Hi all . . . Jeff here. I don’t know how exactly it happened, but I’ve come to realize that the focus of my recent conversations with Dr. Legha has shifted from finding a cure for my cancer to learning to live with it. The shift was never explicit; we haven’t used words like “manage” and “chronic disease” but that’s the reality of what we’re now dealing with. So the next step in this journey is a return to home so that I can rest up, recover from my treatments, and watch the tumors to see what they decide to do over the next several months. I will return to Texas in June for a checkup with Dr. Legha. We’ll evaluate what the tumors are doing—they can stay the same size, they can shrink, or they can get bigger—and then we’ll decide whether to pursue another round of treatment.
Despite the circumstances, I am very happy to be returning to Wauwatosa. I’m happy that I’ll be able to see the kids every day. I’m happy that I’ll be able to see Kelly every day. I’m happy that I’ll be able to see so many of you as I resume a regular routine once again. I’m not happy that the treatment fell short of its goal, but it will be nice to get life back to normal for a little while at least.
I do have one request.
Since I’ve been down here, several people have sent me books about cancer. I must confess I haven’t read most of them. I picked up one of the books shortly after I got to Houston. It was written by a 15-year survivor of advanced stage lymphoma and was full of hope and good information. Yet every time I read it, I came away depressed because it simply served to hammer home one message: I have cancer. I didn’t want to be reminded of that fact any more than necessary. It’s not that I’m trying to run away from the reality of the situation; I know what I’m dealing with here. It’s just that I would prefer to focus my attention on the positive aspects of my life. So when you see me, it’s okay if you want to ask about my treatment and how I’m feeling. But I’d prefer if we could also talk about what the kids are doing or how Kelly’s pregnancy is going. Or tell me what’s going on in your life. I feel a lot more like listening now than talking.
In the meantime, please keep up your prayers. Dr. Legha told us that melanoma has been known to go into spontaneous remission. It’s not very common but it can happen. So there is reason to hope. And reason to keep praying.
Kelly and I will maintain this blog for use in the future. We will not be posting regularly since there won’t be much to report for a while. But check back in late-May to get news about our baby—Kelly’s due on May 22—and I’ll post some more updates in June after I meet with Dr. Legha. Thank you so much for all your prayers and support during the last three months. They have helped me and my family so much.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
We hit a roadblock . . .
Hi all . . . Jeff here. Well, we hit our first major roadblock today. We met with Dr. Legha, bags in hand hoping that we'd be going to the hospital. Unfortunately, he told us the CT scans showed no significant shrinkage since the last set of scans. My blood counts were low as well, so we wouldn't have been starting treatment even if the CT scans had come back the way we hoped.
So what's that mean? The first thing we're going to do is have a PET scan tomorrow. Dr. Legha ordered one as a way to verify the results of the CT scan. Maybe the PET scan will show that there has indeed been shrinkage. I'll also do some blood tests on Friday so that, in the event that the PET scan does show shrinkage, I could begin the next round of treatment as soon as possible.
If the PET scan confirms the results of the CT scan, then it sounds like I'll be heading back to Milwaukee early. Dr. Legha said we would probably take a break from treatment for 3 - 6 months and then re-evaluate the tumors to see how they're behaving. He has a few drugs up his sleeve as a secondary form of treatment that we could use if necessary. I don't know much about them, though.
We don't know why things have turned out this way but they have and now we'll deal with it. In the meantime, pray that the tumors do not grow and even shrink. That would be the real miracle!
Jeff
So what's that mean? The first thing we're going to do is have a PET scan tomorrow. Dr. Legha ordered one as a way to verify the results of the CT scan. Maybe the PET scan will show that there has indeed been shrinkage. I'll also do some blood tests on Friday so that, in the event that the PET scan does show shrinkage, I could begin the next round of treatment as soon as possible.
If the PET scan confirms the results of the CT scan, then it sounds like I'll be heading back to Milwaukee early. Dr. Legha said we would probably take a break from treatment for 3 - 6 months and then re-evaluate the tumors to see how they're behaving. He has a few drugs up his sleeve as a secondary form of treatment that we could use if necessary. I don't know much about them, though.
