Oncology

Tom met with Dr. Campbell today. They went over the results of Tom's scan in April, which were clean. Dr. Campbell also talked about somostatin therapy. At this time he feels that there is no reason for this treatment. He will continue to monitor Tom's scans and calcitonin levels. If there is any indication that the cancer has returned, they will start this therapy. As far as he is concerned, for today, Tom is cancer free. As we left the Dr.'s office we could see heavy smoke rising above Grand Rapids. Tom said something big must be burning. We turned on the radio in the car and horrified to hear that Aeromed had crashed into Tom's hospital. Tom was worried that someone he knew may have been killed. We were relieved to hear that the pilot and his passenger were able to escape onto the roof of the hospital before the helicopter blew up.

Tom will have to return to Ann Arbor in July for another follow-up appointment with his surgeon and of course blood work. He just can't get out of there without getting poked once. During the July visit we will make his appointment for his next Octreotide scan which we anticipate to be scheduled sometime in September.

Tom is otherwise feeling well. He is staying busy with school and work. He got a little break last week when his friend Dan was in Detroit and invited him over for a Tigers game. They had great seats. Tom had to get up early the next morning to be at work by 9:00 a.m. and was dragging all day, but I could tell by the excitement of his voice that it was worth it. Kyle has decided to take up golf so the boys have been hitting the driving range. Tom was happy that he was able to swing a club (thanks to all the physical therapy). Unfortunately it has not improved his golf swing as he was hoping for.

I thought I would leave you with this poem that Tom found and shared with me:

Paranoia
© Copyright by Linda Nielsen
I know I have aches and pains,I've had them both for years.
But now each brings a panic,and a fresh new set of fears.
If I even feel a tiny bump no matter of its size,
I feel my cancer has come back,to claim another prize.
Fear is with me all the time,it haunts me night and day.
To think this batch of cells gone wrong,just yet might get their way.
The doctors nod when I dash in,and send me on my way.
Assuring me that once again,I'm really here to stay.
For in a car I could crash,or get stung by a killer bee.
Maybe take a header down some stairs,this all could happen to me.
I have to learn that dangers lurk,and recurrence is but one.
But not worrying over trivial things,is easier said than done.
Having lived through such a scare,it's hard NOT to be afraid.
For if they'd only say I'm cured,I'd really have it made.
I know in time this will subside,my worries should be less.
Life for me will once again,be filled with happiness

May

May is always a busy time of the year. Each school has their "field trip" and many other activities. The kids enjoy being outside, the sun is up longer, and as schools are winding down with their themes/projects; it's hard to get the homework done at night. Thank goodness we can actually count down the days to help them focus on the few homework days we have left. I have to remember not to "whine" when they have homework and try to be a good example. Many people laughed last year when I stated, "I've passed 1st grade for the fourth time!" However, I can gladly say that all my kids really pushed themselves this year and they were able to do many things on their own.

Speaking of school, Tom has had two classes under his belt this semester. His class will be done the end of June, then he will be taking 2 classes next fall. It really is amazing to see his motivation. Tom is doing well with all that he has going on. I know that I could not stand in his shoes and keep up at his pace. Next Thursday, we see Dr. Campbell. He will be consulting us on the next step of Tom's progress. We will be discussing Somnostatin Therapy, per request of Dr. Teknos. I am preparing to take a lot of notes because I'm sure this will be another involved process. We also received the bill for Tom's gallbladder surgery. We are definitely over the $200,000 mark within the last year. I am thankful that this is not out of pocket cost.

Tom and I have also reached another annual stone, another year of marriage. This is year 19 for us. At the hospital we had a technician laughing as we told him the secret of our "happy marriage": Whoever leaves, has to take the kids with them! So here we are together for another year and all the more grateful for each other.

Feeling Good

Tom went back to work on Friday night. He says that he is feeling better than he has for a long time. He pulls his stitches every once in a while and can't wait for the starry strips to fall off, but that is his only complaint after this surgery. I can tell he is doing better as he is joking around and seems to be enjoying life more. He is still struggling with reflux but is handling it well. He forgot to take reflux medicine the first night home from the hospital and paid the price dearly all night. He is really hoping to be done with hospitals for a while. He would like to not see a doctor period, but we still need to continue with his cancer for many years to come. The fact is that we have two doctors appointments yet this month.

