Not in the Brain

The last of Dad's appointments are over, and luckily, the last one was a good one. Cancer is not in his brain, and they're very confident of that! Phew!

Dad has had a rough last two days with nausea, throwing up a little, and being up frequently throughout the night. It's to be expected at this stage in the game, but as the chemotherapy slowly dissipates, he should feel better and better.

Checked Out

Dad checked out of the hospital yesterday afternoon after a great stay. They took great care of him, and he was surprised at how good he felt in the hospital. Today was a bit rough as he adjusted to all of the chemicals in his system, but he made it through without too many troubles. He had a neulasta shot this morning to help keep his white blood cell count high, and he's now in the 3-week recovery phase.

Mom and Dad will have their appointment with the neurologist tomorrow, and they'll fly back to Albuquerque that night. We're grateful to check one more treatment off the list. One day at a time...

Still Cruising Along

Dad is still tolerating his chemo quite well. He's hooked up to all kinds of bags, but Mom and Dad both say that being on drugs, watching TV, and getting free food delivery all day isn't that bad! :) They're very excited that his treatment and care has gone so well so far. He's on track to be released on Sunday, followed by a neulasta shot on Monday. On Tuesday, he has his appointment with the neurologist to go over test results. He should then be free to head home Tuesday night.

First Night

Dad made it through his first night! He did well and only had a slight reaction to the treatment. The nurses were on top of it and solved the issue immediately. He is getting little naps in here and there, but is sleeping as well as he can given that he's in a hospital. Mom said that Dad's accomodations are excellent, and he's lucky to be on a brand new floor at the hospital.

I found a link that better describes Dad's treatment and what side effects to expect: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HyperCVAD

It's definitely an intense treatment, and Dad will have to be extremely careful who and what he's exposed to, but so far, so good!

Dad's Houston Experience

Mom and Dad have been in Houston since Sunday night. Dad had more testing earlier this week, and they had a few answers this afternoon. They're still waiting for a few more answers. They did confirm that the cancer is in his bones. The preliminary results of his spinal tap show that they don't see anything wrong in his spinal fluid (phew!), but they're still waiting for the results from his brain scan. They did see a questionable spot on his brain, but they aren't coming to any conclusions at all until the neurologist can do a full analysis. The brain scan results won't be available until Tuesday.

Because the doctor didn't see anything to steer him in a different direction with treatment, they decided to admit him to the hospital tonight to start his 5-day chemotherapy regimen (his new chemotherapy treatment is called hyper-CVAD). He'll be given a new round every 12 hours for the next 5 days. This will be treatment "A" of a rotating A or B chemotherapy regimen. In 3 weeks, he'll have regimen "B" in Albuquerque. He'll receive a CAT scan in Houston after the first A & B regimens are complete to see how his body is responding and continue or tweak his treatment based on these results.

My awesome friend, Angie, is watching out for them at MD Anderson; and we're also grateful that Dane and Emily are close. What blessings they are! Dad sounds great, feels good, and seems to be in good spirits. I'll post a new message when we get a feel for how he's going to respond to his new treatment.

Week 3 Update

Dad was scheduled to have his 2nd round of chemo treatments today and tomorrow, but he's had a change of plans. He is flying to Houston on Sunday to finish up the tests (neurological tests). After finishing his tests on Wednesday, he will most likely start his first 5-day chemo treatment in Houston. The new chemotherapy regimen will require a 5-day stay in the hospital every time he receives the treatment (yuck). The frequency will still be every 3 weeks. It is a more aggressive form of chemotherapy, but with that comes a better outcome with most patients. We'll know more on Wednesday what will happen, but he'll probably be in Houston for about 9 days. We're so glad that Dane and Emily are there!

Dad is feeling good and getting more energy each day. His hair (yes, he does still have some) is really starting to fall out, but he looks great. KC and I are here for the weekend, and Brooklyn and her girls just left on Tuesday after spending a week with them. Life is good!