Near complete remission

So Dad got great news this week. His counts are so low that they consider him to be in near complete remission. Complete remission would have been if his counts were zero, but they are 0.5 right now. He was absolutely thrilled, as were the rest of us. Now he needs to stay on maintenance therapy, the pill form of therapy he has been taking. The bone marrow specialist doesn't want to see him for another 9 months. Dr. Kazhdan will be following with him, though not as frequently as before. He also met with the back specialist, who looked at the most recent studies of dad's back. His back bone has healed nicely on its own and he won't need to have surgery or resin placed in his bones to strengthen them. He also has been signed off by the pain specialist as well. Everything is going great! We are all so thankful for the prayers and thoughts that all of you have extended towards Dad. He is such a strong man, but was made even stronger by all of your thoughts and prayers.

No news is good news

So Dad as recovered nicely from the stem cell transplant. He had some time where is appetite wasn't great, but that is back and so is his strength. He has spent the last 2 months at work and doing physical therapy. At this point he is on maintenance chemotherapy just in case the stem cell transplant didn't do what we hoped. In late August they will repeat his labs to see if he is in remission. In the meantime, he has met with the back surgeon, who doesn't recommend fixing the fractured vertebrae quite yet. We are waiting for his bones to get stronger before they go that route. His ticker is doing fantastic! Just waiting for his hair to slowly grow back. He shaved it when he was in the hospital, and now he has fuzz growing. Thanks so much for the support.....we posted new pictures, one before the transplant and the pictures from the Canthera 1 yr birthday celebration party with his oncologist.

Finally home

So after several days in the hospital, lots of blood transfusions, platelet transfusions, antibiotics and medications to boost his WBC production Dad is finally back home.

During his hospital stay they were closely monitoring his labs and he was significantly anemic and his clotting factors were very low. This was to be expected from the chemo wiping out all of his bone marrow, where all of his blood cells are produced. He got several blood transfusions, platelet transfusions and close monitoring of all his labs. His blood culture did show that there was a bacteria growing, which means that there was bacteria in his blood stream (not a good thing), but it only grew from one culture and was likely a contaminant when they drew the sample. Just in case, they did treat him with several different antibiotics.

His main complaint, other than his stomach problems, was his extreme exhaustion. Dad got very poor sleep during his time in the hospital. Between trips to the bathroom, the brief moments of sleep he was able to get were not restful. For some reason Dad was talking in his sleep and acting out his dreams. Normally, during the dream cycle of sleep your body is mostly paralyzed, so you don't talk or move. Dad was talking and moving. This was so distracting to him that it would wake him up making his sleep very restless. During the days he would try to sleep while he could, but again the same problem happened. He would tell jokes, sing, gamble in vegas and talk budgets during his dreams. Sounds like him, he just didn't want it to affect him so that he would wake up. He had this problem after he had his bypass from the anesthesia they gave him, so now that he is back home we are hoping things go back to normal.

He only has one more daily visit to the clinic to have his labs checked, then he will be able to space it out a little more. The great news is that his blood cells are responding to the neupogen (the medicine to boost his infection fighters) and it seems that the stem cells are starting to do their job. His labs are staying stable and slowly getting better every day.

Dad wants to thank everyone for the constant prayers. He had some phone trouble in the hospital, so wasn't able to make or receive any calls for a short time. But for those who were trying to reach him, thank you for your kind thoughts and well wishes! Keep him in your prayers daily, each day we get closer and closer to D Day (+100 days).

Getting some blood and still run down

Dad is still having problems with his energy and his stomach. This morning, Dad was getting some blood, and they weren't sure if he would need to have one or 2 more transfusions. He is still getting Imodium, which is really working. Dad got little sleep last night, so they gave him something to help him sleep, except now he talks in his sleep and doesn't make any sense. Mom is concerned because he had such a bad reaction last time he was hospitalized with sedation. She talked with the oncologist and they agreed he would get Tylenol for pain or headaches and would not give him anything for sleep if they could avoid it. Dad still isn't hungry- which makes him very weak. No plans to discharge him home today.

Readmitted to the hospital

The last several days Dad still hasn't been feeling very energetic. His appetite is down, but thankfully he drinks Ensure or Boost to help support his calories. His WBC (infection fighters) is the lowest is has been. Yesterday, dad starting having diarrhea. This morning he went for his daily visit and labs. The bad news is that he had a fever and zero energy. Because of this he was readmitted to the hospital today. They are giving him IV fluids to help hydrate him from all the water loss from the diarrhea. He is also getting antibiotics to fight whatever infection he might have. He is finally getting some rest, since he didn't sleep well last night. They are hoping to possibly discharge him tomorrow night, but I am not counting my chickens yet. I anticipate he will be there for a couple of days before they send him home. Pray for a speedy recovery!

Just feeling a little run down

So every morning Dad has gone to the oncology clinic for follow up labs. These last several days he has been feeling very nauseated. Thankfully, they gave him some nausea medicine when he first started treatment, which he is taking and they give him IV medication at the clinic. He is very tired, and a little run down. He really doesn't have much energy and you can hear it in his voice. He hasn't been interested in eating when he feels so nauseated. So instead, to make the most of his calories, he has been drinking ensure and boost. Yesterday Dad had to get IV fluids to help hydrate him. Today they gave him steroids to boost his appetite and energy level. He sounded like he had more pep to his step this afternoon, a welcome change to what I've heard of him lately. The good thing is that the nausea lasts 7-10 days, so hopefully we are nearing the end of this. Late this week they will start Neupogen on Dad to boost his white blood cell production. As to be expected, his WBC count is still low- making him at risk for infection. Mom has taken such good care of him though, constantly vigilant of washing hands, cleaning everything and having his swish and spit to keep his mouth free of infections or sores. Fore the time being, Dad goes to the clinic then comes home to rest. Hopefully this time will allow his body to fight the cancer into remission. Keep your prayers strong!

