Hi Everyone,
Jeff spent his morning getting the Bone Scan and I think his afternoon was spent getting the Verizon aircard set up so that he could get connected to the Internet. He was dozing off when I called tonight but we chatted briefly. The two hour time difference between Maryland and Colorado isn't always conducive to long conversations.
Anyway, his day sounded nicely uneventful - YEA! - and it looks like the Octreotide scan will be done tomorrow morning. There were no more spikes in his blood sugar (that he'll tell me about anyway), and his calcium and urine functions have come back to normal. He should be home resting comfortably by early evening on Friday. (Thanks for the help Gina!)
By the way, I talked to Jeff's Oncologist via e-mail today and she expects to have all the results and a treatment plan together by mid- to late- next week. Treatment should begin pretty quickly after that.
Thank you everyone for the kind notes and prayers!!! Jeff and I talk at least twice a day and I will make sure he knows to read the blog tomorrow....perhaps he will even add tomorrow's post. I may even be able to talk Brittany into sending me some new photo's of Jeff with his favorite furry friend (Fenway) so that I can post them over the weekend.
Til then....hug your spouse and kids for no reason today!
Linda
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
More Testing
Hi Everyone,
Jeff and I talked today and he is resting as comfortably as can be expected. Between calls from our family/friends and the nursing staff taking blood sugars, vitals, etc., he isn't getting much sleep. His aircard arrived today so perhaps he can connect with the rest of the world sometime tomorrow. He mentioned that he is scheduled for a Bone Scan tomorrow and the Octreotide Scan is scheduled for Friday.
Jeff also got a visit from the Endo/GI folks today - the CT scan showed what MIGHT be a mass in his duodenum, the part that goes from the stomach to the small intestines, but further investigation is needed before coming to a conclusion. They seemed happy that he wasn't having any symptoms from it - that's slightly encouraging.
If all goes well, he'll be home Friday afternoon. I'm not sure when his Oncologist will have a treatment plan but I don't suspect it will be long.
Stay tuned!
Lin
Jeff and I talked today and he is resting as comfortably as can be expected. Between calls from our family/friends and the nursing staff taking blood sugars, vitals, etc., he isn't getting much sleep. His aircard arrived today so perhaps he can connect with the rest of the world sometime tomorrow. He mentioned that he is scheduled for a Bone Scan tomorrow and the Octreotide Scan is scheduled for Friday.
Jeff also got a visit from the Endo/GI folks today - the CT scan showed what MIGHT be a mass in his duodenum, the part that goes from the stomach to the small intestines, but further investigation is needed before coming to a conclusion. They seemed happy that he wasn't having any symptoms from it - that's slightly encouraging.
If all goes well, he'll be home Friday afternoon. I'm not sure when his Oncologist will have a treatment plan but I don't suspect it will be long.
Stay tuned!
Lin
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
A lot has happened in 4 months
Hi everyone,
It's been almost four monts to the day since my last blog. At the time of that post we were waiting to hear about a new/different procedure at the University of Pittsburgh since Jeff couldn't have any more PHPs at NIH. Well, Tricare, our government insurance program, did not approve the procedure because they considered it experimental. But you know us...we didn't give up. Instead, we followed our instincts and began going through the VA in Baltimore to see if they could help and in fact they tried. They referred us to the University of Maryland who can do the same procedure as the University of Pittsburgh and since it was through the VA, we wouldn't have to get approval from Tricare.
After another round of the ususal testing (CTs, MRIs, Octreotide, etc.), the physicians at the University of Maryland determined that Jeff should have a "systemic" approach to his cancer. The doctor that we spoke to last Tuesday (who was very thorough) explained that Jeff has moderaly active tumors on his right pelvic bone and his shoulder bone. He has other spots (perhaps less active) on his left pelvic bone, in the right hip joint, and the C7 spine. He went on to explain that while they can do the procedure on the liver, it would be in Jeff's best interest if he received other treatment first. Needless to say the information was a little more than upsetting.
