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Hello all, this is Connie ( Rick and Sharons daughter) reporting to you live from the flat lands of Kansas. =)
I would like to update this blog on behalf of my mother and father on how they are doing these days and what has been happening in their lives.
In January my father finished up his Chemotherapy. YEAH!! To celebrate he and Mom went on a Mexican Reviera Criuse from February 4th through the 11th. They were accompanied by Sandy, Terry, Mike, and Jennifer, some AA friends. Mom says they had a ball and were able to get in some relaxation. The were served 7 course meals every time it was time to eat!! A floating buffet if you ask me =) The went on little excertions while on the trip and had a very enjoyable time.
On February 13th Dad start his radiatiojn therapy treatment . This treat targeted the tumor directly from differnet angles. He was given therapy everyday for a total of 20 days. The doctors said he was reacting very well to the therapy so they extended it 7 more days. Unfortunately, his body did not like the fact that he was given 7 more days and he has gone through some pain in the last few weeks due to his esophagus (I may have medical knowledge but I only got a C in Medical Terminology so forgive my misspelled words =) ). He now has esphogealitis (inflammation of his esphagus) . He has thrush and it is causing him to have great pain wiht swallowing or eatting anything. Due to his lack of fluid intact he was admitted to the hospital on March 25th and is there currently. It must be noted that my father has NOT had any side effects from any of his treatments except this last week so it is a miracle in it self.
The side effect from the extra treatments is normal for someone who has received 27 consecutive treatments.. He is receiving nourishment through an IV as well as fluids. He is unable to take anything by mouth so, they took him off his meds but are monitoring his vitals at all times. You all know my Mom she is on top of all his vitals and keeps all those doctors and nurses on their toes so we have nothing to worry about with his vitals. =) He also has a pain patch and is able to receive morphine when needed for pain. (Mom assured him he does not need to go get a White Chip because of taking Morphine =) ) He sleeps alot and is getting plenty of rest.
True to form my father was concerned with his looks being upto date so Mom had to go and get him some sleep wear that was appropriate for being in the hospital. =) He also wanted his favorite Marine fuzzy blanket given to him by some friends. He has it covered up so that the folks at Madigan Army Medical Facility do not get offended. =) Mom says he is in good spirits and his coloring is getting better each day. As you all may know having to stay in a hospital bed all day is not my fathers idea of fun so he is not thrilled but he has become a compliant patient due to he broke his promise to his attending nurse one night and did not ring when he needed to get out of bed and she confronted him about it. Well, she put an alarm on his clothes that goes off if you fall to show him how serious she is about his safety. From that night on he has been compliant. =) he he he
My mothetr has been very strong and is doing wonderfully through all of this. However, she extends her deepest apologies for not updating this blog. She is finding it difficult to discuss the situation concerning my father not to mention even writing about it. I am amazed at both of their faiths and I am inspired by their hope and faith. My mother had every intention of keeping this updated but has been unable to do so. I am sure you all understand. Mom and I talk everyday and she keeps me posted. I will be updating the blog once a week unless there is biggy news like this one. I will be returning home in the month of May for good and will be able to update this daily.
My family and I are very grateful for all your prayers. I know I can feel HP working in our lives daily. Here is my email if you have any questions (mcglothlinconnie@yahoo.com). This is due to Mom does not check the email box too often any more and I check mine daily and will reply as soon as I can.
Well, I believe that brings you all up to date for now. God Bless you all!!!!!! Connie
Good evening, all. Well, after a not so good beginning of Round 3 of Rick's chemo treatment, last week and so far this week have been much better. We seem to be on the down side of the learning curve and have begun some preventative measures to provide for the side effects of the chemo. Rick gets to be off this week and so that has really rallyed his spirits. Last Saturday we played 9 holes of golf...well, he played and I played at it. After not having a club in my hand for over a year, it was not a pretty sight and nor was my final score. We had a great day, the sun was shining, the temp was just right, the company was great and Rick let me play by my rules.!! Tomorrow we leave for the Cascade Mountains to see if the fall leaves in the Cascades are as beautiful as the ones in Germany. We have reservations at a lovely resort where we plan on sitting in the hot tub and using the sauna until we turn into prunes. Rick is planning to bring the clubs but I can only imagine a course fit for mountain goats at this place. We shall see.