And in a flash.....he was DONE!

Monday morning, dad was admitted to the hospital as planned. They have him his chemo around 11, as well as some Ativan to take the edge off his nervousness. The ativan works so well, he doesn't even remember if he ate dinner. Tuesday, again chemo at 11 and hanging out in his hospital room.

Finally, THE day has come! He got his stem cells around 11 am, by 11:15 he was DONE! He is now back of at home and is feeling great! Tomorrow starts the daily return to the hospital for checkups. I told him the goal was to stay HEALTHY! Thank goodness we are finally done. Pray for healthy days to come in the future. If he gets sick as part of the side effects of chemo, he will have to go back to the hospital.

Plan for Monday

So Dad had a follow up appointment yesterday and they decided to give his body a little more time to fully recover. So the plan is for admission on Monday, for chemo x 2 days and then stem cell on Wednesday. He feels great, just ready to get things going. Hopefully we won't have any more setbacks and we can get this thing into remission.

Probably an infection, no stem cell for now.

Dad had his IV antibiotics last night and then was sent home around 11:30 PM.

Dad went to the hospital this morning, they said his labs looked like an infection was brewing somewhere, which mean IV antibiotics and oral antibiotics. This means no chemo today, they don't want to wipe out his infection fighting ability before he is free of infection. They will reassess on Wednesday to decide when he gets his stem cell transplant.

Unexpected trip to the hospital

So Dad has been enjoying himself these last several days prior to the big day and event coming up. Today, Dad said we woke up with some chest pain because he was sleeping on his side so his back was hurting. Then they went to breakfast and church. After church they hit a movie. On the way down, Dad started to feel light headed, so he sat down to catch his breath. Then they got him home to eat something, check his blood pressure and his blood sugar. He still wasn't feeling quite himself so he went to lie down, when he noticed he was feeling a bit warm. When he checked his temperature, it was 101. He called his oncologist who told him to go to the hospital to get a chest xray. He might have to be admitted tonight instead of tomorrow. By the time they got their things gathered, his temperature was down to 100. With his fever, there is a good chance he will not be able to have chemo tomorrow. I will keep you updated as I get more information.

Delay in transplant....

So today Dad went in for his usual harvest. Except as usual, Dad's port was not very cooperative. Despite all their efforts, they weren't able to get the port to draw. So instead they had to put in a line with local anesthesia in his neck into one of the very large neck veins. They were able to get blood from that line, the only problem is that his stem cell count was significantly lower than yesterday and wasn't enough to harvest. Stem cells are very smart and know that they are suppose to hang out in the bones. So Dad has to go tonight to get a shot that will "knock" the stem cells loose so that they can harvest them tomorrow. With this delay, they have pushed back his transplant to next week. So Monday the 4th he will be admitted to the hospital for chemo on Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday he will get his transplant.

Dad will be accepting prayers and emails but during this crucial time, he will not be able to have ANY visitors. The chemo will kill all of his cells, the myeloma cells and his white blood cells that will fight any infection. This makes him very susceptible to any minor infection or virus. With all that is in the news, we have to take special precautions that Dad stays healthy until his body starts producing white blood cells again.

Time for the harvest

Well everyone, the time has come!!! Dad's stem cell transplant has arrived!

Over the last month dad has become quite self reliant! He has been driving to and from work and doctor's appointments. He is now able to walk without his brace and cane. Physical therapy has been working him really well, so his strength is improving. He had his second port placed so that they could harvest his stem cells. He has been taking neupogen shots to boost his stem cell production over the last several days. Today they did the first part of his harvest, tomorrow they will finish the stem cell harvest. On Wednesday Dad will be admitted to the hospital for his high dose chemo. He won't feel too great with this, but thankfully it is only 2 days worth of chemo. Then on Friday, May 1st he will get his transplant! Friday will be considered Day 0, then the count starts Day +1. We are all very positive that day will soar through this without any issues. Everyone keep dad in your prayers as he completes the last part of this incredible journey to recovery!

I will post new pictures tomorrow of Dad looking better than ever.

So what's new?

Everyone has been wondering, what's new in Dad's world. Well, not much! After his bypass, he recovered, probably a little slower than he was expecting. He did lose some weight, but his energy and appetite returned back to normal. We are now 8 weeks since his last chemo and Dr. Kazhdan is getting a little nervous. He still goes for his monthly bone medication. But now Dad won't have his stem cell transplant until April. So in the meantime, Dad will have partial therapy to make sure we have the myeloma in check. Dr. K also wants him to be rid of his security blanket--the walker. Dad is able to walk well enough on his own that he just need to use a cane for support. So being the model patient, he is following Doctor's orders and is trying to rid himself of the walker. Dad spends his days to and from work with the occasional Dr's visit thrown in the mix. There are still a few tests and procedures we need to get done before he has his transplant. One of them will be having a special port placed so they can harvest his stem cells. This is a quick procedure, just like his medport they placed for his chemo. It was over by the time dad asked if they were going to start soon. The actual transplant itself will involve some blood filtering, like he's giving blood. They will collect all the stem cells, give him back his blood. Then he gets heavy chemo and they give him his stem cells back. We are all anxious to have this chapter of our lives over. Once the transplant is done, it will be a 100 day count to determine if he is fully in remission. This will put us in August, one year exactly from his diagnosis with myeloma.

It is so strange to think it will be a year, one that Dad doesn't want to repeat. But we have been so thankful for all the prayers and support.

Bypass done, Dad's home

Sorry for the delay...it was such an exciting and busy few days I completely forgot I hadn't posted how Dad's bypass went.

