Radiation, check!

So life, work, and feeling a little under the weather got in the way of things and I forgot to update the blog but DAD IS DONE WITH RADIATION! His last treatment was this past Monday and in case we're not Facebook friends and you didn't see the video, I'm attempting to post it. He also had an appointment with the radiation oncologist which went well, all the weekly lab results have been looking great!

Dad now has four weeks off chemotherapy and is going to focus on getting some strength back in his left side. The other day his left hand itched so he's slowly getting some feeling back into it. He still uses the cane to get around and the wheelchair for long distances.

He has an appointment with the neurologist November 11th and then an MRI is scheduled for the Monday before Thanksgiving. The following Wednesday he has an appointment with the medical oncologist to get the results of the MRI and then will start another round of chemotherapy sometime after that.

We really appreciate everything everyone has done for us.. The prayers seem to be working, so keep them up!!!!

Almost Done with Radiation!

Dad had his weekly appointment with the radiation oncologist today and they cut back his steroids again so now he is only taking them once a day. Since radiation has started, he's usually lost one or two pounds from week to week and this week he maintained his weight. The doctor also thinks that the leg is getting stronger and seemed impressed with the work Dad has done so far.

His last day of radiation is Monday, the 26th, so just five more trips down to Barnes and then the daily trips will be over! He will also have an MRI sometime within 4-6 weeks after his last radiation treatment.

Last week after one of Dad's treatments, we decided to make a stop at the STL Zoo and walk around. The animals weren't super active but it was a gorgeous day! We packed a lunch and ate by the lake and I was able to get my exercise in by pushing Dad around!

Minor Progress

I haven't posted any updates in a while, mainly because there hasn't been anything to post. Dad only has ten more radiation treatments to complete-- last day is October 26th!

They have decreased his steroids and now he's only taking half of what he was previously taking. He is slowly getting control over his left arm, he can raise it above his head and the feeling is slowly coming back in his hand. Mom said they were outside earlier today and he was able to feel a bug land on his hand. They took the support brace off his ankle two days ago and has been doing great walking since then. They met with the radiation doctor today and everything is looking good, including blood work.

Dad was able to be at his best friend's wedding over the weekend, he was the best man and gave a great speech!

Week Two Updates

As of today, Dad is in the middle of week two of chemotherapy and radiation. He had an appointment with the radiation oncologist on Monday and they decided to temporarily increase his steroid dosage. He's been having a harder time controlling his left foot and his speech was starting to slur a little bit more, and in the past two days of taking the increased dosage, Mom has noticed some improvements with his speech. He also had an MRI yesterday, just to double check on the tumor and make sure that it was not causing his foot to get worse. We got those results today, and while the tumor has grown, it is not the sole reason he's having trouble walking. It's most likely a combination of the tumor growing, the surgery, the radiation, and then possibly a reaction from the radiation.

He's still trying to get to therapy a couple days a week, but with doctors appointments, radiation, and drive time, there's not always enough hours in the day. However, Mom and Dad have been doing the exercises at home and they just got a stationary bike for him to use.

Week One, Check!

Just a quick update- Dad has completed the first week of radiation and chemotherapy. He has been feeling fine, the chemotherapy hasn't made him sick and his appetite has been normal. He's having a little more trouble getting around, however he only had physical therapy on Monday and today instead of the normal three days a week. Radiation had to squeeze him in whenever they had an opening and it conflicted with physical therapy so we had to cancel one appointment. The brain tissue could also be swelling from radiation and that could affect his able to move and control his left side.

He's been using a wheelchair to get from the car to radiation, just because it's such a far walk from the car, through the hospital, and to the radiation office. Other than that he's been using a cane, partially to give him some extra balance and partially to help him practice for if his left leg becomes worse. He's still working hard at therapy and is determined to get more strength and mobility back!

We're Starting Radiation and Chemo!

We finally heard back from the doctors, Dad will start radiation and chemotherapy on Tuesday, September 15, 2015. They've decided to do all of his treatments at Big Barnes in St. Louis because Dr. Ansstas, one of Dad's oncologists, will be able to monitor him much closer than he would if he was getting treatments at the West County Center. They'll be able to do MRI's as needed as well as office visits.

One of the reasons they want to be able to monitor him so closely is because the MRI that was done this past Monday shows that the tumor has grown since surgery. We're not sure exactly how much it's grown, but it is large enough now that he does not qualify for the radiation clinical trial either. One of the doctors mentioned a trial that would start after the first round of chemo/radiation, however we don't have any information on it right now.

More Appointments

Dad had all his appointments this morning which led to a very busy morning. He was fitted for the radiation mask and this pillow that will sit underneath his head while the radiation is given. We still don't have a date set for when radiation will start, we'll hopefully know within a week or so. Dad had another MRI and CT scan done this morning and the doctors will want to look at those results to come up with a game plan for radiation.

We were able to get the first 30 days of Dad's chemotherapy, insurance will only approve so much at a time so we have to wait for them to clear the last two-ish weeks of medication before we will be able to pick it up. But now he is ready to start chemo whenever he starts radiation.

The last time we were at the doctors, Dad agreed to participate in a cognitive study and he did the first round today. This involved remembering a long list of words and having to repeat the words back; word association in which he was given a letter and then had to come up with as many words as he could that started with that letter; and dot to dots with just letters, just numbers, and then letters to numbers such as 1-A-2-B-3-C, etc. He'll do these tests again once radiation and chemo start and then again when they're over. The nurse said Dad did really well and Dad's response to that was "Yeah, and then once I leave, you'll laugh about how horrible I did!"