This is good new to hear. Thanks for sharing.
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This is good new to hear. Thanks for sharing.
We went to see Top Gun tonight with my youngest and her husband. They all liked it, I did not. I shouldn't say I didn't like it I guess, it simply did not live up to my expectations. It is entertaining and has it's moments if you follow one of Mavericks lines, "Don't think" I tend to think too much. She had a 2 and a half hour escape which was nice. And stayed awake through the entire movie.
Apparently Tom took some of the cast up in his P-51 Mustang so they could experience - ve & + G's prior to filming of the aerials.
He also used his Aero L-39 Albatross to get them used to G, aerobatics, and operating the cameras. More HERE.Quote:
Originally Posted by CINDERS
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...mescorde-1.jpg
Bob
The previews look "jump the shark" to me. Still in my prayers.Happy fathers day.
My wife is doing well. She got her wig the other day. It's a very full wig so it makes her look different. It looks nice though, she doesn't plan on wearing it much because it's hot. This weekend we had to travel home which is 2 1/2 hours away and she managed to stay awake most of the way each direction. That's was impressive as she didn't stay awake before the chemo. We had a Brad Thor book on CD in and maybe that helped. People don't think sometimes. We were going to a memorial service for a longtime friend of mine who passed away several months ago. His mother came over to talk and I'm sure she meant no harm but she started pointing out all the people in the room, we were in a church fellowship hall with about 70 people, who had cancer and then went on about relatives of hers that died of breast cancer. My wife was polite and never said anything.
This week we are traveling north again while I work on the cabin again, she'll get to relax a bit and we can do some tourist things again on the weekend. Hopefully she'll have more energy than last time. Only a few more weeks of this chemo and then she goes on one that is only every three weeks.
Sounds like some positive progress. Hope the cabin trip is therapeutic to some degree.
I got out into the forest for a day last week with my niece. Spent some time in silence, just listening. No noises other than the wind through the trees and a few birds calling. It's been a while, I guess. Didn't realize until then how much crap I had been putting up with, and had left behind, even if just for a bit.
Sounds good Steve!
It's not that people are uncaring or don't think Steve its how they relate to your wife's present situation with the dealings they have had with Jimmy Dancer in their lives and the impact it has had.
I remain positive that all will come right for you both in the long run and positive that the change of scenery and fresh air at your cabin will be a great boost to you both.:thup:
I get that. I know she didn't mean to be mean about it. It was after all a memorial luncheon for her own son and that can't be easy even if it has been several months after his death. I think she was trying to put a positive spin on it but it wasn't working in my mind. I know the woman pretty well, not a mean bone in her bodyQuote:
Originally Posted by CINDERS
Yesterday was the last of chemo round one. She is still magnesium deficient which is frustrating to me because they keep upping her dosage and it just makes her go to the bathroom more. She has the same level every time she's tested.
Round two of chemo starts next Tuesday and they are telling us this is much worse. She only gets it once every three weeks but it is supposed to be really bad for 10 days of each cycle. They gave her two additional nausea medications.
Today she went for an MRI on her liver. Won't hear results on that till next Friday. Hoping it is nothing. Got mixed signals from the doctor during the initial exam.
She continues to do well, chemo one pretty much dissolved the tumor. The doctor can't feel it anymore with manual exam. I asked if chemo alone will eliminate it and got mixed signals from him also.
Chemo will not kill the cancer but the surgery is to ensure that everything is dead. What the hell does that mean. Either the chemo killed it or it didn't. The surgery if it still shows cancer means the chemo was not successful. I think I understand his point, she gets surgery no matter what.
Is the surgery a total mastectomy or a more regional resection?
With a total mastectomy the goal will be to dissect the tissue to see if any remains so that may be why he is waffling.
Chemo is likely just shrinking the tumor to contain it and increase the chances for success with the surgery. The chemo may also have headed off any developing cancer heading toward the nodes which would prevent the need to possibly remove nodes now or in the future if only surgery was utilized.
It's possible the surgery is not 100pct necessary to treat the cancer but it may be needed to be sure the cancer treatment worked. If surgery isn't done you are limited to imaging which cannot detect or diagnose as well as tissue samples.
