that it is "technically fisable" and that since this area is far enough away from the earlier treated area they can still zap me.
As a result, they scheduled me for one more PET/CT scan next Thursday and then more consultations with the medical and radiation oncologists after that to discuss the new "plan." They suspect it may be radiation (shorter term due to the small size of the tumors) and just oral chemo which was used to enhance the effect of the radiation. This is not the one that got me sick. I suspect that this round of treatment won't be near as bad as the earlier one. And, of course, all of the doctors said "you look marvalous." What can I say - just good genes I guess. I have put back on at least 16 lbs and my strength is back up. I would say I'm probably 85% again. Put me in coach - I'm ready to play!
Till next time - be well, be safe, have fun, stop to smell the roses, and God Bless.
Drew
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
God's Intervention
Hello All:
I'm sure many of you are wondering what the heck is going on. I was supposed to be in the hospital now recovering from surgery. Well, if you don't believe in God having the almighty power to step in and change things when necessary then I don't know what kind of proof you will need. I, for one, Annette for two, and my daughters for three and four believe He made his move this past Monday when dealing with little ole me.
My two daughters, Jackie and Robin, were here for the surgery. They, Annette and I, went up to Durham Sunday afternoon, checked into a hotel and were ready for the 5 hour surgery Monday am. I checked into Duke at 7:30 am for prepping for the 9:30 surgery. Everything was going as planned . All the IVs were connected, along with other preparations, (even had an epidural in my back for pain,) had markings on my body where they were going to cut, and the gas doctors had done their thing. I was out and ready for surgery in the operating room.
My surgeon, God bless him, had to do one more endoscopy before he began to make the incisions. Well, when doing so he found more "small active cancer tumors" in the upper end of my esophagus. This was the area where he had planned to reattach the stomach after he had also taken a portion of that. Had he gone ahead and cut he would not have had any place to reattach it that was healthy, and who knows what would have happened next. The surgeon used the term "it could have been disastrous" had they continued. He called off the surgery and now we are going to drop back and look for a new course of action that will likely include more chemo treatments but whether radiation is also called for isn't clear right now. We have to return next Thursday to find out the new strategy they will plan for me.
I was held overnight in the hospital as I had nausea from the anesthetic, and wasn't able to urinate. They had to install a catheter which was also a lot of fun. But, bottom line is we are back home now, I am still fully intact and we are waiting to find out what happens next.
Back to God for a minute. I am sure He stepped in at the last minute to stop this surgery as it was the wrong thing to do. This may have been as a result of the many prayers I was receiving from many of you and others as well. The fact that this is also a "teaching hospital" may also benefit others in the future. I am only assuming there were interns present that may have learned from this whole episode and as a result maybe they will remember it in the future and it may result in someone else being saved - who knows. I just know that God stepped up at the last minute and made a great save. Thank you everyone for your prayers.
Some of you may be wondering why they didn't see these cancer cells before, seeing how I had 3 endoscopies before this, (one as recently as 3 weeks ago,) and that remains a mystery. The cells may have been hidden behind something else, or were just too small, or who knows. For whatever reason they weren't noted earlier. I'm just glad he found them when he did. We don't see this as a setback but are thankful that we have the team we do to help us fight this thing. I will let you know more as we know more. Till then, please keep the prayers coming - they helped before and will again next time.
Yours
Drew
I'm sure many of you are wondering what the heck is going on. I was supposed to be in the hospital now recovering from surgery. Well, if you don't believe in God having the almighty power to step in and change things when necessary then I don't know what kind of proof you will need. I, for one, Annette for two, and my daughters for three and four believe He made his move this past Monday when dealing with little ole me.
My two daughters, Jackie and Robin, were here for the surgery. They, Annette and I, went up to Durham Sunday afternoon, checked into a hotel and were ready for the 5 hour surgery Monday am. I checked into Duke at 7:30 am for prepping for the 9:30 surgery. Everything was going as planned . All the IVs were connected, along with other preparations, (even had an epidural in my back for pain,) had markings on my body where they were going to cut, and the gas doctors had done their thing. I was out and ready for surgery in the operating room.
My surgeon, God bless him, had to do one more endoscopy before he began to make the incisions. Well, when doing so he found more "small active cancer tumors" in the upper end of my esophagus. This was the area where he had planned to reattach the stomach after he had also taken a portion of that. Had he gone ahead and cut he would not have had any place to reattach it that was healthy, and who knows what would have happened next. The surgeon used the term "it could have been disastrous" had they continued. He called off the surgery and now we are going to drop back and look for a new course of action that will likely include more chemo treatments but whether radiation is also called for isn't clear right now. We have to return next Thursday to find out the new strategy they will plan for me.
I was held overnight in the hospital as I had nausea from the anesthetic, and wasn't able to urinate. They had to install a catheter which was also a lot of fun. But, bottom line is we are back home now, I am still fully intact and we are waiting to find out what happens next.
