GREAT NEWS!!!!!!

We just got back from the doctor's office and got fantastic news. The tumor is gone! The starting number for the cancer activity level before chemo was 30 and it's all the way down to 1.5 with 1 being perfect. The doctor isn't concerned with the .5 mark, but wants Dad to see a doctor at the Med. Center in Omaha for a second opinion, but feels that this approach is just fine. So they pulled out Dad's picc line and he is thrilled with that, too. And he even got a hug from his favorite nurse there!! All in all, Dad says this is his best birthday EVER!!!!!! Dad will go in for another PET scan the end of December to check on things. So back to being normal again!
We are about to head out for the day to celebrate ...going to Nebraska City for a picnic and a hike and a major celebration!! Thanks for all of your great support throughout this...you have no idea how important your good thoughts and prayers have been! I may try to post a picture on this website later today ...a celebration picture...so check back towards the end of the day.

Updates

Sorry I didn't post Sept 2 or Sept 9th. On Sept. 2 Dad had blood work done and it was ok..but down a bit...white blood cells down, hemoglobin a bit on the anemic side, platelets down. This last blast of chemo was a bit harder on him...nothing major, but numbness in toes and fingers a bit worse, bone aches from the neulasta, tiredness. But he is now feeling much better and stronger and his blood work on Sept 9th (last Wed) was improved...white blood cells going up, hemoglobin improved, and platelets up...so that's good news. I'm sure his blood work this next week will also show improvement. His hair is growing back even more...and I even had to do a bit of trim work to it the other night. It's almost started to lay down a bit...instead of standing up!

When it rains, it pours

Well, the day started off....let's say "interesting". I got up early to do my 3 mile walk/run before going to the oncologist's today. I left around 6:45 and as I started running, it was misting. Well, within about 10 minutes it had turned into a torrential rain with lighting and thunder. I was about 3/4 mile from my car so I pulled out my cell phone and called Dad to come pick me up and take me back to my car (because of the lightning...that's one thing I don't mess around with). So I'm waiting for Dad to meet me where the road crosses the trail and I get a call from Sara...very upset. It turns out that Dad, in his haste to come rescue me...knowing it was lightning...got into his truck with a big umbrella...so he wouldn't get his picc line wet. He fumbled getting the umbrella in the truck and it was pouring and dark out and he failed to think about Sara's brand new car behind him...and he rammed into the front of her car (oh, and he had also taken his first dose of prednisone...so the roids were raging already). Sara had just come outside & saw the whole thing happen. I'm just thankful that she wasn't somewhere inbetween her car and Dad's. So of course, Dad felt awful. So Leo came and picked me up and I'm dealing with Sara crying and driving in torrential rain to work...very upset...and then Dad, who's blood pressure probably was over the top...going in for a chemo treatment...and not exactly in the best of mental conditions to be in having just crashed into his daughter's new car....and then me...well, I was drenched from standing out in the rain for a while (which was minor compared to the others' situations).
Well, Sara made it to work. I tried to settle Dad down. He went upstairs to go to the bathroom and I heard him going up and down the stairs, and the toilet flushing 3 or 4 times, and water running...he had plugged up the toilet! Like I say, when it rains, it pours! By the time he came downstairs and told me (although the good part was the water did not overflow over the edge of the toilet before the magic wand was used!)...all we could do at this point is start laughing! He settled down...and Sara dried out and found out that the only damage to her car was a bent license plate...she was just mostly worried that Dad was going to be upset over this. So by the time we got to the oncologist's, Dad's blood pressure was something like 120 over 70...so he was back in control.
He is currently receiving his round 6 (of 6 rounds) of chemo and is doing fine....he's a bit pale right now...that happens during the chemo. He gets his color back by later today or tomorrow. He's had his lunch and as soon as the nurse finishes both of the push chemicals that he gets...and he gets back on the drip...then he wants to have his laptop to do some work. He took a little nap this morning after the benedryl. He is off chemo after this and is scheduled to go to the hospital for a CT/PET scan on Sept. 23 which will detect if there is any activity in the remaining cells...which would indicate remaining cancer. We're hoping for the best at that point. The chemo will have another 3-4 weeks to do it's final thing and then we'll know the results. His picc line will stay in until after the results of the test.
So that's it from here right now. I'll keep you posted.