After Erica left, Sylvan and Karin from near Heidelberg came to visit for a few days. They were in Seattle visiting family and we spent a couple of really good days with them. Rick drove us all to Westport which is a deep sea fishing port.
Rick is feeling very good this week,..lots of energy and his old enthusiam is back in full swing. Those prayers are working. Please keep them coming!
If you would prefer to contact us privately, our email is squiresrichard@hotmail.com
We have heard via the blog from old friends for whom we have no current email address. If you think you might be one of them, please let us know.
My many thanks for your words of encouragement and your thoughtfulness. You cannot know how grateful I am to all of you.
Our love to all of you,
Sharon
Good morning. After the good news last week, I wish I had the same news to pass on this week. It has been a rough go for Rick this week. He had the really heavy chemo dose last Friday, cisplatin and irinotecan, and he hit the wall about three days after the treatment. So he has been sleeping most of the week. He isn't going through anything that is not usual for this kind of treatment but he has been doing so well up to now with just limited fatigue that this past week has been sort of rough on him. The solution is to drink lots of prune juice and take composine for the nausea. He did his irinotecan treatment yesterday which is only about a 3 hr. stay in the hospital, rather than his once a month treatment that he had last week which keeps him in the hospital for about 8 hours. The learning curve on this is straight up and each time something happens we learn how to fix it the next time. I just wish it wouldn't even happen the first time.
Erica B is with us this week from Germany so she has been going around with us to all the doctor appointments, vet appointments for Missy, and commissary trips for the food to tempt Rick to eat.
We saw the oncology doctor briefly yesterday and he said it was all good news from the lab work and reports. So that continues to be positive.
Connie and Chris drove up from Vancouver last weekend after their mother's funeral. They hadn't seen the house since they were children so it was a surprise about how the place looked. When we showed them the pictures of how the place looked when we first saw it they were even more surprised. I keep praying for another miracle like this house as it was totally uninhabitable when we first moved back. If it hadn't been for friends and Rick's brother stepping forward to help, we would have been street people. So, with your prayers and more prayers, I'm hoping for the same turn around for Rick.
As for me, I know I am feeling much better because of the doctor's report. I have been painting my nails which is always a very healthy sign and I even got an appointment for a haircut next week....another good thing.
Please continue to keeps us in your prayers daily. I cannot tell you how much it means to us.
God bless and keep you.
Love,
Sharon
Hello, Everyone!! I have very good news for all of you. It is what we have been waiting for these past few months since Rick started chemo. Yesterday he had an appointment with his regular doctor for his 6 week follow up. On Monday Rick had the CAT scan done and the results were in yesterday. The great news is that the tumor in the lungs has shrunk from a bit over 10 cm at its widest to 5.9x 2cm. The report noted that the mass has "decreased significantly in size compared with the prior chest CAT scan". There were 3 lesions in the liver in July which meant that the cancer had spread to the liver. Now there is a 1cm low density lesion in the liver that has decreased in size from the prior studies. I asked the doctor about the other two that were there ( as there had been 3 lesions when he was first diagnosed) and he said they were not mentioned in the report and so were not there...as in gone for good (I hope). I mentioned to the doctor that Rick had been gaining weight and he looked really surprised and said that was a miracle! (This doctor has the flatest affect that I have ever seen and always communicates the worst that might happen first. He is also very guarded with his comments!) When I asked why he responded that Rick was taking the strongest chemo drug known to man on the planet earth and that most people vomit, can't eat, and loose weight. We were so delighted with this news that we went out and celebrated with a ham sandwich for Rick and a decaf, nonfat, sugar free vanilla lattee for me!!!! I'd had a regular lattee the day before and hadn't gotten to sleep until 2:30 am because of the caffeine!! I do try really hard these days not to do the same thing over and over and expect different results!! Rick Sherman wants to know why I even bother when there's nothing in it anymore!
I must mention that I think Rick's weight increase has been due in large measure to Rick Sherman who makes THE BEST grilled steaks for Rick and then leads him astray with these amazing pies that he sneaks into the house for the two of them to devour! Last night it was ice cream sundaes. I did offer bananas but Rick can't stand them anymore since that was the only fruit he was allowed to eat for weeks.
