Hope everyone is getting ready for the holidays and enjoying themselves! It's been a bit since the blog has been updated, and yes, things have been happening - but wanted to let everyone know that we haven't forgotten about you - so here is the latest.
Jerry had another biopsy last Thursday, this time on the tumor itself. We will not have any results back from this untili after the first of the year due to the hoilday and the turn around time on getting results back from the Pathologist. We won't know more on the course of treatment for another week or so. Depending on how the tests come back, and what type of tissue they determine is in the tumor, the course of action will either be Chemo treatments or Radiation treatments- or a slim possiblity of both.
We met with the doctor last Monday, the 15th and he told us why they postponed the surgery... the PET scans came back positive and they saw that the Cancer has spread to his bones. Since then, we've also found out late last week that the Cancer has also decided to spread to his Lymph Nodes (yes, the original tests said those were clear, but upon further reading of the scans, they have found Cancer there as well). So, we now have Cancer in the Liver, the Lymph Nodes and the bones - and a lovely size tumor sitting in the liver and causing some pain as well. All in all, not much fun for Jerry.
Upon asking the doctor what he thought of us getting a second opinion, he was all for it. We have done some research on the Mayo Clinic in Minneapolis and MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX (thanks Tanya!) and it looks like Jerry is leaning towards going to MD Anderson for a second opinion. His thoughts are it's exclusively a Cancer Center, and also seems that he, our father and myself all have people that have either been through there themselves or close relatives that have gone and all have benefited and liked the facility and treatment they received. So, the next step is trying to get an appointment in there and moving forward as quickly as possible.
On the personal side: Jerry, mom and dad all drove back to Iowa last Saturday, the 20th and Jerry is surrounded by family and the kiddies that were super excited to see him. He is resting about the same as he was in KC, and is now on a new pain medication which (he says) seems to help him a lot better - that in conjunction with Tylenol seem to be helping him cope. He has even managed to acquire a test for Diet Coke again (in moderation, but it's there!).
Today he is trying a different method of relaxation: a full body massage! So, we'll see if that helps him out and hopefully, enable him to enjoy the upcoming holidays with a smile of good rest and no pain.
As of now, not sure how long Jerry will stay in North Liberty, IA - all depends on if any doctor appointments pop up, or a need to get to KC or MD Anderson comes sooner than later - but we'll keep you all posted on that.
All in all- we are still in this fight, and stronger than ever! Here's hoping that everyone has a safe, warm and fantastic holidays and we'll "talk" to you soon!
Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukkah & Happy Holidays!
Love,
Us
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
And Around the Ring We Go Again..
As many of you probably already saw, we didn't have the surgery for Jerry this morning.
Unfortunately, the PET scan came back this morning and the tumor/Cancer has metastasised in the bones. They have noticed 3 anomalies in the bones and are having the radiologist and oncologist verify the diagnosis. For now, the surgery has been postponed indefinitely.
In the meantime, they will do a biopsy on the tumor to determine what TYPE of tumor is in the liver: A Bile Duct Tumor or a Liver Cell Tumor, or a combination of both. This result will determine the treatment that they do.
For now, they are managing the pain (which is still ever present) and may embolize the tumor to help with the pain and bleeding within it. Most likely, there will be several rounds of Chemotherapy in the future. Radiation MAY be a possiblity, but again, depends on the results from the biopsy.
Nothing will be determined until after the first of the year as it will take time to get pathology results, schedule treatments and get doctor opinions back. We are also looking into obtaining a second opinion.
Lots still up in the air .. but manageable and still positive.
Jerry wants everyone to know that he appreciates the flood of support that he has received from everyone and the positive outflowing of love, friendship and assistance. Please know that he is around at home, however, the next few days he is taking a few "quiet" days to try and process all of this and determine what his next steps will be.
Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers.
Love,
Us
Unfortunately, the PET scan came back this morning and the tumor/Cancer has metastasised in the bones. They have noticed 3 anomalies in the bones and are having the radiologist and oncologist verify the diagnosis. For now, the surgery has been postponed indefinitely.
In the meantime, they will do a biopsy on the tumor to determine what TYPE of tumor is in the liver: A Bile Duct Tumor or a Liver Cell Tumor, or a combination of both. This result will determine the treatment that they do.
For now, they are managing the pain (which is still ever present) and may embolize the tumor to help with the pain and bleeding within it. Most likely, there will be several rounds of Chemotherapy in the future. Radiation MAY be a possiblity, but again, depends on the results from the biopsy.
Nothing will be determined until after the first of the year as it will take time to get pathology results, schedule treatments and get doctor opinions back. We are also looking into obtaining a second opinion.
Lots still up in the air .. but manageable and still positive.
Jerry wants everyone to know that he appreciates the flood of support that he has received from everyone and the positive outflowing of love, friendship and assistance. Please know that he is around at home, however, the next few days he is taking a few "quiet" days to try and process all of this and determine what his next steps will be.
Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers.
Love,
Us
The Hits Keep Coming...