Wed. round 5 of chemo

We met with the dr. this morning and he walked in the room and said "good news" and then told us of the CT scan results. The lymph nodes in his neck and groin have virtually gone away and the massive tumor on his abdomen (actually it's 2 masses together) have shrunk about 70% and the doctor was pleased with that. The measurements went from 10 X 13 cm down to 8 X 5 cm and the other mass went from 10 X 8 cm down to 6 X 4 cm. Considering Dad has had 2/3 of the required chemo treatment...that's doing good. He has today and one more to go. Then after the last treatment they let him rest for a month and then they'll do a PET scan to not only check the size, but the activity level...that is..whether there are any active cancer cells still remaining. The doctor said that with a tumor that large, there is a certain amount of "structure" cells...non-cancerous ones that support the cancerous tumor...so even the remaining mass at this time could be just that...but we'll know more after the PET scan in late September. If it shows up as non-active then there would be no more treatment...the structure mass would just slowly be assimilated into the body. If it shows up as active, then they would go to plan B with stem cell treatment and other forms of chemo. So at this point we let the next 2 rounds of chemo do their thing and then get results from the PET scan. Dad is very encouraged with this info and that's good. He's currently hooked up to the chemo treatment this morning and is doing fine...the benadryl has knocked him out for a few hours...so that helps the day go by a bit faster. Guess that's it for now.

Monday CT scan

Dad went in for his CT scan this morning and he got along fine for the procedure. He came home afterwards and had some breakfast (since he hadn't eaten or drank since 9:00 last night) and then off to work he went! After dinner tonight he was zipping around the yard ...mowing! He's amazing! We're anxious to see the results of the CT scan on Wednesday morning when we meet with the doctor before his chemo treatment that day. I'll keep you posted as soon as I can...so check back here Wed. mid morning or so. Keep those positive thoughts coming!

Wednesday blood work

Dad had some blood work done today and all looks well again. His hemoglobin came up 2 points since last time so the spinach, red meat, and raisins paid off! He's feeling really good and wants to go to another baseball game this week. That's it for today...I'll post something after he has his CT scan on Monday morning...although we won't get the results until Wed. when he sees the doctor before round 5 of chemo.

Fundraising Team-in-Training Blogs & Update!!

Hi all...

As you all well know, Mom and I are participating in Team-in-Training events (mom's doing the Marathon, and I'm doing the century ride.

I don't think we have officially posted our blogs and website on here though! So...without further ado, I give you:

TEAM SAWATZKI

Additionally, I would like to thank all of those who have donated and who have forwarded the information to all of their friends who have also donated!! So far mom and I have raised a total of....drumroll please....

$3,230!!!!

A whopping $1,655 has come from the help of the Sawatzki crew so far!!! With over $900 of that coming from donations that Matt & Joy solicited from their friends and family!!!

That is huge. Unnfathomable in it's awesomeness!!!

If anyone else is interested in partaking in the fundraising fun, Matt wrote a really great letter to send out to his friends...I bet if you bug him he might let you use it so you'd just have to update a little bit! :-)

Seriously amazing stuff though, guys!! And thanks to EVERYONE!!! We're just over the half-way point which I think is doing really well at this point of the game!

Also...Mom and I have our blogs up now! Check them out - We update them regularily:

Mom's blog: WALKING GRANDMA

And My blog: CYCLING SAWATZKI

Anyway, again...Thanks to all!! you guys rock!!!!

Wednesday blood work

Dad went to have the dressing on his picc line changed and have blood work done today and the blood work came back really good. The nurse is amazed at how good and consistent his blood work has been! So he's doing excellent with that! His hemoglobin is just slightly low so I'll start loading him up on high iron foods like organic spinach, red meat, raisins, etc.

Thanks for this blog

I thought I'd try my hand at posting here. First off, Joy and I really like checking this blog. It's a good way to keep in touch on how awesome Dad is doing with the treatments. And it provides occasional hilarity, as well (search blog for F-bomb).

