Another day, another MRI

Another MRI, but Sarah, I thought your Dad JUST had one and was on a six month reprieve.

Well....that's what we thought to.  He had an MRI the end of January, after a heart episode.  He was told he would continue MRI's on a six month basis, versus the three month basis.  Imagine my surprise when I got a call from Dad confirming his appointment for April...April...that isn't six months.  A call to Mom to confirm the doctor actually ordered the MRI and not some computer error yielded this result: Dad's doctor looked at the films a second time and decided he needed to come back in three months.  He did not specify if he saw anything unusual, or if the lesions are growing, but we know he 'saw' something.

So, here we are three months later on the eve of the MRI.  He has been chemo free since September 2011,(I think, will need to look that up), so in theory his is due for another round.  Large dark cloud looming overhead, hoping the Lord's wind will blow it away.

Sarah:)

Are those tumbleweeds...?

If I knew how to animate, I would animate tumbleweeds across the page :)  I thought I would stop by and give a small update on Dad.  He was hospitalized last week after a cardiac episode on the 6th.  He has some small amount of damage to his heart that can be controlled with medication.  The flip side of this is that he missed his MRI,(want to know why, message me and I will tell you), and has it rescheduled for next Monday, the 21.

MRI

MRI Monday-nothing new, lesions are still too small to do anything about, so no new chemo for the time being.  Next MRI, more then likely January.

On another note, Blogger problem *might* be fixed, so I might be around more :)

Little Late

No Chemo!!  Dad goes back the end of June.  No Whammys, we leave for vacation just a few days after that!!

Heart Trouble

Please keep my father in your prayers.  He is having heart trouble again and goes in for a Nuclear Stress Test tomorrow, Friday, to see if he recently had another heart attack.

No Chemo

No chemo for now!  Clean MRI, will go back at the end of March.  He still has lesions, but they have not developed into tumors...yet.

December Already?!?

Yep, December already. Three months has gone past and it is time again for Dad's MRI. To recap, the last MRI showed his main tumor was dead, but new tumors were forming. We find out tomorrow if he needs chemo again, or can wait. If he needs it, he will be in the hospital through Christmas Eve.

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It is hard to believe that we have been dealing with Dad's cancer a year the 27th?(or the 29, I don't hve my calendar in front of me). It is times like these that I wished they lived in a larger area, so there wasn't so much running back and forth. Each MRI/Chemo session is a week+, since my folks have to travel to STL and Dad has to stay here(he cannot come by himself). It makes me thankful that I don't have a paying job, since I can't leave Dad home alone for long stretches. No job would let me take a week off every month to three months. I am eternally grateful for my Hubby's family, who have been extremely understanding this Christmas season as to why we can't be there for Christmas/New Years this year. Also, there are no Christmas cards as of yet. I am thinking maybe in January, but don't hold your breath. There isn't a lot of Christmas spirit in my house, BUT I have my real tree, so it could it be worse.

--------------------------------Merry Christmas-----------------------------------------

MRI Update

MRI yesterday, (in the middle of the worst two weeks possible, but that is another post), results today. There is some positive news and some not so positive.

Positive: Main tumor is dead, no further treatment until December 19.

Not so positive: A new lesion has formed on his liver that will need to be watched. It could cause liver function problems as well as be susceptible to cancer-causing cells.

Now we wait until the week of Christmas,(I'm not happy about that, but Barnes doesn't really take patients' needs/wants into consideration). It will be our second Christmas glued to the phone waiting for treatment options.

Chemo #3

Dad made it through his third round of chemo. He was in more pain and had more nausea this time. He was convinced he had caught the flu from the hospital, since the side-effects were more pronounced. He is home now and recovering. We should know by the end of the week when his next MRI is to see if chemo #4 is necessary.

Chemo Round #3

MRI Monday showed that Dad's tumor had grown,(as was expected), and will have chemo tomorrow. Anybody in the area is welcome to come and hang out with Mom and I at Barnes. Hit up on my cell or Moms and let us know. I might be nice and share my snacks ;)

Clean MRI

Yep, a "clean" MRI. Dad is off the hook until the end of July/first of August. His tumor has not grown or metastasized. This does not mean he is cancer free, just in a holding pattern for now. He said it was the best birthday present ever!

Now that he is home, he would love to talk to folks on the phone. Either leave a comment here, or send me an email @ spow79@yahoo.com, and I will get you their phone number. We appreciate all the good thoughts and prayers. Special thanks to Janice for all the cards.