I feel for you both…
All this uncertainty must be really grinding on you.
Keep praying for you.
Hang in there with the tumour shrinking that is a good sign so hopefully there is a light at the end of the tunnel for you both.
Keeping and open channel for you both.
Still praying, and I've been thinking of you.
Bob
Thanks for sharing you struggles here as we all have them in one form or another. I hope it helps to know everyone here cares for you both and are with you.
I will keep praying for you both.
We all are praying for the whole family. Its a very frustrating time. Remember the good lord only gives you what you can handle. You may not know why this is going on. But it will all work out in the end.
Surgery is up to her at this point. She hasn't said one way or the other but I expect she'll just go with a lumpectomy. Your final assessment is what I am gathering to be the closest explanation. The surgery is just to ensure everything was killed by the chemo.Quote:
Originally Posted by mnmkeller
She is now on her second type of chemo. Still waiting for the shoe to drop. This is supposed to be pretty bad but has three days to develop into bad. She slept most of the day yesterday. Today she's going to the bathroom a lot but not sick yet. She has to get a daily shot with this also which is annoying. It's something to help her white blood cells or her immune system as this is eliminating them also. She has to be careful to not get sick or to watch her temperature this go around.
The thing is, everyone doesn't react the same to chemo and whatever else. Some months after my wife passed away I listened to a chat in the radio with someone specializing in Breast Cancer. What it comes down to is that she basically treats each of her patients on an individual personalized basis. What she used on patient A might not have any effect on patient B.Quote:
Originally Posted by Aragorn243
And then the next thing is surgery is also not a guarantee of no further cancer and survival. My sister in law who had the exact same genetically linked Breast Cancer as my late wife had a full mastectomy and a hysterectomy. She was 'clean' for four years and now after her last hospital visit and tests have been told that she has stage four cancer.
What it comes down to is that you support your wife as best you can and with her choices and everything else. Ultimately it is her life.
The decision about surgery will not be easy because there are pros and cons to both.
If you live near a research center it may be as reasonable to talk to them and use adjutant treatment instead of the surgery. There are medication options available that have had good results but are only available as research options.
Huge day today. Two appointments, the first with the surgeon. She is very pleased with the progress of the treatment. Her initial assessment was a 7cm tumor which as of today is essentially gone. Chemo continues for 11 more weeks, then a short break and surgery which will only be a lumpectomy.
The second dealt with her liver which has been hanging over her since this all started. She does have a tumor in her liver but it is benign and most likely a common result of long term birth control use. No further actions need to be taken at this point, monitoring in the future is all that is recommended.
This second round of chemo is a lot harder on her than the first. She's sick a lot of the time, her legs are swelling and she's tired. Only three days into it, she doesn't get another treatment for 2 weeks so still not knowing the full progress through the three week span.
Today made her feel a lot better though.
Some rays of light appearing in the journey for you both.
Great news about the reduction in size I would think.
And the info about her liver tells us it is probably an adenoma as their trademark is to be associated with birth control use.
Bad day today. In a lot of pain. Blood count down, has to stay away from people and basically restricted to home. Instant depression.
We'll keep you guys in prayer.
Bob
That's hard. Hang tough, Amigo.
Good movies, popcorn, and siting cross-legged on the sofa? FaceTime with best friends?Quote:
Originally Posted by Aragorn243
Bob
Our prayers are with you both.
C'mon Steve!. We keep up with the prayers also over the pond.
Me and my family will keep your wife and you in our thoughts and prayers.
It's always darkest before the dawn, hang in there....
We are all praying for best results. Just keep workings toward the goal.
Still praying.
Bob
Praying for you and your wife here in Tennessee also
Things have settled down lately. She's not getting real sick anymore, she's a little more active and willing to go out and do things. She's still tired the week of chemo but that's just one week out of three. Her blood work has been good the past two cycles so she doesn't have to be as secluded as that first week. Our church family is making us meals for her chemo week which helps a lot. She has lost her hair almost completely now. It had started to grow back. Her radiology appointments have been cancelled or postponed, not sure which, hoping she doesn't need them. Still 9 more weeks of this chemo, then a break for a bit and then surgery.