Back to God for a minute. I am sure He stepped in at the last minute to stop this surgery as it was the wrong thing to do. This may have been as a result of the many prayers I was receiving from many of you and others as well. The fact that this is also a "teaching hospital" may also benefit others in the future. I am only assuming there were interns present that may have learned from this whole episode and as a result maybe they will remember it in the future and it may result in someone else being saved - who knows. I just know that God stepped up at the last minute and made a great save. Thank you everyone for your prayers.
Some of you may be wondering why they didn't see these cancer cells before, seeing how I had 3 endoscopies before this, (one as recently as 3 weeks ago,) and that remains a mystery. The cells may have been hidden behind something else, or were just too small, or who knows. For whatever reason they weren't noted earlier. I'm just glad he found them when he did. We don't see this as a setback but are thankful that we have the team we do to help us fight this thing. I will let you know more as we know more. Till then, please keep the prayers coming - they helped before and will again next time.
Yours
Drew
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Surgery Next Week
Hello All.
Just a brief update to let you know that next Monday is my surgery day. Tomorrow, 5/14, Annette and I are going up to Duke for my pre-op consultation. We'll be meeting with my surgeon again and the gas doctor (don't ask me to spell anesthesiologist - am I close?).
Then in the late afternoon we will be picking up Robin, my youngest daughter, who is flying into Raleigh (from Pasco, WA) and is coming to visit before, and after, the surgery. My oldest daughter, Jackie, is arriving on Saturday, and will also be here up until Wednesday after my surgery. I hope I do well, maybe I should study up some so I don't mess up while they are here. It will be nice to see them both and I want to thank them for making the efforts to come AND to their husbands, Mark and Rick, for watching their kids thereby allowing them time to come for a brief visit.
The surgery will be around 5 hours long. They will remove my esophagus and the upper 1/3 of my stomach and then reattach the remaining part of my stomach to the upper end of where my esophagus was. Sounds kind of cool huh? However, warning, don't try this at home. I am a little nervous but not too bad. We are very confident in the hospital and my surgeon, I just have a little chicken in me. I'm not looking forward to the feeding tube I will have temporarily installed, or the expected 10-14 days in-patient stay, but we will do what we have to do to get well. I/we still have a lot of living to do and might as well get started with it today!
I'll keep you posted on the back side once I can via the blog or e-mail. Annette will have her cell phone but probably only be able to have it turned on when she is not at the hospital. Her number, should you want it, is 910-286-3434. Thanks in advance for any positive thoughts and prayers you might send our way.
Oh, one more thing, we just took a brief trip south to visit Jackie's family and attend their oldest daughter, Emma's, First Communion. They live in Pensacola, Florida. Then we slipped over to Biloxi for a couple of days of gambling at a very nice casino there, the Beau Rivage. We had a good time. I will attach a couple of pics from the trip - see I told you I look marvelous! That's me on the rope swing!
Yours
Drew
Just a brief update to let you know that next Monday is my surgery day. Tomorrow, 5/14, Annette and I are going up to Duke for my pre-op consultation. We'll be meeting with my surgeon again and the gas doctor (don't ask me to spell anesthesiologist - am I close?).
Then in the late afternoon we will be picking up Robin, my youngest daughter, who is flying into Raleigh (from Pasco, WA) and is coming to visit before, and after, the surgery. My oldest daughter, Jackie, is arriving on Saturday, and will also be here up until Wednesday after my surgery. I hope I do well, maybe I should study up some so I don't mess up while they are here. It will be nice to see them both and I want to thank them for making the efforts to come AND to their husbands, Mark and Rick, for watching their kids thereby allowing them time to come for a brief visit.
The surgery will be around 5 hours long. They will remove my esophagus and the upper 1/3 of my stomach and then reattach the remaining part of my stomach to the upper end of where my esophagus was. Sounds kind of cool huh? However, warning, don't try this at home. I am a little nervous but not too bad. We are very confident in the hospital and my surgeon, I just have a little chicken in me. I'm not looking forward to the feeding tube I will have temporarily installed, or the expected 10-14 days in-patient stay, but we will do what we have to do to get well. I/we still have a lot of living to do and might as well get started with it today!
I'll keep you posted on the back side once I can via the blog or e-mail. Annette will have her cell phone but probably only be able to have it turned on when she is not at the hospital. Her number, should you want it, is 910-286-3434. Thanks in advance for any positive thoughts and prayers you might send our way.
Oh, one more thing, we just took a brief trip south to visit Jackie's family and attend their oldest daughter, Emma's, First Communion. They live in Pensacola, Florida. Then we slipped over to Biloxi for a couple of days of gambling at a very nice casino there, the Beau Rivage. We had a good time. I will attach a couple of pics from the trip - see I told you I look marvelous! That's me on the rope swing!
Yours
Drew
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