Hello. Mark is having his usual chemo course. He feels very weak and tired today. He hasn't had a good appetite, but has managed to eat some. His day has pretty much been lying in bed. He will be unhooked from this round tomorrow afternoon and hopefully we'll start the rebound process.
Mark's sister, Eugenie, had her colonoscopy yesterday and it was normal which was good news to hear. We're still waiting on genetics test results. They should be here any day.
I called the surgeon's office at UAB again today. I didn't reach anyone, but left a message. I really hope we hear something soon from them about Pittsburgh. This has taken forever. It would just be nice to know where we're headed next.
Calen had his basketball party tonight and the playoffs start tomorrow for his team. They play until they lose, so we'll see how they do. Hopefully Mark will be up for the game tomorrow evening. Friday night Calen starts his baseball tournament and he also plays Saturday and Sunday. They play in Auburn which will be nice. Colton also has a basketball game Saturday and we'll be running around like crazy. That is Colton's birthday, too, so we'll have to squeeze in a birthday celebration somewhere in the mix.
Mark's parents are heading to Auburn tomorrow and should be here in the evening. They will be here to celebrate Colton's birthday and spend some time with Mark. We hope for some good weather. I think the guys want to do some fishing.
Continue to keep Mark in your prayers. We hope for a cure for this terrible disease and haven't lost hope for a miracle. Thank you for all the love and support you've all given us. We couldn't have made it this far without it. God bless!!!
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Feb 26, Chemo #9
Hello. We're back from the infusion center and Mark begins his 46 hour infusion with the 5FU. He is doing well all things considered. We had a good visit with Dr. Farmer today. Mark's CEA number was 3.4 which is only slightly higher than previously, but not worrisome. We will see mild fluctuations, but as long as we're not trending back up we're OK. We still have not heard about Pittsburgh. That will determine most of the next part of Mark's treatments. We'll continue chemo at least through round 12 as long as all goes well. If they will do surgery in Pittsburgh, we'll have to stop Avastin 5-6 weeks before surgery, but we should be able to continue the other chemo drugs until a week or two before surgery. If Pittsburgh says no, we'll have to start planning surgery in Birmingham to remove at least the primary tumor. Either way, it looks like surgery will be in the works for Mark.
We met a couple today at the center who are facing the same problems we are. He has the same diagnosis and areas of metastasis that Mark has and is now 2 1/2 years into the chemo. He is doing well and looks great. We got to spend some time discussing our stories. It was very inspiring to see him doing so well that far into treatment. He had his primary tumor removed before starting chemo, but other than that the stories are similar. He is on the same chemo regimen as Mark. Dr. Farmer told us today that we can stay on the oxaliplatin for as long as Mark can tolerate it without having too much peripheral neuropathy.
We are hoping and praying for a good week on chemo. We have basketball games, end of year parties, baseball tournaments and Colton's birthday coming up this week and we hope Mark can participate as much as possible.
Still no word from the genetics testing. Mark's sister is scheduled for a colonoscopy this week. Say a prayer that all is normal. God bless!!!
We met a couple today at the center who are facing the same problems we are. He has the same diagnosis and areas of metastasis that Mark has and is now 2 1/2 years into the chemo. He is doing well and looks great. We got to spend some time discussing our stories. It was very inspiring to see him doing so well that far into treatment. He had his primary tumor removed before starting chemo, but other than that the stories are similar. He is on the same chemo regimen as Mark. Dr. Farmer told us today that we can stay on the oxaliplatin for as long as Mark can tolerate it without having too much peripheral neuropathy.
We are hoping and praying for a good week on chemo. We have basketball games, end of year parties, baseball tournaments and Colton's birthday coming up this week and we hope Mark can participate as much as possible.
Still no word from the genetics testing. Mark's sister is scheduled for a colonoscopy this week. Say a prayer that all is normal. God bless!!!