Both in our thoughts and prayers here.
Things sound positive. I'm glad for you.
Hold on, Steve.
A big hug from over the pond and we keep praying!
Praying still!
Interestingly enough, my wife had total knee replacement surgery last Friday so I am nursing her this week.
Bob
Was thinking of you both today and though Id check in and add my encouragement to the list.
Our new thing is binge watching older TV shows we haven't seen in a while. Went through the first four seasons of Lucifer. It's a challenge because she can't stop. Not a patient person and wants to see what happens next. But at the same time, she just can't stay awake all that long so I get stuck turning it off and having to wait. But when I fall asleep, she doesn't stop it or wake me up. At the rate we are going, we'll be out of episodes in a few days. Not sure what we'll watch next. 15 seasons of Supernatural would keep us busy for a while.
Might I suggest a couple of blasts from the past. Miami Vice and 24. Both can be picked up cheap. Made me feel young for a while.Quote:
Originally Posted by Aragorn243
I think she was a fan of Miami Vice when we were dating. 24 we have never watched although I have quite a few of the seasons. I buy DVD TV sets at yard sales and once I have them all we can watch them. I currently have 1-7 of 24. Could start them I guess. No Miami Vice.
If you have access to MegaHertz and don't mind closed caption, there's a 20+ year Italian series called "Don Matteo". We're about halfway through season 10. Kind of a murder/mystery comedy type thing...
Russ
With Terence Hill. I’m surprised it is appreciated outside of Italy, since it is very “Italian”. Almost no violence and a lot of good feelings. Glad about it anyway.
Or Don Johnson, but she married you so take that Don Johnson.Quote:
Originally Posted by Aragorn243
I mentioned your suggestions to her today and her first reaction was "I loved Miami Vice" I can't say she was a Don Johnson fan; he was an old man to us back then. She was 19, I was 21. Long ago. She's been very tired today. We got three episodes in of Lucifer.
My wife and I liked Hannibal. Mads Mikkelsen is great as Hannibal and Lawrence Fishburne is in it as well.
We binge watched 1883 over the weekend and both of us loved it. Very powerful characters.
Update: She had her last chemo treatment on Tuesday, has been tired the past two days but seems better today. She will go three weeks without any treatments and then she'll have some Keytruda treatments once a week until her surgery which is expected to be in October. After that, not sure. Lots of tests i'm sure to ensure they got it all etc. She may have radiation treatments for a while as that was discussed early on but maybe not with how well the tumor shrank early on. The Keytruda is something she's received with all her chemo treatments but it's not chemo itself. Immunotherapy is what it's called.
Her hair is starting to grow back, hopefully this last treatment won't affect that. She said her head is burning or itching, we think it's from the hair growing out. Hard to believe that this is getting close to the end.
Come on, it lasted long enough, so... Time do turn the page for you both!
Yes we thoroughly enjoyed watching 1883 the ending was a bit of a shock but then again having been shot by a dung dipped arrow you were doomed.
We have also watched Gentleman Jack the life of Anne Lister she was quiet the woman back in the day I really recommend it to you Aragorn or anyone else who like series.
Hope the page has now turned for you both and things improve.
In our thoughts bloke.
We were SO disappointed by the ending, but it was powerful despite that. My wife wasn't prepared for the beach scene, but I was. I knew that was going to happen, he said as much. As a dad with two daughters with one of them being similar but milder to Elsa (thank God), I quickly became attached to her despite all her craziness.
It did not make me like Yellowstone any more however. I like Yellowstone but those people are just almost all evil and I have a hard time with them. Godfather cowboys.
I had my big medical check up this morning. 4 years after surgery, 3 years since last CT. CT, as I live with nearly constant pain in my chest, I have mild fears of these checkups. In person exam went well in March and I didn't really worry about this one a whole lot until about an hour before the appointment. I got the results within an hour. No issues with the aneurysm, or anything else major with my entire abdominal cavity. No tumors, majore irregularities, etc. Some minor scarring in my lungs probably from an embolism I had, my spine is showing some deterioration but I'm nearly 60 so that's not surprising, diverticulitis which I knew about but didn't say anything to them about. Started on Monday and is on the downside now. I've dealt with this off and on for 15 years. And some non obstructing kidney stones.