So anyways, thanks for all the posts that Sara, Mom, and Dad put up here. We really enjoy them. And keep up the great job you're doing, Dad. We'll keep sending our positive thoughts your way.

Thursday update

Dad's doing great today...back to work bright and early. He got his Neulasta shot today to keep those white blood cells going. It's hard to believe that the day after his 4th chemo treatment and there are still some people at work that don't even know he's on chemo! They just think he turned "badass" sporting his new hair(less) style! Of course being on the roids gives a new dimension to his badass image!

Let the Roid Rage begin

Well I am on another chemo cycle and all is going well for me. This also means another 4 days of steroids. I wonder if I will be as charming as last time. Time will tell, but Sara for sure will be on the lookout for the tell tale signs. Mom will be saying please lower your voice. Sara will find it hilarious when I break my poached egg. So some fun we all will have. Glad you are all helping.

Grandpa

Update Wed.

We're here at the oncologists and Dad is getting round 4 of the chemo treatments. Today his bloodwork looked good...his hemoglobin was up so he's out of the "anemic" area. The doctor examined him this morning and could find no trace of a tumor in his abdomen...so that's GREAT news!!! Of course there could be a small amount, but the last time he felt it, the doctor could still feel some. He has Dad scheduled to have a CT scan on Monday August 3 and then his next round of chemo is the 5th...so we'll find out the results of the scan at that time. The doctor is convinced that things are going very well so this visit was very encouraging.
Dad is in his usual benadryl "coma"...sleeping and relaxing as the bags of chemo are dripping away. I just went for a 3 mile run and we'll be having our "picnic" lunch in a bit...when he's awake enough to eat!! Oh...when we were talking with the doctor he asked Dad how he was feeling...and his appetite, etc and Dad said great...and the doctor said that was nice to hear because he doesn't hear that so often...so positive thought does help!! Overall...very good news today!!

Update

Forgot to post this last Thursday. Dad's bloodwork was just fine. He continues to do well. We went to a ballgame on Saturday and enjoyed the great outdoors and Sunday he rode his mower and manicured the lawn. His next round of chemo is this Wednesday and Dad is ready...and further boosted by Delia's "grandpa cheer" several days ago....she kept saying "go, Grandpa, go" non-stop for several minutes...much to Dad's delight!! We will meet with his doctor before the chemo on Wed. and find out when a CT scan will be scheduled to check on the progress. I'll keep you all posted. It will be sometime before the next round of chemo. Check back on Wed. for an update.

contest results

The votes are in and it looks like the winner is Daddy Warbucks. This means that Dad has to sing "Let's Go To The Movies". Knowing the way he plays the musical game, Encore, he will be making up the words to this song, also!

Correction

Andy pointed out an error in the contest. I have 2 pictures of Telly Savalas. The one marked "Yul Brenner" is another picture of Telly Savalas. Here's one of Yul Brenner. Thanks, Andy.

Contest continued

Here are the other options:


Telly Savalas

Yul Brenner

Sigourney Weaver

LET THE VOTING BEGIN!!

Photo Look-a-like vote

OK...the time has come. This requires everyone who reads this blog to participate and cast your vote! You, the voters, get to decide who looks the most like Dad, or who Dad looks like the most. All the photos would not fit on this post, so I'll continue the photos on another post.



The star



Daddy Warbucks


Dr. Evil

Gandhi

Mr. Clean

Thursday update

Dad is currently receiving his 3rd chemo treatment now and is doing fine. He's been dozing most of the morning...the benedryl must have been extra strong today! He's had his lunch and the doctor just came by and said they would do another CT scan after the next treatment in 3 more weeks to assess the progress. Sara came over to visit on her extended lunch break so that helped pass some time, too. Guess that's it for now. He's doing great!

Chemo Update

Well...since mom hasn't updated this on here yet today, I thought I'd give one.

I went to visit over my lunch hour and dad was doing great! His bloodwork came back really good this morning, too! But I guess there was some delay in getting the chemo started so he was still a bit googly-eyed from the Benedryl when I was there, but in good spirits!

