Champaign, IL.
77 deg. overcast, no wind.
Forecast = Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds light and variable.
About 9:30 or so this morning Jim and Linda hopped into Lily and headed to a little cemetery, out in the country between Champaign and Fisher. Some of Linda's distant relatives are buried there and they usually go out there when we are in the area.
After viewing the graves, they decided to head to Rantoul to stop in at the Prairie Pines CG to see if Paul and Louise were there, and say Hi to them if they were. When they arrived, Jim noticed that Louise's car wasn't there, but the office door was open, so they parked Lily and went up the walk. As they got up to the office, Linda, one of the people who had helped Louise with the CG last year came out and greeted them. Upon asking about Paul and Louise, she told them that while they were down in Texas, in December, Louise had a stroke and ended up in a hospital. While in the hospital, they discovered a large cancerous tumor, (I think in her mid-section).
I don't know all the details, but in March, Louise passed away, from the cancer!!!
Don't know what else to say. We're all in shock!!!
Paul is living in his 5th wheel trailer at the CG and helping out as much as he can. He is suffering from dementia and is having a lot of trouble. Luckily, his son, Mark, is staying there with him to help as much as possible. Both Jim and Linda said that they doubt if Paul will be able to do much of anything pretty soon.
A very sad situation.
While they were there, Ron and Marilyn stopped by, (friends of their's that are staying at the CG) and they talked for a little while. They have made plans to meet up at the Urbana Gardens Restaurant for a meal soon, and maybe Jim and Linda will learn more about Paul and Louise then.
Rest in peace, Louise. We'll miss you.
Woof!!!
Showing posts with label Bad News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bad News. Show all posts
Monday, August 14, 2017
Saturday, June 3, 2017
A Little "Road Trip", Some Sad News but A Very Nice Visit
DeBary, FL.
80 deg. partly cloudy, SW wind @ 5 mph.
Forecast tonight = Mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 71F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph.
Tuesday, Jim had his last Radiation Treatment. He's very happy to have them over with. Going in every weekday was really the worst part of it.
Tuesday was also the day that Jim suggested that he and Linda go on a "Road Trip" and take Lily and head over to Wildwood, FL to go to the Russel Stover's Candy Co. Store and stop and see Donna and Monte, (Rving friends since way back in 2001).
So, Jim called Donna and asked if they'd be home on Wednesday? Well, then came the surprise. Donna told Jim that Monte had passed away!!!!!! :-( Yep, you read that right!!! Donna told Jim that Monte had passed away last November the 20th!!!!
Donna apologized for not letting Jim and Linda know, but she's been very busy trying to get everything straightened up since his passing. Well, Jim told her that they'd still like to come to see her for a few hours in the afternoon, if that would be alright.
She said it would and that she'd really like to see them.
So, , , , , about 10:30 Wednesday morning, Jim and Linda took Lily and drove the close to 60 miles over to Wildwood. First they went to Stovers and then went out to eat at a Wendy's Restaurant. After that, (about 1:00 by this time), they headed over to see Donna. Parts of this visit were very sad as Donna told about Monte, but other parts of the visit were very nice and I'm sure Jim and Linda will be going back to see Donna again.
It was late afternoon by the time they returned here to the house and by the time they came into the house, Jim was pretty beat! For supper, they just had sandwiches and then Jim took a nap.
Both Jim and Linda said that Donna seemed to be doing pretty well. She's strong and has a good attitude about the future.
Oh, and by the way, Lily did very well and provided a very comfortable ride for both Jim and Linda. ;-)
Now, Jim and Linda are starting to get ready for a visit from Mike and his family, this coming Saturday!! They will be heading down to the "attractions area" for a 1 week vacation and are planning on stopping by both on the way down and the way back to North Carolina.
I sure hope they'll be able to stop for a few hours, It seems like ages since we've last seen them.
A Quote to Ponder : "The Language of friendship is not words but meanings."
