We hope that everyone had a Merry Christmas and are looking forward to a wonderful year in 2009. We had a nice Christmas with our kids and family at home. My parents were here 2 wks before and brought us a 1/2 a steer (that's a lot of beef), and of course gifts for the kids. Thank you mom and dad. For those of you who don't know, my folks own a small farm just south of Nashville. Dave and I were able to get out and do some shopping, it took some time to get into the spirit of it all. We finally did and we did enjoy ourselves. We also had a lot of help from our families and extended family, thank you, thank you, thank you. Your all wonderful and God bless each and everyone of you.
Dave went to see the dentist on Monday, the 22nd and had his checkup and cleaning. He has 3-4 lose teeth that may have to come out before any treatments begin. Dr. Wolf will be rechecking this in early January before any treatments begin.
On Friday Dec. 26th we saw the chemotherapy Dr. He is Dr. Koenig of Summit Oncology at the Jean & Milton Cooper Cancer Ctr. located at Akron City Hosp. We also had the pleasant company of 2 of Daves sisters, (he has 5 younger sisters) Julie and Laura. They were there for support as well as to take awesome notes. Thank you ladies. The Dr. went over with Dave what he had been experiencing (the hundred questions), his visit with Dr. Rezaee from University Hosp. We did here from Dr. Rezaees secretary Cindy and she said the tumor board said that Dave is a good candidate for chemo/radiation. Although Dave has not spoken with Dr. Rezaee himself. Dave will be undergoing chemo treatments as soon as the radiation treatments begin. The medication being used is Cisplatin IV once a wk, every 3 wks. which will require an overnight stay in the hosp. during the radiation treatment. They are going to hit this hard as to try and preserve the Larynx (voice box). Dr. Koenig did go over the side effects of the medication. Dave will definitely not feel well, although there are new stronger medications for the nausea, he will be fatigued, there can also be weakening of the kidneys so there has to be lots of fluids given during treatment, and he will possibly lose his hair.
Dave will not be able to work during this time and he will be on short term disability. His company has just over 50 employees, so may not have to do the family medical leave. Dave has 2 weeks vacation and 5 sick days for the 2009 year. He had 3 weeks vacation, but his company had the employees borrow a week to close the plant down for a week at the end of this year. I believe they will have him take this time before the short term disability can take effect.
Dr. Koenig did let us know that 67% of patients undergoing this aggressive treatment are able to preserve the larynx (voice box). There will be scarring of the larynx (voice box) from the radiation and his voice may get more gravelly. Dr. Koenigs meds. are ready and waiting, but we have to get set up with the radiation oncologist first. I am to call Dr. Koenigs nurses when I find out when radiation is to start. Kr. Koenig gave us a general idea how long Daves treatment will take, approximately 10-12 weeks.
When this process begins, I will also be contacting our local job and family services dept. to find out if we qualify for any assistance. Daves income will be cut in half and we just may be able to get some assistance.
On Wednesday, December 31, at 8:00 in the morning we will be at the Radiation Oncologist (Dr. Simmons) office also at the Jean & Milton Cooper Cancer Ctr. located at Akron City Hosp. This is where Dave will learn what they do. This is all pretty scary for the both of us and I hope that I have written enough to answer any questions you may have.
On a different note, Shanna has moved in for the next month before she goes to Vancouver, Canada to start establishing herself there. She will be living with her fiances parents, working and looking for an apt. for her and Dan to live in after they are married. Dave went for a ride on his bike :) with our friend Sean on Saturday. He needed that, because he doesn't know when he will ride again, and he will ride again! He will also be there when Shanna marries in Aug.
I will close on that note, and thank you for listening. Keep Dave and our family in your prayers. We love you all.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Waiting to hear from the specialist
We were supposed to hear from Dr. Rezaee of University Hosp. on Friday. Daves case went before the tumor review board, and they are supposed to make their recommendations for his treatment. We did not hear from him on Friday, and we are hoping to hear Monday.
All this waiting is getting hard to take, but they say patience is a virtue, so we have to have a lot of it. Dave is having second thoughts about all of this, he knows that this has to be taken care of asap. He feels that he is being pushed into a decision, if you know my husband you know that he dosn't like to feel pressured into making a decision. I in turn know what has to be done, I can only love and support him. I listen to what he has to say everyday, cause if I didn't I wouldn't be a very good partner and wouldn't be able to find the right words to let him know whatever decisions he makes I will be right here by his side.