That's really all of an update I have to give you! Hopefully mom will remember to post more on here later this afternoon! :-)

Thursday update

Last Thursday Dad had blood work done and it was very good. All looks well for this upcoming Thursday and his 3rd chemo treatment. His hemoglobin was a bit low so we're loading him up on fresh spinach, raisins, red meat, and all that good stuff. So again he's going into the next treatment very strong and with a very positive attitude. He had a great Father's Day thanks to all the calls from you kids. He especially liked hearing the story of Delia on the airplane when she and Darcy were returning from Florida this morning. When the flight attendant came up to Delia and said "hi", Delia replied back "I'd like some apple juice"!!! Now that's one world- traveling savvy little girl!!!
I'll keep you all posted this Thursday when Dad has his next chemo treatment.

Anniversary thanks

Thank you to everyone who sent anniversary wishes and phoned us...we really appreciate that! We had a great day today...we drove to Nebraska City and then across into Iowa to Wobansie State Park for a picnic (as seen in the photo). We were at this exact place 36 years ago before we were engaged. I was trying to impress Dad with my cooking so at that time I made fried chicken and potato salad for our picnic at this park. When we got there, the chicken was under cooked (pink) and the potato salad was under cooked (crunchy). At the time, Dad didn't say anything, but years later when he told the story he said that even though things were not cooked, he still married me! Well, 36 years later we returned and I made fried chicken and potato salad and I redeemed myself!! We had a nice day...took a hike around the Lied Lodge and had an iced tea on the veranda and reminisced about our 35 years. We were sad to miss our favorite spot in the world...Salt Spring...but by a miracle, Salt Spring came to us today. When we arrived home, we found in the mailbox a package from our dear friends, Sharon & Bob Brewer from Salt Spring...and in it was Sharon's wonderful homemade granola that she always has for us in the cottage on the island! Also in the box were other wonderful treats and something so wonderful...some shells and sea glass that she found the day before she mailed the package. That was such a treat to have this wonderful part of Salt Spring come to us. Sharon, if you're reading this...you are so special! That made our day! And what great timing!!

35 Years!

Happy 35th Anniversary Mom & Dad!!!

I know Nebraska City doesn't exactly compare to Salt Spring Island...but I hope you're having fun!!

Blog Posting Troubleshooting/Tutorial

Are you having trouble posting on the blog? Are you lurking and don't know how to post?

We've got answers!

For whatever reason, sometimes the posting can get temperamental. I've found that whenever an error message comes up you can just post it again and usually it goes through that second time.

If you still have problems...it's best to make sure that you are signed into blogger (using your gmail account).

Up in the right-hand corner there will be a Sign-in link
click that and type in your gmail account information.
It will take you to your "dashboard" and you can just click on "View Blog" next to the Go, Grandpa, Go one.

If, for whatever reason, that still won't let you post....you can also choose to post a different way:

Under the comment posting box...there is a drop down list labeled "Comment as:"
Select Name/URL and just type in your name (you can leave the URL blank)

For all you lurkers out there...don't hesitate to comment! If you have a gmail account, you can just use the sign-in on the blog and put in your information. If not, as i said above, you can just "comment as:" Name/URL and type in your name!

If you have any questions or still are having problems let me know! We'll try to get them sorted out!

Grandpa sez

Matt I have been very wary of my excursions in the sun. I think if I did burn I would certainly look like a tomatohead.
Shanna 3 cheers for Amgen. That neulasta works like a charm. This time I never got the backache that I did with the first one.

Friday Update

Dad had blood work done today and everything looked really good...white blood count normal...hemoglobin normal...so that's really good! He's feeling great and headed back to work this morning. Just wanted to let you all know

Bad-ass with class!

Well, Dad came home from work today and he just looked so sharp that I had to take his picture! He's doing fine...no complaints at all. Today was his last day of the mega-dose of prednisone so that's good (although Sara was quite amused by his antics while on them!). He goes in for blood work on Thursday and I'll post an update then.

