Well, this past Friday I had my last Chemo treatment finishing my 12 weeks of Chemotheray and today I met with my Oncologist Dr. Kukunoor to review the results of my CatScans I had shortly after Thanksgiving.
Dr. Kukunoor read through the report rather quickly and many of the terms I could not comprehend but the bottom line is that it was an overall good report. Dr. Kukunoor said the the scan of my neck area showed enlargement of the lymph system and when I asked him if that was good, Dr. Kukunoor responded with, "That is terrific!" The scan of my chest and abdomen showed no new areas of cancerous tissue and the tumor in my right axillary has responded to the chemotherapy and shrunk to the point that Dr. Kukunoor now wants to radiate the area to remove any microscopic cells that may be lingering about. Neither the CatScan nor PetScan can pick up these micrscopic cells if they are there. The radiation treatment will consist of 30 daily treatments that shoukld last no longer than 5 minutes, far less than the 35 treatments I went through last year that lasted anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes. I asked Dr. Kukunoor about side affects of radiation and he said that because of the proximity of the area to be radiated side affects should be few if any at all, again unlike my neck area which was packed with many vital tissues from the esphoagus and windpipe to salivary glands and the voicebox.
Dr. Kukunoor said he wants to wait about three weeks before the treatments begin so that puts me at about mid-January. In the meantime I have an appointment on Dec. 30th to meet with a radiation oncologist and also a dermatologist to examine side affects I am currently suffering from the 5FU and Urbatux drugs that I have been receiving. Overall though, Dr. Kukunoor said I was doing extremly well and he said he will see me again in two months. I did at the end ask Dr. Kukunoor if I would be able to indulge myself into an alcoholic cocktail every now and then and he gave me the green light, so at least the Holidays will be filled with more than one kind of Spirit!
I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and the Happiest of New Year's filled with Love, Joy and most of all Good Health! Thanks for your continued prayers and as always I sincerely appreciate each and everyone of you!
May God Bless each of you!
Tom
Monday, December 22, 2008
Monday, November 10, 2008
Halfway Home......but
Well, today I met with Dr. Kukunoor who did a physical examine of my right axillary and said the newest tumor seemed to be a bit smaller so he wants me to get a scan, specifically a CT Scan so he can get a better idea as to how much the tumor may have shrunk. The scan is scheduled for December 1st, the day I return to Phoenix from my Thanksgiving vacation back in Pittsburgh. Depending on what the scan reveals, the chemo treatments could be extended beyond the initial 4 to up to as many as 7 total. As long as it can be determined the Chemo is working and the tumor is shrinking, those will be the determining factors.
Everything else was fine as far as my vitals were concerned and overall I feel extremly well. My eating has returned to almost normal (Thanks God, just in time for Thanksgiving) and hopefully it will stay that way.
During Fridays treatment session, my blood counts came back much improved over the prrevious weeks numbers. My WBC was up to 4.31 and NEU was 3.28. The HGB came in at 10.8 and HCT was 31.0 and PLT was 211. The RBC was 3.48, still a little low there.
The weather was beautiful after I got out of my appointment around 10:30 a.m. so I went over to Stonecreek golf course and hit 51 balls on the range after putting for about 20 minutes. I wanted to play 9 holes but the course doesn't offer a 9 hole rate and after hitting the 51 balls I was too tired to play 18 so I went home for a restful afternoon.
I get my third all day treatment this Friday, and then carry the fanny pack for the next 4 days and then I will skip my next one day treatment as I will be home and Dr. Kukunoor said that I will just get that treatment when I return to Phoenix, so I get a little break there and hopefully I will feel as normal as possible for the 11 days I am at home.
So, my next update probably won't be until after the Thanksgiving Holiday, unless something warrants otherwise!
I wish everyone a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving with family and or freinds and hope you cherish the time spent with those closest to you. I know I will!
God Bless you all!
Everything else was fine as far as my vitals were concerned and overall I feel extremly well. My eating has returned to almost normal (Thanks God, just in time for Thanksgiving) and hopefully it will stay that way.
During Fridays treatment session, my blood counts came back much improved over the prrevious weeks numbers. My WBC was up to 4.31 and NEU was 3.28. The HGB came in at 10.8 and HCT was 31.0 and PLT was 211. The RBC was 3.48, still a little low there.
The weather was beautiful after I got out of my appointment around 10:30 a.m. so I went over to Stonecreek golf course and hit 51 balls on the range after putting for about 20 minutes. I wanted to play 9 holes but the course doesn't offer a 9 hole rate and after hitting the 51 balls I was too tired to play 18 so I went home for a restful afternoon.
I get my third all day treatment this Friday, and then carry the fanny pack for the next 4 days and then I will skip my next one day treatment as I will be home and Dr. Kukunoor said that I will just get that treatment when I return to Phoenix, so I get a little break there and hopefully I will feel as normal as possible for the 11 days I am at home.
So, my next update probably won't be until after the Thanksgiving Holiday, unless something warrants otherwise!
I wish everyone a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving with family and or freinds and hope you cherish the time spent with those closest to you. I know I will!
God Bless you all!
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Round #2
Well, today I began my second round of the four scheduled 4 day chemo treatments which are in conjunction with my weekly one hour treatments. So far the side affects have been minimal with no signs yet of fatigue or nausea. The only prominent side affect was the acne type rash that Dr. Kukunoor said 1 in 10 people get and of course I got it! I should be so lucky in the lottery! After the initial treatment I felt the rash coming on and when I went and had the nurses at the chemo center look at it I was told that I was just having a reaction to Decadrol and that it would go away by itself. This was on a Friday when I should have also had a second one hour treatment but lo and behold no one ever mentioned that I was scheduled for this treatment even though they went into the computer and wrote down the rest of my appointments for the rest of the month for me. By Monday my nose was peppered with with white pockets of puss and black dried scabs from where the skin had blistered and bled. My entire nose was a deep red as if it was on fire and the rash spread up above my eyebrows and across my forehead and into my scalp and also down onto my chest. I called the nurses station again on Monday and this time when they saw my face they now determined that I had the rash I had told them about three days earlier. I was also suffering from mouth sores mostly located on the inside front of my lower lip and my tongue was extremly sensitive to any kind of heat. Even luke warm water would make my eyes water as if I had bitten into a hot pepper. Well the nurse gave me three precriptions, one for my mouth and two for the rash, one oral and one gel treatments. When I went to the Pharmacy to have them filled I was told that the they were out of the Gel and would not be able to get it until the foloowing day. This put me 4 days behind where I should have been had they acted diligently when I first contacted them the previous Friday. Needless to say I was not pleased by this and then to top it off when I went for my treatment the next Friday they finally realized I missed the treatment on the previous Friday and tried to cover themselves by saying that they probably bypassed that treatment because of the rash. This was a bogus claim because if it were true than I would've gotten the prescriptions on Friday instead of the follwoing Monday. You don't deal with the same nurse on every visit but I made it clear to the third nurse who gave me my treatment the neither of the two nurses on the previous Friday or Monday visits ever made a comment about bypassing a treatment or even that I had missed one. It was nothing more than them trying to cover themselves for this blunder. I had an appointment with Dr. Kukunoor on this past Wednesday and I made sure Dr. Kukunoor was aware of this. By now the rash is about 90% clear of my face but I still have red splotches on my chest but they do not itch like the ones that were on my face. Dr. Kukunoor wants me to continue with both the oral and gel prescriptions for the ramainder of the treatments to make sure the rash stays under control and for that I am grateful.
