Thank you Rick. It's good to hear: 'all seems to be OK.' Sounds encouraging.

The clinical trials seem like a lot of work for little to no hope.
I have hope and I know you and Tracy do.

Greg

We visited the oncologist this past week to review the results of the last CT scan. The short answer shows the trend heading the wrong way; even while she was on capecitabine . The results show that there are more spots and the ones that are there are starting to get quite big. Here hands are getting burnt again and since the chemo didn’t appear to be working; it was stopped. About 2 to 3 weeks ago she was in quite a bit of pain and her brain was kinda fried. So I asked the scary question as to how do we know if it's moved into her brain? The answer was that for this type of cancer it’s not normal. But the oncologist is going to set up a head scan just to have a look. To get the pain under control she was taking hydromorphone. She was taking this at the same time as the chemo. Both meds affect the brain in a negative way. She has since stopped taking the chemo and for now her pain level has come down with the fentanyl patch dosage upped. So for now she’s off both the Capecitabine and hydromorphone and her head seems a bit better. Not dizzy like she’s been and able to think a bit clearer. We're hoping that the meds were the issue and not more cancer progression.
Rick

Positive thoughts and well wishes to you and your wife.

It's been about a month now; and we've come to the end of the treatment road.
We see the pain and symptom doctor once a month. Due to the question we asked the oncologist. The ball got dropped for a short while but she did get in for a CTscan of her head. The pain & sympton doctor was intreaded in the results as well. We now know that the cancer has not spread to her brain. When she finished her last run of chemo her brain was just fried, This didn't help much with regards to keeping track of what meds she was to take; and there was a lot of confusion. Then not taking the meds properly just made it worse.
So after I stepped in and helped her get her meds sorted out and she’s doing pretty good for now. (2 new meds for a month and off a couple others)
Basicly pain free/ clairity of mind is back/she's back to being functional. She's even started to eat a little bit.
She still needs lots of sleep and with nap most days for a couple of hours in the afternoon.
Rick

Originally Posted by RiBell

and helped her get her meds sorted out and she’s doing pretty good for now. Basicly pain free/ clairity of mind is back/she's back to being functional. She's even started to eat a little bit.

We saw the pain doctor guy about 2 weeks ago. Things were great with the exception of a couple of minor things.
Well that is not the case today. in the last 5 or so days things have gone down hill pretty fast. When I came home from day 1 of my work week. She felt awfull. Day 3 she told me in a quiet; little bit fearfull voice that she noticed that her eyes were a little bit yellow. She is at the point that she needs help to climb the stairs. She's lost a lot of weight; and her stomach is bloated due to the cancer. Today you don't have to look very hard to see that the jaundice is starting. The community health nurse is comming by tomorrow. My understanding is that if you want to go to a hospice. The when decision is through the community heealth nurses. It is normally when they think you've got less that 4 to 6 months left. Not sure how close we are.
Rick

Rick,
We are here and praying for you guys.
Take care buddy,
John

Hey Rick, that's tough to hear. I hope at least she can be made comfortable, whether at your home or the hospice.

Not much we can say, but I do appreciate the updates. We're wishing you and Traci the best out of a bad situation.


Luke

Oh my....
..
Rick I'm so sorry to hear this. Like Luke I just don't have words but really do appreciate your update. Hoping and wishing for the best.

Originally Posted by Grejen

Oh my....
..
Rick I'm so sorry to hear this. Like Luke I just don't have words but really do appreciate your update. Hoping and wishing for the best.

Oh man, what a painfull read.
My wife is a cancer surviver. I have always been greatfull to still have her.
33years have gone by and any time she is at all sick worry sets in.
A biker here lost his hair to chemo and the whole clan shaved their heads.
Love is the best thing there is. Peace Chris

Originally Posted by Wamp

Oh man, what a painfull read.
My wife is a cancer surviver. I have always been greatfull to still have her.
33years have gone by and any time she is at all sick worry sets in.
A biker here lost his hair to chemo and the whole clan shaved their heads.
Love is the best thing there is. Peace Chris

Chris:
That's a pretty cool thing to do to show support. I'm happy for you and your wife that her outcome is positive. I get the bit were worry starts in when she get normal sick. Thanks for the words of encouragement. The doctor comes by tomorrow. I want to ask a couple of question that I probably won't like the answer. So depending on how beat up I fell tomorrow it add an update.
Rick

Originally Posted by RiBell

Chris:
That's a pretty cool thing to do to show support. I'm happy for you and your wife that her outcome is positive. I get the bit were worry starts in when she get normal sick. Thanks for the words of encouragement. The doctor comes by tomorrow. I want to ask a couple of question that I probably won't like the answer. So depending on how beat up I fell tomorrow it add an update.
Rick

Rick,
In all this, do make an effort to take care of your self.
Eat well, stay hydrated.
Drive safe. Peace. Chris

Well the painful read continues. The acceleration of her deterioration is what has
really caught me off-guard. The road has almost been three years now. This last month has been the toughest.The time has come that I need to take time off work. The community nurses are coming by twice a week. They are the eyes and ears for the pain and symptom doctor that is monitoring her condition until it is time to go to the hospice. While no one knows how long any of us have. (I've checked the bottom of our feet and didn't find a date) the nurses agree with my fears that she won't be around for Christmas. When we started the cancer road we were told 5 years if your lucky. So then we were talking years. For now I'm hoping that were are still talking months and not weeks.
The doctor came by yesterday and has ordered some blood work tests. The lab people will come to our house to poke her, later this week. Feel like were riding a roller coaster backwards were the hills and drops are getting bigger as you go.
My best analogy to how it feels is sitting on the top of a slide waiting to get pushed down it. Then you find out it's a cliff and you've been kicked off.
Rick

Rick,

My heart goes out to you two....I know what you are going through...spend as much time as you can together, love, hold and share everything that is so special between the two of you, (memories that meant so much to both of you in the good times)

Remember, she would want you to look after yourself now and after....

Hang in there buddy, Beverly and I are here for ya...
Sam

Rick it is sad from all directions.
With out hope reality changes. For me time moves at different speeds.
It saddens me to recall my wife's fight, my grandfather's fight, my dad's fight and two close friends'. My Sharon is the only one who made it.
Some were in there in the battles hope was the fulcrum.
Grandfather held on to see my ma, dad held on to see my brother, my friend waited to see his daughter.
Yes hold her close, but let her know it is ok to go. Sorry Chris

Chris:
It's kinda hard to read your last post without the eyes getting a bit damp. I was talking with the local hobby store owner. She was saying that she gets right pissed off when people say.
"I know what your going through. When they have never walked the road."

Words of encouragement from people that have walked the road before seem to mean just a little more. I would say that it is due to fact that they have truly felt the same pain.
Not to say that friends that haven't been there can't be encouraging.
Rick