Henry David Thoreau
Woof!!!
80 deg. partly cloudy, SW wind @ 5 mph.
Forecast tonight = Mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 71F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph.
Tuesday, Jim had his last Radiation Treatment. He's very happy to have them over with. Going in every weekday was really the worst part of it.
Tuesday was also the day that Jim suggested that he and Linda go on a "Road Trip" and take Lily and head over to Wildwood, FL to go to the Russel Stover's Candy Co. Store and stop and see Donna and Monte, (Rving friends since way back in 2001).
So, Jim called Donna and asked if they'd be home on Wednesday? Well, then came the surprise. Donna told Jim that Monte had passed away!!!!!! :-( Yep, you read that right!!! Donna told Jim that Monte had passed away last November the 20th!!!!
Donna apologized for not letting Jim and Linda know, but she's been very busy trying to get everything straightened up since his passing. Well, Jim told her that they'd still like to come to see her for a few hours in the afternoon, if that would be alright.
She said it would and that she'd really like to see them.
So, , , , , about 10:30 Wednesday morning, Jim and Linda took Lily and drove the close to 60 miles over to Wildwood. First they went to Stovers and then went out to eat at a Wendy's Restaurant. After that, (about 1:00 by this time), they headed over to see Donna. Parts of this visit were very sad as Donna told about Monte, but other parts of the visit were very nice and I'm sure Jim and Linda will be going back to see Donna again.
It was late afternoon by the time they returned here to the house and by the time they came into the house, Jim was pretty beat! For supper, they just had sandwiches and then Jim took a nap.
Both Jim and Linda said that Donna seemed to be doing pretty well. She's strong and has a good attitude about the future.
Oh, and by the way, Lily did very well and provided a very comfortable ride for both Jim and Linda. ;-)
Now, Jim and Linda are starting to get ready for a visit from Mike and his family, this coming Saturday!! They will be heading down to the "attractions area" for a 1 week vacation and are planning on stopping by both on the way down and the way back to North Carolina.
I sure hope they'll be able to stop for a few hours, It seems like ages since we've last seen them.
A Quote to Ponder : "The Language of friendship is not words but meanings."
Woof!!!
Saturday, April 8, 2017
New Tires For Big RED, Good News and Some Not So Good News
DeBary, FL.
45 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Plentiful sunshine. High 76F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
When I last posted, I mentioned that Big RED needed new tires. Well, Ray, (a man who used to live across the street from us here in the park), e-mailed Jim and told him about a local tire shop (Big T. Tires), a little North of here. Jim took Big RED and headed over there and really liked the place. And, on top of that, they had a good price on a set of tires!!!
So, now, Big RED has a set of nice new tires that should last a good long time. :-)
This past Monday, Jim went in to Dr. Graham's office, (Jim's radiation doctor), for that CT Scan that I told you about a while back. He had the scan and then on Wednesday, he and Linda went back to see Dr. Graham and get the results of the scan. So, what's the results? you ask???? Well, there's good news and some not so good news.
First of all, the scan showed that the left lung that was treated before was clear and looked good. But, , , , , the scan showed a very small spot in the right lung!!! :-(
Now, this spot may be nothing at all, but now, Jim is scheduled for a PET Scan this coming Thursday, April 13th, to find out for sure. Then on Monday, the 17th, he and Linda will go back to get the results.
If it is malignant, it will have to be treated. If it is only that one small spot, Dr. Graham says that he's sure he can treat it with radiation and that because of where it is and how small it is, the treatments should not take long and we should still be able to travel this summer, possibly still leaving during the first part of May.
So, , , , , things have kind of been put on "hold" until we find out more.
On the other hand, Linda had a visit with her surgeon yesterday, and everything looked real good, so there's good news there.
I'll post again as soon as Jim and Linda get the results on the 17th. Jim seems to be doing pretty well with this disturbing news, but as you can imagine is pretty worried. Hopefully everything will come back negative and we can resume out summer plans.