So, it looks like there will be no surgery today.... unfortunately, the PET scans came back positive this morning and the Doctor doesn't think it's a good idea to do surgery at this point.
We don't have any more information at this point - but will let everyone know as soon as the Docter calls back with the next steps in this saga.
Keep praying and check back later for more informaiton.
We don't have any more information at this point - but will let everyone know as soon as the Docter calls back with the next steps in this saga.
Keep praying and check back later for more informaiton.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Surgery Information
Jerry's surgery will be at 12:00 pm on Monday, December 15th at KUMed (same hospital he was in at the beginning of the month). He will be checked into the hospital around 10:00 am. If something opens up earlier in the day, he might be able to get into the morning slot, but for now, he's set at noon.
I will attempt to update the blog throughout the surgery as possible. But for sure, we'll post something Monday night after the surgery has completed. Keep in mind the surgery is approximately 7-8 hours long, so there may not be much to report until later in the evening.
The family will be at the hospital and we should have cell reception while there (not sure the hospitals' policy on cell phone useage or anything). You can try Marilyn (mom) at (319) 331-6162 or me at (310) 595-4045 or sherri.cahill@napster.com (gotta love the technology age and blackberry).
Keep up those positive thoughts and prayers and we are in the final stretch here.
~ Sherri
I will attempt to update the blog throughout the surgery as possible. But for sure, we'll post something Monday night after the surgery has completed. Keep in mind the surgery is approximately 7-8 hours long, so there may not be much to report until later in the evening.
The family will be at the hospital and we should have cell reception while there (not sure the hospitals' policy on cell phone useage or anything). You can try Marilyn (mom) at (319) 331-6162 or me at (310) 595-4045 or sherri.cahill@napster.com (gotta love the technology age and blackberry).
Keep up those positive thoughts and prayers and we are in the final stretch here.
~ Sherri
WOO Woo WOO Woo WOO!
Ok, so for those of you that know our dad, you will understand THAT chant (and imagine the jig that goes along with it) ... for those of you that don't.. apologies - but let's say it's a GREAT thing - much along the lines of an ecstatic cheer or shouts of joy.
Yes, that's right - some good news in all this calamity that has befallen Jerry the past few weeks.
Today Jerry received the results from his biopsy last Friday as well as the results from yesterday's bone scan. Still waiting on the PET results from today.
Drum Roll please.......
Lymph Node Biopsy: ALL CLEAR. NEGATIVE. No Cancer cells AT ALL. In case you don't quite understand: THE CANCER HAS NOT SPREAD! It is no where else in Jerry's body. AMEN to THAT!
Body Scan: ALL CLEAR. Bones were great. (I won't bore you with the terminology or anything)
So, spirits are high and things are looking up! Yeah BABY!
Yes, that's right - some good news in all this calamity that has befallen Jerry the past few weeks.
Today Jerry received the results from his biopsy last Friday as well as the results from yesterday's bone scan. Still waiting on the PET results from today.
Drum Roll please.......
Lymph Node Biopsy: ALL CLEAR. NEGATIVE. No Cancer cells AT ALL. In case you don't quite understand: THE CANCER HAS NOT SPREAD! It is no where else in Jerry's body. AMEN to THAT!
Body Scan: ALL CLEAR. Bones were great. (I won't bore you with the terminology or anything)
So, spirits are high and things are looking up! Yeah BABY!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
The Whirling Dervish of Change
Well, no sooner did I post that last update and things changed ...
Jerry is going in for a bone scan tomorrow afternoon and then a PET scan on Friday morning. Both will be outpatient procedures, so no re-admittance to the hospital necessary.
Jerry's regular doctor phoned to check in on him and when he discovered how much pain he was in as well as the fact that the oncologist and other docs hadn't yet scheduled him for the Chemotherapy, he took a stand, decided that he'd had enough of all this and that he wants to move forward with the surgery (as originally planned). He feels that if they do the chemo, wait one month and then do a CT scan and still possibly have to do the surgery -it's too much on Jerry and his body - and especially with the amount of pain that he is in - so it's off to surgery we go... and boy did he fast track it.
They are in the process of scheduling Jerry for surgery, but we do know for certain that he will have surgery on the liver tumor on Monday, December 15th. The time is yet to be confirmed, but hopefully, the morning surgery slot (8 or 8:30 am). He will be back at KU Med for the surgery and recovery.
Once the surgery is complete, Jerry will be in the hosptial for at least one week before being released.
That is all I know at this point - more to come as things fall into place.
Love,
Sherri
Jerry is going in for a bone scan tomorrow afternoon and then a PET scan on Friday morning. Both will be outpatient procedures, so no re-admittance to the hospital necessary.
Jerry's regular doctor phoned to check in on him and when he discovered how much pain he was in as well as the fact that the oncologist and other docs hadn't yet scheduled him for the Chemotherapy, he took a stand, decided that he'd had enough of all this and that he wants to move forward with the surgery (as originally planned). He feels that if they do the chemo, wait one month and then do a CT scan and still possibly have to do the surgery -it's too much on Jerry and his body - and especially with the amount of pain that he is in - so it's off to surgery we go... and boy did he fast track it.