Todays bloodwork, drawn before the treatment began showed the majority of my counts to be below the low end of normal but they decided to go through with the treatment and I will get a booster shot on Tuesday when the fanny pack is removed to get my counts back up in the normal range. My WBC (White Blood Count) was 2.25 and the normal range is 3.70 to 10.1 and my RBC (Red Blood Count) was 3.90 and the normal range for that is 4.06 to 5.58. My Neutropenia count, another form of white blood cells was 1.57 and the normal range for those is 1.63 to 6.96. These cells turn into white blood cells and because the count was so close to normal this was the determining factor in going on with today's treatment. My Lymphopenia counts were .431 and normal for that is 1.09 to 2.99. This is another type of white blood cell. All of these are critical in the immune system in fighting off infections. My hemaglobin cout was at 12.3 and the normal range for that is 12.9t o 15.9 so I was pretty close there and there were about 4 other counts that were in the normal range but I don't have a detailed description of what they are or what they do and because they are in the normal range I'm not to concerned about them.
So other than that my eating is good, swallowing is better and energy level is good too. Dr. Kukunoor said that if this is as bad as it will gets, he said "Ill take it!" to which I replied to him,
"You can have it"" :)
Dr. Kukunoor did tell me that he spoke with Dr. Rodriguez who did the axillary dissection and they went over the operative report and Dr. Rodriguez said the the lymphnode that he wanted to remove for the biopsy procedure was wrapped around nerves and capillary tissues which prevented him from removing the entire node thru surgery. He removed as much of it as was possible. Dr. Kukunoor said that this is why he wants to be as aggressive as possible with the chemo and if after the treatment is done and the subsequent PetScan comes back clean than radiation to that area will be the appropiate follow-up. I asked Dr. Kukunoor what he meant by the PetScan coming back clean and he said the PetScans do not pick up microscopic cells, so as long as there are no other masses found elsewhere within my body at the time of the PetScan than this means it is clean and targeted radiation to the area will be the protocol to follow. When I asked Dr. Kukunoor as to how he would stage this cancer he said that the cancer in my neck was staged as a Stage 4B and he would now classify this as a Stage 4C. When I asked him which was worse he said the Stage 4C was worse because it had moved.
So now I have my friend for the next 4 days and then hopefully I'll return to normal. No hair loss as of yet but this is only the second treatment so if memory serves me well I believe it was at least two treatments last year before I saw the hair begin to fall out, so as the Zen Master in "Charlie Wilson's War" said, "We'll see!" I will close with that as I realize this was a lengthy post and there are more things I can go into to but this is enough for now. I will update probably next week sometime after Tuesday's pack removal.
Todays bloodwork, drawn before the treatment began showed the majority of my counts to be below the low end of normal but they decided to go through with the treatment and I will get a booster shot on Tuesday when the fanny pack is removed to get my counts back up in the normal range. My WBC (White Blood Count) was 2.25 and the normal range is 3.70 to 10.1 and my RBC (Red Blood Count) was 3.90 and the normal range for that is 4.06 to 5.58. My Neutropenia count, another form of white blood cells was 1.57 and the normal range for those is 1.63 to 6.96. These cells turn into white blood cells and because the count was so close to normal this was the determining factor in going on with today's treatment. My Lymphopenia counts were .431 and normal for that is 1.09 to 2.99. This is another type of white blood cell. All of these are critical in the immune system in fighting off infections. My hemaglobin cout was at 12.3 and the normal range for that is 12.9t o 15.9 so I was pretty close there and there were about 4 other counts that were in the normal range but I don't have a detailed description of what they are or what they do and because they are in the normal range I'm not to concerned about them.
So other than that my eating is good, swallowing is better and energy level is good too. Dr. Kukunoor said that if this is as bad as it will gets, he said "Ill take it!" to which I replied to him,
"You can have it"" :)
Dr. Kukunoor did tell me that he spoke with Dr. Rodriguez who did the axillary dissection and they went over the operative report and Dr. Rodriguez said the the lymphnode that he wanted to remove for the biopsy procedure was wrapped around nerves and capillary tissues which prevented him from removing the entire node thru surgery. He removed as much of it as was possible. Dr. Kukunoor said that this is why he wants to be as aggressive as possible with the chemo and if after the treatment is done and the subsequent PetScan comes back clean than radiation to that area will be the appropiate follow-up. I asked Dr. Kukunoor what he meant by the PetScan coming back clean and he said the PetScans do not pick up microscopic cells, so as long as there are no other masses found elsewhere within my body at the time of the PetScan than this means it is clean and targeted radiation to the area will be the protocol to follow. When I asked Dr. Kukunoor as to how he would stage this cancer he said that the cancer in my neck was staged as a Stage 4B and he would now classify this as a Stage 4C. When I asked him which was worse he said the Stage 4C was worse because it had moved.
So now I have my friend for the next 4 days and then hopefully I'll return to normal. No hair loss as of yet but this is only the second treatment so if memory serves me well I believe it was at least two treatments last year before I saw the hair begin to fall out, so as the Zen Master in "Charlie Wilson's War" said, "We'll see!" I will close with that as I realize this was a lengthy post and there are more things I can go into to but this is enough for now. I will update probably next week sometime after Tuesday's pack removal.
Monday, October 6, 2008
The Pack is Back!
And no, I don't mean the Green Bay Packers! In an unscheduled but highly anticipated rematch of two heavyweight sluggers, this is a sanctioned 12 week bout between the "Polish Hammer" going up against "Mr. C". The first round got started last Friday with the "Polish Hammer" attacking "Mr. C' with a barrage of anticancer drugs, which similar to last year will go on for 4 days followed by a two week lull to allow the drugs to do their thing. In addition to this a diet of alkalizing foods will commence in an effort to bring the "Polish Hammer's" body Ph to a level that "Mr. C." will not be able to sustain itself in, along with a new round of herbal remedies supplied by my longtime ringside coach Mary Phoenik. Hopefully this 1-2-3 punch will be enough to deliver a permanent knockout blow to "Mr. C" and end this thing once and for all! I will continue to work and live as normal as life as possible for as long as possible during the next twelve weeks. Side effects will more than likely be the same as last year with a few possible new ones.
I will update this site as the rounds progress and see how the judges (doctors) score the rounds.
Stay tuned for my next update!
I will update this site as the rounds progress and see how the judges (doctors) score the rounds.
Stay tuned for my next update!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Rolling Along
Yesterday I met with Dr. Rodriguez for a follow-up to my axillary dissection that he performed on me two weeks ago to the very day. While there was still some swelling under my right armpit it had seemed to go down a little. Dr. Rodriguez again elected not to lance it as he feels it will continue to go down on its own buty advised me to keep a close eye on it and call him if I see any noticeable changes. It is all just fluid build up from the lymph nodes being removed.
After my appointment with Dr. Rodriguez I went bowling in my league and had one of my best nights since returning to the recreation in May. I had a 659 series on games of 222-171 & 266. I had the first 8 strikes in a row in the third game before leaving a 7 pin in both the ninth and tenth frames. I closed both frames with spares for a perfect game in that I had no opens. I then broke the news to my teammates of my recent developments and upcoming schedule of things to come. But like work I will continue to bowl as long as I can. Fortunately my cancer is on my right side and for those of who don't know it, I bowl lefthanded!!!!!!!!!!!