Wednesday morning we all got to the hospital very early to spend some time with Dad before surgery. He was scheduled for 7:30, and we were told they would take him to the OR for prepping around 6 AM. Well, they didn't actually take him until closer to 7AM. Then we waited until 8AM when the surgeon finally came. We all said a prayer, gave hugs and kisses and went to the waiting room to wait. They told us they would keep us updated every hour. At 9AM we got a little anxious since we hadn't heard from them. They called a little after 9 to let us know they just got started at 5 till nine. 10AM came and they were done with the robotic portion of the procedure and the surgeon was sewing the vessel in place. At 1040 we got a call they were done and to go the the waiting room outside the ICU, they were transferring Dad there for recovery. The surgeon said everything went very well, Dad was awake and doing good. We were able to go see him, the breathing tube was out. He did have several new tubes, one of them a line going into one of the large vessels in his neck and a chest tube that was taking out any blood that had oozed or any air from the surgery. He gave the thumbs up and we left so he could get some rest. The remaining part of the day he tried to rest while we visited briefly.

Thursday all of the tubes came out. Dad was feeling a little short of breath so they put him on some oxygen overnight. They moved him from the ICU, or should I say, he moved himself. He walked from his ICU bed to his new room down the hall in the step down unit. Friday morning they took him off the oxygen. He was hoping to be discharged on Friday, but no such luck. Instead he worked with physical therapy, met with the dietician and worked on his breathing exercises. Today they gave him his walking papers. He is home again and looking great. The incision in around 3 inches long sealed up with dermabond, which is like superglue for the skin. He has a small stitch still in place where the chest tube was, that will be removed this week.

Thank you all for the prayers and support while Dad was in the hospital and in surgery.

Angiogram done

Dad has his angiogram this morning to look at his arteries. They wanted to make sure nothing changed since last May. He had IV fluids this morning, then they took him to the cath lab. He was gone for less than an hour and the end result is the same. It looks virtually unchanged from the last angiogram. There was a small change in one of the vessels, but when he compared the two studies, it was the same. We were waiting to hear from the surgeon to see if he would correct this one too. He will stay overnight in the hospital, then early tomorrow morning they will take him for his bypass. They think this will be around 6AM to get him prepped.

Keep dad in your prayers.

Its a date

So Dad got work from the surgeon for his bypass. On Tuesday Feb 17th, Dad will have an bolus of IV fluids to prepare him for the contrast they need to give. Then he will have an angiogram--which takes a picture of the vessels feeding his heart to make sure there are no new blockages. If everything looks good, then he will have his bypass on the 18th at 0730. The surgeon is ready with his team at Dad's usual hospital to do the bypass. Remember, this bypass is non-invasive, meaning Dad will not go on the bypass pump, they won't have to cut his breastbone and pull his chest open. They will make a small incision between the ribs and with fiberoptic/robotic scopes they will perform the procedure. The reason for this is the faster recovery time with the least invasive measure necessary. The surgeon wants for Dad to wait at least 4-6 weeks to make sure he is fully recovered before he has his transplant. Then we go in with the big guns to knock this myeloma into remission.

In the meantime, Dad has stayed busy at work, spending most of his time at the main branch. He visits the satellite stores twice a week. Inventory went well...always a busy time. He loves being at work, motivating the staff and handling business. It was frustrating for him to coach from the sidelines while he was working remotely from home. For the time being, keep sending encouraging thoughts and prayers and be thinking of Dad in around 2 weeks.

Wonderful news and sad news.

Dr. Kazhdan is back from her much deserved vacation, and apparently quite tan! She had wonderful news for dad---all of his labs look great. She didn't have the comparisons ready, but was very optimistic and pleased with the results that were available. She is such a worrier--she told Dad that she wanted to call him while she was on vacation just to check on him. She just can't help herself. In the meantime, the boutique is having separation anxiety from Dad. He went a whole week without any visits, labs or followups. For now, they will just monitor Dad monthly to give him his bone strengthening medication. In the meantime, the cardiologist, surgeon and lung specialists are following with him this week.

We did get some sad news. While undergoing treatment, we have made some wonderful friends also undergoing treatment at the boutique. The ladies we have met are wonderful kind hearted individuals and have been such a welcome relief for us all while Dad gets chemo. Sadly, we lost one of them last week. She was a wonderful lady with a beautiful smile. Unfortunately making friends in an oncologists office comes with its fair share of heart ache. We were all saddened to hear she lost her battle to cancer. Our thoughts and prayers go to her husband and family.

One of dad's other friends from chemo is also getting sick. We are thinking and praying for her and her family.

Most surprising, a member of Dad's cancer team was just diagnosed with cancer. The shock of it all is too much to bear. E if you read this....we love you and are praying for you daily. You have been such a blessing to us as we have struggled through this journey and to hear that you are starting this journey when you have helped so many is very upsetting. The positive thing is that we are praying for you and we have seen the power of prayer work on Dad. I am posting this so that all of our family and friends can include you in their prayers. I know you will get through this, but just know we are thinking of you.

I guess everyone needs a vacation...

So Dad's staging labs were drawn last week. The only thing is that Dr. Kazhdan is on VACATION! At least someone gets a vacation. She is getting a much deserved and needed week off in Cancun. In the meantime we will have to wait to hear about Dad's staging.

The weather in San Antonio has changed. A huge cold front came through yesterday. Dad made it to work on Monday and was going in on Tuesday except for the cold front. With the sudden drop in temperature from the 80s to the 40s Dad thought it would be better to stay indoors. I don't think his joints tolerate sudden changes in temperature. The last time his gout flared on him there was a cold front. So instead Dad had to settle for having a conference call and sending emails from home. When we talked yesterday he was frustrated with the cardiologist's office. They have drawn lipid (AKA fat) levels on his blood several times. Each time, they told dad that the labs weren't done or weren't sent. One time...no problem, but now this has happened more than once making Dad very frustrated.

