September 29, 2008

Banner Day Today for me!!! Wish I could say the same for the stock market!!

Went to my first Radiation treatment today!! This Proton Radiation Center is really the Star Wars place on the Campus!! As Modern as Buck Rogers (for the older crowd on the list). Unlike most of the rest of the operations we have had experience with here at MDA, this group seems to operate nearly on time. They even apologized for being 15 min. late. The complete thing took only about 50 minutes and they say that mostly the rest will only take 30 to 40 because the machine now has memorized my position and will automatically put me in the same position from now on. (The Computer Age!!) There are three places that they are radiating. 1. the Mass in the left lung, 2. The lymph node in the left center of the chest, 3. the two lymph nodes on the right side of the middle of the chest. So therefore there are three different sets of radiation applied.

In between each radiation they have to change the "Blocks." The "Blocks" are 9" x 9" square blocks of clear glass or acrylic looking material and each are about 4" thick. These "Blocks" have been cut from behind in numerous layers to different depths (none all the way thru) and shaped to the exact shape of the tumor or node to be targeted on that application. The Proton Beam is then shot thru these "Blocks" in order to produce the correct shape. All three blocks have my name and patient # on them as they are cut out in this way to fit my exact problem shapes.

Even though the process takes about 30 to 45 minutes, the actual radiation in each application takes only 11 seconds!!

I did not feel a thing!! Only problem was that all this time I was lying on my back with my arms and hands above my head and must remain totally still. When you do that, your nose begins to itch, you need to scratch your knee, your foot goes to sleep, and all manner of things that you "NEED" to do that you must not!!

The Banner Day part is because the healing process has now started!!

Keep the Faith and thank you so much for the prayers - Stan

September 28, 2008

Stan and Carol arrived in Houston this morning. Stan's treatment begins tomorrow. More details to follow.....

September 18, 2008

As of Wednesday (yesterday) afternoon, we have a new plan!!

They performed a PET/CT scan on me yesterday afternoon and determined that they can indeed do the Proton Radiation Treatment on me. They can avoid my heart and essentially all other vital organs with the Proton Beam. There are only 4 places in the US where this procedure exists. And MD Anderson in Houston is one of them.

All activity for me has now stopped in Houston for the moment and we are waiting now to catch a plane to ABQ tomorrow (Friday 19th) afternoon. We will be at home till Sunday Sept 28 when we return to Houston to begin the Proton Radiation treatment on Monday Sept 29. We need the time at home right now to make a lot of arrangements to take care of things while we are gone for 7 1/2 weeks. The Proton will be every weekday for 7 1/2 weeks. In addition, I will receive chemotherapy once a week during this regimen. (Goodbye Hair, Hello Nausea!!!!)

So, when we return to Houston, we will again be staying at Kenneth's house unless the regimen just becomes too strenuous to handle. In which case we would need to rent an apartment very close to MDA. We are not expecting that to happen.

There won't be any new news now until after we get back here and start the treatments. I want to thank everyone for all your recent thoughts and prayers, and ask that you continue to keep Carol and me in your prayers. - Stan

Thursday, September 11, 2008

On Wednesday, Sept. 10, Stan and Carol used a "Patient Advocate" to be able to get in with their radiologist Dr. Mary Francis McAleer, rather than the previous one Dr. Chen. Dr. McAleer was very thorough and was able to give them a great deal of information in order to help them make some crucial decisions.

They found out that 3 of the 4 biopsies came back positive. While this is not good news, it was not entirely unexpected. Dr. McAleer was not very enthusiastic about the idea of surgery anyway because there was a chance that the cancer could cross over into the other lung, and that would not help. So the next step is a very positive one. Stan is a good candidate for the Proton Radiation which would be done here in Houston.

As they were "fleeing" from League City on Thursday, they stopped at MD Anderson to see if it would be possible to do a CT scan this morning. This scan is for the purpose of “mapping” the locations for the proton radiation. Unfortunately, the hospital was already in the process of slowing down operations in anticipation of Hurricane Ike.

So most likely, Stan will get a CT scan on Monday or Tuesday -- and then they will fly/flee to Albuquerque to get away from the HEAT, HUMIDITY, HURRICANES, Humph! Really Houston isn’t that bad...well maybe it is a little.