Today, October 1st I had an eight o'clock report time at Scottsdale North Hospital for a scheduled eleven o'clock procedure to have a port implanted in my chest in preparation for my upcoming chemo treatments. Everything went well and I was out of there by two o'clock. I was attended to by most of the same team that removed from previous port back in May and they were just as kind and gentle as before. It was good to see them all!
The port this time was placed opposite of the last one, this time being on my right side instead of the left and it was placed into a vertical vein instead of a horizontal artery so hopefully I won't have the complications I had last time with the port operating as efficiently as it should. I was awake during the whole procedure and felt no discomfort as they cut into my right jugular vein above my collarbone, which wasn't done last time. This was to insert the tube into the vein and then another incision was made below the collarbone to implant the port itself. The Dr. said she would be sure to make it even with the scar on my other side so that I would have a matching pair fo scars! For that I thanked her kindly!
After leaving the hospital I came home for about an hour and a half as I had an indoctrination scheduled for four o'clock at the chemo treatment center. This basically entailed going over everything that would take place, what drugs I would be given, what side effects I could expect and a detailed briefing of things that I could do to best prepare for the oncoming onslaught. Since I had already been through this once and really didn't need a lot of explanation the nurse said this was one of the easiest indoctrinations she had ever done!
My treatments will begin this Friday, and the good news is I will only have to wear the fanny pack for four days instead of five and since I'm off on Saturdays and Sundays this should minimize the amount of work time missed due to the problems that might arise while wearing the pack. Last year I wasn't working so it was easier to cope with as I usually didn't shower for the five days I wore the pack. I don't think my co-workers would appreciate it if I did that again and then showed up for work.
So, I will continue to work and bowl for as long as I can, keeping in mind the drugs will zap both my physical strength and immune system.
Well, the pain in my neck is starting to become noticeable so I will sign off for now and go take a "Happy Pill" and head off to bed.
Thanks to those of you who continue to follow my journey and for your continued prayers and well wishes. As always I appreciate them all whether made known to me or not!
God Bless you all!
After my appointment with Dr. Rodriguez I went bowling in my league and had one of my best nights since returning to the recreation in May. I had a 659 series on games of 222-171 & 266. I had the first 8 strikes in a row in the third game before leaving a 7 pin in both the ninth and tenth frames. I closed both frames with spares for a perfect game in that I had no opens. I then broke the news to my teammates of my recent developments and upcoming schedule of things to come. But like work I will continue to bowl as long as I can. Fortunately my cancer is on my right side and for those of who don't know it, I bowl lefthanded!!!!!!!!!!!
Today, October 1st I had an eight o'clock report time at Scottsdale North Hospital for a scheduled eleven o'clock procedure to have a port implanted in my chest in preparation for my upcoming chemo treatments. Everything went well and I was out of there by two o'clock. I was attended to by most of the same team that removed from previous port back in May and they were just as kind and gentle as before. It was good to see them all!
The port this time was placed opposite of the last one, this time being on my right side instead of the left and it was placed into a vertical vein instead of a horizontal artery so hopefully I won't have the complications I had last time with the port operating as efficiently as it should. I was awake during the whole procedure and felt no discomfort as they cut into my right jugular vein above my collarbone, which wasn't done last time. This was to insert the tube into the vein and then another incision was made below the collarbone to implant the port itself. The Dr. said she would be sure to make it even with the scar on my other side so that I would have a matching pair fo scars! For that I thanked her kindly!
After leaving the hospital I came home for about an hour and a half as I had an indoctrination scheduled for four o'clock at the chemo treatment center. This basically entailed going over everything that would take place, what drugs I would be given, what side effects I could expect and a detailed briefing of things that I could do to best prepare for the oncoming onslaught. Since I had already been through this once and really didn't need a lot of explanation the nurse said this was one of the easiest indoctrinations she had ever done!
My treatments will begin this Friday, and the good news is I will only have to wear the fanny pack for four days instead of five and since I'm off on Saturdays and Sundays this should minimize the amount of work time missed due to the problems that might arise while wearing the pack. Last year I wasn't working so it was easier to cope with as I usually didn't shower for the five days I wore the pack. I don't think my co-workers would appreciate it if I did that again and then showed up for work.
So, I will continue to work and bowl for as long as I can, keeping in mind the drugs will zap both my physical strength and immune system.
Well, the pain in my neck is starting to become noticeable so I will sign off for now and go take a "Happy Pill" and head off to bed.
Thanks to those of you who continue to follow my journey and for your continued prayers and well wishes. As always I appreciate them all whether made known to me or not!
God Bless you all!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Ready for another round!
Today, I called the office of Dr. Francisco Rodriguez, who last week performed an axillary dissection of my right armpit area. The call was to tentatively schedule a follow-up to that procedure and also concern over swelling and tenderness in that particular area. I was told that the Dr. would see me later that same afternoon. After arriving at the office and a short wait I was visited by Dr. Rodriguez and greeted with the abysmal, "I have bad news or you". He went on to say that the pathologist report had come back only yesterday from the dissection and it showed that the cancer was now present in that area and that I should get a hold of Dr. Kukunoor as soon as possible. He did say he attempted to contact Dr. Kukunoor himself, but Dr. Kukunoor was on vacation. Needless to say I was somewhat at a loss as to what pertinent questions to ask, but Dr. Rodriguez basically said that surgery was not the answer due to the complexity of nerves, muscle and other tissues in the area but that I would require further treatment. He did not go into detail as to whether this would involve another round of chemo, radiation or both so I'm sure Dr. Kukunoor will discuss this with me when I meet with him in the near future. Aside from the tenderness and swelling in that area and I have no other pain except for my ongoing swallowing issues and I'm not sure if that is tied into this or not. So again, I will post more as things develop but this is where it stands right now!
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Busy Week
Well, this week was a very busy week as far as Dr. appointments and procedures were concerned. It started on Monday with a Barium Pill Swallow study that was conducted at 8:30 a.m. at the Scottsdale North Hospital. It was about a 20 minute procedure in which I was given Brium liquid to swallow followed by a Barium pill. A visual screen was placed where I as well as the Dr. could see where the two items went and it confirmed what I had been saying all along. The liquid Barium was going into my lungs and the pill went no further than the base of my tongue and stuck there. Attempts to move the pill along by drinking water failed and I ended up having to cough it back up. It was not that large of a pill!
Tuesday, I had an Axillary Dissection performed on my right armpit area to remove lymph nodes that had illuminated during my last two PetScans and were deemed metabolically active. This was done at Paradise Valley Hospital and I was there from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. mostly due to the prep work and tests that had to be done before the procedure and about two hours for the sedation to wear off. I'm still a little tender in that area but there is no major pain. I did go to work the following two days ignoring the instructions to give 24 hrs for the anethesia to wear off, and I regret not following the instructions as I suffered severe headaches and nauseau toward the end of my shift on the first day back. I did feel better the second day though.