Sucks to get old. :thdown: I turned 69 a couple months ago, getting "bionic" eyes later this month cause of cataracts, otherwise healthy except for chronic back pain. Can't say the same for the wife, she's on 12 different meds! :move eek:
Russ
Everyone but Lloyd and Jimmy. The two best characters in the show.Quote:
Originally Posted by Aragorn243
Really? Jimmy isn't evil but best character in the show? Lloyd is kind of evil.Quote:
Originally Posted by HOOKED ON HISTORY
I think the least evil are Kayce, his wife and son. Teeter is in there also but more of a bit part.
Lloyd seems to have a soft heart. Choaked up saying goodbye to Jimmy. Jimmy's soft headedness makes the sparring between him and the other hands hilarious. Great scene when they stole and replaced his scarecrow hat.Quote:
Originally Posted by Aragorn243
Wish they would dial back the F Bombs, truly unnecessary.
Some test results today. Mamogram and ultrasound. The tumor is still there but it is less than a centimeter at the widest. 8.8mm x 5mm x 7mm. This is a considerable reduction in size from 7cm or 70mm before treatment. She has an MRI tomorrow and then surgical consults coming up.
I had hoped it would be completely gone but they never said it would be, that the whole goal was to get it to shrink and that it did.
That is a fantastic response. So is chemo completely done at this point?
Yes and no. She had her last dose last Tuesday. But it is still circulating in her system for another week and a half and her immunity levels remain weak until then. After that she can be around people again. She will then have immunotherapy for several weeks and then surgery.Quote:
Originally Posted by mnmkeller
Wish you all the best!!!
Chemo has cleared her system as of Tuesday. Wednesday we had an appointment with her surgeon. She is very pleased with the results of the chemo. She told us the MRI results show NO TUMOR. This is better news than the ultrasound which showed a marble sized tumor. She explained that the MRI is more accurate, more thorough and the ultrasound could be showing scaring or residual tissue that is not cancerous.
This does not mean she is cancer free, she still has surgery scheduled and barring complications or illness, this will be October 11th. They will remove the area surrounding the tumor as it was marked with a marker way back at the beginning and remove several of her lymph nodes. They will do a quick scan of the lymph nodes and if no cancer cells are found they will close her up. If something is found or something is questionable, they will remove more lymph nodes.
When this is all done, she will get radiation therapy for an unspecified time, probably depends on the results of the tissue scans. She will continue with Keytruda until at least March of next year getting treated every three weeks.
Her hair is starting to come back and appears to be black, her hair is normally brown. It will eventually return to brown I'm sure. A lot of times it's red from what we were told.
I'm glad to hear some good news!
Best wishes and a big hug!!!
Almost out of that darkness into the light, faith has the power. Good news to hear for you both Steve.
Great news...long struggle but def great results
Likely the ultrasound did show scarring but relief that the mri is clear.
I'm glad to hear the good news!!!
Bob
Surgery was today. It went smoothly. She is home already but a bit loopy. Surgery lasted a little over two hours. The surgeon said she saw nothing that caused her concern. She only found one lymph node as a lot were removed 10 years ago. The lymph node passed the preliminary cancer test.
All we need to do is wait for the full pathology report which will take about a week.
Thanks for the support and prayers. Almost out of this I think.
Wonderful news. Send her our best!
Bob
Awesome update and much welcomed news for you both, I agree with the gear they give you pre and post op's I've had some pretty well whacky experiences as well.......!
Biopsys are back for the tissue and the lymph node, no cancer. The tissue was some sort of residual material, I didn't actually hear or read the report, but the important thing is it is not cancerous and she does not require further surgery.
Where we go from here, I'm not sure. She is still on track for continued hormonal therapy and radiation treatments as far as we know.
Good news! Prayers worked!!!
Glad to hear the good report!Indeed.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ovidio
Well above excellent results for you both I'm pretty stoked for you and all the other members who have taken their time to offer their time and support.