A Quote to Ponder. "He who enjoys good health is rich, though he knows it not".
Woof!!!
45 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Plentiful sunshine. High 76F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
When I last posted, I mentioned that Big RED needed new tires. Well, Ray, (a man who used to live across the street from us here in the park), e-mailed Jim and told him about a local tire shop (Big T. Tires), a little North of here. Jim took Big RED and headed over there and really liked the place. And, on top of that, they had a good price on a set of tires!!!
So, now, Big RED has a set of nice new tires that should last a good long time. :-)
This past Monday, Jim went in to Dr. Graham's office, (Jim's radiation doctor), for that CT Scan that I told you about a while back. He had the scan and then on Wednesday, he and Linda went back to see Dr. Graham and get the results of the scan. So, what's the results? you ask???? Well, there's good news and some not so good news.
First of all, the scan showed that the left lung that was treated before was clear and looked good. But, , , , , the scan showed a very small spot in the right lung!!! :-(
Now, this spot may be nothing at all, but now, Jim is scheduled for a PET Scan this coming Thursday, April 13th, to find out for sure. Then on Monday, the 17th, he and Linda will go back to get the results.
If it is malignant, it will have to be treated. If it is only that one small spot, Dr. Graham says that he's sure he can treat it with radiation and that because of where it is and how small it is, the treatments should not take long and we should still be able to travel this summer, possibly still leaving during the first part of May.
So, , , , , things have kind of been put on "hold" until we find out more.
On the other hand, Linda had a visit with her surgeon yesterday, and everything looked real good, so there's good news there.
I'll post again as soon as Jim and Linda get the results on the 17th. Jim seems to be doing pretty well with this disturbing news, but as you can imagine is pretty worried. Hopefully everything will come back negative and we can resume out summer plans.
A Quote to Ponder. "He who enjoys good health is rich, though he knows it not".
Woof!!!
Sunday, June 19, 2016
AL to TN to KY to IL and A Long, Long Day!!
Goreville, IL.
77 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 91F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
We left the Deer Run Campground near Troy, AL earlier than usual (8:30 am), on Friday morning. The reason being that Linda was up early and the weather forecast for later in the day was for thunderstorms with high winds and heavy rain.
From Troy, we continued NW on US 231 up to Montgomery, where we first got on Westbound I-85 and then turned North on I-65. 65 took us up through Birmingham where the road is still very rough, but at least the construction that we encountered on our last trip through Birmingham was finished. Continuing North on I-65 took us up to Cullman, AL and the Cullman RV Park.
The Cullman RV Park is off the beaten path, but we've been there many times in the past and knew that they had some nice shady, level pull-through sites where we could stay for 1 night.
It was right at 12:00 when we pulled into the park so we had traveled 192 miles in about 3 1/2 hours.
Oh, and the weather that was forecasted? Well, it rained hard in Cullman after we arrived, but there were severe storms in Birmingham where there were trees down and some road flooding.
Yesterday was an eventful day. We left Cullman about 9:00 and continued North on I-65 to Nashville. On the North side of Nashville, just before we were to turn off on I-24, the traffic came to a screeching halt!!! The problem was that they had 2 of the 3 lanes of I-65 closed down for construction and everyone was trying to funnel down to the one lane. :-(
I think it took us the better part of 1/2 hour to get through that mess!!! :-(
Once on I-24, heading NW, traffic once again moved along nicely.
Following 24 took us up to Clarksville where we had planned to stay at the Clarksville RV Park. But, guess what? The park was full!!!!!
Now what to do? We had already traveled about 190 miles and those of you that are familiar with the area, know that there are not any other decent campgrounds in the area!!! We also learned that evidently, the Father's Day weekend is a popular weekend to go camping, it was a good chance that all state parks and COE parks would be full-up also!!!
