Cycle # 2 Done

Today George finished up the 48 infusion, and his Port was de-accessed. His symptoms set in a bit quicker this time, and from day 1 he was feeling the side effects. The Doctor changed up one of his medications to help his stomach, and he received an extra dose of the Zofran during his infusion on Monday. So far the new med is helping, but he is just very tired and run down.
Tuesday Donna had a meeting at work that just couldn't be avoided, and we were grateful for all the help we received to get through the day. Carolyn D. came to the house with food in hand, and kept George company late morning. Rick and Diane V, and Kim H., came in the late afternoon so the "Nurses" could check on the pump and be sure George was eating and staying hydrated. What would we do without our own personal staff of nurses!! Thanks guys for all the help  :)
Today has been a nice quiet day, and George was able to nap a bit in the afternoon. His stomach gives him issues on and off, and a few mouth sores have developed so he continues on the medications around the clock. He was glad to have the CADD pump removed, and we are hoping for a good nights sleep for a change.

~Donna

Preparing For Cycle # 2

The last three days George has felt the best since starting the chemo, but not completely symptom free. It appears that his week off chemo is going to be a bit more of a struggle than we had hoped, and take a bit longer to feel somewhat normal. George needs to be cautious about being exposed to a large amount of people so he stayed home rather than attend some of our normal Easter events. His longtime friend Rick V came by today for a visit while Donna and the kids visited her Parents.

Tonight we prepare for the second cycle, and our prayers are as follows:

•  For a safe drive, with minimal traffic
•  That Georges Blood counts are favorable, and will meet the criteria for Chemo
•  That we have Susan again for a Nurse
•  That the Doctors have some good recommendations to handle the symptom's better this round.

I'll Tweet  when Chemo is a go after we get the lab's back in the morning.
~Donna

Handling Chemo.

This past week was an exhausting one, but George has done well. The Doctors and our chemo nurse prepared George for how he would likely feel in the immediate days following the chemo infusion. He had all the classic symptoms they said he would, just like clock-work, and now we're in the up swing mode. Last Tuesday he was feeling OK, just tried and with slight nausea. On Wednesday night the symptoms really set in, and a few tough days followed . George was given medicine to help with the nausea, but it doesn't take it completely away. He is now doing better, just extremely fatigued. We have had a quiet weekend, and are looking forward to the start of next week. This will be the "Off" chemo week, so George is hoping to tackle some things on his "to do" list.
On Sunday, George's cousin Dan will be over to help entertain the kids, and be sure that George is eating and drinking enough while I head into work to get some hours in. How grateful we are for all the help that has been offered. 

Our Specific Prayer request is:
That George is able to handle the Chemo treatments well, and is able to eat enough in order to gain back some weight.
That words of encouragement continue to come in, as we stay focused on the fact that we can win!!

~Donna

A Long.....Day of Chemo.

Day one of chemo is done, and it was a bit longer then expected. It was a busy day in the infusion center so getting the Port accessed and lab's checked (all blood work needs to be done prior to the chemo being infused), took longer then expected. Our nurse also had a great deal of information to cover with us on our first day so the chemo meds didn't start until close to noon. The infusions took about 4 1/2 hours total then they placed the last one on a pump (It's a CADD pump) that will stay on for the next 48 hours. We will go back this Wednesday afternoon to have it discontinued, and for a nurse to check to see if George is staying hydrated and tolerating the first round. We had a very good nurse today, and the good news is she always works Mondays so we will have her again for the second round in two weeks.

George did very well today, and his Nurse Susan was able to give him some tips on what to expect. We also saw Dr. Wainberg and went over a few more details. His plan at the moment is to give George four cycles of this combination of Chemo, and then repeat the CT scan to measure the mass.  On a lighter note, Dr. T  happened to walk by outside the building and saw us in the infusion center through the window as George was sitting in his chair getting chemo.  Dr. T stopped, smiled, and waved at us.  It was a light and spontaneous moment.