It is all GREAT NEWS. Thank God and all of you for your prayers on Rick's behalf. I ask you to be sure to continue to keep Rick in your prayers and to offer thanks to God for this wonderful report. I am so grateful to all of you that it chokes me up when I think of all those prayers going up to God and feel all of your love supporting us here through this.
Rick goes in tomorrow for his first day of Round Three of Chemo. That is the day he get the cisplaten in the morning (6 hours) and irinotecan (2 hours) in the afternoon. It is an all day thing.
Connie and Chris will be coming up from Vancouver on their was back to Kansas. Connie will spend the day with her Dad and me in the hospital. That will be great to have her with us.
My love to all of you.
Sharon
Good evening, all! It has been a busy week..again. Despite the fact that we were by ourselves, we never the less has a full schedule of doctor's appointments and physcial therapy appointments for Rick. Rick says they worked him over this last time and were not nice to him at all. Part of that could possibly be that his therapist is an Air Force retiree and Rick called him a "prop head". Obviously, Rick still maintains his sense of "humor".
He was scheduled to have a CAT scan on Friday but he was supposed to take a barium sulfate mixture the night before that he neglected to do as I forgot to tell him. So the upshot of it all was that they had to cancel the CAT scan but it is rescheduled for tomorrow at 11:00. The good news is that we stopped by the Veterans Advocate Office at Madigan hospital and Mrs. Robby, the advocate, has filed for 100% disability fro Rick to the VA. She was a for real angel as far as I am concerned...helpful, kind, compassionate and thoroughly and highly competent. We are blessed.
Rick continues to improve on a daily basis. The memory is a bit loose at times but that is normal for the chemo. The fatigue is ongoing but he makes sure he gets a good night's sleep and then takes a nap in the afternoon. We were out shopping for exterior paint colors today so he got no nap. The plan is to have the house painted but the fall rain has started so who knows.
Tomorrow we are going down to Vancouver, WA to be with the girls, Connie and Chris. Their mother passed away on Saturday night so they flew in today from Kansas.. We plan on staying just a short time to lend emotional siupport as Rick has to be back at Madigan for a doctor's appointment on Wed.
Rick's progress is all good. We will know more after the CAT scan results are in..probably by the end of this week.
Please pray for a miracle. Visualize those cancer cells being eaten up and flushed out of his body.
Many thanks again for all the good thoughts and prayers. We appreciate it beyond measure.
Love,
Sharon
Hello, everyone! I can't believe that it has been 17 days since I did a post. Our lives have been busy beyond belief. My sister-in-law, Jane, returned for almost two weeks. She is my inspiration and source of strength. She took care of my brother who died from a failed liver transplant with such style, grace, and, dignity that she sets the standard for strength and hope for me. Also visitng were our dear friends Annie and Jimmy Slay from France who were visiting Sierra Vista, AZ. They flew up to Tacoma for a few days and the great news is that Rick and Jimmy played 9 holes of golf!!! The other good news is that Rick is back to driving (well, for those of you that have ridden with him, maybe not so good) but he is taking back his life and that is good.
He has finished Round 2 of the 6 Rounds of chemo. He goes in for a CAT scan on Friday which will show us exactly what has been happening with the cancer. Based on his response to the chemo which has all been good, the nurse seemed to feel that the results might be positive. I sure hope and pray they are.
He is at physical therapy today. Each time he goes, he gets a bit stronger. The therpaist did say that it takes about 3 weeks for every 1 week you are hopitalized for a person to regain their original strength. Rick was so very ill when he was hospitalized that it is a miracle to me to see him driving and taking out the trash now.
Rick has had no really negative response to the chemo...no vomiting, diarrhea, or physical discomfort. He is a bit fatigued after the first round of each new session...That's the one where he is fed chemo for almost 6 hours and then flushed for 2 hours.. The other two sessions only last 2-3 hours. He's been getting a good 9-10 hours of sleep and then sometimes taking naps during the day. All good stuff. And he is back to his usual ornery behavior at times and using every trick he can pull to get what he wants...Like, "you should get me a steak tonight because I have cancer and that would be good for me"!!!!!
While Rick and Jimmy were off playing golf, Jane, Annie and I went shopping to Centralia with lots of little cute stores with more stuff than I could ever want or need. It was great and we had a fabulous day including the little mishap where I pressed the exit door (thinking it was the bathroom door) and set off alarms throughout the store. About three poeple came running to see what the commotion was and then I had to explain that I didn't have my glasses on and thought it was the restroom door!!!! Still directionally challenged plus now practically blind without the glasses!
