A year later

A year ago, I was still trying to recover from that intense treatment UCLA put me through. I sure hope it was worth it. I am now getting a PET scan every 3-6 months to insure that my lymphoma has not returned. I still have my port-a-cath which they flush out monthly to make sure that it could still be used if necessary. My stamina has not come back fully - not sure if it ever really will. However, I am able to do basically anything I want. I just can't do it for very long. We spent a weekend in Mexico last month building a house for a needy family. What an awesome experience. I posted some photos on facebook, so you can probably find them if you are interested.

Status Report

Anita has finished her treatment and is doing great! As of today, we are both doing well and are free of cancer. We will both have occasional testing in our future to monitor any possible relapse. Owen's cancer is expected to return, but we hope the UCLA treatment will have helped to put that off for a long time. Anita's cancer is not expected to return at all. Without anything new to report, we will probably not be posting anytime soon.

Very Good News

Anita did have her lumpectomy on February 19th, but we did not have the results of all the tests until now. She has been declared clean of all cancer cells and does not need any chemotherapy. They will do some radiation (still to be scheduled) to help prevent any possible relapse. Owen had a PET scan last Wednesday which again shows no signs of cancer. So, as of now, we are both free of cancer and praising God. The main reason we praise Him is because of you - thank you for your friendship, prayers, and support.

Cancer Contagious??

As Owen was being released from UCLA about 3 weeks ago, we received news that a biopsy (which Anita had done due to spots in a mammogram) came back positive. We have met twice with her oncologist, Dr. Harness. He is an excellent doctor and assures us that this breast cancer is very low grade and very treatable. In his words, this is not life-threatening and probably would have taken a couple more years to be detected by finding a lump. He will treat her by removing a small amount (lumpectomy) and then giving her a few days of radiation. The lumpectomy will most likely occur on February 18th or 19th. In Anita's words, our bodies are falling apart, but our souls and spirits are doing great. Thanks for your support.

Home

Yesterday Owen was released to come home after the doctor pulled out the catheter. Our friends Randy and Rose Howard made the trip to UCLA and assisted him with that. How great to be home together! Although Owen is a little weaker than when he went in, he really feels great and will soon be ready for nearly anything.

Progress

Today, we saw the doctor and were given the good news that Owen's numbers are great! The white blood cell count has come up from 0.02 to 3.5 where 5 is about normal. The platelet count was 3 and is now 43 where 150 is about normal. They are slightly concerned about the platelets, but not much. We have been given the OK to return home, but Owen still has an IV and needs the catheter removed on Wednesday before he goes home.

The Holidays

Christmas Day was spent together in the Ronald Reagan Hospital at UCLA. I did have a hospital gown then, but no camera. A couple days later, our friends Bud and Millie Shipman came to our rescue and helped move Owen to the Tiverton House - a sort of convalescent facility about 2 blocks from the hospital.

New Years Eve was special with our friends Jim and Betsy McCarty as they drove up to play bridge and fellowship around takeout food.

UCLA

I entered UCLA's hospital Wednesday and I'm about half done with the chemotherapy part - 3 more days. Then a day of rest before I get my stem cells back. So far I'm gaining weight, but they assure me that will change. I am told that the roughest part will be a day or two after the accumulated chemo - about next Wednesday or Thursday. My body seems to be reacting as my doctors here expect, confirming their expertise to me. I really am in good hands - theirs & Gods. Thanks for your continued support in what God is doing in my life.

Spots ??

Last week I went in for a scan-assisted biopsy to find out what the spots in my lungs were. Before they got started, they did a preliminary scan to see which lung they wanted to use. The spots had disappeared and/or become so tiny that they could not do the biopsy. Therefore my UCLA appointment is back on for Wednesday (Dec. 9th). I should be in the hospital for 3 weeks after that and then 2 more weeks near there for recovery. Once again, your prayers are very much desired and appreciated.

Missouri

We recently spent about 10 days in Missouri with our daughter Kirsten, son-in-law Tony, and 3 grandkids - Caleb, Alison, and Luke. Four or five of those days we were babysitting. Luke (only 1 year old) ran us ragged. What great kids and a great time!
This week I was scheduled to get a new portacath and check in to UCLA. They have discovered some small areas of concern in my lungs and want to check them out further before proceding. Dr. Paquette thinks there is no problem, but wants to make certain before proceding. I will probably get another PET/CT scan in about 1 month and then decide whether I am ready or not.

UCLA

The approval has come in from the insurance company and I will spend 2 days this week at UCLA. On Wednesday, I will go in to sign paperwork and get a dose of chemo while I'm there. I don't know how tough this one will be, but it is not the major one they will give me later. Then on Thursday, I will go back to start nupogen. This is an injection that I will be giving myself for 4 or 5 consecutive days to stimulate my bone marrow to release stem cells into my bloodstream. Then on the 21st, they are planning to start harvesting those cells by taking my blood and running it through a cyclotron and then back into my body. The cyclotron removes the stem cells for later use. Approximately late October, I will come back for a 3 week stay. They will give me a massive dose of chemotherapy and then use my own cells to help me recover. After 3 weeks in the hospital, I will spend another 2 weeks in the area with Anita by my side 24/7. Then 2-3 months at home to recover before I can plan on doing anything physical.