We don't know why things have turned out this way but they have and now we'll deal with it. In the meantime, pray that the tumors do not grow and even shrink. That would be the real miracle!
Jeff
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Hello From Houston . . .
Once again, the kids and I are in Houston. We left on Saturday night. Unfortunately, while we were en route, Jeff had to go to the Emergency room with a slight fever (101 degrees). He was still unable to hold down food and that, coupled with the fever, gave Dr. Legha enough concern that he sent Jeff back to the hospital to be evaluated. On a side note, Jeff spoke a little too soon when he posted his last blog entry. Although he went off his anti-nausea medicine and was eating well, it was short-lived and he continued to be sick and unable to eat. The emergency room did a chest x-ray and various blood tests--all of which came back normal, so Dr. Legha put Jeff on an antibiotic just to be safe and sent him home late Saturday night. He was home when we arrived around midnight, but had spent nearly all afternoon and evening at the hospital and was very worn out.
He felt a little better on Easter and has continued to feel better and better since then. I am happy to report that the Easter Bunny found us at the apartment and the kids were very happy with their Easter Baskets. We had a nice Easter dinner at the apartment and the kids spent most of the day playing with their water guns (even though it was chilly and rainy most of the day). In another exciting development--Regan lost a tooth yesterday, so the Tooth Fairy paid us a visit in Houston, as well. As long as the stork doesn't find us down here I'll be happy.
It's been a short visit--the kids leave tomorrow already to go to Aunt Michelle's wedding in Branson, Missouri. They are flying into Kansas City with Jeff's mom tomorrow afternoon and are then driving to Branson. They should be there by dinner time. Jeff and I will be very sad to see them go and equally sad to miss Michelle and Jeff's wedding. The kids want to go to the wedding, but also want to stay longer in Houston. It's going to be a hard week for them all the way around.
In the meantime, Jeff had his CT scan this morning. We go to Dr. Legha for the results tomorrow afternoon. Assuming all is well and the treatments are continuing to work, Jeff will likely be admitted to the hospital for his fifth cycle of biochemo tomorrow afternoon. Please continue to pray that the scans show more tumor shrinkage so that Jeff can continue his course of treatment. We haven't even thought about what we'll do next if he can't continue the biochemo, so failure is not an option!!
Finally, for those of you back home, I hope you'll make it over to the fundraiser that our friend, Greg Koch, put together at the community center at Hart Park. It's taking place this Friday night (April 13th), so please take advantage of this rare occasion to see Greg do what he does best--and to also see him play guitar! Ha! He's put together an amazing event featuring other world-class musicians like himself. He's also offering a guitar clinic with a little food and beverage on the side! We really can't thank him enough and wish more than anything that we could be there to thank him and all of you in person. I'll track down his web address and put it in the next blog so that you can have all the necessary details.
Until then, thank you for continuing to reach out to us. It really means more than you can imagine!
P.S. Jeff just walked in to let me know that he, too, posted a blog entry today. I didn't know we were simultaneously drafting a new entry, so I guess you get two for the price of one!
Kelly
He felt a little better on Easter and has continued to feel better and better since then. I am happy to report that the Easter Bunny found us at the apartment and the kids were very happy with their Easter Baskets. We had a nice Easter dinner at the apartment and the kids spent most of the day playing with their water guns (even though it was chilly and rainy most of the day). In another exciting development--Regan lost a tooth yesterday, so the Tooth Fairy paid us a visit in Houston, as well. As long as the stork doesn't find us down here I'll be happy.
It's been a short visit--the kids leave tomorrow already to go to Aunt Michelle's wedding in Branson, Missouri. They are flying into Kansas City with Jeff's mom tomorrow afternoon and are then driving to Branson. They should be there by dinner time. Jeff and I will be very sad to see them go and equally sad to miss Michelle and Jeff's wedding. The kids want to go to the wedding, but also want to stay longer in Houston. It's going to be a hard week for them all the way around.
In the meantime, Jeff had his CT scan this morning. We go to Dr. Legha for the results tomorrow afternoon. Assuming all is well and the treatments are continuing to work, Jeff will likely be admitted to the hospital for his fifth cycle of biochemo tomorrow afternoon. Please continue to pray that the scans show more tumor shrinkage so that Jeff can continue his course of treatment. We haven't even thought about what we'll do next if he can't continue the biochemo, so failure is not an option!!