I talked with Dad this morning before he went to work. He said he had a good night, which makes me relieved. I was worried his knee would swell and cause him pain, but thankfully no. Hopefully when Dr. Kazhdan gets back we will have some great news! In the meantime Dr. K----enjoy the sun!!

Just a little trip to the ER

Monday Dad spent the morning at the office. He had meetings and went to lunch. The strain on his back was tiring, especially with the trips up to the 2nd floor where is office is located. Tuesday evening he had some heartburn.....something which alarmed Mom since he had a pretty mild dinner. The last time dad was complaining of heartburn he had his heart attack. Wednesday morning at 2 AM they went to the hospital since he was having some bad chest pain on his left. They gave dad 3 doses of Nitro, ran labs and everything looked good. Just to be safe they kept him until Wednesday night so that they could follow serial labs and make sure his heart looked okay. He went home Wednesday night.

Thursday he had some pain in his knee again. Dad was worried his gout was flaring up. They did give him a shot in his knee to help with the pain. Turns out it wasn't gout but bursitis- just some irritation to the joint. When I talked with Dad this morning, he was still having some pain but was otherwise okay. We should find out the results of his latest staging labs for the myeloma. They drew them this week so that we could see just how much Dad's levels improved. We are all confident and hopeful that his M spike is down! Pray!!

Just another long day at the office....

Dad has done really well these last few days. Today he went to the office, and actually made it up the stairs to HIS office! He used the cane and took it one step at a time, but he did it. I could hear in his voice the enthusiasm of getting back to work. It has been hard for him to work from home and by phone. He loves being able to walk the stores, spend time talking with the troops and welcoming customers. He's been able to do these things briefly, but today he was able to be there for most of the day. We'll see in the morning how much pain he will be in, but he said it sure felt good being back.



Friday is his last dose of chemo...everything so far has gone really well. The date for the bypass will be confirmed the first week of February. In the meantime, it looks like it will be on Feb 12th. We just have to make sure that it works for the surgeon.

Keep praying, we are almost done with chemo for now. Now we can finally concentrate on healing the rest of dad!

Lots of doctor's visits, so little time.

This week has been a long, doctor's visit filled week. Dad finished his antibiotics on Monday and then started chemo again. In the meantime he has been in and out of different doctor's offices. The infectious disease doc wanted to see him again- nothing new to report. The neurologist wanted to see him to talk about his numbness and tingling in his legs and feet. It isn't nerve compression- but because of the Velcade he's getting. They are also tentatively scheduling his bypass for Feb 12th. Then that should put his transplant 4-6 weeks after this.

Today he had the second of 4 doses of this last round of chemo. Everything again went well. As long as we can get through this last round without any complications or infections, we should be able to proceed with the bypass.

In the meantime, they are trying to manage the intermittent pain Dad is experiencing with as little pain medication as possible. If it gets any worse, they are talking of adding a new medication- cymbalta. Most of you have seen the TV ad's for depression, but they also use it as an adjunct pain medication. Hopefully they won't have to go to this, one less pill to take, but if so they at least have a game plan.

Meeting with the transplant team and the last round of chemo

Monday we met with the transplant specialist to discuss the timeline and what to expect at transplant time. If everything goes as planned, we are hoping for him to have his bypass at the end of January or first week in February. This is the non-invasive off the pump bypass---you know dad the latest and greatest.

Tuesday he was to start his last round of chemo, except that he had a fever and wasn't feeling up to snuff. Dr. Kazhdan immediately wanted him back in the hospital to which he refused. So instead he had a chest XRay, and met with the infectious disease specialist in his office. He agreed to let Dad stay at home, but made Mom learn how to give Dad IV antibiotics. So he now is getting IV antibiotics twice a day. Dad is getting started on some Robitussin for some congestion, but otherwise has no fever. Needless to say, his last round of chemo has been delayed, which delays his bypass and the transplant as well.

Dad had a great New Year. It is the first he can remember that he hasn't had anything to drink. We spent New Year's Day watching football, lounging and relaxing with family. He goes back to Dr. Kazhdan's office on Monday for more labs.

At least Dad didn't spend New years in the hospital! HAPPY NEW YEARS!!

Santa was good!

Santa answered all of our wishes this Christmas. Dad was at home for Christmas, he was mobile and not in any pain. What more could we ask for? Oh, well there is the remission that we are constantly praying for.

We were able to enjoy a nice Christmas at home with Dad. None of us had planned on being home for Christmas, so rather than the usual turkey or ham we had Christmas chicken! Santa brought Dad the Angel of Health, hopefully this angel will start working soon. The best part was that we were able to enjoy Christmas without the anxiety and constant worry of tests, vital signs or pain. Dad was able to watch his grandson tear through presents and play the afternoon away. Mom even got a surprise. Her family was going to arrive the day after Christmas for the holidays. After lunch, while we were sitting around talking, the doorbell rang. Robert answered and we could hear from the tone of his voice he was confused. Out of no where all of Mom's family come screaming out of the hall----SURPRISE! After reminding them of Dad's heart and checking to make sure he didn't have another heart attack everyone greeted one another and spent the evening with family enjoying life.

Today Dad is out for a small outing, changing the lenses on his glasses for stronger pair. Monday should be a busy day, more appointments, including meeting with the transplant specialist. Now that he is more mobile and not in any pain he is anxious to get into the office. He always says his desk job is for the birds. Anyone who knows Dad, knows that he can't just sit behind a desk reading and sending emails. He wants to be in the action. He is hoping this will happen very soon. Anytime we talk he is still so overcome with the outpouring of calls and prayers he receives daily. Everyone from family, friends, colleagues, customers and even his bosses call and send him cards and prayers for his speedy recovery. It must be working, because watching him walk, he sure is speedy!

