Thanks for all of your supportive comments, calls and cards. They've been a great help. Mark had a good day today. He is having some discomfort from the port placement and bruising at the site, but it looks good. He hasn't really taken any pain meds and is just toughing it out. He is getting more used to his restrictive diet and is eating well. We took him out to Chappy's deli for lunch and had a great salad.
Mark took the kids out trick-or-treating later in the evening. The kids had a blast. This is the first year Emily got the concept and she was in heaven. We took pictures and the kids got lots of candy. I think the trick-or-treating wore Mark out a bit, so we came home to rest.
We are anxiously awaiting our visit Friday with Dr. Farmer. Hopefully the bilirubin will be down and we can get started on the chemo. Waiting is the hardest part right now.
Mark's parents are still here helping out which has been a blessing.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Port placed but bili still too high
Hi everyone!! Mark has his port placed early this morning. He is still sleeping from the sedatives. The procedure went well, but he will be sore for a while. We will have to start Coumadin to keep the port from clotting. We also had labs drawn today. Mark's bilirubin is still a little too high to start chemotherapy, but it is coming down. We will keep out appointment this Friday with Dr. Farmer and if labs permit, hopefully chemo on Monday.
Mark's chemo will initially start with 3 medicines. With one of these, he will have to avoid cold so it's a good thing we live in the south. They will eventually start a 4th agent, but we cannot start it until 4-6 weeks after this surgery today. It has the side effect of delayed wound healing which is why they will wait on this.
Mark went to Colton's football game last night and was excited to see Colton play such a remarkable game. He made several great tackles and their team won in overtime. They now advance to the playoffs and Colton is excited that this will be played in the High School stadium.
So far, Mark has continued to coach Calen's football team. He is more on the sidelines now, but he refuses to stop these important activities.
Mark's chemo will initially start with 3 medicines. With one of these, he will have to avoid cold so it's a good thing we live in the south. They will eventually start a 4th agent, but we cannot start it until 4-6 weeks after this surgery today. It has the side effect of delayed wound healing which is why they will wait on this.
Mark went to Colton's football game last night and was excited to see Colton play such a remarkable game. He made several great tackles and their team won in overtime. They now advance to the playoffs and Colton is excited that this will be played in the High School stadium.
So far, Mark has continued to coach Calen's football team. He is more on the sidelines now, but he refuses to stop these important activities.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Mark meets with surgeon (Dr. Lock)
Mark met with Dr. Lock again today for his post operative checkup. He is healing nicely. We also scheduled a port a cath placement for tomorrow which will be done as an outpatient. This will allow Mark to get his chemotherapy. We haven't been able to start chemo yet because the bilirubin count is too high. They will recheck the blood work tomorrow and if it has improved, we will be starting therapy soon. We have an appointment with the local oncologist, Dr. Farmer, on Friday.
Mark is in good spirits overall. He has changed his diet a lot and is mostly vegetarian now. Red meats cause a lot of colon inflammation, so we are doing some dietary modifications to help him heal.
We'd like to say Thank You to everyone for all the love and support you've given. It really means a lot to Mark and all of us. We have been blessed with such great friends and family. Continue to pray for Mark.
Mark is in good spirits overall. He has changed his diet a lot and is mostly vegetarian now. Red meats cause a lot of colon inflammation, so we are doing some dietary modifications to help him heal.
We'd like to say Thank You to everyone for all the love and support you've given. It really means a lot to Mark and all of us. We have been blessed with such great friends and family. Continue to pray for Mark.
Friday, October 26, 2007
10/26/07 Results of the latest CT scan
When Mark spoke with the oncology group at UAB yesterday, they ran another CT scan. The results came back today. They saw only one mass in the colon. There are the lesions on the peritoneal wall, and some lymph nodes. They did not indicate how many lymph nodes. The scan also revealed a cyst on the liver. The UAB group didn't think it was cancer, but they will watch it for any kind of development. The plan remains the same.
10/25/07 Meeting with the Oncology Team
Mark, Ronda, Matt, Mom, & Dad met with the oncology team today to discuss Mark's treatment. The team was very open and answered every one's questions and you can imagine that 2 PhDs, 2 PAs and one of NASA's first rocket scientists was quite the QA session!
Mark will first undergo chemo treatments to try to shrink the tumor. The surgeon wants to go in for another colonoscopy and make sure that he is only dealing with one cancerous tumor. The oncologist wanted Mark's liver enzymes down a little more before beginning the treatments. The chemo will likely start in a week. In the mean time, Mark will have a port-a-cath inserted to aid in administering the chemo.
The chemo treatments will be a 4 hour sessions every other week. To begin, the oncologist will use only chemo, but when Mark's laproscopic surgery incisions heal, the doctor will likely add Avastin to the treatments. The oncology team believes it will take 4 - 6 treatments to shrink the tumor. They will run a CAT scan around this time and determine if the tumor has shrunk enough to run another colonoscopy. This puts us at the end of December or into January next year.
In the future, the oncology team also discussed doing a peritoneal wash with the chemo. They say this is very effective for getting rid of those small lesions across the peritoneum.
Mark will first undergo chemo treatments to try to shrink the tumor. The surgeon wants to go in for another colonoscopy and make sure that he is only dealing with one cancerous tumor. The oncologist wanted Mark's liver enzymes down a little more before beginning the treatments. The chemo will likely start in a week. In the mean time, Mark will have a port-a-cath inserted to aid in administering the chemo.
The chemo treatments will be a 4 hour sessions every other week. To begin, the oncologist will use only chemo, but when Mark's laproscopic surgery incisions heal, the doctor will likely add Avastin to the treatments. The oncology team believes it will take 4 - 6 treatments to shrink the tumor. They will run a CAT scan around this time and determine if the tumor has shrunk enough to run another colonoscopy. This puts us at the end of December or into January next year.
In the future, the oncology team also discussed doing a peritoneal wash with the chemo. They say this is very effective for getting rid of those small lesions across the peritoneum.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
10/24/07 Great NEWS!!!!!!!
Mark had his scans today. They can't find the cancer anywhere except the colon. Even the lesions that the surgeon found on the peritoneal wall were so small that they didn't show up on the PET scan. This is great news.
Mark has an appointment to meet the surgeon and oncologist at UAB in the morning. They will begin discussing his treatments and whether or not he is a surgical candidate. No one can be sure until they talk with the treatment team...but the lack of metastases is a good sign!
Before getting the results, Mark was feeling good enough to play a round of golf with Matt, Dad, and some of his colleagues from work.
Mark has an appointment to meet the surgeon and oncologist at UAB in the morning. They will begin discussing his treatments and whether or not he is a surgical candidate. No one can be sure until they talk with the treatment team...but the lack of metastases is a good sign!
Before getting the results, Mark was feeling good enough to play a round of golf with Matt, Dad, and some of his colleagues from work.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
10/23/07 A day off, Mark goes into work.
Feeling really good, Mark gets up, showers and brings Matthew up to campus. Ronda scheduled a PET scan and a CAT scan for Mark at Opelika hospital. The UAB team asked that they get the tests at home and have the results sent to them. It seems like a good idea, at least things are moving.
Mark will also have a blood test to check and see if his liver enzymes are returning to normal. At the same time they are going to test for the markers suspected in the genetic disorder. Matt is also going to have the genetic test. If a marker is identified then the close relative can be tested for that particular maker.
Mark will also have a blood test to check and see if his liver enzymes are returning to normal. At the same time they are going to test for the markers suspected in the genetic disorder. Matt is also going to have the genetic test. If a marker is identified then the close relative can be tested for that particular maker.
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