Thank you for keeping up with Tony's status as he was battling cancer.

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Sunday, May 30, 2010

He went to worship this morning. He woke up saying his arm felt 'iffy' but it improved after he got up, so we went. Mid-afternoon, he took one of his 'reset' pills because his right arm was feeling much weaker than normal.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

He went with friends on a four-hour excursion over to Point MacKenzie (sp). He isn't trusting his arm today, so has had me do some things he might have done himself recently. Resting seems to help.

Friday, May 28, 2010

He had a small episode with his arm this evening, and took his 'reset' pill. But he also learned that he may be able to control it by just resting. He took the pill and lay down on the couch, and was almost immediately better. After a few minutes, he decided to go to bed, and it started again as he walked to his room. After laying down in bed, he is fine again.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

He says he is back to 'normal' as in 'back to what he was' before the episode yesterday. His Mom said she could see when it happened today. He was suddenly himself again. His brain is still a little fuzzy, but that is the chemo affecting him. This fuzziness happened last month, and cleared up in a few days. He took his last chemo pill today giving him two weeks off now.

Thanks for your prayers.
He is better today, but still feels unsteady compared to recently. He is also a little confused. This isn't uncommon near the end of a chemo cycle. He has taken the wrong amounts of medicines a couple of times since yesterday, so we will need to dole out the medication until he gets back to normal. Let's pray that all the problems over the last day are related to the current chemo cycle, and that they clear up in a few days.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

He had a significant episode today affecting his right arm and leg. He has improved some since the episode, but isn't back where he has been lately. He has taken his medication that is supposed to 'reset' him, and is napping/sleeping. We will see how he is tomorrow.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

He is doing the exercises assigned. He can't tell any difference yet, but this takes time.

He doesn't feel good today, so won't be going to AM worship today. I hope he feels better later. He is in the last three or four days of this chemo cycle, so it isn't surprising he doesn't feel well.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Sunday, he attended the concert for the flute choir that he was in during high school. Monday night, two friends came over and played video games until 2:30 AM. He had a lot of fun both times. Tonight, he went to devotional and bible class. He is feeling pretty good.

He started a course of physical therapy today, so now he had daily exercises to do.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

He and his Mom got home late yesterday. He seems to be fine. The sniffles appear to be due to allergy and not a cold. The doctors reduced the amount of blood thinner since he had some bleeding problems last cycle. They believe the chemo may be the main cause of the slow clotting, but they want to keep the chemo at full strength if at all possible.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

His blood count recovered, and he started his new round of chemo today. Unfortunately, he has caught the sniffles of some sort. He and his Mom are due back in Alaska Friday night. The short dose of steroids made him feel much better. I wish he could stay on them, but the long term side effects are nasty, so it isn't a good idea.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

His blood results improved a lot today over yesterday. He was at about 60% yesterday and is just over 90% today. Since he is close, they gave him some steroids that should put him over 100% tomorrow so he can start the next treatment cycle. If all goes as planned, he will be home Friday evening.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

The MRI results show that the tumor might have grown a little bit, but they can't tell for sure because the image was taken at a slightly different angle than the last one. However; swelling is way down from before, and that is a good sign. The doctors want him to remain on this treatment since it might be working when all others have failed so far.

He has to stay in Houston for a few extra days. His white blood cell count is too low to take the carboplatin (chemo) infusion today. They think he will be able to take the chemo on Thursday and fly home Friday...but that depends on his blood count.

His symptoms are worse in Houston, but the doctors said that is not unusual. Patients often don't want to leave home, don't want to travel, don't want to see the doctor, don't want to be in the hospital, don't want to be in Houston, and that amplifies any problems. The doctors think he will return to 'normal' when he gets home.

Physical therapy has been ordered for him because he has lost too much strength due to a combination of inactivity and tumor-related issues.

The doctor has cleared him to drive from a seizure perspective, but told us to try it out on some very low-traffic areas and take an honest assessment of his abilities. While possible seizures appear to be under control, it is a question of how much control he has of his right foot for gas and braking.

Thanks for your prayers and thoughts.

Monday, May 10, 2010

He hasn't been so good in Houston. He had an arm episode, and had to take his medicine for that (he hadn't needed that in about 3 weeks). His arm was shaking too bad to sign in at the doctor, and he couldn't walk far without limping or being winded. He tripped and fell on the plane. He seemed to be doing well at home...it looks like either flying or going to the doctor in Houston doesn't sit well with him. Sherri thinks it is lack of sleep. He did admit that he gets nervous before these trips and doesn't sleep very well.

Sunday, May 9, 2010

He and his Mom are in Houston today through Wednesday. The blood work and MRI are scheduled on Monday with a doctor appointment on Tuesday to talk about the results. If the results are encouraging, we expect him to fly home Wednesday with the next 28 days of medication.

Based on my personal observations, I think he is better now than he was a month ago. I hope the doctors come to the same conclusion.

We now have a car to drive while we are in Houston, and some very good friends have offered us a place to park it between visits. Thank you...you know who you are.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Tony is feeling better since this is his week off of the medicines. Next week he will be in Houston for an MRI and to start the next round of treatments. This MRI (at 8 weeks) will be the first one that has the potential to show whether or not the new treatment is working.

He is bored here, but not as bored as he is in Houston. He still gets his words confused sometimes saying the opposite from what he means (upper vs lower, pitcher vs catcher), but it went away last time when he got off his medicine...hopefully it will again.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

He went to worship this morning, and is napping to rest up for tonight. How he feels is very dependent on how much sleep and napping he gets in.
He is having some problems with nosebleeds that are hard to stop. It makes him get out less since he doesn't want to be battling one in a public place.