Well, Jim decided that he would call our next planned stop, which was about another 2 hours farther away and see if they had sites available. They did not answer the phone, but Jim left a message on their machine and we took off continuing NW on I-24.
After awhile, the CG called back and said that they had sites available and they would be sure to save one for us.
So, , , , , , here we are in Goreville, IL. at the Hilltop CG. It was 3:15 by the time we arrived and we had traveled 335 miles in 6 hours and 15 minutes!!!!
A long, long, long day for us!! In fact I can't remember the last time we traveled that many miles in a day!!!!
How did Jim hold up?? Well he was really beat by the time we arrived, but he took his time getting Nora set up and then took a nice long nap. By evening, he was feeling better and it seemed like he was pretty well rested.
We'll be here for 2 nights and then tomorrow, we'll head for Rantoul. We'll get there a couple days earlier than planned, but I'm sure Louise, (The CG host), will have a site for us.
Did you know that Davy Crockett was not born on a mountaintop in Tennessee, as the song says? He was born on the banks of Limestone Creek near Greeneville, where a replica of the Crockett's log cabin stands today.
Woof!!!
77 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 91F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
We left the Deer Run Campground near Troy, AL earlier than usual (8:30 am), on Friday morning. The reason being that Linda was up early and the weather forecast for later in the day was for thunderstorms with high winds and heavy rain.
From Troy, we continued NW on US 231 up to Montgomery, where we first got on Westbound I-85 and then turned North on I-65. 65 took us up through Birmingham where the road is still very rough, but at least the construction that we encountered on our last trip through Birmingham was finished. Continuing North on I-65 took us up to Cullman, AL and the Cullman RV Park.
The Cullman RV Park is off the beaten path, but we've been there many times in the past and knew that they had some nice shady, level pull-through sites where we could stay for 1 night.
It was right at 12:00 when we pulled into the park so we had traveled 192 miles in about 3 1/2 hours.
Oh, and the weather that was forecasted? Well, it rained hard in Cullman after we arrived, but there were severe storms in Birmingham where there were trees down and some road flooding.
Yesterday was an eventful day. We left Cullman about 9:00 and continued North on I-65 to Nashville. On the North side of Nashville, just before we were to turn off on I-24, the traffic came to a screeching halt!!! The problem was that they had 2 of the 3 lanes of I-65 closed down for construction and everyone was trying to funnel down to the one lane. :-(
I think it took us the better part of 1/2 hour to get through that mess!!! :-(
Once on I-24, heading NW, traffic once again moved along nicely.
Following 24 took us up to Clarksville where we had planned to stay at the Clarksville RV Park. But, guess what? The park was full!!!!!
Now what to do? We had already traveled about 190 miles and those of you that are familiar with the area, know that there are not any other decent campgrounds in the area!!! We also learned that evidently, the Father's Day weekend is a popular weekend to go camping, it was a good chance that all state parks and COE parks would be full-up also!!!
Well, Jim decided that he would call our next planned stop, which was about another 2 hours farther away and see if they had sites available. They did not answer the phone, but Jim left a message on their machine and we took off continuing NW on I-24.
After awhile, the CG called back and said that they had sites available and they would be sure to save one for us.
So, , , , , , here we are in Goreville, IL. at the Hilltop CG. It was 3:15 by the time we arrived and we had traveled 335 miles in 6 hours and 15 minutes!!!!
A long, long, long day for us!! In fact I can't remember the last time we traveled that many miles in a day!!!!
How did Jim hold up?? Well he was really beat by the time we arrived, but he took his time getting Nora set up and then took a nice long nap. By evening, he was feeling better and it seemed like he was pretty well rested.
We'll be here for 2 nights and then tomorrow, we'll head for Rantoul. We'll get there a couple days earlier than planned, but I'm sure Louise, (The CG host), will have a site for us.
Did you know that Davy Crockett was not born on a mountaintop in Tennessee, as the song says? He was born on the banks of Limestone Creek near Greeneville, where a replica of the Crockett's log cabin stands today.