Finally, for those of you back home, I hope you'll make it over to the fundraiser that our friend, Greg Koch, put together at the community center at Hart Park. It's taking place this Friday night (April 13th), so please take advantage of this rare occasion to see Greg do what he does best--and to also see him play guitar! Ha! He's put together an amazing event featuring other world-class musicians like himself. He's also offering a guitar clinic with a little food and beverage on the side! We really can't thank him enough and wish more than anything that we could be there to thank him and all of you in person. I'll track down his web address and put it in the next blog so that you can have all the necessary details.
Until then, thank you for continuing to reach out to us. It really means more than you can imagine!
P.S. Jeff just walked in to let me know that he, too, posted a blog entry today. I didn't know we were simultaneously drafting a new entry, so I guess you get two for the price of one!
Kelly
Hi all . . . Jeff here. Well, a lot has happened since my last post. Just when things seemed to be going well, I came down with a nasty bout of nausea and a fever, which meant a trip to the emergency room on Saturday night. The reason I had to go to the emergency room is that a fever could signify that my white blood cell counts had dropped to a level that is too low to fight off an infection. Fortunately, they didn't find a reason for the fever; my blood counts were a bit low but not too low to be of concern. So they put me on an antibiotic and sent me home. And just as I was beginning to think I would be laid low for the remainder of my recovery, things got better again. On Easter Sunday, I was feeling sluggish but was able to eat our Easter dinner. And today I feel pretty good and had a great lunch at Pappasita's Cantina, a fantastic restaurant here in Houston (I think they have locations elsewhere). It's amazing what changes can occur in just a few days.
We're having a great visit with the kids here in Houston. We took in a movie yesterday and had cake and ice cream to celebrate Aubrey's birthday since we won't be together on Thursday (her actual birthday). The kids are going to try to go swimming in the apartment pool today, too. They're so excited about getting in the water. I think they'll find it a bit cold but there's no harm in letting them dip in their toes. To a trio of Wisconsin kids, the weather down here--it's 75 today--is absolutely balmy!
One more thing I want to mention: a big thank you to Greg Koch for organizing the fundraiser this coming Saturday, April 13. I don't know what I've done to deserve such support but I'm truly grateful for everything Greg has done to support me and my family during this ordeal. He put in several hours at the earlier fundraiser and now he's doing it again. THANK YOU GREG! If you want more information about the fundraiser, go to www.doddfamilyfund.com. No one in my family will be able to attend the fundraiser as they're all going to be in Branson, Missouri for my sister's wedding, but we'll be thinking about it and giving thanks to God for good friends like Greg and everyone else involved in planning the event.
Next time I post, I should have the results of the CT scans that I took this morning. Pray for good results.
Jeff
We're having a great visit with the kids here in Houston. We took in a movie yesterday and had cake and ice cream to celebrate Aubrey's birthday since we won't be together on Thursday (her actual birthday). The kids are going to try to go swimming in the apartment pool today, too. They're so excited about getting in the water. I think they'll find it a bit cold but there's no harm in letting them dip in their toes. To a trio of Wisconsin kids, the weather down here--it's 75 today--is absolutely balmy!
One more thing I want to mention: a big thank you to Greg Koch for organizing the fundraiser this coming Saturday, April 13. I don't know what I've done to deserve such support but I'm truly grateful for everything Greg has done to support me and my family during this ordeal. He put in several hours at the earlier fundraiser and now he's doing it again. THANK YOU GREG! If you want more information about the fundraiser, go to www.doddfamilyfund.com. No one in my family will be able to attend the fundraiser as they're all going to be in Branson, Missouri for my sister's wedding, but we'll be thinking about it and giving thanks to God for good friends like Greg and everyone else involved in planning the event.
Next time I post, I should have the results of the CT scans that I took this morning. Pray for good results.
Jeff
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Blood counts on the rise
Hi all . . . Jeff here. I just wanted to post a blog to let you know my blood counts are back on the rise so I'm off Neupogen for another couple of weeks. Recovery is coming around and I'm able to eat just about anything once again. That means I have about one week to load up on the calories before we begin the next round of treatment. Keep praying that my scans come back good so that I can begin the next round of treatment.
