Back in California

We arrived in Oakland without incident, got our rental car and made our way to San Rafael. The apartment wasn't quite ready for us so David, Bobby and I went to lunch at Cafe Gratitude.

Bobby looks good, a little thinner (he hadn't told me that he had dropped from 158 to 149 his first week of radiation). He has gained some of that back. He tries to eat as much high calorie healthy food as possible. He and I have a $1 bet that he can't gain 5 lbs before Thanksgiving. He thinks he can. I'm rooting for him. Besides the weight thing, he is "glowing". The area being radiated is red/tan and he has an ointment that he applies to keep it moist, so he does look radiant. His hair is a little darker as well. He is still able to chew and swallow but it is getting more difficult due to the mouth sores.There are a lot of sores that can be seen inside his mouth. There are those same sores that can't be seen down his throat. He has rinses and meds that do help reduce the pain and he's learning what foods he needs to avoid. He has some nausea at the mere mention of some foods (butternut squash is one) and some foods have no taste at all. The feeding tube is being used when it's literally a pain to chew. His voice sounds a bit hoarse and he said at times it does cause some pain to talk. His hearing has been impacted from the Cisplatin. He asked me if I was talking with a lisp. Apparently all women are talking with a lisp these days. He has an appointment with the Audiologist on Wednesday to see what the hearing loss is. Depending on the outcome of that test, they could adjust the dosage.

We were able to go to the cancer center on Friday, November 19th to see the medical linear accelerator that delivers the radiation (the machines name is Zenna). The machine is large. It's all very star trek-ish. The technicians were so kind to explain everything to us. Much of it went over our heads (at least mine). The radiation mask is used to secure the patient to the table to prevent any movement during the treatment. Bobby brings his MP3 player and treats everyone to his music choices which can be heard by all. They turn it up as loud as he needs. He has radiation M-F but had an extra treatment on Sunday so he could be off Thanksgiving Day - Sunday.

Bobby is still very disciplined about walking everyday. Friday after treatment, we walked the Golden Gate Bridge. Two miles over and two miles back. It sprinkled and was a bit breezy. Bobby decided we needed rain jackets so Saturday we went shopping. Apparently rain is not an excuse to not go outside, darkness is not a good excuse either. We tested our jackets with a walk around his neighborhood. It was dark and raining but it was a nice dry walk (mostly).

Monday the 29th, Bobby will have another day of chemo as well as radiation. They will also begin radiating the areas of his sternum and spine that showed evidence of cancer. Next week probably won't be on his favorite week list but for now he's good.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. We have much to be thankful for.

Psalm 107:1
"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever."

Radiation - Week One

Bobby had a "test run" with his radiation mask a few days before he was scheduled to begin radiation. He subscribes to a message board for cancer survivors and had read stories about the claustrophobic symptons many experienced. Since the radiation thearpy is approximately 20 minutes in duration he didn't feel it would be a problem for him. He said two minutes into it he started thinking he wasn't breathing right and wouldn't make it the entire 20 minutes so he started praying and God knocked him out. He slept!!! Isn't God good.

So, Monday morning, November 8th he had an infusion of Cisplatin, he is scheduled to have chemo three times during the next 7 weeks, which is a 5 1/2 - 6 hour process. After a short break he had his first radiation treatment.

The type of radiation he is undergoing is called Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT): an advanced mode of high-precision radiotherapy that utilizes computer-controlled x-ray accelerators to deliver precise radiation doses to a malignant tumor or specific areas within the tumor. (http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=hdneck). There are several possible side effects from the treatment including mouth sores, difficulty chewing and swallowing because the mouth is sore, dry mouth, taste changes, and hearing problems to name a few. He is already experiencing the hearing loss and ringing in the ears and some dry mouth and mouth sores. Hopefully the hearing loss and all the other side effects will be temporary.

He called on his way home from his first treatment to let me know everything had gone fine. He did have to be bolted down under the mask longer than necessary so the doctor could review his most recent lab work. That was a little hitch that hopefully won't happen again. He now has 5 treatments behind him. He will have a total of 35, the last one scheduled for Christmas Eve.

By Thursday of last week he was feeling pretty "crappy". He let the medical team know that he was experiencing severe fatigue and nausea. They put him in a quiet room and hooked him up to a saline drip and anti-nausea drip and covered him up, dimmed the lights and let him rest for and hour or so. He said he didn't immediatley feel better but by evening time he had improved and he so appreciate their kindness and care. He often doesn't convey his pain well enough for anyone to know that he's really suffering. They were probably thrilled to be able to offer him some relief. Along those same lines, yesterday he had an appointment with the doctor that inserted the feeding tube.He is still having pain and gas and discomfort. His digestive system is not yet back to normal. It has been nearly a month. He asked her how often she's seen a problem with the GI Tract. She said she had done over 500 feeding tube surgeries and had never had this problem So, he has a CT scheduled for Tuesday morning to see what's going on. We're praying that it is something that can be easily resolved.

David and I will be heading to Californina November 18th with a plan to stay almost two weeks. We can extend that if necessary. I was approved to work while we're there so that will be very helpful. We were also able to rent the same apartment that we had previously. We're planning to return mid December for a couple weeks and want to be with him to celebrate his last day of radiation on Christmas Eve.


"The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace."

Numbers 6: 24 - 26

MD Anderson Cancer Center

Bobby's recovery from the PEG installation has been slower than he expected or likes. He is still having some digestive issues. He contributes part of that to the fact that he is trying to consume a high amount of calories to gain back the 10 - 12 lbs. he lost during his four day stay in the hospital and is overtaxing his system. He has been told and is expecting to lose weight during this next round of treatment and doesn't want to start underweight. Because he's still recovering his start date for radiation is Monday, November 8th.

Since the radiation start date was delayed, Bobby flew to Houston Texas to the MD Anderson Cancer Center to meet with an oncologist there and get their opinion/evaluation of the diagnosis and treatment. MD Anderson has been named the top cancer hospital in the nation seven out of the past nine years in U.S. News & World Report's. It had been suggested to him that he get in their system even if he didn't choose to have treatment there. Apparently once you're in their system they will keep you updated regarding new treatments or any other pertinent information related to your specific type of cancer. He was very happy to have met with the oncologist there and get her evaluation. She had not received the pathology yet to confirm the diagnosis but had received all the other medical history so she said she is assuming the diagnosis is correct and she confirmed the treatment plan. She also let him know about an After Care group that will be starting in a couple months that he will be a part of. I believe their entire focus is preventing a recurrence. AMEN to that. Bobby was very impressed with their facility and care and definitely felt it was worth the trip.

While he was in Houston, he was able to visit Lakewood Church . One of the ushers asked him what brought him to the Houston area. When he told him he had an appointment at MD Anderson, he was ushered up near the front( they have a special prayer time for those with cancer, although I don't think it happened exactly the way it was planned). It happened that Dave Ramsey was teaching that day. Bobby is a big fan. It seems it was a good trip. When he called Monday after his meeting with the oncologist, he sounded very encouraged. That was a blessing to hear that hope in his voice.


"The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you;

Numbers 6:24 and 25