We have some new pictures that I will post soon. We all hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas, ours sure was!

I'll Be Home for Christmas

Santa must be listening, and he decided to grant Dad's wish early. Dad's home!!!

We don't know what caused the pain that put Dad in the hospital. We know why he was put in the ICU... pain medication overdose. But now he's better. There's no infection anywhere, so everyone agreed to send him home for Christmas. He hasn't needed, nor requested any pain killers. He still has an occasional twinge in his leg, which scares him, but it's nothing he can't tolerate or manage.

Thankfully, Dad will spend the Holidays at home. Thank you all for all of your prayers, especially during that scary time when Dad was in the ICU. At least we know our prayers are answered. Merry Christmas everyone.

Anyone have any sweets? Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

So Friday was just a terrifying day for all of us. But the great news is that Dad is back to his usual self. Friday night he was placing his orders for food, including sweets. Mom made the ICU nurses some fudge, to which Dad conned them into bringing him 6 PIECES! They also included the milk. Saturday he ate breakfast, lunch and dinner and was anxious to get back to a regular room. They finally kicked him out of the ICU around 5pm back to the Ritz Carlton of hospital rooms. Dad's room is a suite, complete with an en suite that has its own refrigerator, microwave, TV and DVD player, desk and chairs. The bathroom has a vanity including a vanity chair, blow drier and vanity mirror. Then the room has a couch, 2 chairs, another TV and DVD player.

Today was a little disheartening for Dad. There seems to be conflicting reports on his latest MRI, whether he has a new fracture at L3 or not. The floor doctor thinks this "new" fracture is the cause of the pain in his legs. Dr. Kazhdan doesn't, since the fracture was already there, there is no compression on his spine and everything else looks the same. Tomorrow morning she will talk with the radiologist specifically to see what "new" fractures they are referring to. In the meantime the back doctors will come back to look at him. The bad thing is that his bones can't tolerate surgery in this fragile state. So he is has highs and lows in emotions right now. Dr. Kazhdan did get him up to dangle his legs, which he was able to do without extreme pain. He did start to feel tingling and slight pain again, but they didn't press the issue.

Since his scare on Friday, he hasn't had any pain medication, and hasn't been in any pain. Dr. Kazhdan is going to start to decrease the lyrica dose, in hopes that this is what is causing the swelling and pain in his legs. Some of the information I pulled had a few people have this adverse reaction to lyrica. As well all know Dad has to be special, so maybe this is what is causing all the problems. Time will tell, since lyrica and baclofen have to be slowly tapered off.

In efforts to make his temporary home feel more like home, mom brought a small Christmas tree to decorate the place. Every morning Dad has been listening to Christmas music, so we will just have to bring the music to him. It would have been nice if he could have heard the children caroling in the hall the day he was in ICU. They were 2nd graders and came to sing Christmas carols but weren't able to go into the ICU. We enjoyed it in the waiting room though.

More pain and transfering to the ICU

Thursday Dad was still feeling a good amount of pain. He was great lying flat, but the moment he would try to dangle his legs he would have severe pain his legs would shake. They repeated the MRI to get a better look at his thoracic and lumbar spine to make sure there was nothing new causing the pain. Even though he was receiving a large amount of pain medications he was still feeling pain. They still don't know why. When the floor doc came to check on him, Dad told him he was still in pain so they increased his pain medication dose. Thursday night he was in so much pain he could even empty his bladder. He had a restless night, wanting to get up and go home. The only problem was that he couldn't walk.

This morning they called mom early to ask her to come to the hospital quickly. Overnight Dad spiked a fever and when his day nurse got there, she found him unresponsive. Mom rushed to the hospital, and both her and Dr. Kazhdan were shaking him trying to wake him but nothing worked. They gave him a medication to reverse the narcotics, but that really didn't work. They were so concerned they transferred him to the ICU and put him on CPAP, which an assistive breathing device to help his lungs stay inflated. It looks like a fighter jet pilot mask and sounds like Darth Vader. When they put the CPAP on him he finally responded, disoriented to what happened and confused why everyone was fussing over him. When I got there from work he was awake, no longer feverish and apologetic for scaring everyone. He was talking and more like himself than Thursday. Visiting hours in the ICU are limited, so Mom and I left since they closed. When we got back at 12 pm when they opened, we found him unresponsive again. His arms were weak, we would talk to him and he wouldn't respond. We would shake and touch him and he wouldn't respond. I opened his eyes and he wouldn't wake up. His nurse came in a shook and shouted at him, and he woke up, looked around and feel back to sleep. His nurse thought he was just in a deep sleep. But mom and I knew that there was still something not right. We kept trying to talk to him, to see if he would stay awake and he wouldn't. We told the nurse again that he wouldn't wake up. He came and gave him another dose of the medication to reverse the narcotics. Dad hadn't had any pain medications, but he was still not responding. When they gave him the dose, he didn't wake up quickly, as he should have. It wasn't for 5 minutes that he finally woke up and wanted the mask off mad and disoriented for all the fuss. This time he stayed awake. He was able to come off the CPAP and was able to eat. This is great, because the alternative was to stick a tube down his nose to his stomach to feed him. He is now back to his usual self, making jokes and giving everyone a hard time.

He did get blood today and they are checking everywhere for an infection. He is on 4 different antibiotics and his fever is gone. He hasn't had pain medication all night since midnight and has had medications to reverse the narcotic effects. Even with all this, he is in no pain. His legs no longer hurt. Strange, yes! The original plan was to keep him in the ICU for 2 days then send him back to the floor. But since he is back to his usual self, they are thinking of sending him back to the floor, i.e. a regular room tomorrow. In the meantime he is placing his orders for breakfast, which includes sweets. It is such a relief to see him back to normal- he really had us scared.

