The Surviving Cancer Page

May 19th Thursday from Capital Medical Center in Olympia:

First, let me apologize for not doing these updates quickly enough. It will probably get longer between them as various things happen but I'll try to be as up-to-date and current as possible.

We just returned from Athens! We had no problems during our trip. But unfortunately, I didn't move around enough on the plane home and ended up getting a blood clot. So they're dealing with that now here at Capital Medical Center. I have also had some issues dealing with my Crohn's disease. So it's nothing directly related to the cancer per se. But it is a fairly large bump in the road.

The trip to Athens was very easy. We got bulkhead seating on all trips so we had plenty of leg room. Getting a flight out was a bit tough. We had a bit of a passport problem. The trip itself was easy. We flew from Cincinnati to Athens. In Athens we landed and our hotel was just across the street. Just across the street! The name of the hotel was Sofitel, and the rooms are sound-proofed so you could not hear the planes at all. The hotel itself is set up very well for handicapped, so we had no problem with my wheelchair. Their pool wasn't as great as we hoped. I like to do aquatherapy in a pool and walk the length of it so I can keep my leg strength. Anyway, the other great thing about Sofitel was the proximity to Metro. The Metro line starts right at the hotel so all we had to do was walk across the street and go up the elevator. The Metro stops were all brand-new - there was handicapped seating for the wheelchair also. We just got on, wheeled my wheelchair back up against the window and buckled in and I was fine. That was how we made our way into town everyday. For a full description of the Athens trip I'll do a longer description somewhere else on this site.

I still haven't a done decent one on Rome but ....

As for a cancer update, I have had very few problems. When we left Olympia for Athens I had just come off of the radiation for the brain cancer they found, so my head looked a little red and bald. But I had none of the current problems until I got home. The doctors are very optimistic it's just a matter of waiting for the blood clot to break up - and I think that will be that. Our next thing we're looking forward to is an Alaskan cruise May 28 (my birthday). We sail out of Seattle, so it will be a much easier trip - a total vacation without rushing to try to see everything.

Sorry for the long gap. Don't expect anything until into June sometime. Check in later for my description of the trip to Athens!

Have fun!

Gary

March 25, 2005.

No growth - can't complain!

My latest CAT scan showed no new growth in the tumors. There's been no new growth, or there's been shrinkage each time I've taken the CAT scan. So I'm better off than when I started.

Our week in Rome was fabulous! Everything worked out perfectly. Though Rome wasn't built for the disabled, we managed to get through it. Hal had to push my wheelchair through rocks and up the hills. He did an amazing job! And he's already talking about Athens next.

Have fun!

Gary

March 2, 2005

Spokane behind us, Rome ahead of us!

While Hal was in Tucson for a meeting, I was in Spokane being taken care of by Mom. Mom did double duty taking care of both me and Stace. She did a wonderful job. We had a great time in Spokane. It was easy and comfortable for me.

Nothing new to report on the cancer front. I've had two new treatments and will have a treatment when I get back. They will schedule a CT scan and other tests at that time. We won't know if the treatments are working until we have taken the tests. As I said before, we just go on hope until then.

Thursday we go to Rome! It's a bit of a rough trip for me to take but airfares are just too good to pass by. We leave Thursday, March 3 and are only gone a week. I can't wait.

Have fun!

Gary

February 19, 2005

Just filling space

There is nothing new to report … I am on a cycle of two weeks of treatment and then a week off. It will be another month before we test to see how well it is working. Until then, I just assume it is working.

Hal and I went to Baltimore this past week to attend a memorial service for his mother, Mim. It was a wonderful service. And the trip was easier than expected. We had a direct flight to Washington, DC and a direct flight home.

Next week Hal will be out of town, and I'll be staying with mom. I will be staying with her for a week. Hal and I also have a book signing event in Spokane. So we are keeping very busy.

I will update this as events warrant.

Have fun!

Gary

January 22 2005

No news is good news!

I have no real news to report. I've had two treatments in my new chemo regimen and have not had an update in my progress yet and probably won't for a few weeks but everything seems to be going pretty well. I have still got some neuropathy in my hands and feet but it's not as bad as it was and hopefully is getting better. I will be trying to update more often since my treatments are weekly but they will likely be shorter updates because there's not going to be a lot of new news.

Have fun!

Gary
January 9, 2005

Changes with the New Year

The good news is that the tumors in my chest have shrunk, but not as fast as the doctors would like to see it. So we are changing our regimen to doing chemotherapy once a week with a slightly different chemo mix.