Woof!!!
Sunday, May 8, 2016
Side Effects and Yet Another Doctor Visit With Not-So-Good News, but, A Very Nice Mother's Day
DeBary, FL.
80 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast tonight = Clear skies. Low 59F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
Nothing much happened last week. Jim continues to have muscle/joint pain, especially at night when he's trying to sleep. He's usually up a couple hours every night and that really messes up his sleep pattern. :-(
Friday, Lila took Jim and Linda up to DeLand where Jim had a blood test and a "visit" with Dr. Saferali. The blood test looked good so there's no problem there, but Dr. Saferali didn't agree with Dr. Graham's analysis of the PET Scan that Jim had on the 26th of April. She said that she thinks that Jim should have another scan in 3 to 4 months, rather than wait until November. :-(
That, really throws a wrench on any plans to travel this summer!!!!
She said that she didn't like the hazy section in the scan and wants to make sure that the cancer has not spread to that area. Jim and Linda explained to her that Dr. Graham thought it was just scaring from the radiation treatments, so she said that she would talk to Dr. Graham about it.
She also prescribed some new medication that she thinks will help the pain that Jim is experiencing and set up an appointment for him to come back for another "visit" on the 20th of this month.
Now, even if she agrees with Dr. Graham's diagnosis after talking to him, and she says that another scan is not needed until November, that only leaves about 3 weeks for us to get ready to hit the road if we want to leave here on the 13th of June. 3 weeks may seem like a long time, but Jim's energy/endurance is definitely not up to par, and we're getting into the "summer season" here in Florida and very shortly, the temperatures will be in the 90's every day with the humidity percentages
right up there too, which will make getting the trailer ready and all the "stuff" hauled out there very difficult. Jim and Linda could start taking "stuff" out to the trailer now, but if we can't go this summer, it would all have to be brought back here to the house.
So, , , , , we wait!!! I don't know what's going to happen. Needless to say, Jim isn't in a very good mood about this and has already said that "we might as well just plan on staying here all summer"!!!! :-(
On and lighter note, I hope all you Mom's out there had a great day today. Lila took Linda and Jim up to DeLand today where they had lunch with Marv and Inez, Ashley, Anna, Laura and Lindsey and 2 of Lindsey's brothers. It was a very nice visit with all of them and I think Linda had a very nice time. ;-)
A Quote to Ponder : “Expect nothing and accept everything and you will never be disappointed.”
– Laurence Overmire
Woof!!!
80 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast tonight = Clear skies. Low 59F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
Nothing much happened last week. Jim continues to have muscle/joint pain, especially at night when he's trying to sleep. He's usually up a couple hours every night and that really messes up his sleep pattern. :-(
Friday, Lila took Jim and Linda up to DeLand where Jim had a blood test and a "visit" with Dr. Saferali. The blood test looked good so there's no problem there, but Dr. Saferali didn't agree with Dr. Graham's analysis of the PET Scan that Jim had on the 26th of April. She said that she thinks that Jim should have another scan in 3 to 4 months, rather than wait until November. :-(
That, really throws a wrench on any plans to travel this summer!!!!
She said that she didn't like the hazy section in the scan and wants to make sure that the cancer has not spread to that area. Jim and Linda explained to her that Dr. Graham thought it was just scaring from the radiation treatments, so she said that she would talk to Dr. Graham about it.
She also prescribed some new medication that she thinks will help the pain that Jim is experiencing and set up an appointment for him to come back for another "visit" on the 20th of this month.
Now, even if she agrees with Dr. Graham's diagnosis after talking to him, and she says that another scan is not needed until November, that only leaves about 3 weeks for us to get ready to hit the road if we want to leave here on the 13th of June. 3 weeks may seem like a long time, but Jim's energy/endurance is definitely not up to par, and we're getting into the "summer season" here in Florida and very shortly, the temperatures will be in the 90's every day with the humidity percentages
right up there too, which will make getting the trailer ready and all the "stuff" hauled out there very difficult. Jim and Linda could start taking "stuff" out to the trailer now, but if we can't go this summer, it would all have to be brought back here to the house.