We have been so very blessed with all the wonderful support, visits, phone calls, cards and responses to the blog. It lends a whole new meaning to the word humility. Rest assured that while we can never hope to return such support to all of you, that I promise all of your love and kindness will be passed on at sometime to someone who needs it. That is what this program is all about.
We won't know the outcome of Rick's CAT scan until the following week or so but I promise I will inform you all the minute I have it in my hands. Please pray for good news.
God bless you all. Love, Sharon
Good morning, everyone. It has ben a super busy week for us here. Rick went to see his oncologist on Tuesday with some resulting good news. His sodium level was up to 139 (137-145 is normal) so the doctor gave him up to 3 liters of liquids to drink a day. Rick was delighted! Dr. McCune also told him he could go off the low residue diet and just eat what he would like. The first chance he got he went after a roast beef dip sandwich with french fries! I was not with him to tell him that fried foods were NOT on the list. Joey told him at least he'd gotten away with it once! We took Joey and Patti shopping to all our favorite stores like Tuesday Morning and TJ Max and Ross. Patti had a great time as she brought Joey the Bank along with her! I also had a good time and picked up some easy listening CD's for Rick and several yoga tapes per suggestion of Patty and Carl.
Wed. Rick had his for real first time PT workout. Jeff, the therapist, had him do some low level exercises for about thirty minutes but he was worn out at the end. We go back today.
Thursday was a tough one. He had his chemo therapy starting at 7:30 and did not finish until 4:30. So he was all day hooked up to the machine. On the first day of each new cycle (this is cycle 2) they give him Irinotecan for 90 minutes and then the tough one, cisplatin, for 4 hours. His new blood count revealed a low white and red cell count so they gave him a shot in the tummy to bring up his red cell count. Not enough oxygen getting to those cells which cause him to be really tired and forgetful as not enough oxygen gets to the brain, either. We continue to watch those white cells and try to keep him from getting any infections as he is now easily prone to those. Also his sodium count had gone down to 137 so I think we will have to monitor exactly how much liquid he is taking in.
Rick's spirits are still very positive with all of the wonderful prayers,and cards, and care packages that are coming to him. We pretty well stay in today and do it just 24 hours at a time.
Joey and Patti have been just wonderful. We have had such a good time with them. It's like we were never separated for those 15 years. It's just amazing. We will be sad to see them leave on Sunday.
All in all, a good week for Rick. His black eye is almost gone and since he lost so much weight he is looking quite fabulous. So fabulous that Sandy Ladd sent him a really cute "chick magnet" ! which he promptly hung on the refrigerator.
Please continue to pray for each of us. Your comments are wonderful and he loves hearing your messages of hope and love. He will get his new glasses prescription next week which had to be changed due to the fall in the hospital.
Thank you all. You have no idea how much your support means to us and how much it helps to keep us positive and in the midst of all of this so blessed beyond belief for all of the love and kindness.
LOVE,
Sharon
Good morning!
Everyone is still sleeping so this is a good time to keep you all up with the latest. We had a wonderful visit with Jerry Pennington who left on Aug. 31. Patti and Joey Cothren arrived August 3 on Saturday and it has been a non-stop talk fest since they arrived. They brought along a CD of a collage of pictures from the times we all had..what a memory lane that CD was. Joey says he counted up the number of different colors my hair use to be. Now my sister tells me to "embrace they gray" so I am going au naturel.
Rick has been doing great. I know all your prayers are working. He had been complaining of poor vision since he took the tumble into the tall metal trash can at the hospital so on Friday we went to the eye doctor to see what the problem was. Apparently the fall did some damage to his distance vision and he needs a new prescription. We got that taken care of and he will get his glasses back with new lenses in another week or two. That was a relief. He was complaining he couldn't read the sign across the room and I mentioned I hadn't been able to see a sign across the room for 40 years. We are just so grateful that nothing serious like a fracture or brain trauma accured in that fall.
He went for his Physical Therapy test on Thursday and the "Big Meany" gave him the initial baseline physical test. He now has a baseline to start from and some areas for improvement. We start treatment with the PT two times a week starting this week. It will be a good thing for him and as they will watch him like a hawk, he won't have his tendency to go all the way to the wall. This is a good thing.
