And so it goes....

Had a setback couple weeks ago. A bile duct blockage knocked me out of commission. It took the docs a few days to put in a fix. After three procedures I think they (finally) have the stent working OK.


Unfortunately they found more tumor activity around the blockage. I am going to see the Radiation doc next Friday as well as the people at T-GEN cancer research foundation. My doc wants them to review my case for a second opinion and a treatment plan.

I am spending a couple of days wallowing in self pity and decided it's time to get back on the horse. So, I am taking disability from work for a few weeks to concentrate on the task at hand "getting better". It just feels like I have been treading water for the last year and I think it will help me focus my efforts and allow me to more accurately assess the changes as they occur. I feel bad that the guys at the office got slammed with all of the loose ends I left. I hope one day to be able to have an opportunity to repay the favor.




The T-Gen folks are great. There is a new research trial starting on Thursday this week that they signed me up for. It's a new chemo drug that has had some success in cancer strains similar to mine.


Casey and Sean are fine and glad to be out of school. They leave in a week or so to visit Grandma in Hawaii for a couple of weeks. Nice way to kick off the summer huh?


Steven is working hard every day and making the most of his opportunities at work.

Melanie is doing her level best to manage all of our lives while taking care of everyone too.



That's all for now.... Let's everyone pray for hair and stomach friendly chemo tomorrow.....

OK, Back it up!!

Arrrgh. Not fixed yet after all. I had to call and return to the hospital at 2am this morning to obtain a new drain bag. The pain had become unbearable. I wish they had included that extra bag originially and saved me a trip. At any rate I guess we are moving to plan "C", whatever that is.

Finally!!!!

OK, They finally got it. Stent inserted and working. The external drain stays in but is capped as of Saturday. Once the scar tissue forms (the good kind) they will remove it and the correct draining will all go bck to where it is supposed to be. I spent the night in the hospital Friday night (That is routine for them but was a complete surprise to us). I didn't know I needed my toothbrush and teddy bear until I was on the table for the procedure.

More good news!!! I discovered the pharmacutical version of "The Perfect Storm". A semi restful night though for the most part.

The best thing in a while was the return of some appetite and hydraton to my system. I actually ate some roast pork and potatoes Saturday night. Other than some ramen noodles days earlier it was the first substantial food I have had in quite a few days. I also have a general feeling of wellness inside like there is some stuff working now that hasn't been for a while. Obviously things may not be at 100% but I think we may be moving in the right direction. More to follow...

Keep Pushin'


Scott

News Update...

Unfortunately, Today's plan to insert a steel stent to resolve the bile duct blockage was unsuccessful. Apparently their capabilities were not compatible with my new plumbing arrangements. Plan "B" scheduled for tomorrow morning will involve the use of an arterial catheter to accomplish the same thing. They will be going through the chest wall and liver to get where they need to be. I don't know much else other than that but i am happy it is scheduled so soon because I am really sick and tired of being sick and tired. I was also told that the reason for the blockage appears to be enlarged Lymph Nodes and that my Doctor may be considering more Chemotherapy. I am going to see if there might be any pathology available to confirm that. I am not ready to take a bunch of Chemo on speculation if I can avoid it. I will do it if I have to because my Doc is a rockstar and I trust him but I like to push back a little sometimes so that I can make sure nobodys just guessing their way throught this (And I have been known to be a little obnoxious).

Thanks to Christina for taking the puppy tomorrow for us. That is such a huge help.

We are thrilled that we dont have to take Steven to work tomorrow either!!! Yay!!! We love him but that chore is getting a little old......

Sheri, if you see this I miss you and hope I can see you when you come through town on your trip. You too Snooze. Come to Sean's games this weekend if you can...

Keep Pushin...

Scott

Enough already!!!!

OK Look, No less that 6 people have now told me that I look like crap and need to go see my doctor. Some even wonder why I might be a little apprehensive about doing that? Well let's review. Doctors order tests, tests involve needles and other sharp instruments, sometimes tests lead to less than favorable news, etc. I just finished nearly a year of Chemo and I am ready for a freaking break. Apparently my liver is not and seems to not be functioning normally. I am told that jaundice is related to liver issues. I have been pretty sick since last week and I am calling the docs office today right after I go do some blood work.

Ok new info here... Dr called and it appears that I have a bile duct blockage. There are two ways to fix that. One is basically an advanced endoscopy where they might put in a stent and the other is a procedure where they get to the liver through the chest wall and place the stent and/or clear the blockage. Neither sounds like a party but the first would be way more preferable so lets hope for success.