After a little rest and relaxation at HOME - they will fly back to Houston to begin treatment. It will probably be about 10 days before the Proton Radiation begins. Once it begins they will be in Houston for about 7 weeks - and then home again.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Yesterday was a Monday and it really was one! First we had to get up very early and leave the house early in order to get to MDA by 8:00 am. HA! Houston traffic. Got there at 9:00 due to traffic!! Sat in a room with +/- 200 people to get blood drawn for a pro time for I had to be off the Coumadin and have normal blood for them to do the procedure. I got lucky and the blood was drawn and they only had to wait about 10 minutes to start the procedure.

Some of you may remember us describing the room that this same procedure was done in in ABQ. There it was a rather small room like an afterthought, and they wheeled me into it in a bed that they had to shove equipment aside and move many things around in order to get me in there. There was barely room at the head of my bed for the doctor to stand!! Very impressive, but NOT in a good way. AT MDA yesterday I thought I had walked into a STAR WARS stage!!! Big double 42" Monitors on a giant arm that swung out from the far wall and over everything so that they could be positioned in the exact position that the doctor wanted. Ultra sound transmitters and receivers that come out of the ceiling and are maneuvered by a joystick controlled by the 2nd doctor.

Before starting, I was covered by a clear plastic-like blanket with 2" square "bubbles" in it. To which was attached a hose that pumped in warm air to keep me warm. Then covered with a regular blanket and belted in! I wondered when we were going to take off! Didn't take long to wonder however as the Anesthesiologist said "I'm starting the anesthesia now." and I was gone. Almost surreal that they can control a person like that.

A little over an hour later I was awakened and I was really coughing and agitated with a somewhat sore throat. About 30 minutes of that and Carol and Laura came in. I remember the doctor telling us that they got good samples from all four questionable lymph nodes. A short time later I was in a wheelchair and unceremoniously wheeled out. I was starving as no food or drink since about 10 the night before and it was now about 1:30 p.m. Carol stopped at a Sonic on the way home and I got a Cheese sandwich and a chocolate milkshake. Home to sleep about 3 hours.

We now wait for Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morn to get the results of the biopsies. These determine if they can do an operation on me or not. - Stan

Monday, September 8, 2008

Today, Stan had a needle biopsy of the four lymph nodes in question. The doctor said he got a good sample from each lymph node, and so now we wait until Wednesday or Thursday to hear the results.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

HAPPY 57TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY!! Stan and Carol enjoyed a nice romantic dinner at Landry's Seafood in Kemah on the boardwalk.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Satisfying day today. We first went for a 10:10 appointment with a pulmonary doctor that finally happened at 12:00. We really liked him, for he was clear and direct and showed us the situation on the computer and explained exactly what he is going to do on Monday in a Broncoscopy that is guided by ultrasound. I had a Broncoscopy in ABQ, but this is a large step ahead of the one I had there. This is the final test to determine if there can be Surgery. There are 2 sets of 2 Lymph nodes that appear to be inflamed or slightly enlarged on the latest CT Scan. Two of them are on the right side of the chest away from the lung with the mass. There will be a biopsy of all 4. If the two on the right side turn out to be malignant there will be no surgery. If they are benign, and the 2 on the side with the lung are malignant, they will shrink those with chemo and then do the operation. So, we are pretty pumped about the whole thing. Hard not to be even though the odds are slightly against it. I still say that even if we come back and do chemo/radiation there in ABQ, I will be forever glad that we came to MDA to get a second opinion and to know that we gave it the very best try that we could. I asked the pulmonary doctor if I could get along well with 1 1/2 lungs if I have the operation. “Absolutely” was his reply, and the same answer when I told him that we live at 6000’. So, that was a big relief.

Then we went to the anesthesiologist to have a talk with him about Monday morning when I have the Broncoscopy. Nice jovial fellow that came into the room and shook hands with Carol and said," you must be Stanley Hall." She said yes, and then he shook hands with me and said the same thing and then asked me the name of my Daughter!!