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Feb 24
Hello. Sorry I've been slacking on my updates. It's been a busy week for us. Mark is doing well. We did not hear from the surgeon in Birmingham last week about the Pittsburgh surgeon. I guess we'll call them Monday to check on the status of that. Monday would be Mark's normal chemo day for round #9, but we're going to go in on Tuesday this week instead. Colton's birthday is Saturday, so we're hoping Mark is feeling good by then.
Friday we went out with Ted and Jean Triplett to eat sushi and then to In Italy for a drink. We had a lot of fun and really enjoyed the evening. Saturday was Colton's basketball game here in Auburn and then we drove straight to Prattville for Calen's baseball tournament. It was sunny and 60 in Auburn when we left Saturday and we watched the temperature drop 12 degrees as we drove to Prattville. The wind was really blowing and it was cloudy which made for a cold and miserable day for baseball. We did not come prepared and were all freezing, so we made a trip to Target and Bass Pro Shop for gloves, blankets and stocking caps which helped. We've decided to pack these for every game even if they predict 80 degree weather.
We went to mass this morning and then out for a little running around afterwards. The boys are out fishing now and Emily and I did some yard work-trimming bushes and putting out more pine straw. The weather today is beautiful. Figures!!!
Continue to keep Mark in your prayers as always. We thank you all for your support through our journey with cancer. God bless!!
Friday we went out with Ted and Jean Triplett to eat sushi and then to In Italy for a drink. We had a lot of fun and really enjoyed the evening. Saturday was Colton's basketball game here in Auburn and then we drove straight to Prattville for Calen's baseball tournament. It was sunny and 60 in Auburn when we left Saturday and we watched the temperature drop 12 degrees as we drove to Prattville. The wind was really blowing and it was cloudy which made for a cold and miserable day for baseball. We did not come prepared and were all freezing, so we made a trip to Target and Bass Pro Shop for gloves, blankets and stocking caps which helped. We've decided to pack these for every game even if they predict 80 degree weather.
We went to mass this morning and then out for a little running around afterwards. The boys are out fishing now and Emily and I did some yard work-trimming bushes and putting out more pine straw. The weather today is beautiful. Figures!!!
Continue to keep Mark in your prayers as always. We thank you all for your support through our journey with cancer. God bless!!
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Feb 19
Hello. Still no word from the surgeon. Mark called today, but he was in surgery. Hopefully we'll hear something tomorrow. Of course, there's not a big rush for this since Mark is still on chemo, but it would be nice to know what direction we're going to be taking. We're trying to be patient.
We had planned on taking the kids up to the Atlanta aquarium on Monday since they were out of school and I took the day off of work, but Mark's tummy had other plans. He wasn't feeling terrible, but it would have been hard for him to travel for that long, so we stayed home instead. Mark and the boys went fishing for a little while instead and I put out pine straw. Yes, it was an exciting way to spend my day off. Emily had fun on her tricycle and jumping on the trampoline while I worked, so it wasn't that bad.
Mark's next chemo treatment will begin on Tuesday instead of the usual Monday. His chemo nurse (Andrea) is off on Monday and Mark is very superstitious and doesn't want anyone else giving him the chemo. Can you tell he used to be a baseball player???? I think I've mentioned in an earlier post that he wears the same shirt every time we go in for treatment and doctor appointments for the same reason.
The genetics testing should be in soon. We're anxiously awaiting those results.
We have a busy weekend coming with Colton's basketball game and Calen's baseball tournament. Hopefully the weather will be nice. God bless!!
We had planned on taking the kids up to the Atlanta aquarium on Monday since they were out of school and I took the day off of work, but Mark's tummy had other plans. He wasn't feeling terrible, but it would have been hard for him to travel for that long, so we stayed home instead. Mark and the boys went fishing for a little while instead and I put out pine straw. Yes, it was an exciting way to spend my day off. Emily had fun on her tricycle and jumping on the trampoline while I worked, so it wasn't that bad.