Friday, at 6:00 a.m. again at Scottsdale North Hospital I had an Endoscopy and Dilatation of my esophagus by my GE Dr. Bradford Gelyzad. The dilatation was done not with the expandable Donut I had been told about previously, but rather with two tubes of different diameters that were inserted into my mouth and down my throat to expand the esophagus. I was coming out of the sedation during this procedure because I remember seeing the rust colored plastic/rubber hose and remeber the Dr. speaking to me, but I don't remember feeling anything at all. I had a bite block in my mouth, which was placed there for the Endoscopy and made insertion of the tube easy for the Dr. Swallowing later in the day was noticibly easier in that food would not get hung up at the top of the esophagus, but being that my tongue is still swollen, chewing and eating in general is still difficult and aspiration through the trach persists. I should have a follow-up with Dr. Gelyzad sometime with the next 10 to 14 days for a follow-up.
So aside from awaiting the Pathologists report on the Axillary Dissection and the follow-up with Dr. Gelyzad nothing else to report on at this time. Hopefully the swelling in my tongue will go away with time as all of this is being attributed to Radiation side effects, and I'll be able to return to a normal diet. Until then eating will continue to be a struggle and great discomfort but I know it is important in maintaining my overall well-being. The majority of my diet will probably continue to be of the liquid type for the short time being, until these side effects subside.
My next posting will probably be when I get the results back from the Pathologist.
Tuesday, I had an Axillary Dissection performed on my right armpit area to remove lymph nodes that had illuminated during my last two PetScans and were deemed metabolically active. This was done at Paradise Valley Hospital and I was there from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. mostly due to the prep work and tests that had to be done before the procedure and about two hours for the sedation to wear off. I'm still a little tender in that area but there is no major pain. I did go to work the following two days ignoring the instructions to give 24 hrs for the anethesia to wear off, and I regret not following the instructions as I suffered severe headaches and nauseau toward the end of my shift on the first day back. I did feel better the second day though.
Friday, at 6:00 a.m. again at Scottsdale North Hospital I had an Endoscopy and Dilatation of my esophagus by my GE Dr. Bradford Gelyzad. The dilatation was done not with the expandable Donut I had been told about previously, but rather with two tubes of different diameters that were inserted into my mouth and down my throat to expand the esophagus. I was coming out of the sedation during this procedure because I remember seeing the rust colored plastic/rubber hose and remeber the Dr. speaking to me, but I don't remember feeling anything at all. I had a bite block in my mouth, which was placed there for the Endoscopy and made insertion of the tube easy for the Dr. Swallowing later in the day was noticibly easier in that food would not get hung up at the top of the esophagus, but being that my tongue is still swollen, chewing and eating in general is still difficult and aspiration through the trach persists. I should have a follow-up with Dr. Gelyzad sometime with the next 10 to 14 days for a follow-up.
So aside from awaiting the Pathologists report on the Axillary Dissection and the follow-up with Dr. Gelyzad nothing else to report on at this time. Hopefully the swelling in my tongue will go away with time as all of this is being attributed to Radiation side effects, and I'll be able to return to a normal diet. Until then eating will continue to be a struggle and great discomfort but I know it is important in maintaining my overall well-being. The majority of my diet will probably continue to be of the liquid type for the short time being, until these side effects subside.
My next posting will probably be when I get the results back from the Pathologist.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
PetScan Follow-up
Well, this past Monday I went for my quarterly PetScan, and all went well as this is usually a routine procedure. My blood sugar tested normal, it has to be in order for the injection they give you to do it's job and I was there for about an hour and a hlf.
On Friday, I had a follow-up to the PetScan with my Arizona Oncologist Dr. Kukunoor. Dr. Kukunoor said that the PetScan was an overall good report with no signs of any activity in the neck and throat area, however there was concern over an area of illumination in my right armpit area. This was seen in the last PetScan but was deemed insignificant at that time, due to its minimal size. The most recent PetScan now showed this illumination to have more than doubled in size and also changed its shape which concerned Dr. Kukunoor. A physical examination of the area also revealed a firmness in the tissue that was not consistent with that on my left side. Dr. Kukunoor told me that the illumination is measured by what he called an SUV (I can't remember what it stands for) but that it went from a 2.9 reading to a now current 7.0. Dr. Kukunoor said he wanted to have the tissue biopsied to determine for sure what it is. He set me up with a surgeon, Dr. Francisco Rodriguez, with whom I will meet this coming Thursday Sept 4th for a consultation to explain my options and answer any questions I might have. Then a date will be set for the biopsy. Dr. Kukunoor, as is his usual protocol, wants this done very quickly, and he set up a tentative follow-up appointment to see me on September 29, which could get moved up depending on the test results from the pathologist on the biopsy. Be sure and stay tuned!
I also discussed with Dr. Kukunoor my recent degradation in my ability to swallow, both solids and liquids. Over the past month to a month and a half I have had a steady decline in the ease in which I am able to swallow with most food getting caught at the top of my esophagus and my having to cough it back up in order to get it down. I knew it was a problem last month when I was back home and my Dad, a notorious slow eater was finishing his meals before me! That was telltale sign for sure! Dr. Kukunoor said the swelling could be occuring due to the radiation, to which I was somewhat puzzeled, being that radiation eneded over eight months ago. Dr. Kukunoor assured me this was not unusual, and he again placed an order for me to see a gastroenterologist, so that I can have my esophagus examined to determine if in fact it is closing up. If that is the case then a procedure that Dr. Straka had talked to me about months ago would probably take place. This would involve the insertion of an expandable donut being inserted into the esophagus and expanding the donut to stretch out the scar tissue to open up the passageway. I will probably be contacted early next week by the Gastroenterologist to schedule an appointment.
So things are still not all settled and the upcoming weeks should be interesting to say the least. I will contiue to post updates as I receive results.
On Friday, I had a follow-up to the PetScan with my Arizona Oncologist Dr. Kukunoor. Dr. Kukunoor said that the PetScan was an overall good report with no signs of any activity in the neck and throat area, however there was concern over an area of illumination in my right armpit area. This was seen in the last PetScan but was deemed insignificant at that time, due to its minimal size. The most recent PetScan now showed this illumination to have more than doubled in size and also changed its shape which concerned Dr. Kukunoor. A physical examination of the area also revealed a firmness in the tissue that was not consistent with that on my left side. Dr. Kukunoor told me that the illumination is measured by what he called an SUV (I can't remember what it stands for) but that it went from a 2.9 reading to a now current 7.0. Dr. Kukunoor said he wanted to have the tissue biopsied to determine for sure what it is. He set me up with a surgeon, Dr. Francisco Rodriguez, with whom I will meet this coming Thursday Sept 4th for a consultation to explain my options and answer any questions I might have. Then a date will be set for the biopsy. Dr. Kukunoor, as is his usual protocol, wants this done very quickly, and he set up a tentative follow-up appointment to see me on September 29, which could get moved up depending on the test results from the pathologist on the biopsy. Be sure and stay tuned!
I also discussed with Dr. Kukunoor my recent degradation in my ability to swallow, both solids and liquids. Over the past month to a month and a half I have had a steady decline in the ease in which I am able to swallow with most food getting caught at the top of my esophagus and my having to cough it back up in order to get it down. I knew it was a problem last month when I was back home and my Dad, a notorious slow eater was finishing his meals before me! That was telltale sign for sure! Dr. Kukunoor said the swelling could be occuring due to the radiation, to which I was somewhat puzzeled, being that radiation eneded over eight months ago. Dr. Kukunoor assured me this was not unusual, and he again placed an order for me to see a gastroenterologist, so that I can have my esophagus examined to determine if in fact it is closing up. If that is the case then a procedure that Dr. Straka had talked to me about months ago would probably take place. This would involve the insertion of an expandable donut being inserted into the esophagus and expanding the donut to stretch out the scar tissue to open up the passageway. I will probably be contacted early next week by the Gastroenterologist to schedule an appointment.