I know just how grueling it can be to have a loved one being seriously ill and the journey you get taken on feeling like a 5th wheel because the one you love is going through such a torment and the powerlessness one feels.
I've sat in so many cold hospital corridors and buried so many of my family I don't need to go to another funeral until its mine, but this story has a happy ending so glad our positive thoughts and prayers helped you both.
Glad things turned out the way they did.
Well, I read the pathology report today. It is still good but my wife was mistaken. There was a tumor left. 2.5mm, very tiny, they did six margin pathologies and all were negative. So while the cancer had not spread, it was still present. So I'm sure the radiation treatments will still be on.
Been a while since an update. We've been in a bit of a holding pattern waiting on the next step.
Radiology
Not going so well, a bit aggravating to be honest. She was supposed to have a four-week course of treatment which has turned into a seven-week course now. No explanation of why which stressed her out. What's even worse is she's gone in three times thinking she was going to start, and they have all not been starting. The first was to be marked with tattoos so they can line her up with the machine. The second was to make sure everything lined up and last week the FIRST treatment turned into a dry run that they did everything but turn on the radiation. I went along on this one and cornered the radiologist and asked about the 4–7-week change. She said it was nothing major, that the seven-week course was standard pre-covid but they introduced the four-week course during covid and had simply planned to continue it with my wife. But my wife isn't a good candidate for it because of the exact location of the tumor and her body shape. Four weeks is a more intense dose over a shorter period, the seven weeks is a lower dose over a longer period. I believe what it comes down to is proximity to her heart which they do not want to damage and the angle they can get her in the machine which isn't ideal for the target location. I said someone should have told her this and the doctor got a little defensive and said all we needed was to call. All is good now.
Her surgical incision to remove the lymph node has not healed however and this is causing an additional issue. She keeps getting minor infections there. It started with one small hole, about an eighth inch which just seemed to open up through her skin. This has now expanded to two holes which make up a third of the entire incision, but they seem to actually be attached to something anyway. Because of these they were cancelling her radiology yet again which was to begin today. But half an hour ago, we got a call saying her treatment is back on for this afternoon so she's a little happier. She wants to get this over and done with.
From my perspective, she is at one of the lowest points mentally that she has been in since this started. I think most of it was due to the radiologist not informing her of why they changed the treatment schedule and now the constant non-treatments.
So, continued prayers are appreciated.
Her hair is coming back. It's dark black and thick but still short. You can't see her scalp anymore. Before the chemo her hair was brown, so it is a definite change of color. She has also returned to work which I thought would help her with her spirits, but I don't think it has had much of an impact. She stresses about missing work now due to all the changes in her treatment schedule. Her boss is fine with everything so that shouldn't be a problem.
Continuing prayers for you guys
Same here. We keep going! Big hugs to both of you.
Make that three.
The first radiation treatment went well. No difficulties and she isn't feeling any ill effects. These don't come until week 2 or 3 so that's not unexpected. At least they are started.
Prayers are all still going out to you both. Be well my friends.
Same still here for you both.
Continuing prayers.
Bob
You've both gone far. Keep pressing on as you have. Sending strength, as are we all.
Make that five.
Been a bit since I checked in to the forums but I hate to hear about the delays. It sounds like her team didn't communicate well and likely one person assumed another was keeping you updated. Communication is a critical aspect of professionalism and poor communication may be my biggest pet peeve with my team.
And forgive me for indulging in some minutae but is it a radiologist or radiation oncologist that is administering the treatments? I'm in the US and curious if the Dr may have a different role here vs there. Radiologists usually only interlret images and rad once use radiation to treat.
No idea, I'm in the US also so would assume it's the same. She has an oncologist that handles her chemo, immunotherapy, a surgeon that handled the removal of the tumor and lymph nodes and recovery, her regular doctor who is working on her sugar levels now and the Radiologist, who is treating her with radiation. That's all they have ever called her. She is a doctor, I know that much.Quote:
Originally Posted by mnmkeller
They are switching her position on the radiation table now. She had been face down, now she is face up and has new tatoos. Assuming this is standard proceedure to hit it from a different angle.