Steroids and Business plans

I was telling mom about this plan I had to develope a multiple jet engine model Test Cell facility while we were at the doctors office and wasn't sure when I would get the opportunity to present the idea to upper management. We finished at the doctors office and went home and I relaxed for a few minutes to get my thoughts in order and then went to work about 10:30. Sold about $60,000 worth of parts and ate lunch. About 2:00 I got a call from Aaron the president to say he had some time available to talk and I'm sure he was wondering what was on my head this time. I had prepped Jon the head of engine service sales a few days earlier and asked him to attend.

Aaron's thought about Test Cell construction has been a constant over the years and that is that he would never build one unless we became a complete overhaul facility for a specific engine.

I had my chance to explain my thought on the sensible way to proceed in a minimalist plan with expansion provisions.

Aaron who is a very bright man saw the light almost immediately. He gave us permission to pull together the finacial study for construction. Jon has been pursuing a test cell (though not this concept) for 10 years atleast and through boom times and was never able to get to square one. He just did not know how and what to present it.

Aaron told me at the end of the meeting that no one had ever explained the need and the sensible approach with vision the way I had articulated it.

Those Steroids are amazing stuff.

Friday update

Dad is doing great today. He's fairly hopped up on prednisone...very large amounts but at least it's for 5 days only! Prednisone is a steroid...so Matt, he may be as close as he gets to fitting his new persona...hopefully he won't pick a fight at work today! And yes, he went to work today and is actually proposing a new business development to one of the big guys there. I hope it goes well....prednisone, loaded with chemicals, bald and badass....hmmmm...this could be interesting!
Last night he decided it was time to shave his head (as you can see by the pictures). We were concerned that Delia might not recognize him with a shaved head so along with Andy & Darcy's approval, we shaved his head in front of Delia...on the webcam. She was pretty intent on watching the whole thing...even though she was also very focused on trying on her new big-girl undies. Darcy requested that I shave it first into a mohawk...or as Dad called it a "chemohawk"! Of course that was followed by something about Chemo-sabe and for a moment I thought Andy and Dad would take off on a pun tirade...but it was mercifully thwarted by my continuing to shave Dad's head. So after that was all done, Darcy cut off one of Delia's locks (she hasn't had a formal haircut yet) and handed the hair to her. Delia looked at it, threw it on the floor and said "Go Delia Go!!". Well, Grandpa laughed so hard he inhaled some of the flying hair in the room!! The evening came to a sweet end when Delia gave Grandpa a big hug (that's when she goes to the tv screen where their webcam is hooked up and opens her arms for a hug around Grandpa on the screen...and you thought you knew what virtual reality was!). She then followed that up with blowing Grandpa kisses. Needless to say, that was the perfect way to end a full day of chemo and having your head shaved! So this morning we went back to the oncologist's and Dad got the usual Neulasta shot which will help boost up his white blood cells again in about a week. Then he came home and relaxed for a bit and then took off for work, undaunted, with his bald head and sunglasses. He was ready to take on the world today!

He is the egg man

I think dad looks totally badass!! What do you all think??!

A picture of dad getting chemo and actually smiling like a photogenic person!



-- Post From My iPhone

Chemo today

Dad got rave reviews for his blood work today...his white blood cell count and his hemoglobin "couldn't be better" according to the doctor! So he definitely was ready and strong for today. The other good news is that they don't need to do blood work for the next 3 days like they did the last time. And all he needs to do from now on is come here once a week to have the dressing changed (at the picc line site) and have blood work done...he doesn't have to see the doctor again...at least until the chemo sessions are done. Other than that, he comes in every 3 weeks for the chemo. He does have to come in tomorrow for that shot that stimulates the white blood cell count. He is currently getting the chemo right now and doing fine. He has slept most of the morning because of the benadryl they gave him...that stuff really knocks him out! So while he was napping, I changed into my running clothes and walked around Holmes Lake which is right across the street...I did a 2 mile hike so got that in for the day. The only mishap of the morning was when I emerged from the restroom and walked through the chemo ward...and then discovered I had my running pants on inside out! And I thought I was stylin'!! Then about half way through my walk, I discovered the tag of my shirt was sticking out (usually Leo finds these and tucks them in!)...the good part is that the tag says "MED"...so that's alright with me if it's sticking out! Sara recently came over on her extended lunch break and is visiting with Dad. They both are eating their lunch. Dad's hair is still coming out...he says he's shedding worse than the cat at work! We'll be buzzing it either tonight or tomorrow. So that's it from here...Dad is feeling and doing great!