Note to all... If you or someone you care about is past due for a Mammogram please encourage them to get one. If they need a comfortable environment to have the test please use the Women's center at Scottsdale Healthcare Shea. Melanie said that place was like a spa (Other than the actual exam).


We're fans of the band Shirley's Temple and their drummer Stephanie is currently fighting breast cancer. Her story is at http://caringbridge.org/visit/spudtata


Maggie is growing like a weed!!! She is over 16lbs now and about three times larger than when we got her. The cat is even more pissed because now he's not the heavyweight anymore and she just stands there and takes it from him. It's pretty funny.... He is a real grumpy gus!

Has the cuteness worn off yet? Not hardly....

At this writing Maggie is harassing the cat. Having that dog in the house just might add a few years onto the cat's life. If for no other reason that to piss me off. Stupid (Yes, that is the cats name) I swear the puppy just wants to be friends. It's just a coincidence that your food bowl got moved to the bathtub and the puppy sleeps on the bed instead of you. You really shouldn't read more into the situation than that, I promise.

Were down to the wire. One Chemo Wednesday left. I really think I have reached my limit with the whole chemo situation. I've had enough, It's time for it to be done. Other good news on the medical front. The double/double Endoscopy and Colonscopy was last Friday. It took me till Monday to get the fog off of my brain. The endoscopy found an ulcer in my stomach (or what's left of it). I'm sure it will have time to heal as my appetite is dead anyway. Down to a svelte 211lbs and still dropping. Time to eat some donuts maybe and slow that down. I was at 224 for my March Oncologist appt, then 218 last week there. Yesterday at Chemo I'm at 211 and the nurse is using that frown.. I think the Chemo is just finally taking it's toll. The Colonoscopy was unremarkable and the good doctor says I don't need another one of those until I am 50. I guess I need to add that to my bucket list.

Sean's baseball team got beat on Tuesday. They played without purpose and we're snotty besides. They earned that loss. We have a double header on Saturday and I hope they learned something this week.

Casey continues to work hard on her school work and the results are showing. Keep it up kid....


Has anyone ever wondered if the people who work in the criminal justice system are a bigger part of the problem than previously thought? Steven's Parole Officer is a real pain in the ass. Steven called him the other day to ask for a travel permit to accompany us to Hawaii in June. We have been talking about this trip for two years. He said no. Not "No, I don't think it's a good idea" or "You haven't earned that trust". Just a flat "No" with that "I can say no just because I want to" attitude. When questioned he stated it was DOC policy that parolees are not permitted to fly over International territories. Just how many countries are between Arizona and Hawaii you jackass! I know he's just being pissy because the guy before him said it wasn't a big deal when we asked. Also, Steven's probation officer said yes as well. I guess Mr Douche bag was having a bad day. It won't be the end of the world if we go in October instead of June. The kids miss an extra week of school I guess. It's just that we have waited for this for so long. I am going to take one more try to call and see if I can sway him. If that doesn't work I'll start working on my nasty letter to be delivered to the DOC director on August 13th the day after Steven's discharge. Decision time: Should we send Casey and Sean for the Month of June and then go again in October? I know, tough decisions.... I am hoping that my stimulus check will be arriving any day to help pay for the plane tickets.

Until next time.... Mahalo

Holy Crap and some random thoughts....

Holy Crap! (My favorite phrase from Achmed the dead terrorist)..
I simply refuse to apologize for not blogging since 3/16. I have been busy… Deal with it.

The weekend of March 28 took us camping out near Florence Junction. We had a fun time with the Myers clan. Glenn, Judy, Dan and Jerry were there too. We had a nice ride through Box canyon on Saturday. Peach cobbler in the Dutch oven that night was divine! The French fries were nothing special but those chicken wings we’ll see again for sure.

A rash of birthdays the last couple of weeks have our heads spinning. Steven, Melanie and I all have birthdays within 9 days. We went to Rock Bottom brewery for Steven’s day. I think we both agree that their steak is as good as or better than mine. I took last Friday off for an ATV ride from Lake Pleasant to Crown King with Steven and a friend from the office.

Chemo is rolling along and this week is the off week. Three more chemo Wednesdays and then all wrapped up. I think the next scan will be in May sometime. I do have an endoscopy and colonoscopy scheduled for later this month. It sounds like a real party!

More good news heard recently, Melanie and I are fans of a cover band called Shirley’s Temple. Stephanie who is the drummer was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and is currently undergoing treatment. Her story can be found at http://caringbridge.org/visit/Spudtata . The latest news for her (Which is what I was referring to above) was that the lymph nodes removed from her were all cancer free and that no more surgery is expected to be necessary. A little Chemo and Radiation and all wrapped up.. Sound familiar? Congratulations Stephanie! We’re making cancer our bitch!