So things are still not all settled and the upcoming weeks should be interesting to say the least. I will contiue to post updates as I receive results.
Friday, August 22, 2008
The Latest
Well, having returned from a fabulous vacation back in Pittsburgh from August 5th through August 20th and seeing both my dentist and ENT Dr. Straka, here is the latest update.
My dentist appointement with Dr. Edward J. Dengel went fine, with no signs of cavities and or decay of any kind. This is important as my condition of "Dry Mouth" can promote bacteria and cause numerous problems if not taken care of daily. This include flossing, cleansing with a water pik and the ususal brushing of the teeth, gums and tongue. X-rays also showed no signs of any imminent problems.
My appointment with Dr. Straka was routine as well, with the exception of my describing to Dr. Straka how swallowing for me has become more difficult over the last several weeks. Dr. Straka did reduce my trach tube once again from a #6 to a #4 but recommended we leave this one in for a period of one to two years, mostly as a safeguard to keep an airway open in the event of some unforseen swelling such as I'm experiencing right now. Although this swelling does not affect my breathing at this time. Dr. Straka did order a Barium swallow study and it was determined that some foods particularly liquids are going in to my windpipe but no explanation was given as to why except that the little flap of skin that is supposed to prevent this is weak and not doing its job to a 100%. The speech therapists who were present during the swallow study had no recommendations for exercises, only to eat a diet of softer foods and thicker liquids to help prevent the foods from going down the wrong tubes. They also querried me as to whether or not I had had a recent cold or if any other changes had occured in my lifestle. I told them of my recent change to the South Beach Diet to try and improve my eating habits and also of a liquid supplement that my Master Herbalist Mary Phoenik had recommended I take that aids in celluar reconstruction. That supplement consists of juice from the Mangosteen fruit and it has yet to be determined if my swelling in the throat can be attributed to that or not.
This coming Monday I go for a PetScan and will review the results of that with Dr. Kukunoor on Friday the 29th of August. I will speak to him about my swallowing issues as well and see what he has to say about that.
My vacation home could not have been better, the weather was fall like and we did not turn the air conditioner on once the whole time I was home. Dad and I played a few rounds of golf in order to tune up for the Polish Falcons Golf Tournament and I shot 4 consistent 9 hole rounds of 46-46-46-42, and struck the ball better than I ever have. Following the tournament I shot a 39-47 round at Glengarry Golf course near Latrobe with my brother-in-law Darren. Dad was all golfed out by then but we did manage to get in one more round out in Ohio at Copeland Hills where again I played very well, but I can't remember my scores.
I got to see a lot of old friends at the Falcon Golf Tournament and enjoyed the two day affair. We also attended on Pirate baseball game with my sister Cathty and her family on Sunday. It was a beautiful sunny day abd a good crowd was onhand but sad to say the Buco's lost:(. But it was nice to spend the afternoon at the park.
Aside from that we did some yard work down in the woods behind the house trying to take back the land from the onset of Kudzu, which like cancer will kill if not killed first. I seem to have taken on a great obsession to rid our property and that of the neighbors of this creeping vine that will cling to and kill just about anything in it's path.
My next planned trip home is the weekend of September 6th to participate in the Polish Falcons District IV golf tournament to be held at Harmony Ridge (formerly Ambrdige Golf Club) of which Dad is the Tournament Chairman.
I will post another update after getting the results of my upcoming PetScan.
My dentist appointement with Dr. Edward J. Dengel went fine, with no signs of cavities and or decay of any kind. This is important as my condition of "Dry Mouth" can promote bacteria and cause numerous problems if not taken care of daily. This include flossing, cleansing with a water pik and the ususal brushing of the teeth, gums and tongue. X-rays also showed no signs of any imminent problems.
My appointment with Dr. Straka was routine as well, with the exception of my describing to Dr. Straka how swallowing for me has become more difficult over the last several weeks. Dr. Straka did reduce my trach tube once again from a #6 to a #4 but recommended we leave this one in for a period of one to two years, mostly as a safeguard to keep an airway open in the event of some unforseen swelling such as I'm experiencing right now. Although this swelling does not affect my breathing at this time. Dr. Straka did order a Barium swallow study and it was determined that some foods particularly liquids are going in to my windpipe but no explanation was given as to why except that the little flap of skin that is supposed to prevent this is weak and not doing its job to a 100%. The speech therapists who were present during the swallow study had no recommendations for exercises, only to eat a diet of softer foods and thicker liquids to help prevent the foods from going down the wrong tubes. They also querried me as to whether or not I had had a recent cold or if any other changes had occured in my lifestle. I told them of my recent change to the South Beach Diet to try and improve my eating habits and also of a liquid supplement that my Master Herbalist Mary Phoenik had recommended I take that aids in celluar reconstruction. That supplement consists of juice from the Mangosteen fruit and it has yet to be determined if my swelling in the throat can be attributed to that or not.
This coming Monday I go for a PetScan and will review the results of that with Dr. Kukunoor on Friday the 29th of August. I will speak to him about my swallowing issues as well and see what he has to say about that.
My vacation home could not have been better, the weather was fall like and we did not turn the air conditioner on once the whole time I was home. Dad and I played a few rounds of golf in order to tune up for the Polish Falcons Golf Tournament and I shot 4 consistent 9 hole rounds of 46-46-46-42, and struck the ball better than I ever have. Following the tournament I shot a 39-47 round at Glengarry Golf course near Latrobe with my brother-in-law Darren. Dad was all golfed out by then but we did manage to get in one more round out in Ohio at Copeland Hills where again I played very well, but I can't remember my scores.
I got to see a lot of old friends at the Falcon Golf Tournament and enjoyed the two day affair. We also attended on Pirate baseball game with my sister Cathty and her family on Sunday. It was a beautiful sunny day abd a good crowd was onhand but sad to say the Buco's lost:(. But it was nice to spend the afternoon at the park.
Aside from that we did some yard work down in the woods behind the house trying to take back the land from the onset of Kudzu, which like cancer will kill if not killed first. I seem to have taken on a great obsession to rid our property and that of the neighbors of this creeping vine that will cling to and kill just about anything in it's path.
My next planned trip home is the weekend of September 6th to participate in the Polish Falcons District IV golf tournament to be held at Harmony Ridge (formerly Ambrdige Golf Club) of which Dad is the Tournament Chairman.
I will post another update after getting the results of my upcoming PetScan.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
It's Definitive!
Well, several months have passed again since my last update, and my how time flys! Not much has changed since then except that I finally got a definitive ruling on my pending neck dissection.
After an appointment in Pennsylvania with my ENT Dr. Straka, we discussed the neck dissection that Dr. Kukunoor in Phoenix keeps pushing for. Dr. Straka felt that a neck dissection at this point in time would not be beneficial for the following reasons: too much time has passed since the end of Radiation in December ; and the neck dissection would not get to where the original tumor was located which was in the base of my tongue.
Dr. Straka referred me to another ENT in Phoenix who is affiliated with the Mayo Clinic, Dr. Michael Hinni, in order to get a second opinion. This after I advised Dr. Straka of my decision to terminate my short lived relationship with Dr. John Milligan, another ENT in Phoenix because of my dissatisfaction with his office practices.