I will update when we hear from the review board, keep David in your prayers. We love you all.
All this waiting is getting hard to take, but they say patience is a virtue, so we have to have a lot of it. Dave is having second thoughts about all of this, he knows that this has to be taken care of asap. He feels that he is being pushed into a decision, if you know my husband you know that he dosn't like to feel pressured into making a decision. I in turn know what has to be done, I can only love and support him. I listen to what he has to say everyday, cause if I didn't I wouldn't be a very good partner and wouldn't be able to find the right words to let him know whatever decisions he makes I will be right here by his side.
I will update when we hear from the review board, keep David in your prayers. We love you all.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Decisions to make
We have to make decisions on what to do now. My sister-in-law Julie took Dave and I to see the specialist from University Hosp. on Friday. (has office in Chagrin Falls, Beechwood area, closer to where we live). She got us there 1/2 hour before appt. time. We then had to wait for an hour before the receptionist even started acknowledging all the patients that had arrived. We were wondering what the problem was. We finally got to go in and meet the dr. but before that Dave had to be weighed, BP, temp, and a million questions. We then met Dr. Rezaee, very nice. He checked Dave out, then numbed his throat. While waiting for that to take effect, he went and checked out the disks from Daves CT Scan and Pet scans. He was very pleased with the scans, they were very clear. He took a look down Daves throat, I had to turn my head, as did Julie. We couldn't bear to watch. Of course Daves throat is numb, Dr. Rezaee put this really thin tube through Daves nose into his throat. He could see the tumor. Julie and I were very glad when he was done with that part of the exam, whew!
Dr. Rezaee then proceeded to talk with us, Julie was awesome she took some really good notes. Dave and I are very happy that she was there. Talk about information overload. So here are the things that were discussed (from Julies notes) that will determine our future.
Dave has Destructive, Stage 4, Level 3 Laryngeal Cancer, all 3 levels of the larynx have cancer, including the cartilage surrounding the voice box. It does not look like it has metastasized. The Tumor board will be reviewing further on Fri. December 12, 2008.
Treatment options are do nothing, definitely not an option Dave says.
Standard and usually recommended in advance cases of destructive Stage 4, level 3 Laryngeal cancer is surgery to remove the larynx (voice box), lymph nodes, followed by radiation and chemotherapy. This would involve a permanent tracheotomy, (hole in throat used for talking and breathing). Dave would have to see a speech therapist to learn how to talk. For a short time he would have to have a feeding tube (port in stomach) and would require a short visit in the hospital.
There is a new clinical trial that is not generally recommended for stages past 2, but has been tried with success lately. The main hindrance with this for Dave is that the cartilage is involved. The chemo and radiation needs oxygen to work, the cartilage does not have circulation per se, therefore no real oxygen source for the chemo/radiation to work properly/effectively. There would be a short stay in the hospital. Will not know if effective for awhile. The complications are greater with radiation/chemo. followed by surgery.
If this doesn't work Dave will have to have surgery anyway. With radiation, tissue is burned, more delicate, more easily damaged during surgery, possibly causing more serious problems, such as sores, tissues breakthrough, seepage, etc.
Either option will involve radiation and chemotherapy. Radiation will permanently change surrounding tissues (mouth). Major dental work will need to be taken care of before radiation can start. Any dental work needed after radiation will require 30 days x ea day of hyperbaric treatments both before and after dental work is done. Dave will also require nightly prescription treatments of fluoride to keep teeth healthy. None of which general medical ins. will cover, (considered dental work, we have no dental ins).
Surgery can probably be done by the end of Dec. early Jan. with chemo/radiation following in about 6 weeks. The aggressive radiation/chemo treatment probably would not actually start till the end of Jan. 2009.
They will be making oncology appts. for Dave here in the Akron area do discuss treatment plans, options, complications, etc. Cindy or Cheryl, Dr. Rezaees nurses are getting this started. Dave will also be seeing a speech therapist to talk about his future if surgery is done. .
Now we wait for the tumor review board for there recommendations, is Dave a candidate for the aggressive radiation therapy? They may also want Dr. Rezaee to take a look surgically before deciding the treatment plan.