So, , , , , we wait!!! I don't know what's going to happen. Needless to say, Jim isn't in a very good mood about this and has already said that "we might as well just plan on staying here all summer"!!!! :-(
On and lighter note, I hope all you Mom's out there had a great day today. Lila took Linda and Jim up to DeLand today where they had lunch with Marv and Inez, Ashley, Anna, Laura and Lindsey and 2 of Lindsey's brothers. It was a very nice visit with all of them and I think Linda had a very nice time. ;-)
A Quote to Ponder : “Expect nothing and accept everything and you will never be disappointed.”
– Laurence Overmire
Woof!!!
Thursday, January 7, 2016
Back To December 31st and Treatments Begin
DeBary, FL.
57 deg. overcast, no wind.
Forecast = Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 73F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
Well, lets see if I can get this all straight!!!! I'm going to go back to December 31st and try bring you up-to-date on what has happened since then.
So, lets begin!!
As I wrote in my post on December 30th, Jim had an appointment with the Oncologist, (Dr. Saferali), on the morning of the 31st to get the results of the Pet scan. Well, Jim and Linda headed over there and the news was good and bad. The good news is that the growth, (probably cancer) was all located in one part of the lung, (the inlet), and there were no other indications of any unnatural growths in the rest of his body.
Now the bad news. From the time Jim had received the Cat scan on the 4th of December and the Pet scan on the 29th of December, the opening of the lung had closed and Jim's left lung had collapsed!! This sent up an immediate alarm and Dr Saferali said that she thought is was very important that Jim head straight over to the hospital for treatment.
So, that's what they did.
Now, you have to remember that this was New Years Eve day and there were a lot of people off for the long holiday weekend. That meant that it was hard to get people together for some of the tests that the pulmonary doctor wanted to preform. And, I might add that it was not where Jim and Linda wanted to be to bring in the New Year either. :-(
They did an electrocardiogram in the ER and then immediately put Jim on heavy antibiotics because there is a high risk of infection in a collapsed lung. They also administered other medications to help him breathe easier. Then, on Saturday, the 2nd of Jan, Jim received an echocardiogram.
All showed no heart problems.
Monday, the 4th, they did a bronchoscopy which involved sedation and then running a scope down to his lungs where photos were taken. It was during this procedure that a biopsy was also taken and sent in for diagnosis.
Tuesday morning, Jan 5th, Dr. Ahuja, the pulmonary doctor that had been looking after Jim since he entered the hospital, and who is also the Dr. who preformed the bronchoscopy, came to the room and informed him of what she saw from the procedures. She is 99% sure it is cancer (no biopsy report yet), and showed Jim and Linda photos of the blocked area of the left lung and said that she thought that Jim could go home later in the day and should start getting radiation treatments to start shrinking the growth as soon as possible, preferably the next day.
Calls were made and an appointment was set up to see the radiation doctor, (Dr. Graham, the same doctor that gave Linda her radiation treatments) yesterday morning. (the 6th), by 10:00 AM, they were talking to the doctor, and by about 11:00, they were finished measuring Jim and deciding on just where the treatment needed to be directed. After that, they came home for awhile and rested, only to go back to Dr. Grahams for Jim's first radiation treatment last evening at 6:15 PM.
You see, Dr. Graham also said that it was of great importance to get that tumor shrunk down to get air entering and exiting the lung as soon as possible to head off a possible problem of the lung not wanting to start working on it's own again, which could be the case if it was blocked off for too long.
This morning, (the 7th), Jim will go back in for another radiation treatment and will continue getting treatments 5 days a week for the next, 5 to 7 weeks. (I can't remember just how long the doctor said). During this time, Jim will also see Dr. Saferali and get started on once a week chemo treatments. That means that for quite awhile he'll be doing both radiation and chemo at the same time.