I contacted the Mayo Clinic in early June and made my appointement to see Dr. Hinni, which was set for July 17, 2008. The Mayo Clinic requested the slide of my Biopsy that was performed in January along with my most recent PetScan results and other medical records that Dr.traka forwarded out to them without delay. The initial meeting with Dr. Hinni included a preliminary visit with his assistant which covered the most basic information along with a series of questions regarding my current status. Dr. Hinni then made his appearance and did a more thorough examination of my mouth and neck including another Endoscopy of my throat. He had already reviewed my PetScan and had it displayed on a laptop computer that was in the office, and it was quite interesting to see that display. Dr. Hinni recommended that I get another CatScan with contrast dye in order to overlay that onthe PetScan. He went on to explain that, that enable him to see more when they overlay the two, so a CatScan was scheduled for the following Monday July 21st again at the Mayo Clinic. A follow-up appointment was tentatively set for August 5th as Dr. Hinni was going out of town, however if need be an earlier appointment would be made if the CatScan revealed something that required immediate attention. That did not materialize!
So, yesterday August 5th I saw Dr. Hinni and my meeting with him lasted no more than 5 minutes. Dr. Hinni said he saw no revelation of cancer and concurred with Dr. Straka that a neck dissection at this time would not be beneficial, mostly due to the amount of time that had elapsed since the end of radiation. He encouraged close monitoring for the next several years with regualr PetScans and other tests and said he would be more than happy to offer his services if I wished. I feel very confident in Dr. Hinni and as long as I remain in Phoenix, he will be my go to ENT and I will continue to retain Dr. Straka in Pittsburgh for when I return home either for short stays or hopefully permanently.
Dr. Straka in June did reduce my trach tube from a #8 to a #6 and will hopefully reduce it again from a #6 to a #4 next week when I see him on Wednesday August 13th. Dr. Milligan wanted to go straight from a #8 to a #4 which Dr. Straka was against as he wanted to take smaller steps in this process. Just another reason for my decision to dismiss Dr. Milligan.
My most recent photo is from a long weekend I took in June when I traveled to Durango, to spend some time with my sister, Teresa and her family, who were on a two week vacation taveling the Southwest. We were on a narrow gauge train ride from Silverton, Colorado back down to Durango when Teresa snapped the picture. We had a great visit but the time passed way to quickly, but it was nice to get out and about!
I leave for a 12 day vacation back to Pittsburgh this coming Saturday and look forward to spending time with my Dad and seeing all my old friends from the 'Burgh!
So until my next update, "Thanks" to everyone who continues to keep me in their thoughts and in their prayers. As always, I appreciate you very much!
After an appointment in Pennsylvania with my ENT Dr. Straka, we discussed the neck dissection that Dr. Kukunoor in Phoenix keeps pushing for. Dr. Straka felt that a neck dissection at this point in time would not be beneficial for the following reasons: too much time has passed since the end of Radiation in December ; and the neck dissection would not get to where the original tumor was located which was in the base of my tongue.
Dr. Straka referred me to another ENT in Phoenix who is affiliated with the Mayo Clinic, Dr. Michael Hinni, in order to get a second opinion. This after I advised Dr. Straka of my decision to terminate my short lived relationship with Dr. John Milligan, another ENT in Phoenix because of my dissatisfaction with his office practices.
I contacted the Mayo Clinic in early June and made my appointement to see Dr. Hinni, which was set for July 17, 2008. The Mayo Clinic requested the slide of my Biopsy that was performed in January along with my most recent PetScan results and other medical records that Dr.traka forwarded out to them without delay. The initial meeting with Dr. Hinni included a preliminary visit with his assistant which covered the most basic information along with a series of questions regarding my current status. Dr. Hinni then made his appearance and did a more thorough examination of my mouth and neck including another Endoscopy of my throat. He had already reviewed my PetScan and had it displayed on a laptop computer that was in the office, and it was quite interesting to see that display. Dr. Hinni recommended that I get another CatScan with contrast dye in order to overlay that onthe PetScan. He went on to explain that, that enable him to see more when they overlay the two, so a CatScan was scheduled for the following Monday July 21st again at the Mayo Clinic. A follow-up appointment was tentatively set for August 5th as Dr. Hinni was going out of town, however if need be an earlier appointment would be made if the CatScan revealed something that required immediate attention. That did not materialize!
So, yesterday August 5th I saw Dr. Hinni and my meeting with him lasted no more than 5 minutes. Dr. Hinni said he saw no revelation of cancer and concurred with Dr. Straka that a neck dissection at this time would not be beneficial, mostly due to the amount of time that had elapsed since the end of radiation. He encouraged close monitoring for the next several years with regualr PetScans and other tests and said he would be more than happy to offer his services if I wished. I feel very confident in Dr. Hinni and as long as I remain in Phoenix, he will be my go to ENT and I will continue to retain Dr. Straka in Pittsburgh for when I return home either for short stays or hopefully permanently.
Dr. Straka in June did reduce my trach tube from a #8 to a #6 and will hopefully reduce it again from a #6 to a #4 next week when I see him on Wednesday August 13th. Dr. Milligan wanted to go straight from a #8 to a #4 which Dr. Straka was against as he wanted to take smaller steps in this process. Just another reason for my decision to dismiss Dr. Milligan.
My most recent photo is from a long weekend I took in June when I traveled to Durango, to spend some time with my sister, Teresa and her family, who were on a two week vacation taveling the Southwest. We were on a narrow gauge train ride from Silverton, Colorado back down to Durango when Teresa snapped the picture. We had a great visit but the time passed way to quickly, but it was nice to get out and about!
I leave for a 12 day vacation back to Pittsburgh this coming Saturday and look forward to spending time with my Dad and seeing all my old friends from the 'Burgh!
So until my next update, "Thanks" to everyone who continues to keep me in their thoughts and in their prayers. As always, I appreciate you very much!
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Long Overdue Update
Well, it's been a little over two months since my return to work in Phoenix.
Needless to say my return was just as touching as my send-off when I left in July 2007. Everyone was excited to see me and some expressed their disbelief that I was back "So soon"! Everyone in management couldn't have been nicer in making my transition back to the workplace as smooth and easy as possible. They all made sure that I didn't overexert myself or try to take on to much to soon.
I must admit that in the first few weeks, it took all I had just to make it through an eight hour day. What exhausted me most was breathing and talking, because of my trach being capped so that I could speak. But I learned how to manage around that and it has gotten much better.
Shortly after arriving back in Arizona, I had an appointment with my Oncologst Dr. Kukunoor,
who wanted me to have a PETScan, so we had one scheduled at the end of my appointment. The appointment with Dr. Kukunoor was pretty routine, more of a recap of what I went through back in Pittsburgh to bring him up to speed. However, he did bring up his wanting me to have a neck disection and seemed surprised that the Dr.'s back in Pittsburgh did not do one. I told Dr. Kukunoor that my ENT, Dr. Straka back in Pittsburgh said there was a chance that surgery would be required after the radiation, but after my PETScan in January, he apparently didn't see the need for one. I told Dr. Kukunoor that I would be seeing Dr. Headley and that I would speak with him about it.
Prior to seeing Dr. Kukunoor I was taken to the area where Chemo is adminsitered and an attempt was made to draw blood through my port, to which there was no return. After trying to clear the port it was determined that it was clogged and the nurse said she was going to order a port study and that if they couldn't clear the port than it would have to be removed.