The results of the Broncoscopy will be known on Wednesday just in time for our meeting with the Surgeon. He will say yes or no to the operation. Keep fingers, toes, and eyes crossed. We are looking forward to the weekend and sleeping in both days. - Stan

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Today was a particularly good day for us at MD Anderson. We met with the Oncologist that is "My Dr.", Dr. Blumenschein, to find out all that is going on in my case. We have met with the Oncologist, a Pulmonary doctor, a Thoracic Surgeon, and a Radiologist. They all want very much for things to fall correctly in place in order to perform Surgery on that lung because that is the ultimate treatment for Lung Cancer. These doctors do not take anything for granted. They want positive evidence of all factors. I have had another CT Scan , blood work, and pulmonary function tests, all of which were more advanced than those of Albuquerque. The thing now is that they are going to do a biopsy of the lymph nodes again because the results from ABQ are conflicting and not conclusive. The biopsy has to wait till I have been off the Coumadin for five days, so that test will not happen before Monday or Tuesday of next week. I am off Coumadin now. Then a couple of days later the results will tell us if there will be surgery or not. If there is to be surgery, I would have it done here at MD Anderson. If no surgery, then the treatment would be Radiation and Chemo and that would happen in ABQ.

So, probably no new news till mid next week. Thank you for your all your thoughts and prayers. - Stan

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

This morning Stan saw the Thoracic surgeon - Dr. Swisher who is head of the department. Dr. Swisher had reviewed all the data and they discussed his findings. The CT scan done in Houston shows that the tumor has grown 1.2 cm since the one taken in Albuquerque 1 month and 3 days ago. It is now 3.7 cm. They are taking him off the Coumadin and will do a biopsy of the lymph nodes - they are not in his lungs but above - on Monday or Tuesday. Depending on the results he may have surgery soon after that - but probably not the same day as the biopsy. Dr. Swisher would also be the one performing the surgery. As a note: you may already know that he gives himself a shot in the stomach of Lovnox, when he is off the Coumadin. He will see the radiologist this afternoon to discuss treatment options with them. Tomorrow morning he will see his coordinating doctor - Dr. Blumenschein to discuss all of the findings and options.

Friday, August 29, 2008

Wow! From being told he had COPD in Albuquerque, suddenly Stan doesn't have it anymore since the cardiopulmonary test he took today. He has a good "score" of plus 8% rather than the -2% they gave him in Albuquerque! Doesn't sound like much, but in this test, it's big!!!

The test was scheduled for 3:00 pm today and we got there at 2:15 and I was taken in to test at 2:40. Out at 3:15. Normally a 15 minute test, but I talked to the young man about it and explained that this was a very important test for me because it is one of the major factors in the decision to operate or not. Instead of the normal 3 tests of each function, he had me do at least 7 and threw out all but the best 3 of each function. That’s how I did better I guess. This was the last test that has been scheduled.

Now we are all thru with everything till Tuesday when we start talking to doctors. Now if that Hurricane will just GO AWAY we will be fine. Guess that’s all for now till after Tuesday at least. Stan

Thursday, August 28, 2008

It has been until today a whirlwind visit at MD Anderson. Or at least it seems so. We met with the Oncologist, Dr Blumenschein, on Wednesday morning after he had reviewed the CD's of tests that I brought from ABQ. He is really a take-charge kind of guy. Here, they believe the biopsy samples from the Broncoscopy much more than the petscan results. They believe that there is a good chance the lymph nodes are not malignant which would be good news almost beyond belief. We are reserving our total exhilaration until next Wednesday when all the tests have been done and will have met with the radiation doctor and with the Thoracic Surgeon. Dr. Blumenschein will then meet with those doctors and they will review their findings and let us know the results and their recommendation. He says that if their findings show that the plan should be the same as that of ABQ doctors, then there is no doubt but that we should have the treatment in ABQ.

Tomorrow I have some pulmonary tests that go beyond those of the one I had in ABQ., and they are to determine if I could tolerate using only 1 -1/2 lungs. If so, surgery could be the way to go because that is the ultimate choice. If not able to tolerate the 1 1/2 lungs, then chemo and radiation is the way to go.

We will learn on Wednesday, what the plan here at MDA is. And, if that plan says--go home to ABQ and do the chemo and radiation, then we will do that and still be very glad we came here to get the second and very authoritative opinion. - Stan

Wednesday, August 27, 2008 Houston, TX

MD ANDERSON: Today Stan had blood test and another chest x-ray to see if anything has changed since the last one. He has a cat scan tomorrow morning - have to be there at 7:10! There is good news - they are not ruling out surgery yet. Say some people have same thing as Stan and sometimes cancer - sometimes not. The doctor is inclined to think the biopsy (from here) of the lymph is right and there is not cancer - just swollen. He may do another needle biopsy. They don't know yet. Sometimes they can shrink the tumor in lymph and if it shrinks enough they can sometimes do surgery to remove the cancer. They are concerned about how he'd be able to breath if he does have surgery so he will see a pulmonary specialist. They want to see if he can breath well with 1 lung and part of another and not have to have oxygen.