MRI

Dad has another MRI on the 3rd. 25% of Floyd was left last time, this time we are hoping for a much smaller percentage. Dad did not tolerate the chemo as well this time. He was in a lot of pain and had digestive issues which bought him an ER trip. He has been really tried and run down. He ended up receiving almost double the chemo from last time, so the side effects were to be expected. Send good thoughts his way, the 4th is his birthday and he is wanting good news for his birthday :)

Well, that was FAST!

So, Dad's MRI got changed to the 29th, (without his permission, I might add). That was fairly uneventful, in fact it took less time then the previous one. Got the phone call Wednesday at lunch that 'Floyd' was 75% dead and that more chemo would be administered Thursday. However there was a small glitch; his creatine levels were high and if they didn't come down there would be no chemo. Back to my house to spend the rest of the day flushing out the kidneys. He went in this morning for blood work and his levels were one point high, but they chose to do the chemo anyway. Now he is out of surgery and in a room resting. We are praying that there won't be a repeat of last time and NOT HAVE ANOTHER TIA!!!

Let's Catch Up

Dad is home now. He had a bunch of tests, several hospital gaffes, and no answers. The hospital took too long to test for a stroke, so all evidence was gone. He has a history of TIAs and they do not leave evidence for long. Neither hospital listened or read his medical history to know he has a history of this. Both folks are beyond frustrated with Christian Hospital and will not go back. It brought back memories from another hospital from our family past... Now Dad's legs are weaker again and he is having more trouble walking. Like Mom said, he cannot go through this each time he has a chemo treatment, it is unacceptable.

He has an MRI on the 28th to chekc out 'Floyd' and will more then likely have another round of TACE the first of April.

Lots has happened!!

That is a slight understatement! Dad made it through his TACE proceedure on Thursday and came home to my house Friday afternoon. I inisted they stay an additional 24 hours in STL just in case there was an issue, they would be here. Saturday afternoon Dad got up to use the bathroom and could not stand up. He had no strength/control of his legs. He was taken via ambulance to Christian Hospital where he currently lies. So far, they haven't found anything wrong. Tomorrow he gets an MRI to see if he had a mini-stroke and also to see if "Floyd", his tumor, has spread to his spine. As of tonight, Sunday, he is running a low grade fevor, but in good spirits. It has been frustrating not knowing what is going on and being at a hospital that doesn't seem to take what is going on seriously. The major concern is that if he gets home and this happens again, there isn't anyone there to help him or to call 911. They are more then an hour away from any hospital that could care for him in his condition.

So, more stress for everyone involved. Dad is 'supposed' to have an MRI at Barnes at the end of March to see if "Floyd" has shrunken any and if not, he will undergo another round of TACE. Not much to do but PRAY!!

TACE, TACE, baby!

So, here's the deal with Dad. He is going in for TACE treatment this Thursday, the 24th at Barnes Jewish. Find out more info on TACE here: http://www.medicinenet.com/liver_cancer/page10.htm

Surgery to remove the tumor is not an option, given the size of the tumor and Dad's previous history. Even the TACE right now is risky. There is no prognosis yet and no plan for on-going treatment, although there will be before he is discharged from the hospital. Not much else to say, other then to PRAY!! Light candles, make offerings, and just PRAY. Dad is not doing well mentally with everything that is going on and would appriciate notes/cards/phone calls. Leave a comment or email myself or my Mother if you need the phone number.

If anyone need something to do this Thursday, come hang out with Mom and I at Barnes.

Oncologist

Good News! The cancer is localized to the liver; it has not spread anywhere else. Bad news, there are few options other then surgery to remove the tumor. There is a possibility of doing something called Radiofrequency Ablation. They are suppoed to meet with a surgeon at Barns Jewish Hospital here in STL sometime next week. Mom is doing LOTS of research on different treatments and facilities in the US in hopes of making some kind of decision. Until then, PLEASE PRAY!

Diagnosis

We received results from Dad's biopsy today. He has liver cancer. He goes to see the oncologist on Tuesday and will have a PET scan to determine if there is anymore cancer in his body. He cannot have a full-body MRI due to the metal in his body. My parents ask that you keep them in your thoughts and prayers. Updates will come as warranted.