She started seeing a dietitian yesterday also as she is now pre-diabetic. This is causing some concern as the radiologist does not want her to lose weight and it seems everyone else does. She is overweight by a good bit. I suspect this has something to do with weight loss being a sign something is going wrong. They want her to eat more meats, less carbs.
For some reason I thought you were outside the US..shows how much 8 can trust myself somedays.
The concern about eating is kinda twofold...first you need extra calories when going through any kind of recovery and second you want to avoid total loss of appetite which could continue past the treatment stages.
Some things are staying the same, some are getting better some are getting worse.
Her breast is now showing the effects of the radiation. Some dryness, scaling and even hives in certain areas, even where the radiation is not hitting. That's the worse. The same is the two holes under her arm where the lymph node was removed. They just don't seem to be doing anything to improve or get worse. She is losing weight, about a pound a day. no one seems to be getting upset about it so that's the good.
Her mental state is still up and down. Mostly positive but she gets upset very easily about little things. Wrong size shirt purchased for our daughter had her crying. Just weird stuff at weird times. Three more weeks to go with the radiation.
It's a pretty taxing rollercoaster your both on perhaps your wifes immune system is down and the surgical intervention areas are being slow to heal I gather she would be on antibiotics.
When you say pre-diabetic is that stage 1 or 2 we nearly killed our boy when in NZ he was only 13 and had a cold high fever etc before we flew anyway he was eating like a horse and sleeping allot this we put down to growing up spurt.
We went to Stewart Island and he could not keep up with us saying his legs felt like they were crystallising on him so we finished the trip and he was no better infact got worse so we took him to hospital and his blood sugar level was 45 he should have been in a coma nearly.
So he had a virus and is now type 1 gotten over his needle phobia at 23 years of age but we very nearly killed him as in our house sickness well you've got to have just about got to peg it before any medical intervention is required.
I argued vehemently with my wife whilst going down with a heart attack about hospital, but when the pain went to my jaw I guess the game was up, God's not finished teaching me a lesson so kept me here for a tad longer to annoy ppl nicely.
I do like paying out on my wife but usually lose at those games.
Moral support from us all here Steve I hope alleviates some of the dark times you both find yourselves in it's not just words we are saying but earnestly trying to convey our prayers that will see you both come out of this journey healthier and stronger for years to come.
You can turn around and we will be here as I have never shied away from anyone who is in need of help or support.
Well keep you in prayer. This year after thirty years of struggle, my wife's doctors finally had come available a therapy that reasonably treated her chronic migraine. I had forgotten what it was like to be able to plan to do anything and we hadn't laughed together in years because of her constant pain. Her response? "Life is tough but God is good." She's the most courageous person I know. It has been amazing to watch her emerge from the thirty years of struggle and blossom back into the personality I knew before. But, thirty years of prayer.
Bob
She was lucky to have someone like you at her side. No easy job to be at the side of someone with chronical pain. Takes love and faith. Bravo!
She's pre-diabetic of the type that she's overweight and can reverse it with diet. It isn't something she needs medication for at this point. It can turn into the more serious types if she does nothing to reverse the direction she's going. Her dad was the same way and I was just waiting for the doctors to find it as I knew it was soon coming. I had warned her numerous times, but she ignored me. Is finally listening to the doctors. These things are hereditary.
Yes it is hereditary my wifes father was type 1 and on insulin the type 2 can be diet controlled.
My son was devastated when he applied for the Australian armed services he was denied at being a type 1, but he can join the Police force!
Progress and beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel. The holes under her arm have sealed up again which is a relief. They have been open for over two months. Radiation has entered a new phase, they are using protons rather than electrons now and coming in at a different direction. Her skin looks horrible however. It's dying and peeling pretty bad. Very "tan" all around also and she doesn't tan.
She has two more weeks of this and then she can start recovering. She'll have imumotherapy for a while but that's once a every few weeks and doesn't cause her any distress.
C'mon!!!
Good. Yet one more hurtle crossed!
Good outlookQuote:
Originally Posted by Bob Womack