Next week he starts his college classes and that will give him something else to focus on. It also is a great opportunity to talk with the kids about their future and what getting a higher education means in the adult world. They have asked many questions about college. In the past few years the boys have been to games at Western and Kyle thought it was cool to see the place where many of our family members have attended and graduated from. Tom would like to take them to the college he is attending to show them around. It will be interesting how it impacts their thinking in the years to come. College choice and consideration is really not that far away anymore.

Thanks again for all the concern. I don't think that I could handle all of this without the help of so many people. I was told this past week that I am a strong person. I can't take the credit, it's truly a gift from above.

No More Surgeries!

Tom was released today from the hospital. He did not sleep well and must have proved that he was doing well by walking the halls for 1/2 the night. Do they understand that he is a 3rd shifter? He had a roommate about 3:30 a.m. and then could not sleep after they brought him in. He walked the halls for about 1/2 hour at a time, I had no problems sleeping however.

It is nice to be home again. Tom slept most of today and is saying that his stomach is a little painful. He is trying to handle the pain with Tylenol but will probably take a vicodin to sleep tonight. He is talking well and his breathing seems to be back to normal. He will need to see Dr. Vanderkolk on May 23, but other than that, no major restrictions until then. It seems that all we do is spend our vacation days in hospital rooms this year. It would be nice to have a different type of get-away!

The kids were all so happy to see us both home again. They were asking dad lots of questions about how he is feeling. I hope they understand that this is not an on-going procedure like his cancer. Thanks to both the Grandmas for helping in our emergency. It was nice to know they were lovingly taken care of while we were gone. Thanks again for all the phone calls and concern. This surgery was much easier than the last. I mentioned to Tom that when the billing is done, I'm sure that we will have exceeded our "Out of pocket" expenses. I jokingly told him that if he needed anything else "Taken care of" now was the time because we should not make this a yearly habit!

I pray that Tom will continue to feel better. I pray that he will continue to live a healthy lifestyle so that he will be with me for many more years to come. Each time we have these emergencies in our lives, I'm learning how precious our time is together.

Better

Tom came out of surgery about 4:00. Dr. Vanderkolk said that his gallbladder was very infected and that he was unable to determine whether he extracted all the gall stones. So far Tom does not have any problems, but his symptoms would persist if he were to still have a stone in his ducts. Tom was brought back up to his room at 4:50. He is doing very well. He is alert and is only complaining of the incision sites. His throat feels better tonight than yesterday after the endoscopy. We are hopeful that Tom is able to go home tomorrow. Tonight Tom is on a liquid diet. He will need to eat solid foods before they will release him. We'll have to see what tomorrow brings, but he is doing very well. Again I will keep you posted as we continue the Saga.

Under Again

It is Monday, 1:47p.m. and Tom went into Surgery to have his gallbladder removed. Dr. Vanderkolk was able to fit him in today. His pancreas levels are obviously low enough to warrant surgery, but he may still remain in the hospital until the infection is gone. Tom looked rather anxious as they wheeled him away, but he had a conversation with the Anesthetist before surgery and hopefully that calmed his fear about his airway & neck tightening/swelling. Dr. Vanderkolk did mention that he may be able to go home today. Tom would love to be able to leave; I think he should be happy to just be able to eat. The last time he had food was at work Saturday evening. I joked that it's pretty pitiful to be excited to get water with his medicines! I will keep you informed as to the next steps as I am able. Thanks for the phone calls, they mean a lot to us. I know that many of our prayer warriors are at work for the Andrews family again today. Thank you for so diligently praying for all of us.

Surgery II

Tom is currently in the Grand Rapids Hospital and getting ready to have his gallbladder removed. He has had attacks since Monday, so much for thinking it was the flu. He has an infection in the pancreas that they need to get under control before they will perform the surgery. He had an endoscopy at 6:00 on Sunday evening to extract the gall stone that were obstructing his duct, but when they went in, the stones had already passed. This is a good things as they will more than likely proceed with Laproscopy. As long as his infection is cleared, they will perform the surgery on Monday. I am at the hospital and will try to update as time and an open computer will allow.

Thanks and keep up the prayers!