Christmas Letter

Drum roll please.......Here is our Christmas 2010 letter. Why am I posting it here and not sending it in the mail? Great Question!
1. To save paper (okay $$ too)
2. I haven't sent my cards yet, they are waiting for me at Sams
3. My Dad is sick

Okay, more explanation: Dad was in the hospital for a week after Thanksgiving for a bowel obstruction. He had multiple CT scans done and one showed a mass on his liver and possibly his kidneys. He had an MRI done earlier this week that confirmed what the CT said. He goes in (EDIT) *Thursday* for a biopsy. At this point we don't know whether it is a benign or malignant tumor.

With this said, I have not been in much of a "Christmasy"mood lately with everything that has been going on. I will likely have cards/pictures out in the next couple of weeks. We hope to see those of you who are coming to the Wessel Christmas Party on the 26th.


2010 was quite a busy year. We started with a small remodel to our stairs. We took the carpet off of our stairs and replaced it with hardwood. The carpet was just getting gross and hard to clean. As soon as we had replaced the carpet, I slipped and fell down the entire set of stairs. I was okay, just sore and bruised. My doctor wanted to know how I didn’t break my arm and hip, and all I could say is that all that theater stunt training paid off. Eric and I took a small trip to Cincinnati to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary. I took Eric for some fabulous fondue at the Melting Pot and then we enjoyed King’s Island and a few other things in the area. We were able to spend Father’s Day with Emil, Eric’s father, which ended up being quite serendipitous. Emil was killed in a farming accident just a few days later. He was working in a swampy area removing trees and his tractor got stuck and flipped over on top of him. He was rescued several hours later, only to die at the hospital two and a half days later. While his death was a shock to us, he left this world doing what he loved. Just a few months later, in October, Eric lost his Uncle Harold to an unexpected heart attack. Needless to say it was a trying summer/fall.

Alex started the year a wobbly 19 month old and has ended up a walking/running/talking 2 ½ year old machine! He still goes to Gymboree Play and Music once a week for class and loves it!! I would recommend it to anyone with a Gymboree in their area. We also started going to Toddler library time twice a month and joined a Mom’s group out of Alton, IL. We are BUSY, but it’s a good busy. Alex is all ‘boy’. He enjoys trucks, dinosaurs, books, and blocks. He knows the alphabet and can count to 20 with minimal help “Alex do it,” is becoming a common phrase around here. He recently enjoyed his first cooking experience making muffins for Grandpa David. He liked to, “round and round,” (stir), and lick the beaters. We took Alex and my folks to Grant’s Farm this past August. It was so cute to see Dad and Alex being pushed side by side, one in a wheel chair and one in a stroller.

Eric took this summer off from Grad school, so he will finish May of 2011. To say he is anxious to get finished is an understatement. He keeps trying to coerce me into reading his textbooks for him… He recently joined a work volleyball league that plays at the University of Missouri St. Louis.

I had the privilege of going to the giant Vera Bradley sale in Fort Wayne, Indiana, with two of my friends. It only took us an hour to get in the door and then two hours to check out. Lots of Vera, lots of goodies, LOTS of sales! If you haven’t seen the Vera Bradley sale video on YouTube, you need to check it out. I also celebrated my five year Curves anniversary and was recognized at a fall luncheon. Several of our local Curves have started doing Curves Zumba and I have participated in two classes. It brings back many memories of my dancing days.

So, if you are reading this, you have found our blog. Check out the entries; mostly pictures. News on Dad and his condition will be found here.

Craziness

The last four weeks have been crazy busy. I have been taking my Dad to a pain clinic two days a week. Between that, Gymboree and library, I am only home Tuesday afternoon and Friday. Dad stays with us while he goes to his appointments, so he is here from Tuesday night through Thursday evening or Friday morning. He gets his re-evaluation a week from this Wednesday and that will determine if he continues for another 5 weeks.

Meanwhile, I am playing catch-up from being gone last weekend to the Vera Bradley Outlet sale in Fort Wayne, Indiana. If anyone wants to know what the sale is about, type in Vera Bradley in YouTube and see the sale video. People come from all over the world to this event. It was nice to be gone for a bit and see the Chapman and Anderson families in Indianapolis.

Alex is rapidly approaching his second birthday; 2 weeks away as of this posting. Just when I thought all of his teeth were in, he got a small cold and has started getting in his 2 year molars. The only real downside to this is that he doesn't eat much when he is teething. He is starting to recognize some letters and is starting to count. He really enjoys playing in the 'water' and cannot wait for it to be warm enough to get the pool out.