It won't be easy and I'm sure it'll take a lot out of Jim, but because he's very healthy otherwise, the outlook is good. Dr. Graham also said that Jim has a good chance of full recovery, but as many of you know, cancer is a very hard thing to completely eradicate.
Jim and Linda both have very strong hopes and believe that this is just another one of those large bumps in the road that one has to go over. And besides, we still have places to go and things to do before hanging up those RV keys. ;-)
I don't know how much I'll be posting, but I'll try to keep all of you informed of anything important happening.
Jim also wants to thank all of you that have already called, e-mailed or commented. It really means a lot to know that so many of you out there are thinking and praying for his full recovery.
A Quote to Ponder : “All the really valuable things you own are things you can't photograph.”
Author Unknown
Woof!!!
57 deg. overcast, no wind.
Forecast = Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 73F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
Well, lets see if I can get this all straight!!!! I'm going to go back to December 31st and try bring you up-to-date on what has happened since then.
So, lets begin!!
As I wrote in my post on December 30th, Jim had an appointment with the Oncologist, (Dr. Saferali), on the morning of the 31st to get the results of the Pet scan. Well, Jim and Linda headed over there and the news was good and bad. The good news is that the growth, (probably cancer) was all located in one part of the lung, (the inlet), and there were no other indications of any unnatural growths in the rest of his body.
Now the bad news. From the time Jim had received the Cat scan on the 4th of December and the Pet scan on the 29th of December, the opening of the lung had closed and Jim's left lung had collapsed!! This sent up an immediate alarm and Dr Saferali said that she thought is was very important that Jim head straight over to the hospital for treatment.
So, that's what they did.
Now, you have to remember that this was New Years Eve day and there were a lot of people off for the long holiday weekend. That meant that it was hard to get people together for some of the tests that the pulmonary doctor wanted to preform. And, I might add that it was not where Jim and Linda wanted to be to bring in the New Year either. :-(
They did an electrocardiogram in the ER and then immediately put Jim on heavy antibiotics because there is a high risk of infection in a collapsed lung. They also administered other medications to help him breathe easier. Then, on Saturday, the 2nd of Jan, Jim received an echocardiogram.
All showed no heart problems.
Monday, the 4th, they did a bronchoscopy which involved sedation and then running a scope down to his lungs where photos were taken. It was during this procedure that a biopsy was also taken and sent in for diagnosis.
Tuesday morning, Jan 5th, Dr. Ahuja, the pulmonary doctor that had been looking after Jim since he entered the hospital, and who is also the Dr. who preformed the bronchoscopy, came to the room and informed him of what she saw from the procedures. She is 99% sure it is cancer (no biopsy report yet), and showed Jim and Linda photos of the blocked area of the left lung and said that she thought that Jim could go home later in the day and should start getting radiation treatments to start shrinking the growth as soon as possible, preferably the next day.
Calls were made and an appointment was set up to see the radiation doctor, (Dr. Graham, the same doctor that gave Linda her radiation treatments) yesterday morning. (the 6th), by 10:00 AM, they were talking to the doctor, and by about 11:00, they were finished measuring Jim and deciding on just where the treatment needed to be directed. After that, they came home for awhile and rested, only to go back to Dr. Grahams for Jim's first radiation treatment last evening at 6:15 PM.
You see, Dr. Graham also said that it was of great importance to get that tumor shrunk down to get air entering and exiting the lung as soon as possible to head off a possible problem of the lung not wanting to start working on it's own again, which could be the case if it was blocked off for too long.
This morning, (the 7th), Jim will go back in for another radiation treatment and will continue getting treatments 5 days a week for the next, 5 to 7 weeks. (I can't remember just how long the doctor said). During this time, Jim will also see Dr. Saferali and get started on once a week chemo treatments. That means that for quite awhile he'll be doing both radiation and chemo at the same time.