Misc. Update

No - I don't have a new hairstyle! This is just a cap that looks like a visor with a wild hairdo - thanks to my friend Randy Howard. I am still bald, but getting a little bit of fuzz. On my last post (about a month ago) I told you about the UCLA possibility. A couple weeks went by with no word, then I saw my G.P. (Dr. Long). He checked for me and got the ball rolling. I have had a bunch of tests (heart, lungs, blood, X-ray) and Monday we will have an interview at UCLA. Then we ask for insurance. Another potential problem is that right in the middle of this, my insurance will change. We are praying that this will cause no problems. Thanks again for your prayers and encouragement.

Chemo - Day 6

OK - Doc said to get rid of the last strands of hair. It will grow in looking better that way. I am officially through with chemo (at least for a while). I am in remission; but with mantle cell, they expect a relapse. The UCLA doctor (Paquette) wants me to come in for a month so he can harvest good bone marrow cells from my blood. Then he would give me a severe dose of chemotherapy and reinsert my own cells to help my body deal with that. It's referred to as autologous bone marrow transfusion and should postpone any future relapse. If my insurance approves, we will give it a go. We are just waiting for a time line on that. Again your prayers are very much appreciated.

Chemo - Day 5

Today was my 5th day of Chemo - everything went smoothly. You may be able to tell that nearly all my hair is gone, but otherwise I feel great. Last Thursday I had a bone marrow biopsy and today Dr. Lindgren had the results. According to the report: "no evidence of of involvement by mantle cell lymphoma." This was indeed good news and we are thrilled. In spite of this, I am scheduled this Friday for a consultation with a UCLA Doctor who specializes in bone marrow transplants. I will be taking all my reports to see if this might be a worthwhile option for me. Please continue to pray - I definitely feel God's hand on this process.

Powers Lake

I just returned from a trip of 3300 miles to ND and back. I was privileged to have grown up in the great little town of Powers Lake - Boy Scouts, band, athletics, great education, and people with a good work ethic and character everyone wants for their neighbors. Homes and cars are left unlocked with no one worried about theft or vandalism. It still feels like the 50s to go back and visit. I greatly enjoyed visiting with over half of my class (1964) and many others.

Good News

After having the PET-CT scan yesterday, I was able to see Dr. Lindgren today regarding the results. He was very encouraging. He compared the scan to infrared helping a soldier to tell whether some shadow in the distance might be an enemy. The infrared would show a hot spot for life, rather than just the shadow. My scan shows NO hot spots at this time. Most of the lymph nodes are greatly reduced in size and he expressed that my body was reacting in a very positive manner to the treatment. He also mentioned that my blood counts were great and gave his blessing on my trip to ND. Again, thanks for your prayers!

Chemo - Day 4

After an extra week for my platelets to catch up, I had my 4th chemotherapy today. It went very well and I feel great.

Now I need to apologize. A couple of you said that you had made comments, but I never saw them. I now realize that in "Blogger" where I create the post, there is a button for me to moderate comments before they get posted. I love the comments and will look forward to more.

During the next couple weeks, they want to "restage" me. This means bone marrow test, blood tests, and PET Scan. They will try to get the PET done before I leave for about an 8 or 9 day trip to North Dakota. My home town (Powers Lake) is celebrating its centennial and I want to visit with a bunch of old buddies who will be there.

Postponement

I am sure many of you were expecting Chemo - Day 4. Because of low platelet count, Dr. Lindgren postponed chemo for 1 week. He said that it is normal for the body to need a little extra time to catch up this way. You may also wonder about this picture. If you look closely to the right side, you should see a semicircular area of red. I played golf yesterday and this is the area in the back of the cap above the strap. After a round of golf, Anita and I went square dancing - a very full day.

Chemo - Day 3

This was taken this morning. You may not be able to see the amount of hair loss, but it is very significant. I am going to post the previous pictures on Day 1 and Day 2. By the way, the Hawaiian shirts allow for easier access to my portacath so that is my uniform. I am now 50% through with chemotherapy. I feel great even though I am missing some hair. I have some days where energy is an issue, but overall I really do feel good. I square dance every Monday and actually played golf about a week ago (went well). Thanks for all your prayers on my behalf.

Chemo - Day 2

My second session of chemotherapy went great also - except for some pain with the insertion of the needle through my skin and into the portacath. I feel good - no nausea and quite a bit of energy. A few days ago, I had the pleasure of walking Newport Beach Country Club watching an ex-student from El Modena (Ed McGlasson) attempt to make it to the US Open. He shot an even par, but played better than that. I think he would have moved on with just one less shot. That was the most exercise I had in several months. Other than a few issues with cramps in my legs later that day, I felt good. It's definitely time for me to work on getting back in shape. I have approval for that, so I am starting tomorrow. Again thanks for all your prayers on my behalf.