Solidarity announcement

So Sara has inspired me...with her amazing committment to raise $4,300 for the lymphoma/lukemia foundation and then participate in a 100 mile bike ride in October. That takes some major guts! Then she tells me that I might be interested in another part of the Team In Training (the fundraising for Lymphoma/Lukemia and personal training for an event)...walking. Well, here's the deal...I don't walk. I swim & do water aerobics and a circuit exercise program...but my knees are not fantastic....BUT...I checked it out and went to the informational meeting ...and before I knew it (that translates into "I lost my mind") I signed up for it. So I also will be doing fundraising...not as much as Sara...mine is just $1,800...and then I will participate in a 26 mile marathon in Des Moines, Iowa in October. I can tell you I won't be running it...I will be walking it. So I've started my training...for about 10 days now. I am the only walker in Lincoln (the rest are runners) and I have about an extra 30 years on everyone else...but whatever. I have a training coach (and got some further good coaching information from John Ash!) and I have a schedule that at this point includes walking 2-3 miles a day ...5 days a week....soon to be bumped up to 4 miles....and then much more. I got new running shoes, non-cotton socks that wick up moisture, lycra capri pants, a nifty waistband with 2 water bottles on each hip and a pocket to carry my ID and a cell phone, a training shirt, and most amazing...a training...oh, I mean a sports bra. Now the latter was the only unpleasant item to purchase (other than the price of all of the above!). The first attempt at trying on sports bras ended up getting caught in one...and never actually getting one over my shoulders...and...it ended up calling Sara on the cell phone to ask her how in the hell I was supposed to get into one of these things...was I supposed to step into it???...because it was NOT going much past my head! Needless to say, Sara was hysterical! It took a second trip to actually find one (the first attempt had ended with a full blown cardio work out...and I didn't even need to leave the dressing room!). Anyway...I'm now all decked out and stylin'. My routine includes talking myself into going out to walk, really enjoying the walk itself, and then coming home each time and blasting down 3 ibuprofen and a big glass of water and loading up 2 bags of ice and icing my knees. This, hopefully is a temporary fix until I gain more strength in my knees. I've just started doing some leg weight training (thanks for the suggestion, John!) so hopefully that will make a difference. The bike trails here are fantastic for walking and I am really enjoying that. I use a very cool website to map out my walks to determine distances...so I can start wherever I want for the day and go until I hit my mark. Sara is doing incredible with her training...she rode 31 miles on Saturday...and usually rides 8-10 miles on a given evening. I'll keep you all posted as to my adventures with this. So, Leo, this is for you...solidarity to Leo!!

Tuesday update

Dad continues to feel good and strong and is ready for the next round of chemo on Thursday. He went to the surgeon that did the lymph node removal and that has healed up nicely...so he gets to take the steri-strips off. It turns out he could have taken them off sooner, but we didn't know...but it's good and healed now. Dad's hair has started to fall out...just yesterday. They seemed to be surprised that it hadn't started to fall out before last Thursday when we were in to see the doctor, but the nurse practioner thought it would for sure by the next chemo. I went to the store today and bought a hair buzzer so it's ready to go when Dad says to. It will probably be within a day or two I would guess. Dad's fine with it. Sara thinks he should start wearing his sunglasses with the new style. We'll keep you posted. This time for chemo Dad is planning on taking his laptop and doing some work while having the treatment. We go in this Thursday at 8:20. They do the blood work first and then will start the chemo a bit before 9:00. I'll try to get online there and send off an email to let you all know how he's doing. I may even try to post something on this site. Keep sending those positive thoughts....they really help!