Everything looks great as long as he is lying down.

So Dad got settled into his room. He was actually comfortable enough to have an appetite, which is much improved. He hasn't wanted to eat much lately because he has been in pain.

The neurologist came in to see him and didn't think there was anything wrong with him, of course this was while he was flat in bed. As soon as Dad tried to stand he was able to see how much pain he was in and how weak his legs were. They did ultrasounds of his legs to make sure there wasn't any clots and drew some blood on him. In the meantime he is going to be tucked in for the night until morning when they can look at all of these studies in the light of day.

A little trip to the ER and getting rehospitalized

So from my last posting, you all are aware of the swelling and pain in Dad's legs. Monday the pain was so bad that Dad actually requested to go to the hospital since none of the pain medications were working. They spent the entire night in the ER, from 11:30pm to 6AM. They did get his MRI done, and thankfully there isn't any new issues with his back. They were able to give him some IV pain medication and then sent him home.

Well Tuesday was more of the same....his legs are really hurting and swollen. He was lying down for the entire day since his legs were hurting him so bad. He tried to rest as much as he could, but with the pain, that was hard to do. They increased his pain medication dose, but that didn't make much difference. It has been frustrating, since right now Dad is a bit of a guinea pig. Let's try this.. nope didn't work, how 'bout this? Tuesday night was really bad for Dad, once again, he didn't get much rest and was in a lot of pain.

Today he went to Dr. Kazhdan's office for labs, which was very difficult to move. They still don't know what is causing the pain- it could be a blood clot in his legs, it could be because of the chemo, no one knows. When his legs are elevated the swelling goes down, when he stands, the pain returns and the swelling returns. So today he goes back to the hospital to be readmitted. We aren't sure how long he will be there, I am hoping we can get him back out in time for Christmas, but obviously we have to find out what's wrong and get him walking again. As soon as we find out more, I will let you all know.

Holiday cheer and a little numbness

Dad has been working hard each day, going to the office when the doctors appointments allow. He finished chemo last week and finally made it to the main branch. He also made the office Christmas party, or was at least able to make an appearance for around an hour. It is hard for someone who has a broken back to stand for a long period of time, or to even sit for a long period of time.

The house was decorated yesterday to get ready for the holiday cheer than will soon be descending on Dad's house. Thankfully, Tia Mary and Joe-Joe were able to help mom. The grandbaby has the stomach flu and I really don't think Dad wants to battle that in addition to everything else- although I know he is itching to see Jacob.

Today Dad went in for his regular check up and blood work. Unfortunately Dad starting to feel a little numbness in his legs, so this means another MRI for him. He was in a bit of pain when we spoke last, but they were trying to get the MRI today. The numbness might be from nerves that are compressed from his broken vertebrae or it might be a result of the chemo, since chemo can cause a pins and needle sensation. We'll let you all know when we know more.

He works hard for his money

Dad has done really well with chemo these last two weeks. Today is his last day of this round of chemo. Over the weekend Mom decided to move Dad's bed back to the bedroom, which was a little different for him since he was use to getting out of bed on a certain side. Now he is suppose to get out on the opposite side. This might have aggravated his back a little since his back was hurting him at the beginning of the week. It is better now, he just has to be very careful.

Dad went to work this week at one of the branches and was greeting customers. He was rejuvenated being back at the office. He was hoping to make it to the main branch, but that didn't pan out yesterday.

All in all, Dad is doing great. Now we are just getting ready for the holidays. Thankfully, some of our family is bringing Christmas to Dad next week. This is great since Dad isn't able to travel much with his back. We will get the house decorated and be able to celebrate with family just like the good old days.

We hope everyone is doing well, and getting all their Christmas shopping done. If anyone is wondering what Dad wants for Christmas it is to be healthy. So anyone bending Santa's ear, make sure to let him know.

Happy Holidays!!

Well, as most of you know, last week before Thanksgiving Dad narrowly avoided being readmitted to the hospital. The physical therapist had been working really hard with Dad and Tuesday he was hurting pretty bad. Wednesday, they noticed his knee was swollen again as well as his ankle. This was pretty painful for Dad, so much so that is was very time consuming and difficult for him to walk. He was so upset and depressed he was convinced he would be put back in the hospital just in time for Thanksgiving. He even told mom to have Dr. Kazhdan meet them at the hospital. Thankfully, Dr. Kazhdan was able to get in touch with Dad's primary care doctor to have a look at his knee. In his office, they were able to drain some of the fluid and give him a couple of new meds to keep the gout from causing swelling and pain. So Dad really had something to be thankful for--he was otherwise doing great and he would be able to spend Thanksgiving at home and not in some hospital room. Turkey day was great- I was at work, but Dad was able to enjoy it with Mom and some friends. It also helped that the Longhorns romped over the Aggies.

Over the weekend, Dad's knee steadily got better and better. His back still hurts some, but he was able to do his exercises again to regain some strength. Monday Dad started his new round of chemo. All of his labs are great and so everything went smoothly. They also paid a visit to the transplant hospital to drop off his records. Now that we are halfway through this 4 round cycle of chemo, Dr. Kazhdan wants for Dad to start talking to the transplant services for his bone marrow transplant. He didn't actually speak with them on Monday, it was just a paperwork visit.