Mark's next chemo treatment will begin on Tuesday instead of the usual Monday. His chemo nurse (Andrea) is off on Monday and Mark is very superstitious and doesn't want anyone else giving him the chemo. Can you tell he used to be a baseball player???? I think I've mentioned in an earlier post that he wears the same shirt every time we go in for treatment and doctor appointments for the same reason.
The genetics testing should be in soon. We're anxiously awaiting those results.
We have a busy weekend coming with Colton's basketball game and Calen's baseball tournament. Hopefully the weather will be nice. God bless!!
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Feb 16
Hello. Good news to report today.... Mark is feeling better. He got up some yesterday and piddled around, still a little under the weather, but today he's feeling much better. He is still having a little abdominal pain, but is managing. We got up and went to Colton's basketball game this morning and Mark drove to Alex City to help out with Calen's baseball practice this afternoon. The weather is beautiful here.
Today marks the 4 month anniversary of Mark's diagnosis. It's funny how that day remains with you. It seems more paramount than our wedding anniversary for whatever reason.
We pray that the chemo is doing what it needs to do for Mark's cancer and that we're lead in the right direction in Mark's treatments. I called the surgeon in Birmingham Friday to check on the answer from the surgeon in Pittsburgh, but he was out for the day. Hopefully they will call us Monday with some news.
God bless!!
Today marks the 4 month anniversary of Mark's diagnosis. It's funny how that day remains with you. It seems more paramount than our wedding anniversary for whatever reason.
We pray that the chemo is doing what it needs to do for Mark's cancer and that we're lead in the right direction in Mark's treatments. I called the surgeon in Birmingham Friday to check on the answer from the surgeon in Pittsburgh, but he was out for the day. Hopefully they will call us Monday with some news.
God bless!!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Feb 14
Hello and Happy Valentine's Day to everyone. We've had a rough one. Mark has definitely had a first this chemo round. As stated earlier, he felt pretty good during the infusion this time which surprised us. We thought things would go smoothly and we'd have a great 2 weeks, but we were mistaken. For whatever reason, he began feeling bad after they disconnected him yesterday and has gone downhill from there. He really didn't even get up at all today. He's just felt really lousy with no energy and sick to him stomach. He's having some belly pain as well. It was hard for him to eat or drink anything today and he feels weak. There is no sign of infection like the flu going around. We're thinking it's all from chemo. We'll wait and see.
Calen had a basketball game tonight and Mark was too sick to go. So far, Mark has insisted on going to all of the kids' games regardless of how bad he felt, but this time it was too much. He felt really bad for missing it, but there was no way he could get up to make it.
The kids all had fun days with Valentine's Day parties. They were a little hyper tonight.
Continue to keep Mark in your prayers. We are hoping and praying that he rebounds quickly from this so we can enjoy the next week and a half. Still no word from Birmingham about the surgeon from Pittsburgh. I will probably give them a call tomorrow to check on the status. God bless!!
Calen had a basketball game tonight and Mark was too sick to go. So far, Mark has insisted on going to all of the kids' games regardless of how bad he felt, but this time it was too much. He felt really bad for missing it, but there was no way he could get up to make it.
The kids all had fun days with Valentine's Day parties. They were a little hyper tonight.
Continue to keep Mark in your prayers. We are hoping and praying that he rebounds quickly from this so we can enjoy the next week and a half. Still no word from Birmingham about the surgeon from Pittsburgh. I will probably give them a call tomorrow to check on the status. God bless!!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Feb 12, Chemo #8
Mark has done very well through this round. He actually had a little energy today for a brief while and went fishing in the pond across the street. That is remarkable considering how he's felt through his other treatments. Of course, that little bit of activity took all of his energy and he was wiped out this evening. It is good to see him doing well through a treatment especially since he felt so lousy last time. Tomorrow at noon should be his stop time and he'll be unhooked once again and be a free man.
Still no news about the surgeon in Pittsburgh. We may have to call this week to check on the status of that.