Thursday update

We just got back from the oncologist and Dad got a really good report. His blood work was really good...his white blood cells are back to normal...which is fantastic. They said the tumor has gone down even more since last week. Also, the results of an ultrasound that was done last week on Dad's testicles showed no lymphoma...they were just checking. So that is also really good news.
The doctor, after conferring with another oncologist at the med center in Omaha, has decided to stick with the chemo every 3 weeks instead of switching to a 2 week schedule. The 2 week schedule hasn't proven itself completely...so they are sticking with the proven 3 week one. So Dad will not do chemo tomorrow...but rather next Thursday. That way he can get his Nuelasta shot (the one that helps produce the white blood cells in the bone marrow) on Friday at the doctor's office rather than having to get it on Sat. at the hospital if he has the chemo on Friday.
They are very pleased with Dad's condition and all is going well. Other than the picc line itching a bit from time to time, Dad is feeling great. He looks great...in his new smaller size shirts that Sara and I got for him this weekend...now that Jabba is shrinking. His appetite is good and as he says, he's "happy as a clam"!

Update Monday

Dad had a good day today. He had been cooped up in the house all weekend so on a spur of the moment deal...I called the Saltdogs...the local baseball club here...and found out that the game tonight wasn't very crowded (which is good)...so we went to a 5:00 game and there were only 2 other people in our section. We had front row seats in the first upper tier...so we had a great breeze...of course, on the 3rd baseline...and Dad had a great time doing something normal!
Sara, in her eternal quest to be termed "favorite child" (and because there were no people in close proximity) managed to get a foul ball that landed several rows in back of us...and she gave it to Dad. Well, that really made his day! He has the baseball sitting on the fireplace mantel...in the prime spot! The fresh air and a good baseball game was just what he needed!
He plans on going to work tomorrow and not much is going on until his doctor visit on Thursday. I'll keep you all posted.

Update Sunday AM

Dad is feeling much better today. The pain in his lower back and bones has subsided...so that's really good.

Update Saturday PM

Well, last night and today were a bit rough for Dad. It was as a result of the Neulasta shot that he got last Saturday...the day after chemo. What it does is stimulate the production of white blood cells in the bone marrow to compensate for the destruction of the white cells due to the chemo. So it spiked the white cell count until the last blood draw on Friday...where the white cells were down (and to be expected) and then it gradually builds up the white blood cells before the next chemo. Because of the unusually rapid production of the cells in the marrow, it causes pain in the lower back, hips, legs...where the cells are increasing. He was pretty uncomfortable during the night and most of today, but he's sure that it will be improving tomorrow. All he could take was Tylenol and that didn't help much. The highlight of his day was a webcam with Delia where her "I love you Grandpa" warmed him for the rest of the day!
The office visit and blood draw on Friday went well. The doctor was pleased with the reduction in size of the tumor mass in his abdomen and was also pleased with his blood work. All was fine,except for the white blood cell count and that was to be expected at this point in the chemo cycle. They did find out that the lymph node that was removed and biopsied was a more agressive kind of lymphoma, but the lymph node was small and that's good. The doctor thinks the main mass was still the slow growing kind...so all of this doesn't change the formula of the chemo since it's a very potent one. The doctor was going to check with another doctor at the med center in Omaha to see what he thought of changing the chemo to every 2 weeks (instead of 3) since Dad weathered the first chemo so well. With a shorter time in between the chemotherapies, that gives the remaining cancerous cells less time to recover...so Dad was all for that if it turns out that that will be the plan. So we're keeping next Friday open in case that works. We won't find out until the office visit on next Thursday whether the decision is to go with next Friday.
Other than that, Dad's appetite is good. He's been dining on favorites like chicken stew and dumplings and stroganoff...so he's doing fine on that accord. Last evening we took quite a hike...about 1 1/2 miles and he was just starting to feel the bone pain during the last half of the walk. He just layed low today and will do the same tomorrow. He passed on going to the farmer's market today, so Sara & I went to get some great fresh produce...the asparagus here is fantastic right now. We're just waiting for the strawberries to come on and we (Sara & I) will do the U-pick strawberries...hopefully withing a week or 2.
We decided to cancel our usual anniversary trip to the island this year. We just can't be away for a week...with the chemo, blood work, dressing changes, and office visits. Also, it won't be good for him to be around crowds (such as on the airplane) because of his compromised immune system. Nurse Ratchet is pretty picky about everyone washing hands every time one of us goes out and comes back in the house. Dad just can't be around any sick people right now. So as far as the trip....we'll have to just plan on next year...and I'm sure we'll enjoy it more then.
Guess that's it for now. I'll post more tomorrow as to how he's doing and we'll probably be talking to all of you tomorrow, too.