As I already stated, it was a long day, and the next infusion should go more quickly. We couldn't have done it without a few helping hands; our friends and neighbors the Finns took Matthew to and from school, Diane  picked up Hanna and checked on the kids later in the afternoon when it was determined that we wouldn't be home in time for dinner, for Jan who so graciously brought dinner over for us and for Lianne for leaving us a "Surprise Package" on our back door. The package was a delivery from George's work company  NET/30, INC. It was the most creative toy, a "Vanca Van" filled with photo's, well wishes, and generous contributions from each of George's colleagues. I just had to show you a photo so you could get the visual.

~Donna

Treatment Starts!

We've had a quiet week, with no Doctor appointments, and good family time as Hanna and Matthew were home for Spring Break. We were even able to get a visit in to Disneyland with the kids. We are so glad that Aunt Suzanne, Tara and Shelli could join us to take George's place on the rides. George did well, but found it exhausting with all the walking and had to rest often.

We will head down to UCLA in the morning to start George's first Chemo Treatment. He will get two infusions administered during the day, and the third will be placed on a portable pump to run for 48 hours. We will return home later in the day after meeting with Dr. Wainberg. We will need to go back on Wednesday to have the infusion stopped and his Port-a-Cath de-accessed. This will be our new routine every other week.
George is set to keep his mind distracted during the infusion; he has his podcasts ready and his quotes in hand. Becky and Jo-Ann came to visit this week, and gave him some very encouraging sayings to focus on: "Never, Never, Never, Never Quit", by Wintston Churchill and "If You're Going Through Hell, Keep Going," also by Churchill.  They also supplied him with a Bible verse that happens to be one of his all-time favorites: "Trust in the Lord With All Your Heart; and Lean Not Unto Your Own Understanding.  In All Your Ways Acknowledge Him, and He Shall Direct Your Paths."  Proverbs 3:5-6.
I will update the Blog Monday Evening...
~Donna

Port Placement and Chemo Schedule

It has been quite a week; we prayed that the doors at UCLA would open up their tight schedule to accomodate us and they did. This week we feel like we have made a great deal of  progress in moving toward getting treatment started. Not only did we get the appointment with Dr.Wainberg moved up, (it was yesterday instead of next week), but the beauty of our Surgeon and Oncologist Team having a great working relationship has really benefited us. Just as Dr. Wainberg said he would schedule the Port-A-Cath Placement, our Surgeon walked down the hall past our room. The two Doctors talked right then and there and within minutes they were conferencing with us about the instalation of the Port and Chemo schedule. Dr. Tomlinsons staff arranged for it to be done right away, and here we sit today, Friday, with the Port in place, and one more thing checked off the list.  George was in surgery today for about an hour.

Dr. Wainberg wants to do George's infusion on Mondays due to the amount and types of drugs he will be getting.  George will be given 3 different drugs.  Two will be given over a few hours in the infusion center at UCLA and the third will be infused over 48 hours via a pump that he will go home with. We will then return on the following Wednesday afternoon to have the pump disconnected and the line de-accessed. The chemo will be given every two weeks. This course will continue for 2-3 months and then a CT scan will be done to check the Tumor and see what response has been achieved.   Dr. Wainberg was very frank with us and said  cancer of the pancreas is a tough area of the body to treat and chemo doesn't always work.

Some have asked why we are waiting until April 11 to start. The chemo start date was set prior to knowing exactly what day the Port placement would be. When it was decided that Dr. Tomlinson could make room to do the Port today, the Infusion center was already arranged for the 11th, and due to the 48 hour infusion of the one drug, keeping the Monday/Wednesday schedule works best. This will give George time to adjust and heal from the placement of the Port and be ready on the the 11th.

George is feeling sore tonight in the upper right chest, but that is to be expected. It was a long day, and he did well.

We realize that many of you are out of state, but for those of you who have asked, and who live locally, our good friend Lori Raleigh is going to coordinate meals.  If you are interested in helping out, please email her at: 4raleighs@gmail.com  

Thank you!

~Donna