As always, we appreciate everyone's support and encouragement through this process. It hasn't been easy, but I think all the prayers and well wishes have gotten us through a lot. Continue to pray for Mark. God bless!!!
Still no news about the surgeon in Pittsburgh. We may have to call this week to check on the status of that.
As always, we appreciate everyone's support and encouragement through this process. It hasn't been easy, but I think all the prayers and well wishes have gotten us through a lot. Continue to pray for Mark. God bless!!!
Monday, February 11, 2008
Feb 11, Chemo #8
Hi everyone. We're back from the infusion center and Mark is receiving the 46 hour infusion of the 5FU which finishes Wednesday around noon. He's starting to feel puny already. His labs were normal today. They didn't do the cancer marker this time, but we'll do that again at the next infusion. The weather here is gorgeous which helps. We didn't have issues with getting Mark out in the cold today and that is a lot of help.
This chemo regimen is supposed to be 12 cycles. We're still not sure about long term plans since Mark's primary tumor is still in (hasn't been surgically removed) and he still has lymph nodes present and one suspicious spot on the liver. The peritoneal disease doesn't show up on CT or PET scan, but was only seen by the surgeon which also complicates things. We will have to begin planning for what to do in April after round #12. Three of Mark's chemo drugs could be used longer, but one will most likely have to be stopped to avoid permanent neuropathy problems. Of course, we're still waiting to see what the doctor from Pittsburgh says. If surgery is an option, it will have to wait until we are stable enough to stop the chemo for a while. The Avastin will need a washout period or Mark's healing will be difficult.
We continue to feel blessed that Mark has done so well with the treatment this far and pray that it continues to go well. For those of you who don't see Mark regularly, he looks great and you'd never guess him to be sick if you didn't know. He has a great attitude and fighting spirit and really never let's any of this get him down. We appreciate all the support and well wishes. Continue to pray for Mark and the doctors and nurses treating him. We hope that they lead us to the right path for healing and recovery. God bless!!
This chemo regimen is supposed to be 12 cycles. We're still not sure about long term plans since Mark's primary tumor is still in (hasn't been surgically removed) and he still has lymph nodes present and one suspicious spot on the liver. The peritoneal disease doesn't show up on CT or PET scan, but was only seen by the surgeon which also complicates things. We will have to begin planning for what to do in April after round #12. Three of Mark's chemo drugs could be used longer, but one will most likely have to be stopped to avoid permanent neuropathy problems. Of course, we're still waiting to see what the doctor from Pittsburgh says. If surgery is an option, it will have to wait until we are stable enough to stop the chemo for a while. The Avastin will need a washout period or Mark's healing will be difficult.
We continue to feel blessed that Mark has done so well with the treatment this far and pray that it continues to go well. For those of you who don't see Mark regularly, he looks great and you'd never guess him to be sick if you didn't know. He has a great attitude and fighting spirit and really never let's any of this get him down. We appreciate all the support and well wishes. Continue to pray for Mark and the doctors and nurses treating him. We hope that they lead us to the right path for healing and recovery. God bless!!
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Feb 10
Hi. It's been several days since I've updated. Mark continues to do well. He has been busy this week with work and baseball practice with Calen. They are gearing up for a tournament Feb 23rd. Colton also had a basketball game Saturday which was exciting. Colton had a great defensive game and held his man to one basket during his playing time. The kid he was guarding usually scores 18 points per game. He's become quite the defender and is actually using form to block out and get rebounds. Emily's leotard made it here before her class on Friday. She had the best time in her tumbling class and started chattering about it the second I picked her up.
We're gearing up for Chemo tomorrow. It's quite a downer on Sunday evening because Mark is feeling good and knows that in the morning the "fun" starts all over again. I guess it's a necessary evil. We're just thankful that it is keeping his cancer under control.
We still haven't heard from the surgeon in Pittsburgh. Hopefully we'll know something soon. It is hard to just sit and wait.
Continue to keep Mark in your prayers. God bless!!