They are in the process of scheduling Jerry for surgery, but we do know for certain that he will have surgery on the liver tumor on Monday, December 15th. The time is yet to be confirmed, but hopefully, the morning surgery slot (8 or 8:30 am). He will be back at KU Med for the surgery and recovery.
Once the surgery is complete, Jerry will be in the hosptial for at least one week before being released.
That is all I know at this point - more to come as things fall into place.
Love,
Sherri
Do Doctors Intentionally Stall?
We heard from the doctor on Tuesday morning, however, we were hoping for more information by the end of the day yesterday or first thing today- no such luck. So here is the latest “progress” report on Jerry.
They will not have the pathology results from the biopsy until the end of this week, perhaps early next week, however, the oncologist, liver specialists and doctors all consulted Monday afternoon and have decided on a different course of action. They are still planning on doing a bone scan within the next week or so, and may do a few additional tests that they deem necessary.
The big change is that instead of performing surgery on the tumor and removing over 60% of the liver, they have opted to go for Chemotherapy. Yes, I said Chemo. The type of Chemo they are planning on is called “Chemo-C” or Concentrated Chemotherapy. This means that Jerry will have one bout of Chemo (at most 2 if necessary) and the chemo is injected directly into the tumor. They are hoping to shrink the tumor as much as possible. They say there is no hair loss or other major side effects with this type- that patients often feel like they have the flu for a few days, and that’s about it.
They are trying to figure out when they can get him in for the chemo- sometime in the next 2 weeks or so, depending on all the doctors schedules involved. He will for sure have this treatment done by the end of the year. This is the hold up right now in trying to get him into the hospital and on the schedule.
After the bout of Chemo, they will then wait approx. one month and do another CT scan to see how the tumor has progressed/shrunk. The next step after that MAY be to do a liver transplant at that time. If they tumor hasn’t shrunk enough for them to do the transplant, then they will go in and do the original surgery of removing a percentage of the liver housing the tumor and the area around the tumor. At this point, the earliest Jerry would have surgery (of any kind) would be mid-late January.
It’s not expected that he should have to return to the hospital, other than for the Chemo treatment and bone scans – and will be at home. Not sure at this point if he can return to work yet – I think that will depend upon how the treatment goes and how he reacts.
Jerry goes in to see his regular doctor tomorrow and hopefully at that time, they will be able to determine when they can get him in for the Chemo. If not, heads will start crackin’ as they are dragging their feet too long. ;)
The last few days for Jerry have been hard. The pain is still ever present and the pain meds only do so much. The pain is making it difficult for him to sleep and of course, this waiting game isn’t helping any - but he is hanging in there with a pretty positive attitude.
That's all for now. Keep your thoughts and spirits up for Jerry and we'll let you know more once we know more.
They will not have the pathology results from the biopsy until the end of this week, perhaps early next week, however, the oncologist, liver specialists and doctors all consulted Monday afternoon and have decided on a different course of action. They are still planning on doing a bone scan within the next week or so, and may do a few additional tests that they deem necessary.
The big change is that instead of performing surgery on the tumor and removing over 60% of the liver, they have opted to go for Chemotherapy. Yes, I said Chemo. The type of Chemo they are planning on is called “Chemo-C” or Concentrated Chemotherapy. This means that Jerry will have one bout of Chemo (at most 2 if necessary) and the chemo is injected directly into the tumor. They are hoping to shrink the tumor as much as possible. They say there is no hair loss or other major side effects with this type- that patients often feel like they have the flu for a few days, and that’s about it.
They are trying to figure out when they can get him in for the chemo- sometime in the next 2 weeks or so, depending on all the doctors schedules involved. He will for sure have this treatment done by the end of the year. This is the hold up right now in trying to get him into the hospital and on the schedule.
After the bout of Chemo, they will then wait approx. one month and do another CT scan to see how the tumor has progressed/shrunk. The next step after that MAY be to do a liver transplant at that time. If they tumor hasn’t shrunk enough for them to do the transplant, then they will go in and do the original surgery of removing a percentage of the liver housing the tumor and the area around the tumor. At this point, the earliest Jerry would have surgery (of any kind) would be mid-late January.
It’s not expected that he should have to return to the hospital, other than for the Chemo treatment and bone scans – and will be at home. Not sure at this point if he can return to work yet – I think that will depend upon how the treatment goes and how he reacts.
Jerry goes in to see his regular doctor tomorrow and hopefully at that time, they will be able to determine when they can get him in for the Chemo. If not, heads will start crackin’ as they are dragging their feet too long. ;)
The last few days for Jerry have been hard. The pain is still ever present and the pain meds only do so much. The pain is making it difficult for him to sleep and of course, this waiting game isn’t helping any - but he is hanging in there with a pretty positive attitude.
That's all for now. Keep your thoughts and spirits up for Jerry and we'll let you know more once we know more.
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