3 to go

Dad has 3 radiation treatments left. He'll have his last one on Wednesday. So far so good. He hasn't lost his hair so maybe he won't this time. He is a little tired but no severe side effects. He loves watching the Twins and is delighted to see them winning. They will be doing a brain MRI next week and the results will be read October 11 by Dr. Flynn. We'll know more then about how the treatments effected the tumors. SO, keep praying and we'll keep you posted.

5 Down 10 to go...

Dad had his fifth radiation treatment today. Only 10 more to go. He also met with the regular Radiology Oncologist in Burnsville. She indicated that she would try to schedule a follow up MRI on his brain right after his last treatment (Oct 3) so he has the results in time for an appointment with Dr. Flynn on October 11. If all things go well the Dr in Burnsville doesn't see any reason he can't go to Arizona and spend 6 - 8 weeks there and come home in December to see Dr. Flynn again. IF this happens dad will be very happy. It appears that his speech is improving as is his short term memory and balance. SO, the radiation seems to be shrinking the tumors. At least that is what the diminishing of the symptoms would indicate. The Dr. reduced the meds he is on that make him so anxious. She will probably continue to reduce until he is off completely.
PS~ He spent a couple of hours at Treasure Island today so he must be feeling better.

Radiation Treatments begin for Dad

Dad met with the radiation oncologist at Ridges in Burnsville yesterday. She recommended 15 radiation treatments and he began his first one yesterday. He'll finish up on October 3 barring any problems along the way. Treatments will be at 10:40am each day Monday through Friday. She explained the best possible outcome would be to shrink the tumors as much as possible and have dad regain some of the coordination and short term memory he lost as a result of the swelling caused by the tumors. She will slowly taper off the medication he is on that was treating the swelling. (Thank goodness for that as this medication makes him restless, irritable and hyper. He's like a kid on caffeine who can't sit still) The largest tumor is 4cm (1 1/2 inches) and the others are quite small. We looked at the MRI films and there is no doubt that the tumors are there. It is quite startling to see them like that. The radiation treatments are not painful and only take about 15 minutes which includes getting set up and on the table, radiating the tumors and then getting off the table. He said "no big deal" yesterday when asked how it was. There will likely be some fatigue as the treatments progress. He still can't drive during this process. He may experience some sores in his mouth and loss of appetite but she wants him to eat as much as possible and try to maintain his weight. He is still down about 15 pounds from when he first got sick. SO, the immediate task at hand is to get through the treatments and then see what the results are. They MIGHT be able to get to Arizona sometime at the end of October. Any plans are on hold right now until they see how these treatments work out. Dad says he IS going so we may have to hog tie him until the Dr. gives him the ok to travel. And if all of this isn't enough activiy they are in the process of trading cars. Mom wants something that is easier for her to drive and dad still thinks he is 18 and wants a sporty car. I'll let you know how that debate turns out. Right now they are looking at a Ford Escape. I'll post again on Monday and let you know how the weekend goes. Root for the Twins cause he gets pretty crabby when they lose.

A setback for Dad

Dad found out on Friday that the cancer has spread to his brain. (It is NOT brain cancer. It is lung cancer that has metastisized (sp?)to the brain. It's treated very differently than brain cancer) He was having some symptoms of dizziness, short term memory loss and confusion. He went to the Dr. right away and they did a brain scan. He then saw Dr. Flynn who gave dad some medicine (dexamethasone)that has relieved some of the symptoms by reducing the pressure caused by the tumors. The results of the brain scan came back Friday and it shows 3 spots in the brain on the left side. This is the area of the brain that controls memory and coordination. He saw Dr. Flynn ( his chemo oncologist) again today and he referred dad to a radiation oncologist at Ridges Hospital in Burnsville. Dad will see that Dr. tomorrow at 1pm and will likely begin radiation Friday or Monday. We'll post more information on that after tomorrow. Right now we just don't have enough information to give you about the radiation. As you might imagine this is putting a burden on mom. She has to be his memory and keep track of things for him. He can't drive or do any work on the farm right now. You can just about imagine how happy he is about this!! SO, keep them both in your prayers and we'll hope for the best.