Tailgating for chemo?

It may sound strange but today we are tailgating at the Infusion Lab at the hospital. Chairs are limited, unless you are a patient, so I brought my own seat to sit in today. Me and my favorite, Penn State tailgating chair complete with cup holder and my cooler filled to the brim with gatorades, waters and sandwiches have popped a squat at the foot of Andrew's Barcalounger, where he is receiving chemo today. He looks good, though he is asleep right now, resting peacefully from the Ativan he took earlier from the slight nausea he was experiencing. Though I'm sure some of the nausea is from the chemo, after he ate lunch, he felt a lot better.
Andrew's loves the infusion lab, aside from the fact that they let him go home everyday, it's normally quiet and relaxing and he has his own personal nurse that are within arms reach every second he is here. He feel comfortable here and is well cared for by Nam, his wonderful nurse. Though the regiment of Istopside and Ethoside haven't changed, the way in much the saline/potassium mix is being incorporated into his port has shifted. The mix is now added during the entire time the chemos are injected, about a 3 hour time frame, which allows for a little bit of overall time to be taken off of the whole process. The less time he has to spend here, the better in his mind.
Andrew should be done and we should be on our way home by 3 pm today, maybe even earlier. Then he can go home and rest and I can, yet again, return to Macy's and take his suit back that he bought for Lanhi and Gary's rehearsal dinner this weekend. You would think that when the tailor hung the pants on the hanger he could have seen the 2 inch difference between the left and the right leg --- that's right, he only tailored one leg of the pants ....... rediculous. Hopefully when I return from the mall, Andrew will be up for dinner. Then it's off to bed to do it all again tomorrow. Overall today has been on ok day..... easily controlled by medicine. That's all we can hope for everyday.
This weekend is Lanhi and Gary's wedding for him to look forward to. Next week is an appointment with a radiation oncologist and another onthopaedic oncologist in the DC area.
Tune in next time for Andrew, Day 2 of chemo!!!! And the excitement continues.......

Live long and prosper!!!

Humpty Dumpty

I've been a little delinquent with updating the site and I apologize to my loyal readers. Since Andrew left the hospital, he has been doing very well and has needed little to no anti-nausea medicine to keep him going with his regular routine. Andrew and I both went back to work this past week and tried to resume a normal schedule. We (and Steve) also went to Johns Hopkins on Wednesday to meet with Dr. Kristy Weber, Andrew's orthopedic oncologist. The meeting was informative, concerning and left us all with a lot to think about. Dr. Weber explained the best and worst case scenarios of surgery. Best case scenario, the tumor has shrunk and only a small amount of the Ischium and Pubic Bone (area 3 and 4) and the muscles and tendons around the infected area would need to be removed, and possibly a horseshoe shaped mechanism could be reattached to the hip bone (area 2) to form a pseudo hip joint. His mobility would be compromised but the length of his leg would stay relatively the same length. Worst case, the entire area(area 3 and 4) and the part of the hip joint (area 2) has to be removed, no mechanism put in its place and his leg could ultimately be about 2-4 inches shorter than his right leg leaving him with less mobility, needing lefts on his shoes and at least a cane for the rest of his life. We won't know exactly how bad surgery would be until he has his next scan in week 13 (we are starting week 11 today).
Now its up to us ... to find a doctor who is willing and able to try and rebuild the part of the hip that will need to be removed. We are all on a hunt for any orthopedic oncologist in the country who is doing an kind of experimental treatment or surgery to reconstruct Andrew's hip. I know we will find someone. Andrew is having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that if the surgery has to be done, he will walk in normal and walk out a completely different and ever changed man. There is a possible alternative to surgery ... radiation therapy. Though at first glace, it sounds like a better option; little to no nausea, just a few minutes a day for 5-6 weeks, no real pain; the long lasting side effects can be hard to stomach; the return of cancer, liver, kidney and bladder issues or failure, heart issues. But we will be meeting with a radiation oncologist associated with Johns Hopkins the Tuesday after Labor Day. She will help shed some light on radiation and help us to better make a decision.
Whatever is done will probably happen between weeks 12-18 of the treatment.... so right around the corner. As for now, we will continue to see other doctors until we find one ..... who can put Humpty together again.......

Sayanora!

TGI.....W

As a rule, most people's favorite day of the week is Friday. It's the last day of work for the week and the pre-show for the weekend and whatever is to come. Wednesday is traditionally just called 'hump day', the day you get through to get closer to Friday ... but in our house during 3-day inpatient treatments, Wednesday is the best Day of the week..... TGIW!!!!
Andrew is doing fairly well for the amount of chemo that he has received in such a short amount of time. He has been eating, at least something, 3 times a day, which is wonderful. Nutrition will help him to keep his strength up. It also shows us that he is not as nauseous as he was during his first 3 day treatment. He hopes to be done with his treatment around 1:30ish today and he will be able to leave shortly after that and go to our home and be in his own bed, resting.
He's been a real trooper this week and we hope it continues throughout the weekend. Thursday and Friday he will come back to the hospital, as an outpatient, to receive fluid injections that last about 2 hours a piece. This helps to keep him hydrated and just overall makes him feel better. Gwen and Steve are planning to stay until Saturday morning to help out. By then, hopefully, Andrew will be strong enough to start getting back to normal.
As for me, I'm still working from the hospital, doctors office, house, my office... etc, any where I can get interact access and any time I have a minute. Students lives, problems, med school applications, problems... oh did I say Problems, never stop and they don't care what's going on with you, because their problem is always bigger. But besides that, I'm good.
But for now, Andrew is taking a nap and just waiting for the last of the chemo to finish dripping so he can go home and see his 'Stinky' (our dog Winston) who is anxiously awaiting his arrival.
Thanks for all the emails, phone calls, notes, cards and overall thoughts and prayers. Andrew is benefiting tremendously from all of the positive energy.