Jeff had an appointment with his Navy Oncologist the very next day and after reading the Univ. of MD radiology report, she quickly went into action. She admitted Jeff to Bethesda Naval Hospital on Monday (February 4th) to do some additional testing and is actively working to determine the best course of treatment for Jeff. She explained that there are some new chemotherapy drugs on the market as well as some new research protocols that he may qualify for. I suspect that Jeff will start some form of "systemic" treatment before the end of February since the cancer appears to have become more aggressive than it was originally.
Anyway, so far Jeff's inpatient stay has been just a little rocky but we are VERY glad he is in the hospital being monitored. He was sick over the weekend before being admitted (flu like symptoms) and was very dehydrated. His blood sugar was near 350 at one point today (80-120 is normal) and has both an elevated white blood cell count and higher than normal calcium levels in his urine......most of which is going back to normal with rest and an IV.
It's amazing that after all the low blood sugars we never gave much thought to his blood sugars going the opposite direction. Jeff hasn't felt all that well over the last month or so but because he wasn't having low blood sugar symptoms, we weren't checking his blood sugars on a regular basis. It will be interesting to see if the 350 is just an isolated case (or perhaps just pancakes for breakfast) or if it will continue to happen...anyway, stay tuned.
Well folks, I better run. I will post more information as it becomes available. Jeff thinks he may be home by Saturday but we'll know more in the next day or two.
Oh yea, I forgot to mention that Jeff got a call from Justin on Monday afternoon. It's always such a nice treat to get a call from him especially considering his deployed location. Brit and Brad are doing well under the circumstances and are looking forward to graduation in May.
Linda
It's been almost four monts to the day since my last blog. At the time of that post we were waiting to hear about a new/different procedure at the University of Pittsburgh since Jeff couldn't have any more PHPs at NIH. Well, Tricare, our government insurance program, did not approve the procedure because they considered it experimental. But you know us...we didn't give up. Instead, we followed our instincts and began going through the VA in Baltimore to see if they could help and in fact they tried. They referred us to the University of Maryland who can do the same procedure as the University of Pittsburgh and since it was through the VA, we wouldn't have to get approval from Tricare.
After another round of the ususal testing (CTs, MRIs, Octreotide, etc.), the physicians at the University of Maryland determined that Jeff should have a "systemic" approach to his cancer. The doctor that we spoke to last Tuesday (who was very thorough) explained that Jeff has moderaly active tumors on his right pelvic bone and his shoulder bone. He has other spots (perhaps less active) on his left pelvic bone, in the right hip joint, and the C7 spine. He went on to explain that while they can do the procedure on the liver, it would be in Jeff's best interest if he received other treatment first. Needless to say the information was a little more than upsetting.
Jeff had an appointment with his Navy Oncologist the very next day and after reading the Univ. of MD radiology report, she quickly went into action. She admitted Jeff to Bethesda Naval Hospital on Monday (February 4th) to do some additional testing and is actively working to determine the best course of treatment for Jeff. She explained that there are some new chemotherapy drugs on the market as well as some new research protocols that he may qualify for. I suspect that Jeff will start some form of "systemic" treatment before the end of February since the cancer appears to have become more aggressive than it was originally.
Anyway, so far Jeff's inpatient stay has been just a little rocky but we are VERY glad he is in the hospital being monitored. He was sick over the weekend before being admitted (flu like symptoms) and was very dehydrated. His blood sugar was near 350 at one point today (80-120 is normal) and has both an elevated white blood cell count and higher than normal calcium levels in his urine......most of which is going back to normal with rest and an IV.
It's amazing that after all the low blood sugars we never gave much thought to his blood sugars going the opposite direction. Jeff hasn't felt all that well over the last month or so but because he wasn't having low blood sugar symptoms, we weren't checking his blood sugars on a regular basis. It will be interesting to see if the 350 is just an isolated case (or perhaps just pancakes for breakfast) or if it will continue to happen...anyway, stay tuned.
Well folks, I better run. I will post more information as it becomes available. Jeff thinks he may be home by Saturday but we'll know more in the next day or two.
Oh yea, I forgot to mention that Jeff got a call from Justin on Monday afternoon. It's always such a nice treat to get a call from him especially considering his deployed location. Brit and Brad are doing well under the circumstances and are looking forward to graduation in May.
Linda
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