Otherwise, I'm looking forward to Kelly and the kids arriving this weekend. I haven't seen Aubrey, Regan, or Jack in about a month, which is too long. We'll have a nice Easter weekend together before I go into the hospital and they head off to Branson, Missouri to attend my sister's wedding. I wish I could go with them to help them all celebrate. I'm really getting homesick. All of my dreams are of being home in Wauwatosa!
Thanks for the continued support. This has been a long fight so far and the end still seems a long way off. I wouldn't be able to do it without all of your prayers and care.
Jeff
Otherwise, I'm looking forward to Kelly and the kids arriving this weekend. I haven't seen Aubrey, Regan, or Jack in about a month, which is too long. We'll have a nice Easter weekend together before I go into the hospital and they head off to Branson, Missouri to attend my sister's wedding. I wish I could go with them to help them all celebrate. I'm really getting homesick. All of my dreams are of being home in Wauwatosa!
Thanks for the continued support. This has been a long fight so far and the end still seems a long way off. I wouldn't be able to do it without all of your prayers and care.
Jeff
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
More Blood Tests . . .
Hi All:
Kelly here for another quick report. Jeff had his blood tests on Monday and his counts are still very low. He's going in again today (Wednesday) to have more tests to see if they have gone up at all. In the meantime, he continues to take his shots to increase his counts and it sounds like the doctor will just keep monitoring him until they are back up where they need to be to start the next round of biochemo. He is still very fatigued and spends most of his time sleeping or resting on the couch in the apartment. He occasionally reads the paper or a magazine, but, for now, prefers to read things that are "mindless and light." (Which, ironically, is the name I have selected for my autobiography!).
So, please send him best wishes for a quick rebound so that he will have the energy and immune system necessary to have fun with the kids when they come visit on Saturday. And, it isn't too soon to start praying for good scans on April 10th so that Jeff can continue with the biochemo for two more rounds.
Because I have little else to report about Jeff at the moment, please forgive my self-indulgence as I share the latest news about ME! I saw the OB yesterday and he approved one more trip to Houston. When I return, I'll be 36 weeks along and we agree that any trips to Houston beyond that point are ill-advised. However, he does not believe that I am at risk for pre-term labor and is confident that because I had three other full-term babies, this one will follow suit and come along as planned and not too soon. In other words, I will probably have the baby on the airplane on Saturday. (Tee hee!)
So, until my next update, take care and Thank You all for your continued prayers!
Kelly
Kelly here for another quick report. Jeff had his blood tests on Monday and his counts are still very low. He's going in again today (Wednesday) to have more tests to see if they have gone up at all. In the meantime, he continues to take his shots to increase his counts and it sounds like the doctor will just keep monitoring him until they are back up where they need to be to start the next round of biochemo. He is still very fatigued and spends most of his time sleeping or resting on the couch in the apartment. He occasionally reads the paper or a magazine, but, for now, prefers to read things that are "mindless and light." (Which, ironically, is the name I have selected for my autobiography!).
So, please send him best wishes for a quick rebound so that he will have the energy and immune system necessary to have fun with the kids when they come visit on Saturday. And, it isn't too soon to start praying for good scans on April 10th so that Jeff can continue with the biochemo for two more rounds.
Because I have little else to report about Jeff at the moment, please forgive my self-indulgence as I share the latest news about ME! I saw the OB yesterday and he approved one more trip to Houston. When I return, I'll be 36 weeks along and we agree that any trips to Houston beyond that point are ill-advised. However, he does not believe that I am at risk for pre-term labor and is confident that because I had three other full-term babies, this one will follow suit and come along as planned and not too soon. In other words, I will probably have the baby on the airplane on Saturday. (Tee hee!)
So, until my next update, take care and Thank You all for your continued prayers!
Kelly
Sunday, April 1, 2007
From Milwaukee
Greetings from Milwaukee!