You know, I have never been obnoxious enough to think that everyone who coaches youth baseball has to do things the way I do but sometimes I just want to scream… One of the things I learned (too late) from my own son.. If he’s not having fun, I am not doing my job. That doesn’t apply to just my kid, but all the kids. Also, here’s a thought.. Own your mistakes as a coach. If you make a crappy decision on defensive assignments then own it instead of berating the kid who you are yelling at for making a mistake in a situation that you created. Make no assumptions on the ability of your own kids to play the game you love so much. There is a better than average chance that he’s not nearly as good as you think he is. If he is, be surprised and enjoy it. If he isn’t, do your job as a coach and put him in the position where he can best help the team. I made a point to track down one of our players last week after the game and compliment him on his efforts. I thought that the coach was too hard on him for the way the play developed. He’s too green to be expected to react any way other than he did.

There is something about babies and puppies that make you feel young. At least it does for me. Maybe it’s the thought of imagined possibilities being limitless. The optimism of that which is fresh and new, pure and unspoiled. The way things were meant to be. This past weekend we expanded our family by one six week old Labrador puppy. She is as cute as could possibly be. Her name is Maggie….. Fresh and new, pure and unspoiled…. There is nothing quite like hot puppy breath on your neck…

Hawaii, Hawaii, Hawaii…. I am sure my wife thinks I am a broken record.

Happy Easter to all…. Enjoy the blessings bestowed upon you this day.

More good news!!!! Steven got a job! Yahoo!!!!! Starts Monday at 6am… Save your money kid and buy a car so I don’t have to take you to work every day!!!

Enough for now… We’re enjoying the day in Flagstaff with family.

Another week and no update!

News Flash from last week!!!!! Thursday March 12th to be exact....

Today was a good day!!! Today I am officially “Cancer Free”. The results of my PET Scan on Feb 26th led to an abdominal CT on Monday March 9th. The scan was negative. No Cancer, no activity of any kind. Zip, Zero, Zilch…. My Doctor was actually giddy at the news. I am not sure if that’s a byproduct of having lots of consultations go the opposite way or maybe he might be a little whacko. I think he’s a little whacko but he’s a kick ass doc so it’s OK. He prescribed two more months of Chemo as standard protocol and that’s ok too.

I am not sure I can remember what it’s like to not be “sick’. I’ll have to start working on getting comfortable with that idea. At any rate I am thrilled to have that opportunity to have to get used to that idea. I’ll never be able to count all of the blessings that have been granted to me over the last 15 months. I promise to spend the next 15 months or 15 years making sure that I was worthy of each of them. Thank you to everyone for all of the love and support offered to my family and I. I am truly humbled beyond words.

Again?

Ok, so a whole week went my without an update. I am way to busy to be pouncing all over these blog updates. You'll just have to deal with it. Actually I am a little peeved that it's been a week since the last update. I am sure I had something to say but at the moment it escapes me. Actually I as planning on a follow up last weekend but I got busy and before I knew it a whole week had flown by.

I am having a CT scan this afternoon and a followup with the Oncologist on Thursday more news to follow I suppose.

No Nascar this weekend, ATV riding instead. Another great trip to Martinez Canyon, this time with the kids. I am feeling like a bad fan as the 5 car had the pole but crashed to a 31st place finish. The ATV ride was a great alternative to couch surfing the race though. Here's a couple of pictures to enjoy.

My wife is getting the the third degree from the Hawaiian family abouth the lack of blog updates. I'm sorry, I'll try and be more regular about my posting. Seems like It's been a lifetime since we have been to Hawaii. I miss it so much. We have been planning a trip this summer but the downturn in the economy has taken it's toll on us like everyone else. It's a difficult choice to postpone it given the on again, off again state of my health. Here's hoping that the airline prices continue to fall or I get lucky in the lottery. I'm hopeful we'll find our way... Best wishes to all....

TGIF!!!!!!!!

Sweet Fancy Moses!!!! It's Friday!!! I am sleepin in tomrrow and watching NASCAR on Sunday! Waaaahooo!!!! WRONG!!!

The boss called and wants me to work tomorrow. no sleeping in. Oh well.. I'll take a nap in the afternoon.

PET Scan last night, Awaiting results. Busy work week. Wore myself out skiing on Tuesday. Rocking good time. Many thanks to Speigel Airways for a great time.

Don't forget to support your classic rock bands by buying tickets to thier shows. Styx, REO Speedwagon and .38 Special are coming to Phoenix on May 15th. Remember, if you feel old you are not even as close to old as those guys!!!!!! Hahaha!!!

Have a good weekend....