In Other News...

Jabba is shrinking...big time.

If you lean in close you can hear it say "I'm melting...I'M MELLLTTIINNNNGGGG....what a world! what a world!"

See also: dad needs to go shopping for new clothes! :-)

Tuesday

Dad went to work this morning and stayed the whole day...yay! He took a walk at lunchtime around the lake near his work and then this evening we went on another walk around the neighborhood...so he's doing great. He's planning on a repeat tomorrow!

From Grandpa

To all of you. Sara thanks for setting this up. Linda who will always be my Nurse Ratchet. and all of you who will and have conveyed your concerns and wishes for my success in the treatment of Lymphoma. Please know that you are helping me more than any of you can realize. Each positive message helps me focus the work of the chemo to stay on its task and rid me of the cancerous cell that currently inhabit my body. I know that this will be difficult at times and yet with all of your help it will become a much more tolerable task. I am amazed right now at the effect that positive thinking has had to ease my mind and allows me to be as calm and at ease with everything that has been happening. Family, friends and a wonderful wife make this possible. To hear little Delia cheer Go, Grandpa,Go has left me with no choice but to succeed and so I will.

Update

Just got back from the oncologist's for a blood draw and everything is looking fine with the results that are back. There are a few more results not back from the lab...but no news is good news. So he gets 4 whole days without going to a doctor/hospital/chemo room !! He goes in on Friday for more blood work and a change of the dressing for the picc line (which has to be done once a week). He worked half a day today and was glad to get back into a normal routine...so today was a good day.

Weekend update

Dad made it through this weekend with flying colors. He had no adverse reactions to the chemo. His appetite remained good. His blood work was good yesterday and today. His kidneys are functioning well...and that was the concern this weekend because of the breakdown of cancerous cells and the amount of processing that the kidneys needed to do to pass these cells. So all in all it was a good weekend. He also passed Nurse Ratchet's (me) copious-drinking-of-water test...I think his teeth are floating tonight!

If he feels good tomorrow morning, he's going in to work for a half day. The other half will be at the oncologists office getting more blood work done. Luckily, they draw the blood from his picc line so he doesn't have to get poked each time. I'll send off a report after we get back late tomorrow afternoon from that Dr. visit. That's it for now.

Notes

Thank you Sara, for setting this up. I love the name of the blog! Thank you, Delia, for your input! I think this blog will be a good place to pass on updates and for everyone to connect and communicate. I know it means a lot to Dad to have everyone a part of this.

I think as a general request, I would ask that it would be best to not have this blog be the place to talk about particulars of lymphoma, or statistics, etc. We have been inundated with this type of scientific information by the nurses & doctors and it’s to the saturation point. I’d rather see this as a place to show our support, love, and good intentions to Dad and to each other. I know everyone has been so supportive and positive and it is so important to continue this for all involved.

However, we do welcome information on alternative treatments…such as Andy pointed out an article in the paper about using ginger pills to help with nausea with chemo treatments. This is fine… (actually the same article was in the Lincoln paper that day & I am going to ask the doctor about that before the next chemo treatment). Information like this is positive and hopeful. So things that include those elements are always good to communicate.

I’ll be writing updates regularly and I’m sure everyone will be hearing about white blood cells, and platelets, and other fairly foreign words to most of us. It will be a learning experience for all involved as we move through this.

I can tell you that Dad is very strong and very focused on beating this and to have all of your support and love only helps him more. So for now….Go Grandpa, Go!!

A convergence of information

Hi All,

Mom asked me to set this up...which means that inevitably I will have to spend a good week or so schooling her on on things like "what does blog mean?" "How do I make a post?" and "will the perverts on the internet be able to access this information?" But after the initial trial period, I think this will be a great place to gather and I will give everyone who wants it access to post as an author on here as well.

This way mom will only have to make one post instead of all the texting and emailing to everyone.

The title obviously comes from Delia's new cheer for Grandpa. :-)

Anyway welcome to the new blog! Let's keep the good vibes coming in!