Jeff got out of the hospital on Wednesday, so I returned home on Friday. I want to send a big Thank You to my brother John and sister-in-law Anni for the great job they did tending to the kids and the house for the past week. I was totally impressed and wish they didn't have to go home to Kansas City. However, my other brother, Jim, is here now from Alabama and has made an effortless transition. We have a busy week ahead of us before I take the kids back to Houston next Saturday for Easter break. They are SO EXCITED to see their Dad!!
Jeff had blood tests on Friday and his counts are still very low. He's continued to take his daily dose of Neupogen (to increase his white count) and his weekly Procrit shot (to increase his red count). He's been tired and worn out with his blood counts so low, but he has still managed to talk on the phone to the kids every night, so hopefully he is on the up-swing. He has his blood tested again on Monday. Pray it all goes well. Pray too that he has good scan results on April 10th. On April 10th he'll undergo another CT scan to monitor the effectiveness of the biochemo and to see if the lesions have continued to shrink. If the CT scan shows continued shrinkage, Jeff will likely go back into the hospital on April 11th for his fifth cycle of biochemo. If the scan does not show further shrinkage, it sounds like Dr. Legha will abandon the biochemo and have to suggest a "Plan B." So, here we are again praying for "good" scans that will allow Jeff to keep going forward with treatment.
So far, it sounds like despite being tired and worn out Jeff is having an easier time this week than he did during his last recovery week after cycle three (he just finished cycle four). Last time, he was plagued with nausea and could not keep food down. He lost a lot of weight and was getting discouraged. He still has some nausea, but has managed to eat--which is something he wasn't able to do last time at this point. So, I hope he continues to feel better and better.
We will have a lot of fun this time in Houston--we will celebrate both Easter and Aubrey's 12th birthday! Regan was concerned that the Easter Bunny would not be able to find them in Houston, but I assured her he will know where she is and how to find her and she will not be disappointed. We'll try to celebrate Aubrey's birthday with a picnic and swimming party at the apartment's pool if the weather is nice. Hopefully, the next birthday we celebrate will be the baby's!
Well, I don't have much else to report. I'll give you all another update as soon as I have more news. Until then, be well.
Kelly
Jeff got out of the hospital on Wednesday, so I returned home on Friday. I want to send a big Thank You to my brother John and sister-in-law Anni for the great job they did tending to the kids and the house for the past week. I was totally impressed and wish they didn't have to go home to Kansas City. However, my other brother, Jim, is here now from Alabama and has made an effortless transition. We have a busy week ahead of us before I take the kids back to Houston next Saturday for Easter break. They are SO EXCITED to see their Dad!!
Jeff had blood tests on Friday and his counts are still very low. He's continued to take his daily dose of Neupogen (to increase his white count) and his weekly Procrit shot (to increase his red count). He's been tired and worn out with his blood counts so low, but he has still managed to talk on the phone to the kids every night, so hopefully he is on the up-swing. He has his blood tested again on Monday. Pray it all goes well. Pray too that he has good scan results on April 10th. On April 10th he'll undergo another CT scan to monitor the effectiveness of the biochemo and to see if the lesions have continued to shrink. If the CT scan shows continued shrinkage, Jeff will likely go back into the hospital on April 11th for his fifth cycle of biochemo. If the scan does not show further shrinkage, it sounds like Dr. Legha will abandon the biochemo and have to suggest a "Plan B." So, here we are again praying for "good" scans that will allow Jeff to keep going forward with treatment.
So far, it sounds like despite being tired and worn out Jeff is having an easier time this week than he did during his last recovery week after cycle three (he just finished cycle four). Last time, he was plagued with nausea and could not keep food down. He lost a lot of weight and was getting discouraged. He still has some nausea, but has managed to eat--which is something he wasn't able to do last time at this point. So, I hope he continues to feel better and better.
We will have a lot of fun this time in Houston--we will celebrate both Easter and Aubrey's 12th birthday! Regan was concerned that the Easter Bunny would not be able to find them in Houston, but I assured her he will know where she is and how to find her and she will not be disappointed. We'll try to celebrate Aubrey's birthday with a picnic and swimming party at the apartment's pool if the weather is nice. Hopefully, the next birthday we celebrate will be the baby's!
Well, I don't have much else to report. I'll give you all another update as soon as I have more news. Until then, be well.
Kelly
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