About two weeks later on a Friday I received a call to schedule the port study, so it was set up for the following Monday at 10:30 a.m. It was a short study, done while I was on the operating table. It was determined that it was curled and the injecton was clogged from going through so they commenced the procedure to remove it and I was out of the operating room about 10 minutes later! Recovery took a couple of hours for the sedation to wear off and then I was home by 3:00 p.m.
Well, the next week I saw Dr. Headley and he did his usual Endoscopy and basic examination and then dropped a bomb on me and told me that he was going to be retiring in the next couple of months. Well, with that news I completely forgot to mention the neck dissection to him! He did want to see me in another six weeks so I made it a point to remember the neck dissection for that appointment.
My next appointmet with Dr. Headley started again with the Endoscopy and Dr. Headley said he wanted me to have sleep study done with my trach capped. He had asked me if I slept with the trach capped and I told him no, that it was easier to breath with the uncapped one in. I then mentioned the neck dissection to him and Dr. Headley said that there was a lot of controversy about neck dissections. I then told him of the differences between Dr's Baliban, Straka and Kukunoor and he then did a 180 on me and told me that he wanted me to think about it. I said, "What is there for me to think about? I'm no Dr. you either tell me I need it or I don't!" He then went into a dialogue of how it isn't an exact science and no one knows for sure and blah blah blah, the usual stuff you get from Dr's. Dr. Headley then said he was going to refer me to a new ENT Dr. James Milligan, for the sleep study and futher discussion about the neck dissection. Dr. Headley did say that if he were to have a neck dissection done, he would want Dr. Milligan to do it because of his experience with these types of operations. So I have an apointement to see Dr. Milligan on May 28th.
A week after having my port removed I contacted Dr. Kukunoor's office about having an order written to have my "G" tube removed, as I had mentioned that to the surgeon while I was on the table having my port removed, and she said she would've been happy to do it, but she needed to have an order for it. Since I hadn't been usng it I thought I might as well have that taken out as well. So the order was written and exactly a week after having the port removed I had my stomach feeding tube removed. This was little quicker and I was able to leave within 30 minutes of the procedure being completed and it now abot 75% healed. It heals from the inside out.
So all I have now is the trach tube to be removed and hopfully that will be soon, maybe by my first anniversary of the start of this journey.
All in all progress has been good and steady. My stamina has gotten much better since returning to a full work schedule. My sleep is back to a regular 8 hrs instead of the 10 to 12 I was requiring when I first returned to work, although every once a while I require a little more sleep and yesterday I even went to the YMCA for a light workout! I did 30 minutes on the Lifefitness stationary bike and hit about 6 machines with 3 set workouts on each machine. It was a good feeling to exercise again and I look forward to going again. I even shot a little basketball as the court was completely empty so I walked between baskets sooting layups and ran the full-court once but that didn't go over to well. Too early for that yet!
I also joined the summer bowling league and will begin bowling on May 13th, which was part of my reason for joing the "Y". I need to get my legs built up for bowling but my overall body tone as well!
My next PETScan is scheduled for Aug 28th, unless something crops up and warrants moving that up earlier.
I'll be back in Pittsburgh June 5th through Jun 13th to visit Dad and hopefully play some golf.
And then I plan on being back in August for the Polish Falcons National Golf Tournament!
That's it for now. Please accept my apologies for not updating my blog sooner and for the length of this update!
Tom
Needless to say my return was just as touching as my send-off when I left in July 2007. Everyone was excited to see me and some expressed their disbelief that I was back "So soon"! Everyone in management couldn't have been nicer in making my transition back to the workplace as smooth and easy as possible. They all made sure that I didn't overexert myself or try to take on to much to soon.
I must admit that in the first few weeks, it took all I had just to make it through an eight hour day. What exhausted me most was breathing and talking, because of my trach being capped so that I could speak. But I learned how to manage around that and it has gotten much better.
Shortly after arriving back in Arizona, I had an appointment with my Oncologst Dr. Kukunoor,
who wanted me to have a PETScan, so we had one scheduled at the end of my appointment. The appointment with Dr. Kukunoor was pretty routine, more of a recap of what I went through back in Pittsburgh to bring him up to speed. However, he did bring up his wanting me to have a neck disection and seemed surprised that the Dr.'s back in Pittsburgh did not do one. I told Dr. Kukunoor that my ENT, Dr. Straka back in Pittsburgh said there was a chance that surgery would be required after the radiation, but after my PETScan in January, he apparently didn't see the need for one. I told Dr. Kukunoor that I would be seeing Dr. Headley and that I would speak with him about it.
Prior to seeing Dr. Kukunoor I was taken to the area where Chemo is adminsitered and an attempt was made to draw blood through my port, to which there was no return. After trying to clear the port it was determined that it was clogged and the nurse said she was going to order a port study and that if they couldn't clear the port than it would have to be removed.
About two weeks later on a Friday I received a call to schedule the port study, so it was set up for the following Monday at 10:30 a.m. It was a short study, done while I was on the operating table. It was determined that it was curled and the injecton was clogged from going through so they commenced the procedure to remove it and I was out of the operating room about 10 minutes later! Recovery took a couple of hours for the sedation to wear off and then I was home by 3:00 p.m.
Well, the next week I saw Dr. Headley and he did his usual Endoscopy and basic examination and then dropped a bomb on me and told me that he was going to be retiring in the next couple of months. Well, with that news I completely forgot to mention the neck dissection to him! He did want to see me in another six weeks so I made it a point to remember the neck dissection for that appointment.
My next appointmet with Dr. Headley started again with the Endoscopy and Dr. Headley said he wanted me to have sleep study done with my trach capped. He had asked me if I slept with the trach capped and I told him no, that it was easier to breath with the uncapped one in. I then mentioned the neck dissection to him and Dr. Headley said that there was a lot of controversy about neck dissections. I then told him of the differences between Dr's Baliban, Straka and Kukunoor and he then did a 180 on me and told me that he wanted me to think about it. I said, "What is there for me to think about? I'm no Dr. you either tell me I need it or I don't!" He then went into a dialogue of how it isn't an exact science and no one knows for sure and blah blah blah, the usual stuff you get from Dr's. Dr. Headley then said he was going to refer me to a new ENT Dr. James Milligan, for the sleep study and futher discussion about the neck dissection. Dr. Headley did say that if he were to have a neck dissection done, he would want Dr. Milligan to do it because of his experience with these types of operations. So I have an apointement to see Dr. Milligan on May 28th.
A week after having my port removed I contacted Dr. Kukunoor's office about having an order written to have my "G" tube removed, as I had mentioned that to the surgeon while I was on the table having my port removed, and she said she would've been happy to do it, but she needed to have an order for it. Since I hadn't been usng it I thought I might as well have that taken out as well. So the order was written and exactly a week after having the port removed I had my stomach feeding tube removed. This was little quicker and I was able to leave within 30 minutes of the procedure being completed and it now abot 75% healed. It heals from the inside out.
So all I have now is the trach tube to be removed and hopfully that will be soon, maybe by my first anniversary of the start of this journey.