Rick's spirits are up and he is laughing and swapping stories with all the visitors. His eating is way improved and he loves mashed potatoes so we go through quite a few spuds. Good carbs to fatten him up before the next round of chemo that starts this coming week.
Last week he had his blood drawn and his sodium level was 139. That is fabulous since it was at 116 when we took him to the emergency room. He couldn't function and that scared me to death. Along with that the doctors were quoting 3 months to 10 months of longevity whch scared me even more. He has recovered remarkably since then and is a walking miracle as far as I am concerned thanks to all your prayers and his positive attitude. Plus he is really following directions from the doctors now without too much grinching. The doctor raised his liquid intake from 1 liter of water per day to 3 liters per day for which he is a very happy camper due to the increased sodium levels.
He loves the company and the phone calls. He is feeling all that love and "pink light" to quote my sister, coming his way. Plus he's laughing a lot and that "fur shuah" is a grand thing.
We are settling into a routine and that seems to be working out. Rick's assuming more and more of his own health responsibilities each day..like taking his blood pressure and temp and putting away the medicine after he takes it so we know for sure he has taken it. It has been a heck of a last month. We could never have gone through it without all the wonderful help from Arthur and Julie, Patty and Carl and Jerry. I only hope to be able to pass on what you have so wonderfully given to us. Thank you and tons of love being sent your way. However, we're keeping that "pink light" here for Rick.
Love , Sharon
It's been a busy two daysand I seem to have lost Aug 31 somewhere. I thought today was Aug 31 only to find out it was Sept. 1. Rick's got an excusse..it's called chemo brain when you forget stuff. I'm not sure what mine is.. certainly NOT age related!
We spent Tuesday at Madigan Hospital where Rick got his blood checked. Low and behold his sodium levels were back up to "normal". Normal being 137-145. Rick's was 139 so the doctor is now allowing him 3 liters of liquids a day. He is definitely a happy camper. Just to let you know that when he went into the hospital his level was 116..he couldn't walk, couldn't remember anything and had difficulty standing. That number is a major improvement for him. His spirits are up. Nancy and Rick Sherman brought meals on wheels tonight and of course the two Ricks have brains that are totally unfiltered so it is usually a lot of laughs. Tonight was no exception.
Yessterday afternoon he had a physical fitness test which left him quite fatigued. I think his trainer is fantastic so far, cute, good sense of humor, and an "I got your number" attitude. I think she will definitely be able to help Rick with stretching exercises and a muscle development program. He was in bed by 8:30 last night!!!
His eating is definitely improving with things he likes which we have to work hard to find. His taste buds have changed and we are searching for anything he likes...and somedays he likes it and some days he doesn't.
I just know all of your prayers are being heard. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. And please continue those prayers because miracles do happen.
We are both overwhelmed with gratitude and love and hope when we read your comments. Please keep them coming as Rick really enjoys reading the posts.
A good day today.
Love,
Sharon
Wow! What a busy day we had. Out to Madigan to visit Rick's regular doctor who noticed some discrepancies in the medication and noted that he had a complete blood workup scheduled for tomorrow which I knew nothing about. A few phone calls to oncology got most of the confusion cleared up but it did keep us at the hospital longer than we expected. Rick was really feeling good so we took the hike from one building to another for lunch. His spirits were definitely up and his attitude is so positive. The folks who visit lift him building 1034. So from the hospital we went to his first physical therapy appointment. I am so happy with the fellow who will be helping him and the female trainer who wears a T-shirt with the words "BIG MEANY" printed on the back. She's pretty so he probably will do what she says...I just clapped my hands and thought "Thank you, God". She's just what he needs.
He and Jerry Pennington just talk for hours. It is such a blessing as he is interacting all the time and not sitting in his own mind.
Those of you who know of St. Jude, please ask him to intercede on our behalf for Rick's recovery. If you don't know about St. Jude you can check him out on the web at www.stjudeleague.org
He is now up for shopping for some new clothes as he has lost 40 pounds in the last month. The wanting to shop is a good sign. He hates his baggy blue jeans even when I tell him that's all the rage!!!
We are so blessed and grateful for all your love and support. Please keep the comments coming as he gains so much from your humor, your prayers for him, and just the sitting down talking with him kind of comments.
You fill me up with hope and gratitude. Thank you.
Love, Sharon
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