May 27th, 2008

What a wonderful life!
Well friends, we are back from Phoenix and our trip was uneventful medically which is a great thing. Our river raft trip in the canyon was cancelled due to high winds and the day turned out to be pretty poor weather wise, but we still had a good time and spent a lot of the week with our daughter Karen and her boyfriend Mark. We played lots of cards, ate too much food and laughed a lot. Joe walked everyday and is much stronger for it. We left Phoenix on Saturday and got home Saturday night about 10. All our in-town kids and the Michael Coburns from Ohio were there. We knew they were coming in for a short weekend with us. What we didn't know was what they were bringing. As some of you know Heidi was diagnosed with Carcinoid cancer last November and so Mike decided to buy her the sports car she has wanted for awhile. It is a red Honda L2000 which may mean something to some of you. Well, the surprise was, they gave it to Joe to drive for the summer. Those of you who know Joe, know that he has always loved sports cars but never had one. They had spotlights on it in the garage and a big blue bow when they opened the garage doors. Joe was almost speechless - not quite! He had the biggest smile on his face this weekend that we have seen in a long time. Of course, everyone had to have a ride in it and the weather cooperated beautifully for plenty of rides (at $4.00 a gallon). Joe played golf with our two sons and grandson on Sunday (9 holes) and he wasn't exhausted when he came home like he was 10 days ago. I think the walking is really helping strengthen him.
Today he went for an ERCP to replace the biliary catheter with a metal stent (which should last 6-8 months). He no longer has a tube sticking out of his abdomen. The procedure went very well. They did find a small ulcer which they biopsied so he will start on a med to reduce the acid in his stomach. He is resting today but is pretty comfortable except for a bit of a sore throat which is how they gained access to the area. We went back to Dr. Parsons at Northwest Community on the recommendation of our oncologist. Everyone seems to know he is the best in the area but he is a very humble man. That's it for now. Hopefully we can post a picture of Heidi and Joe in front of the car when we get it. We know it was a sacrifice for Heidi to give it up after just getting it but she was very gracious about it and we are so thankful for the thoughtfulness of all our kids. We feel blessed that we can keep building memories with the kids and our friends. We did have lunch with our old friends the Presleys in Phoenix. They drove 4 hours one way just to see us and we surely appreciated the effort.
Joe will have his IV chemo again on Thursday. He has had two weeks of the oral with no side effects - another answer to prayer. Take care and God bless. Mary Anne

We are in Phoenix!

Hi Friends,
Well we made it to Phoenix to visit our daughter Karen for a week. the doctor visit yesterday was good. Joe's counts all went up, well the white and the Hgb. The platelets dropped a little more but the doctor said they would start to go up now because the treatment was 10 days ago. good news that his bilirubin is now 1.2, back in the normal range. He is still weak but other than that we are happy with the news. We have made an appointment with the GI guy at Northwest to put a stent in where his biliary catheter is on Tuesday May27th. Then he won't have an opening to the outside and less chance of infection. He also had his blood cultures repeated to make sure the sepsis was gone and they grew nothing so we are in the clear there. I guess I shouldn't say "we" but we re definitely in this journey together.
We had a smooth flight out arriving a little early and we have just had a good nap waiting for Karen to get home from work. We are going to our favorite Italian restaurant tonight, Baci's, which used to be in Plainfield, where we live, and moved to AZ. Karen's boyfriend Mark will be joining us (and for most of the week). We plan to drive to the Grand Canyon on Tuesday and take a 13 hour tour which includes a 5-7 mile float trip down the Colorado (?) River but we don't have to paddle so that is a good thing. Karen and Mark will join us on this also so we will get to spend some quality time with them. We planned the Grand Canyon trip thinking Karen had to work and then she decided to take the week off. We hope to visit our friends the Sullivans on Monday and see our friends the Presleys on Friday. They both used to live in Carillon with us and moved west a few years back. A few weeks ago I wasn't sure if we would be able to make this trip but God has really blessed us with recovery. We couldn't do it without all your prayers. Thanks so much for caring for us and about us. Thanks Ed for driving us to the airport this morning,. That made it much easier (and cheaper). Take care and God bless, Mary Anne

May 12th, 2008

Well, today was supposed to be Joe's second Gemzar IV of chemo but his blood counts dropped way too low so he won't have any til we come back from Phoenix. His hemoglobin is 9, his white count is 1.2 and his platelets are only 68,000. So he got Procrit which helps build the red blood cells and Nulastin which helps build the white blood cells and the doctor will check him again on Thursday before we leave for Phoenix on Friday. Each time we see him we like him more. Joe has walked everyday and really feels stronger. The oncologist said that his patients who exercise have way less side effects than those who lay around. Joe told him his own goal of walk/run three miles in 8 weeks and he agreed with it.
Joe will play golf tomorrow with his golf league for the first time. The weather should be warmer and the sun always helps Joe feel better. We are looking forward to Phoenix. He finishes his first week of Xeloda tomorrow and will be off that for a week so we don't expect any more changes except good before we go away. Thanks for being there for us. It is nice to see and visit neighbors as we walk the neighborhood. Lucky,our Maltese, is learning some manners as we meet and greet people on the street but he is not so good with other dogs. He is going to obedience school next month so maybe that will help. He is a joy to have around and he doesn't run when we have him off the leash which is so great.
We are still trying to set up an appointment with Dr. Parsons to put a stent in where the catheter is in his bile duct but he wants to review the records from the hospitalization first. Will try to update before we leave for Phoenix. God Bless Mary Anne

May 7, 2008

Hi Friends,
Well thing are improving. Joe started chemo on Monday with Gemcitibine which he will get for two or three Mondays and then a week off. He started oral chemo with Xeloda yesterday and will be on that, one week on, one week off. So far no side effects but is it early. His bilirubin came down to 2 which is the lowest it has been since he was jaundiced. His blood counts are all good although a little low. His platelets came up to 143,000 which is great. Yesterday was a beautiful day and we walked outside for a half hour. That was a big effort for Joe but he definitely feels he is getting stronger. He has had work started on planting his garden and he is really looking forward to that happening. His favorite thing to do is sit on the deck and look out at the pond, the golfers, the gardens. It is a bonus if our neighbors Ed and Jayne are around and they stop over to chat. He even went all day yesterday with no nap!
Please pray for shrinkage of the tumors and that soon he can get rid of the catheter in his bile duct and switch to an internal stent. People with cc have seen some good results with this chemo combination and we are hoping Joe will get a good response with few side effects. Take care and God Bless. Mary Anne

May 2, 2008

Hi Friends,
Joe is doing much better this week. He has been walking some each day outside and he has lost 13 pounds of fluid naturally since he came home from the hospital. He probably has about 5 more pounds. If all goes well and the counts are good, he will start chemo on Monday. He is planning on having his gardens planted in the next ten days and he is really looking forward to that. He loves to sit on the deck and watch the golfers and see his flowers. We had friends from the International House of Prayer in Kansas City stop by Wednesday night and they stayed over and prayed with Joe and I on Thursday. What a great way to start the day. Thanks for all the wonderful get well cards and birthday cards. Your thoughts and prayers mean so much to us. I went to the support group for people with metastatic cancer and their caregivers. I learn something new each time I go and I find it really helpful. We have a quiet weekend ahead of us and that is fine. Take care and God Bless. Mary Anne