Friday, August 22, 2008

Stan and Carol head out for Pagosa Springs, Colorado to meet up with their Covenant Group for a few days! Always such a great trip to spend time with wonderful friends!

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Appointment with Radiologist today for doctor to make preparations for possible radiation treatments in the future. Radiologist made comment that 15% of people with squamous cell cancer are cured. 9:15 am brain scan tomorrow.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Mom and Dad fly into Houston on August 26th for their first appointment at MD Anderson on August 27th. They’ve been told to plan on staying for 3 to 7 business days. They’ll be staying with Kenneth in League City.

Monday, August 18, 2008

Just thought you might like to hear the latest that we know:

We weren't hearing from MDA, so your Dad began calling. We learned that the fax with the report of the biopsies had such bad print in one part they couldn't read it. So we sent a fax of the 3 pages we had, and had the original report re-sent by the lab. We also were connected to Kathy Bisotini, who seems to work for one of the doctors who might possibly be one that we would see while there. We had a very good conversation with her, in which she elaborated quite a bit on possible scenarios. We learned, among other things:

Squamous (a long "a") cell responds well to chemo AFTER radiation, not before. So, according to what we understood, they would do radiation and then chemo.

We told her what we had been told in ABQ about the lymph nodes, which was that if the tumor is cancerous the nodes are bound to be cancerous. She said that was not an absolute, that in fact they could just be swollen in reaction.

She said that (after looking it up) it looked to her as if the cancer could be treated with the proton beam, which exposes less of the organs to radiation-- focuses on a prescribed area. She also said that the nodes would be treated with radiation.

She also said that if all that we re successful, your Dad could recover, and if not be cancer free, at least have a number of good years.

We were rather giddy after talking to her, but are trying to be a little cautious in our enthusiasm because we don't know for sure who she is and who she works for, and how expert she is. But it has made us feel a lot better.

We think we will hear from "Rick" tomorrow to let us know when our appointment is, because after we talked to Kathy we called Rick again. He was with a patient, and it was close to 5:00 p.m., but his (secretary?) said, "You didn't hear this from me, but he is going to call you with an appointment." So if we don't hear from him by 10:00 a.m., your Dad will call him once again!

So we'll let you all know. Love to you all and thanks for the prayers. Mama
(Carol)

Friday, August 15, 2008

We went to my appointment this morning to meet with the Oncologist and talk about treatment for this lung. Her name is Kathryn L. Faccini. She is an exceptionally nice woman and very confident and empathetic. She described the standard chemo and radiation treatment and was very supportive of me going to MD Anderson for their opinion and recommendations. I think she is pretty confident that I will come back here for treatment because she is talking of making me an appointment to start treatment here as soon as we return. When that would be will only be learned after we get to Houston.

MDA called this morning and asked for some additional personal type information and the woman hopes to call me back today or Monday and make an appointment date to be there. About all there is for this moment. Waiting on MDA.. Stan

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

The results of my lung biopsy proved to be Squamous cell cancer. A slower growing cancer than they at first suspected that I have. So
that's the good news.

All my test data and reports have been faxed to MD Anderson in Houston and I should now hear from MDA within 24-48 hours to make an appointment to see them there in Houston. That appt. will probably take place within 14 days.

Meanwhile I have an appt. here in ABQ on Friday 15th to see the
Oncologist and learn what regimen he would have me take here. IF the treatments are the same here as in Houston, and no treatments that they would do in Houston over what is available here, then I will take the treatments here in ABQ.

So, at the moment it is wait for MDA appointment and go to the a Oncologist appointment here at Presbyterian.

I'm feeling just great at the moment. I just told Carol, that for them to say I'm so sick, I sure do feel good and also, we are keeping a VERY POSITIVE attitude.

Yesterday and this morning, I took down the two sections of gate by
the south side of the house, took them into the garage, sanded them, replaced a major board on one, and painted them to match the stucco!!! THEY ARE NOW RE-INSTALLED AND LOOK GREAT! Keep on Keeping on!

Please keep Carol and me in your prayers. Stan

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Stacie drove Daddy and Mama to the endoscopic appointment where the doctors are doing a biopsy of Daddy’s lung and lymph nodes.