We're gearing up for Chemo tomorrow. It's quite a downer on Sunday evening because Mark is feeling good and knows that in the morning the "fun" starts all over again. I guess it's a necessary evil. We're just thankful that it is keeping his cancer under control.
We still haven't heard from the surgeon in Pittsburgh. Hopefully we'll know something soon. It is hard to just sit and wait.
Continue to keep Mark in your prayers. God bless!!
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Feb 5
Mark continues to do well this week. He has the cough still, but is managing alright. He's working on a paper and just got another one published-GO MARK!!! Still no word from Dr. Heslin's office regarding the surgeon in Pittsburgh.
We had Calen's basketball game tonight. It was a loss, but fun to watch. They really have a good team this year. Colton will play again on Saturday. Emily is VERY excited about her first tumbling class this Friday. We ordered her a leotard and I hope it comes in before the first class because she can't wait to put one on.
A big THANK YOU to the Baughman's for dinner all the way from Pennsylvania. Now that takes some doing!! We really appreciate your thoughts and prayers. It means a lot.
Mark continues to read your comments on here and appreciates the inquiries and well wishes from everyone. Once again, God bless you all!!! Continue to remember Mark in your prayers.
We had Calen's basketball game tonight. It was a loss, but fun to watch. They really have a good team this year. Colton will play again on Saturday. Emily is VERY excited about her first tumbling class this Friday. We ordered her a leotard and I hope it comes in before the first class because she can't wait to put one on.
A big THANK YOU to the Baughman's for dinner all the way from Pennsylvania. Now that takes some doing!! We really appreciate your thoughts and prayers. It means a lot.
Mark continues to read your comments on here and appreciates the inquiries and well wishes from everyone. Once again, God bless you all!!! Continue to remember Mark in your prayers.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Feb 4
Hi. We've had a pretty uneventful weekend and a good Monday so far. Still waiting to hear from Dr. Heslin about the doctor from Pittsburgh. Hopefully that will be mid week. Mark is feeling good for the most part. He's been a little tired, but hanging in there.
We had a good time at the Super Bowl party we attended. It was actually a good game this year and not a blow out. Thanks Brian and Colleen for having us.
We have basketball games and practices through the week and of course Mardi Gras tomorrow and Ash Wednesday following that, so it should be a busy week for us. I'll continue to update as we learn things. God bless!!!
We had a good time at the Super Bowl party we attended. It was actually a good game this year and not a blow out. Thanks Brian and Colleen for having us.
We have basketball games and practices through the week and of course Mardi Gras tomorrow and Ash Wednesday following that, so it should be a busy week for us. I'll continue to update as we learn things. God bless!!!
Friday, February 1, 2008
Feb 1
Hello to everyone. Mark is feeling much better today. He woke and has progressively gotten better through the day. His appetite is back to normal and he went to the office after running a few errands with me this morning. It's nice to see him feeling good. He is still a little stuffy and coughing some.
Mark got a call today from Dr. Heslin. Dr. Heslin had spoken to the surgeon at MD Anderson who does not feel Mark is a candidate for the surgery due to the biliary duct stent and the lymph nodes present in this site. He did not accept Mark as a patient at this time. Dr. Heslin will be contacting the other surgeon in Pittsburgh to see what his opinion is. We will wait to hear from him about Pittsburgh. We just feel very blessed right now that Mark is doing so well with the chemo and his cancer is stable. We continue to pray that we will be lead in the right direction for treatment. God bless!!!
Mark got a call today from Dr. Heslin. Dr. Heslin had spoken to the surgeon at MD Anderson who does not feel Mark is a candidate for the surgery due to the biliary duct stent and the lymph nodes present in this site. He did not accept Mark as a patient at this time. Dr. Heslin will be contacting the other surgeon in Pittsburgh to see what his opinion is. We will wait to hear from him about Pittsburgh. We just feel very blessed right now that Mark is doing so well with the chemo and his cancer is stable. We continue to pray that we will be lead in the right direction for treatment. God bless!!!
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