All in all progress has been good and steady. My stamina has gotten much better since returning to a full work schedule. My sleep is back to a regular 8 hrs instead of the 10 to 12 I was requiring when I first returned to work, although every once a while I require a little more sleep and yesterday I even went to the YMCA for a light workout! I did 30 minutes on the Lifefitness stationary bike and hit about 6 machines with 3 set workouts on each machine. It was a good feeling to exercise again and I look forward to going again. I even shot a little basketball as the court was completely empty so I walked between baskets sooting layups and ran the full-court once but that didn't go over to well. Too early for that yet!
I also joined the summer bowling league and will begin bowling on May 13th, which was part of my reason for joing the "Y". I need to get my legs built up for bowling but my overall body tone as well!
My next PETScan is scheduled for Aug 28th, unless something crops up and warrants moving that up earlier.
I'll be back in Pittsburgh June 5th through Jun 13th to visit Dad and hopefully play some golf.
And then I plan on being back in August for the Polish Falcons National Golf Tournament!
That's it for now. Please accept my apologies for not updating my blog sooner and for the length of this update!
Tom
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Phoenix Bound
Well, after seeing my Radiologist Dr. Scicutella on Thursday, I was given the okay to return to work in Phoenix. Although, Dr. Scicutella did say that the chance for a reccurence was high, and that I would have to monitored closely by my ENT and other Dr.'s out there. The first two years are the most critical and then after 5 years if I am still clean, then I would be considered out of the woods! So there is still a long road to tow, but at least I'm getting started to being back on track to resume a normal a life as possible after going through what I have.
So, Friday and Saturday were spent packing things up, although I'm not taking that much with me, just the bare essentials.
Sunday was spent relaxing at my sister Cathy's home with her family. We had an early afternoon dinner in which we enjoyed homemade stuffed cabbage, mashed potatoes and pumpernickel bread. Cathy provided a "Good Luck Tom" cake for dessert and presented me with a card and some departing gifts. We then went bowling for a few games and had an overall enjoyable day.
Today, Tuesday, Dad and I will depart for Phoenix in about an hour. We plan to make it to the west side of St. Louis today and hope to be in Phoenix by Friday. I report to work on Monday the 25th, one day before my 48th Birthday.
So again to everyone who sent their prayers and blessings, please continue to do so and Thanks so much much for all the support!
God Bless all of you!
So, Friday and Saturday were spent packing things up, although I'm not taking that much with me, just the bare essentials.
Sunday was spent relaxing at my sister Cathy's home with her family. We had an early afternoon dinner in which we enjoyed homemade stuffed cabbage, mashed potatoes and pumpernickel bread. Cathy provided a "Good Luck Tom" cake for dessert and presented me with a card and some departing gifts. We then went bowling for a few games and had an overall enjoyable day.
Today, Tuesday, Dad and I will depart for Phoenix in about an hour. We plan to make it to the west side of St. Louis today and hope to be in Phoenix by Friday. I report to work on Monday the 25th, one day before my 48th Birthday.
So again to everyone who sent their prayers and blessings, please continue to do so and Thanks so much much for all the support!
God Bless all of you!
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
"Benign" is the word of the day!
Well, the results of last weeks biopsy were reviewed today with E.N.T. Dr. Matthew Straka and I'm happy to say that everything came back as benign!
There is still some swelling in the neck area which will require follow-ups, but all in all, I've been given a clean bill of health! Dr. Straka okayed me to return to Phoenix so that I may return to work, so now I just have one more appointment on the 14th of February with Dr. Sciccutella and
hope to be back to work before my 48th birthday which is February 26th!
Again, I must give a huge "Thank You" to everyone who has said prayers, sent prayer cards adding my name to prayer lists of the ill and just encouraged me along this journey. That has been a huge part of my success so far and hopefully will continue to be.
God Bless all of you!
There is still some swelling in the neck area which will require follow-ups, but all in all, I've been given a clean bill of health! Dr. Straka okayed me to return to Phoenix so that I may return to work, so now I just have one more appointment on the 14th of February with Dr. Sciccutella and
hope to be back to work before my 48th birthday which is February 26th!
Again, I must give a huge "Thank You" to everyone who has said prayers, sent prayer cards adding my name to prayer lists of the ill and just encouraged me along this journey. That has been a huge part of my success so far and hopefully will continue to be.
God Bless all of you!
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Follow-up with the ENT
Today, I had my follow-up appointment with Ear, Nose & Throat Specialist Dr. Matthew Straka. Overall he was pleased with the findings of the PetScan and in concurrence with Dr. Baliban's findings. He was unable to justify grounds for a neck disection at this time, however, he does want to do a biopsy on the back tongue area just to prove the findings of the PetScan. Dr. Straka said the PetScan did indicate some activity near the trach and attributes that to both the trach itself and the effects of radiation but he just wants to be sure, and I want to be sure, so I gave him the green light to get it scheduled. Surgery is scheduled for sometime Tuesday, Jan 29th and it will be an outpatient procedure, performed at Sewickley Valley Hospital.
Immediately leaving Dr. Straka's office we proceeded to Heritage Valley Health Center for the necessary blood work, chest X-rays and EKG, so that I can have a dedicated CatScan on my neck area, now scheduled for 3:15 p.m. tomorrow the 24th of January. After that it will be the procedure on Tuesday and then we will have to wait, yet again, for the results from the pathologist on the biopsy. Stay tuned for further updates as warranted!
Thanks and God Bless!
Immediately leaving Dr. Straka's office we proceeded to Heritage Valley Health Center for the necessary blood work, chest X-rays and EKG, so that I can have a dedicated CatScan on my neck area, now scheduled for 3:15 p.m. tomorrow the 24th of January. After that it will be the procedure on Tuesday and then we will have to wait, yet again, for the results from the pathologist on the biopsy. Stay tuned for further updates as warranted!
Thanks and God Bless!
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
The results are in!
Well, after going for my PetScan last Thursday, my follow-up to discuss the results with Oncologist Dr. Baliban was today and I'd like to say that the PetScan showed no sign of cancer!!!!!
I still have another appointment with the ENT Dr. Straka set for next Wednesday. He will give his opinion on the PetScan results and decide if there is a need for surgery or not.
Based on what Dr. Baliban told me, I don't think there will be a need for surgery, but we'll wait and see!
Dr. Baliban said I was clear to return to work as far as he was concerned, but again we'll see what Dr. Straka says. I still have the trach and stomach tube and am only eating minimal amounts of food and liquids as swallowing is still somewhat difficult.
Dr. Straka should make a determination about the trach tube on Wednesday as to how much longer that will be needed and the stomach tubes removal will be based solely on me and how my food intake is proceeding.
So good news so far and it looks like everyone's prayers for me are paying off and I am more appreciative of that than any of you will ever know!
God Bless and watch for my next update in about a week!
Love to everyone,
Tom
I still have another appointment with the ENT Dr. Straka set for next Wednesday. He will give his opinion on the PetScan results and decide if there is a need for surgery or not.
Based on what Dr. Baliban told me, I don't think there will be a need for surgery, but we'll wait and see!
Dr. Baliban said I was clear to return to work as far as he was concerned, but again we'll see what Dr. Straka says. I still have the trach and stomach tube and am only eating minimal amounts of food and liquids as swallowing is still somewhat difficult.
Dr. Straka should make a determination about the trach tube on Wednesday as to how much longer that will be needed and the stomach tubes removal will be based solely on me and how my food intake is proceeding.
So good news so far and it looks like everyone's prayers for me are paying off and I am more appreciative of that than any of you will ever know!
God Bless and watch for my next update in about a week!
Love to everyone,
Tom
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