Tootle Loo .......

Life's a Beach ....

While most of you are spending your summer vacation somewhere warm like the Outer Banks, our family is enjoying the chilly arctic air pumped through the vents in Reston Hospital. Yes, that's right folks, Andrew has turned Room 573 into his own winter wonder land. The balmy 45 degree weather in his room, has forced everyone to dig out their favorite winter parkas, heavy wool socks and ear muffs, just to come in and visit him. He, on the other hand, is comfortable in shorts and a short sleeved button up, and still need to change his sopping wet clothes twice each day, just to stay dry himself. While the rest of DC smolders with the 100 degree days, we at the hospital shiver, wondering when this cold spell will end.
As you can imagine, the chemo mixed with the kidney recovery medicine, Mesna, makes Andrew very hot and uncomfortable but with the low temperature in his room, he seems to be staying at ease. In comparison to the last 3 day treatment, Andrew is not experiencing the extreme nausea that he had before. The Emend pill, that he continues to take for the overall nausea, seems to be working for him. The hospital still gives him his regular dose of Phernagan every 6 hours to keep his nausea under control, but he is eating well and able to stay awake (well sometimes) and have interacts with us. It's a great sign that this treatment will be bearable as well.
Gwen and Steve are here now and Lynn and Pete are heading to visit Adam for the remainder of the week. We can't thank everyone enough for all of the help, love and support. If all goes well, Andrew will be able to come back home tomorrow (wed) in the mid-afternoon. But for now he is resting comfortably counting down the hours until he is home in his own bed watching his own TV. Thanks for everything.

Godspeed......

Family Fun Time

What a great weekend .... Pete, Linda, Adam and Nikki came to visit us and we put them to work. From Thursday evening to Sunday, Pete, Adam and Andrew worked hard in the sweltering heat and put in new doors to our townhouse. They are not much different in design from our original doors but, boy, can you tell a difference in how they close and actually seal. Thanks to everyone for the help this weekend. The door look great and it was wonderful to see you all.
We were also happy to be able to meet up with Lanhi and Gary who were visiting the area. Thanks for the visit and please come back and visit us again soon!!
But even good things have to come to an end. Andrew is back in the hospital today receiving his 3rd round of chemo. He will be in the hospital until Wednesday receiving his treatment continuously for the next 48 hours. This treatment is a real 'kick in the ass' but Andrew has a better attitude overall which is helping him get through. He had a minor set-back today with his port malfunctioning this morning, but all is well now and he is hooked up and on his way.
Andrew even felt well enough to eat family dinner with us tonight. Mom and I made chicken Parmesan, noodles, salad and bread for dinner and he had 2 helpings. (My good little eater.) We set up the reception area with a table and chairs just like at home. But besides that it has been a very usual day. Well, usual if you have cancer and are receiving chemo ... not normal to most.
Parent swap day is tomorrow. Lynn and Pete will be continuing on with their traveling show and heading to Adam's house to set up shop for a few days and Gwen and Steve will be taking their place. Winston is sad to see his Nana and Pap Pap Bozick go, but is happy to get a little sleep without Nana around forcing him to stay awake and play with her all day. It's exhausting being a cute bulldog 24/7.
We also want to thank everyone for all of the wonderful cards and emails we have received recently. We are happy to have Andrew in every one's thoughts and prayers each day.

Y'all come back now..... you hear!!

Recap of the week

It's strange to have a bit of normalcy and not have anything pressing to report. Andrew handled his last treatment with such ease and has continued to go to work each day and keep himself busy. We celebrated our 3rd anniversary on July 29th .... 3 years of bliss is what Andrew calls it. I hear a bit of sarcasm in his voice when he says it, but I choose to ignore it!!!
He also had 2 good doctors appointments last week and will have a final one this Friday to make sure that his counts have rebounded enough to begin the next inpatient 3-day treatment next Monday. And the vicious cycle repeats itself.
Linda, Pete, Adam and Nikki (Adam's lady friend) are planning a visit this weekend to help Andrew and I put in a new front and back door to our house. As long as Andrew feels good, we are keeping the home improvement projects on schedule. As most of you know, Pete has to have some sort of home improvement project to accomplish every time he visits or who knows what he will get himself in to. I joke and say that Andrew will go into the hospital and come home a week later and ask ... where does that door go to? ... and my response will be .... well we left Pete in the house alone for a week, so he added a whole new wing onto our townhouse and that's the door that will get you there!! I joke, but you all know it's true!!
Gwen and Steve will also be making an appearance some time next week to relieve Lynn and Pete before they head to Adam's house for a few more days of home improvement madness.
Andrew and I will also be traveling to Johns Hopkins on Aug 19th to meet with Dr. Kristy Weber to discuss some, if any, of his surgical options. We look forward to hearing more about what comes next!!!
But besides that we are just gearing up for the weekend of the fam visiting and hope to meet up with Gary and Lanhi while they are in the area this weekend. We are also getting ready for their wedding in the next few weeks. So life goes on ... maybe not just as planned ... my clipboard of fun didn't have this detour on it! ... but we're taking each day as it comes and just putting one foot in front of the other.

See you later alligator .....