It won't be easy and I'm sure it'll take a lot out of Jim, but because he's very healthy otherwise, the outlook is good. Dr. Graham also said that Jim has a good chance of full recovery, but as many of you know, cancer is a very hard thing to completely eradicate.
Jim and Linda both have very strong hopes and believe that this is just another one of those large bumps in the road that one has to go over. And besides, we still have places to go and things to do before hanging up those RV keys. ;-)
I don't know how much I'll be posting, but I'll try to keep all of you informed of anything important happening.
Jim also wants to thank all of you that have already called, e-mailed or commented. It really means a lot to know that so many of you out there are thinking and praying for his full recovery.
A Quote to Ponder : “All the really valuable things you own are things you can't photograph.”
Author Unknown
Woof!!!
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
Update On Jim
DeBary, FL.
53 deg. overcast, no wind.
Forecast = Overcast with showers at times. High near 70F. Winds NE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
I know!!!! I said that I'd report right after Jim got the results from the scan last Friday, but there were some major developments.
The results of the scan were not good and Jim was sent directly from the doctor's office to the hospital with the diagnosis of a collapsed left lung!!!!! It seems like the growth that was detected in the CAT scan and PET scan, had completely closed off the opening to the lung and no air at all was getting through!!!!
So, because I don't have time right now to go into all the details, I'll just tell you that Jim was finally released from the hospital last evening and returned back here about 6:30 PM. Today, he has an appointment with Dr. Graham, (the same radiation doctor that Linda had), to begin radiation treatments to hopefully shrink the "mass" so that air can get in and out of the lung. Once that is accomplished, we don't know how many or what kind of treatments will be required. All of that will be determined after the lung is able to work again.
The growth is cancer but it is all located in the one spot on the lung. There is no evidence of cancer anywhere else in Jim, so that is good. And, all the doctors seem to agree that the prognosis is good and they're expecting a good end result.
Thanks everyone for your comments and calls. Now that Jim will be home, I'll try to catch you up-to-date on what happened in the hospital and what's going on at the present.
Jim is doing well and is not in any discomfort. The only problem is that when he tries to do too much he gets severely out of breath, panting just like I do after a long run around the house. :-)
A Quote to Ponder : “The best thing about the future is that it only comes one day at a time.”
Abraham Lincoln
Woof!!!
53 deg. overcast, no wind.
Forecast = Overcast with showers at times. High near 70F. Winds NE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
I know!!!! I said that I'd report right after Jim got the results from the scan last Friday, but there were some major developments.
The results of the scan were not good and Jim was sent directly from the doctor's office to the hospital with the diagnosis of a collapsed left lung!!!!! It seems like the growth that was detected in the CAT scan and PET scan, had completely closed off the opening to the lung and no air at all was getting through!!!!
So, because I don't have time right now to go into all the details, I'll just tell you that Jim was finally released from the hospital last evening and returned back here about 6:30 PM. Today, he has an appointment with Dr. Graham, (the same radiation doctor that Linda had), to begin radiation treatments to hopefully shrink the "mass" so that air can get in and out of the lung. Once that is accomplished, we don't know how many or what kind of treatments will be required. All of that will be determined after the lung is able to work again.
The growth is cancer but it is all located in the one spot on the lung. There is no evidence of cancer anywhere else in Jim, so that is good. And, all the doctors seem to agree that the prognosis is good and they're expecting a good end result.
Thanks everyone for your comments and calls. Now that Jim will be home, I'll try to catch you up-to-date on what happened in the hospital and what's going on at the present.
Jim is doing well and is not in any discomfort. The only problem is that when he tries to do too much he gets severely out of breath, panting just like I do after a long run around the house. :-)
A Quote to Ponder : “The best thing about the future is that it only comes one day at a time.”
Abraham Lincoln
Woof!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)