Yesterday Dad met with the back specialist, who told him to stop physical therapy. At this point his bones are extremely fragile. He does have several breaks in his back, the highest being at T6. Any higher could cause problems with paralysis. Dad can't bend down, twist or make any sudden movements as this could cause another break. Sometime down the road they will look at fixing them, but that will be a while yet. They want his bones stronger, his heart fixed and his transplant done before they can do this. Because Dad's back is so fragile they recommended that he stop physical therapy. He can still continue to do leg exercises, but any back exercises are to be stopped immediately. They also do not want him walking with a cane, since it puts more stress on his back bones. Mom and Dad asked about a new brace, but the one he has affords him more mobility than the alternative. They also asked about a tingling in his thigh, which is caused by nerve compression. They can fix is, but it would require surgery that is very invasive. Instead Dad said he could live with tingling.

We had dinner with Dad last night which was good. He was in great spirits and very motivated to set some goals for himself. He plans on returning to the office soon, working from home is driving him crazy. He also wants to go back to Vegas at some point, as soon as his back is stronger and all of the heart and transplant are behind him. I think he is also hoping to make some Ferguson trips this year too.....Aruba watch out- Dad might just be on the loose!

Just call him Flash Gordon....well it was fun while it lasted anyway

So Dad has been working really hard with the physical therapist this week. He finished chemo last week and this week and has been working at getting more mobile and improving his strength. Well at the end of the week the physical therapist wanted him to start walking with a cane, or at least practicing with a cane to try to free him from the walker. They even added weights 3 lb weights to his ankles to help improve his strength. They don't want Dad to start using the cane out and about until we are really sure that he is comfortable. Well he worked and worked and worked. He tried the stairs at home, used the cane whenever he could and was hoping to be back to his old self and back in the office physically. Well that was the plan anyway. Then this morning he got up to get washed up and started to feel extreme muscle pain. So much so that he had to sit down because he was feeling lightheaded. This week they pulled off his fentanyl patch or pain patch and just wanted him to try to manage any pain with the pain pills. He had to take those and rest the day. When we talked this evening the pain seemed to be get worse almost on the verge of spasms again. They had to put the pain patch back on and had to cancel with the cardiologist because Dad was in too much pain.

Tomorrow he is suppose to go in for labs with Dr. Kazhdan, but he is dreading this since most likely she will want him to have some sort of CT scan or MRI. Dad has horrible memories of this since they are always associated with excruciating pain. He DOES NOT want another scan. We'll see how this goes and what she has to say.

Mom is feeling better, she had been sick, but is now on the road to recovery, just in time for Thanksgiving. Hopefully Dad's back will be okay for him to enjoy the holiday.

To everyone, Thank you all for your constant prayers and thoughts. Be thankful for good times with family and friends and stay healthy this holiday!

So healthy we don't know why you are here...oh except for the myeloma.

Dad has been doing wonderful. At his chemo visit last week Dr. Kazhdan told him I don't know why you are here, all of your labs are wonderful and you are the picture of health...oh except for the myeloma. All of Dad's labs are great and everyday he is getting better and better. In fact, he is getting more and more comfortable on his feet again that he forgets sometimes to use his walker and walks across the kitchen. This doesn't mean that he is 100% cured, but just the fact that he can walk short distances comfortably is wonderful.

The weekend was busy, Mom's family were finishing up visiting and then they had some friends in town to visit. It's been great to have some normalcy in the midst of all these hospital stays and doctor's visits. Monday was again chemo day. Dad was looking great, a little impatient for the long wait, but great nonetheless. He finishes this round of chemo on Thursday then it is off for a week before starting round three. Again his labs look really great and he is attempting to be the model patient. He is even trying to get permission to make some of the business trips slated for next year. Dr. Kazhdan can't make any promises, but if his back is healed and he is doing good, he hopes to make every one of them. All of the emails and calls of support help to boost his resolve to kick this thing in the butt for good. So far, so good.

Discharged home and restarting chemo

Sunday Dad was released from the hospital. It was not without drama. Dad had to prove that he could move his leg on his own, which he worked on all day Saturday both in and out of bed. Then on Sunday, his labs were all out of whack. Very different from what they were the previous day. Dr. Kazhdan was wanting for him to stay, but Dad was determined to go home. So they repeated his labs, and they were normal. So everything was set. Until his nurse came in and told him news that broke his heart. The nurse heard from the radiologist that on the last scan, they saw numerous fractures in his back, ones that we didn't know about. It takes a lot to get him down, but this was a true test. So Dr. Kazhdan came in to let him know about the results, which he already knew except that Dr. Kazhdan said there wasn't anything new. There was a new hidden fracture, but nothing to be concerned about. What is concerning is how brittle his bones are. Now that we are killing all of the myeloma cells it is leaving his bones empty and hallow. This means Dad needs to be VERY VERY careful. So with these instructions Dad was sent home just in time for Mom's birthday.

Monday started Dad's new round of chemo. All of his blood counts looked wonderful. He got his new round of chemo started without difficulty. Just in time to pick up some flowers for mom's birthday. He will go back for chemo on Thursday. In the meantime he is starting the dex and insulin again and they are making arrangements to meet with the orthopedic surgeon so see if there is anything that we can do to help his bones.

Dad is getting stronger again and more and more mobile. He is determined to be done with the walker in 1 week. Let's hope and pray.

Itching to get home and not very mobile

Thursday Dad was laughing hysterically as he recounted the story of what happened to him the night before. Let's just say he was trying to get changed by himself--he wouldn't dare ask his nurse and was having some difficulty getting changed by himself. He was laughing so hard that his back started hurting. He did have a fever Wednesday night- they think it is due to the swelling in his knee. He looked better on Thursday when we brought him lunch. They had to take him down to radiology to make sure his portacath was functioning. They thought that it might be leaking. The good news is that it isn't. Dad's WBC count is still very low, so anyone who comes to visit has to wear a mask and gloves to keep Dad safe from infections. They gave him another dose of the medication to boost his WBC production. In the meantime, Dad was trying to convince the doctor to let give him his walking papers. The only problem is that Dad hasn't been out of bed and he can't go home if he can't move.

