Mr. and Mrs. Gary Tier!!!

Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers throughout the weekend. Andrew and I had a wonderful time at Lanhi and Gary's wedding. Andrew did great. He was able to make it through the rehearsal dinner, ceremony and wedding with ease. It was very important to Andrew to be there for his best friend on his wedding day and I am so glad the wedding went off without a hitch and he was in attendance.
We were also very happy to get to spend time with Billy and Laura and all of Andrew's family on Sunday. Thank you to everyone for making time this weekend to see Andrew. Laughter and Friends are definitely the best medicine.
Andrew and I have a couple of big weeks a head of us. He has his 13 week scan tomorrow ... which personally has me on pins and needles right now. The scan will help us to determine what's next, radiation or surgery. Whatever we decide, it will be life changing in its own way.
Congratulations again to the new Mr. and Mrs. Gary Tier ..... have a wonderful honeymoon and we can't wait to see you when you return.

Good tidings ....

One day till wedding day ....

Well not our wedding day, that was 3 years ago, but the wedding of Lanhi and Gary Tier which Andrew and I have been gearing up for all week. Andrew is doing good today, not terrific but good. The chemo takes a toll on him by this point in the week. His spirits are good though and that's important. And I can tell he's excited to go to the wedding. We have a 3 pm train that we hope to catch. Andrew's chemo should end around 12:30 pm today. Perfect for us to get home and get to the train.
This weekend will be a long one for him so we ask for as many thoughts and prayers for him as possible. He's strong but his strength only goes so far and then the side effects of the chemo overwhelm him. I hope on the train to NJ he can get a nap before we have to attend the rehearsal dinner this evening.
Congrats to Lanhi and Gary who will be marrying at Jasna Polana in Princeton, NJ tomorrow evening. Andrew is honored to be in the wedding and we wish you both a lifetime of health and happiness.

Here comes the bride ..... all dressed in white!!!

Alert and Awake

Tuesday was a pretty uneventful day. Andrew's chemo went as scheduled and he did well with little nausea. Today is much of the same. Thank goodness the Infusion Lab at the hospital is beautiful and new. It helps to actually be able to see the outside from the large windows that line the walls of the room, since we can't be outside enjoying it. We've been lucky this week, the weather has cooperated allowing Andrew a little time outside each night. Fresh air is good for the body and the soul.
All we can hope is that the treatments continue to progress the same as they have been going. As long as all goes well today, we hope to stop by Men's Warehouse on the way home and pick up Andrew's tuxedo for Gary and Lanhi's wedding this weekend ... fingers crossed that it fits. With all of the drugs and steroids in his system, he tends to 'bulk up' during the treatments themselves. I can tell by how swollen his fingers are right now that its the case for this round too.
Though his appetite and spirits have been great during this round, his short term memory is severely suffering during this round of treatment. The doctors said that this is normal and just a side effect of the chemo and the Adivan mixture. It's almost like he has amnesia or Alzheimer's. Anyone who is reading this that will see him at the wedding this weekend, please be patient with him and understand that he may not remember recent conversations he has had with you or simple things you tell him. It's ok to remind him over and over again, because he usually doesn't remember you told him before. The side effect should subside as the medicine gets out of his body. But as for now, its lists, lists, lists ... remind, remind, remind.
So he's doing well today.... forgetful memory and all. We are looking forward to having Jeremy at the house tonight. He will be driving one of our cars back to NJ on Thursday with all of our weekend attire and Winnie -- the best bulldog in the world. Andrew and I will join by train after his chemo ends on Friday.
But for now we sit back, relax and continue working until his chemo is complete today. Thank you to everyone for the wonderful and encouraging notes, thoughts and prayers you send everyday. I think they're working!!!

Stay cool ......

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......