Also, we are trying to stop a neuropathy caused by the chemotherapy that is occurring in my hands and feet that is making it difficult to type and difficult to walk. So we are hoping these changes, the new weekly chemo and the new medicines, will work to speed up the recovery and stop the neuropathy.

The good news from work is that I have been hired on with the Gregoire administration so I won't lose my benefits and I will not lose my job!

I will try to do updates to this website on a more frequent basis. It has been difficult the last few weeks because of the neuropathy in my hands.

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and I wish all of you a Happy New Year.

Please keep in touch.

Have fun!

Gary

December 10, 2004

Dateline: New York City

Just to keep you current, I have added a photo of me as I look now: bald. I had Hal remove the last strands after my brothers voted over Thanksgiving for me to shave it off. Although, I am sure they would have voted that way even if I hadn’t already lost most of it to chemotherapy.

Nothing much to report from my last doctor’s appointment. It was this past Tuesday and everything looked good. The only news to come out of it was a decision to do a full workup of CT Scans to see where we are in getting rid of the cancer. Monday December 20 will be the testing … a few days later I will learn the results. I will then update this page.

Until then we are on the road. We are in New York--we had a book signing earlier this evening. Tomorrow we drive to Baltimore with stops for a few other book events. In Baltimore we’ll visit Hal’s mother and do a book signing. We’ll make a quick trip to Washington DC for a book event before flying to Key West for four nights of relaxing (and a book event). We fly home Sunday the 19^th. As you can tell, the book is taking a lot of our time. Sales are good.

Have fun!

Gary
December 1, 2004

Hippy again!

My hip is doing so well that the doctor expects me to walk without the cane in a few weeks. I have no pain and can walk around the house without help.

The other good news is that my blood counts are back to normal. I had chemo yesterday and all went well. The next chemo date is December 21. I have a doctor's appointment this coming Tuesday the7th. I will update this page then.

Have fun!

Gary
November 23, 2004

Blame it on the Platelets!

My chemo set for Friday the 19^th did not happen. For the first time my platelet counts were too low. It’s only a small setback. It’s been rescheduled to Tuesday the 30^th. All my other blood counts were fine. I’ll update after the 30^th.

We are spending Thanksgiving in Spokane with Mom.

Have fun!

Gary

November 13, 2004

Houston, we don’t have a problem!

After surviving a week of scans, x-rays and blood tests at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, I can now report progress in my battle with cancer. The tumors in my lungs have shrunk some and the tumors in my liver have not grown at all. The doctors would like to have seen more shrinkage but are generally happy with the results. They will stick with my current chemotherapy for at least the next few months. At that time they will decide if changes need to be made. One possibility is adding radiation therapy to my liver.

My next chemo will be this coming Friday.

As for my new hip, I am pain free and walking with a cane. Another three weeks and I should be able to walk without the cane. So that is one problem that is gone for good.

Have fun!

Gary

Link to MD Anderson:

http://www.mdanderson.org/

November 7, 2004

Dateline Houston -

I am in Houston for my mid chemo check up. Tuesday is my first appointment but it won't be until Friday that I get a report on my progress as far as the chemotherapy is concerned.

The good news is that I am now walking with just the aid of a cane. Hopefully I will recover from the cancer as well as I have recovered from the hip replacement.

Have Fun!

Gary

October 22, 2004

Not as hip as I thought I was...

A small setback in my recovery happened this week: my right hip fractured. I was admitted into the hospital in the wee hours of Wednesday morning and had surgery Wednesday evening. I am recovering well and have limited pain. I was up walking, putting full weight on my right leg in less than 24 hours!

So now I am a bionic man! Running 60 miles an hour (in circles since they only did one leg).

I was scheduled for chemo the Tuesday before the surgery, so my chemo treatment was rescheduled thus throwing everything off by one week. The hip has been a problem from the beginning but the goal had been to save the hip - oh well! The timing for this is not too bad. I will start my chemo again this coming Tuesday October 26.

I expect to get out of the hospital tomorrow, Saturday. I will need to use a walker for about a month, then a cane for a month, then I should be ready for the Olympics.

Have fun!

Gary

September 29, 2004

No growth is good growth

After CT scans and blood tests to check the growth of the cancers my doctor reports that there has been no growth of the cancers. We hope to see the cancer receding the next time we do tests. The doctor said not growing was good since I've only had two treatments. We will go ahead with the current plan and re-evaluate after the next round of tests in early November. My blood counts were still in the normal range and I am doing very well otherwise. The doctor was surprised that I am still able to work full time.

Today was also a chemotherapy day, my third round. The next round is October 19. November 9-12 will be the next round of tests. They will be done in Houston at the MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Have fun!

Gary

September 26, 2004