Friday was the first time Dad worked with the physical therapist again. As we thought, it was very difficult for Dad to get up. He isn't able to to bear any weight on his knee, and with a broken back, he can't use crutches. So they tried again to get him up in the afternoon, and they were at least able to get him up three steps and back three steps. Dad said they were willing to release him on Friday- but if he can't move what good is he going to be? He realizes it will be impossible for mom to be able to move him at home if he can't help get up and move himself. So slowly he is going to have to rebuild his strength. He is hoping only a couple more days and he will be able to go home, but he isn't going to rush it. The last thing that he wants is to be rehospitalized.

Today Mom's parents are coming into town. It will be the first time that her Dad has been here and they will also get a chance to visit with Dad.

Where have we been??

Sorry, I worked on Monday and was in Dallas for business for the last two days without my laptop.

Monday:
They finally got dad's fever under control. He did get his blood transfusion because he was anemic. They also drained a good amount of fluid from his knee to check if the fluid showed an infection. Things were going good until Dad spiked another fever. We still aren't sure why.

Tuesday: So dad's fever is gone now. It looks like the reason for all the fluid in his knee is because of a sudden case of gout. One of the medications dad was taking to protect his kidneys treats this. On Friday, Dr. Kazhdan stopped it because his levels were so low. Who would have thought that two days without it would have caused this. The infectious disease doctor said that it looked like crystal formation in the fluid they removed, which is gout. So Dr. Kazhdan gave us permission to spank her.

Wednesday: Dad is still in pain from his knee. He did need another blood transfusion. He was suppose to have another scan of this kidneys today to make sure there was no damage done to the kidneys. Mom visited briefly, but she is sick now and feels horrible. She did get a shot but still doesn't feel that great so she went home to rest and not get dad sick. Dad's blood pressure is up tonight, so he was given a new medication and they are going to have to monitor it very closely tonight. Too high and it can strain his heart----VERY BAD for him. We aren't sure why its high, it could be from the pain or stress.

Tomorrow I will finally get a chance to see Dad. Will update you all again.

Great news and not great news--being rehospitalized.

So as I posted.....Dad's Friday appointment with Dr. Kazhdan had great news and not great news. All of the myeloma tests that Dr. Kazhdan ran showed a significant drop in his protein levels- the proteins caused by the myeloma. In some there was a drop of 40%, in others there as a more significant drop of close to 60%. This is wonderful news....the news we have all been praying for. Dad was suppose to start his second round of chemo on Friday, but the not great news was that his WBC count was very low. The WBC's are what fight infection, making dad very very prone to infection. Because of this Dr. Kazhdan did not start his chemo and instead gave him a medication to help boost his WBC production. Since dad was very prone to infection, we did not go trick or treating at Grandpa's--just in case Jacob had germs from school.

Saturday Dad was still feeling some pain from all of his exercises. And then of course the pain of the Longhorn's losing didn't make it any better.

I just got a call from Dad this morning. He is on his way to the hospital. He is running a fever and his knee started to swell last night. We are not sure of the cause of the swelling, it could just be from the exercises or it could be the site of the infection. Regardless, Dr. Kazhdan wants him back at the hospital for more tests and antibiotics. I expect he will be there for this next week. As soon as we get more news I will let you all know. PRAY!

Breaking news

I just talked to Dad. He said that the news from Dr. Kazhdan is that we are kicking this thing in the butt!

More details later...

Still hurting but good news??? Such a teaser!

Wednesday and Thursday were fairly benign except for the fact that Dad is still very sore and tender on his back. The physical therapist again worked him out really hard and warned him he would hurt. He is still doing his daily exercises and walking to and from the mailbox outside. Thursday he waiting for the physical therapist to show up so that he could exercise and then go vote. They waited and waited, but he was late. Instead Dad decided to do his exercises himself and while they were walking outside the physical therapist called. Since they had waited so long Dad was too tired to try and vote.

Friday starts Dad's second round of chemo. He has a 10 AM appointment, where they will repeat labs, give him his bone strengthening medication and chemo. I expect it will be a long day.

As for the teaser...Dr. Kazhdan called Dad on Thursday and said she had some good news! She wouldn't divulge the information on the phone and said she would tell us in the office when he gets his chemo. Is this the answer we have been praying for?? She did draw lots of labs on him, did they show an improvement meaning we are kicking this thing in the butt??? Don't know. Stay tuned!

Doctor's appointments, a little rest and a little avoidance

Monday Dad's morning was filled with appointments. The diabetic specialist agreed, he didn't need insulin when he wasn't on the dex. Next came Dr. Kazhdan. She said all the labs looked good and would see him again later in the week. We start Chemo again next week. Dad was suppose to have an appointment with the physical therapist in the afternoon, but his back was still hurting from the weekend visit. So he delayed this appointment for Tuesday. Instead, Dad rested his back while working in bed. Mom went to get him a different sitting chair, one that doesn't roll and has a straight back. She wasn't gone long, but Dad got lonely---he's not use to being by himself since all of this happened. Just call him the Lonely boy.

Tuesday Dad was able to get some work done. The blasted Physical therapist came back today. Dad got the lengthy workout again- was he thrilled about it, no, but he did it anyway. He did get a chance to rest his back and worked up the courage to sit in his new chair. New furniture worries him, since he isn't sure how his body will tolerate it and how easily he will be able to get in and out of it. We were hoping with a new chair he would be able to sit further back and let his legs rest a little, but he is still working on this.

The great news is his blood pressure and blood sugars have been great. Now we just need to work on his strength and his back so that he can float like a butterfly and sting like a bee! He can't wait to tell you all when he is starting to kick this thing's butt!