Dave will be getting the info. for his short/long term disability benefits from work today, I hope that he remembers. I have been on the phone already this morning. Daves dentist appt. has been scheduled, the Radiation Oncology appt. is made, the Medical Oncology appt. has been made. I have talked to the insurance company about Daves coverage, so this ball has started rolling and its moving fast.
There were some issues with Daves work last week and the possiblity of him being laid off was good, but the company got there bullsh** straight and he will not be laid off. He will be off the last 2 weeks of this month for vacation, but that time is being filled with doctors appt.
Our families and friends are being awesome and we are very grateful for all there love and support. Thank you for being there. I will update as I have time. We love you all.
Dr. Rezaee then proceeded to talk with us, Julie was awesome she took some really good notes. Dave and I are very happy that she was there. Talk about information overload. So here are the things that were discussed (from Julies notes) that will determine our future.
Dave has Destructive, Stage 4, Level 3 Laryngeal Cancer, all 3 levels of the larynx have cancer, including the cartilage surrounding the voice box. It does not look like it has metastasized. The Tumor board will be reviewing further on Fri. December 12, 2008.
Treatment options are do nothing, definitely not an option Dave says.
Standard and usually recommended in advance cases of destructive Stage 4, level 3 Laryngeal cancer is surgery to remove the larynx (voice box), lymph nodes, followed by radiation and chemotherapy. This would involve a permanent tracheotomy, (hole in throat used for talking and breathing). Dave would have to see a speech therapist to learn how to talk. For a short time he would have to have a feeding tube (port in stomach) and would require a short visit in the hospital.
There is a new clinical trial that is not generally recommended for stages past 2, but has been tried with success lately. The main hindrance with this for Dave is that the cartilage is involved. The chemo and radiation needs oxygen to work, the cartilage does not have circulation per se, therefore no real oxygen source for the chemo/radiation to work properly/effectively. There would be a short stay in the hospital. Will not know if effective for awhile. The complications are greater with radiation/chemo. followed by surgery.
If this doesn't work Dave will have to have surgery anyway. With radiation, tissue is burned, more delicate, more easily damaged during surgery, possibly causing more serious problems, such as sores, tissues breakthrough, seepage, etc.
Either option will involve radiation and chemotherapy. Radiation will permanently change surrounding tissues (mouth). Major dental work will need to be taken care of before radiation can start. Any dental work needed after radiation will require 30 days x ea day of hyperbaric treatments both before and after dental work is done. Dave will also require nightly prescription treatments of fluoride to keep teeth healthy. None of which general medical ins. will cover, (considered dental work, we have no dental ins).
Surgery can probably be done by the end of Dec. early Jan. with chemo/radiation following in about 6 weeks. The aggressive radiation/chemo treatment probably would not actually start till the end of Jan. 2009.
They will be making oncology appts. for Dave here in the Akron area do discuss treatment plans, options, complications, etc. Cindy or Cheryl, Dr. Rezaees nurses are getting this started. Dave will also be seeing a speech therapist to talk about his future if surgery is done. .
Now we wait for the tumor review board for there recommendations, is Dave a candidate for the aggressive radiation therapy? They may also want Dr. Rezaee to take a look surgically before deciding the treatment plan.
Dave will be getting the info. for his short/long term disability benefits from work today, I hope that he remembers. I have been on the phone already this morning. Daves dentist appt. has been scheduled, the Radiation Oncology appt. is made, the Medical Oncology appt. has been made. I have talked to the insurance company about Daves coverage, so this ball has started rolling and its moving fast.
There were some issues with Daves work last week and the possiblity of him being laid off was good, but the company got there bullsh** straight and he will not be laid off. He will be off the last 2 weeks of this month for vacation, but that time is being filled with doctors appt.
Our families and friends are being awesome and we are very grateful for all there love and support. Thank you for being there. I will update as I have time. We love you all.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Panic Attack
Dave has had a few small panic attacks that he has been able to control since we found out he has cancer. This past Wedneday he had one that sent him to the ER. We were both very scared and very thankful that it wasn't anything more. They monitored his heart and BP, took blood, and a spiral ct scan. The spiral ct was to check for any blood clots that may have started. Cancer patients are more susceptile to clots. After several hours there we came home and fell into bed. Neither one of us slept very good.
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