Where To Start???

DeBary, FL.

77 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.

Forecast today = Scattered Thunderstorms. High 82F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain, 70%.


Where to start?????

I know, it''s been a long time since I've posted, and I'll take all the blame!!! :-(

At the end of February,  Linda and I took a little trip over to Cedar Key, where we stayed at the Beachfront Motel for 3 nights. It was a nice little "get-a-way" but it really wore me out, especially being that our room was on the second floor and we had to carry all our "stuff" up and down the stairs. :-(  We had a good time though, and I think if it wouldn't have been for the stairs, it would have been much more pleasant.

March, 18th, Ashley and Chris tied the knot at a very small ceremony, (Only 20 people in attendance). It was held in a banquet room at a large restaurant over in Lake Mary, Fl. ( about 15 miles from here). It was very nice and then after the ceremony, we had a great meal at the restaurant.

The first part of April, I had a PET scan. The results were good and I won't have to go back to the Dr. again until November, when I'll have another scan.

On the 11th of this month, Linda had a CT scan. Things got a little scary as they found some very small spots, but it turned out to be nothing and so, she also won't have to go back until November.

I've been having a lot of fatigue and around the first of this month, received 2 iron infusions, (at 1 week intervals), and now seem to be regaining some stamina.

I hope it continues, cause I don't like feeling tired all the time.

For the first week in June, I've booked a 4 day stay at a "lodge" in Crystal River, FL. I found it on-line and it sounds like just what we need for a nice quiet "get-a-way" for a few days. I don't know about the "lodge" part, but it sounds really nice and it has very good ratings,  so we'll see.

I'll let you know how it was when we get back.

If I continue to regain some energy, we have penciled in a trip up to Illinois, Wisconsin and possibly  Minnesota beginning about the 9th of July.  Linda's nephew, who lives up in Minnesota is getting married, and she'd really like to attend, if we can.

Other than doctor appointments, we've just been doing normal things. We go out to eat occasionally, and do other things like grocery shopping etc., but that's about all. I promise I'll try to post more often, and if we do get to head North this summer, I'll have something to post about.

In the meantime, Linda and I hope all of you are still checking in on our blog and hope you'll check back again.


Chinese Proverb,  "The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person who is doing it."

We still miss you Blaine!!!

Bye!!!!

Doctor's Visits and The Woodspring Suites Hotel

Champaign, IL

67 deg. clear, N. wind @ 8 mph.
 
Forecast tonight = Mostly clear. Lows overnight in the mid 50s.

Forecast tomorrow = Sunny, high 81F. Winds light and variable.


Since I've last posted, both Jim and Linda have been fairly busy. Monday morning, Lily took Linda and Jim to Fisher, IL, where Linda had an appointment with her GP doctor. Everything went fine, except her blood pressure was a little high, (which often happens when Linda goes to the doctor's office), and she needed Linda to come back for a fasting blood test to check her A1C glucose count. (She scheduled her to come back on Wednesday morning).

Tuesday was open, but Wednesday proved to be a pretty busy "doctor" day.

Wednesday morning, Linda's appointment with her GP doctor was at 9:15. After the blood test, they stopped by the Blue Star Restaurant in Fisher for breakfast before coming back here. Then, at 2:30, Linda had an appointment with her retinologist, (Dr. Gandhi). Again, everything went well and he told her that her eyes were "stable", which considering everything, is very good. :-)  Then, at 3:00, Jim had an appointment at Dr. Gandhi's office to get a OCT Scan of his eyes to check on his glaucoma. (These results would be sent to his Glaucoma Dr., Dr Anderson),

It was after 4::00 by the time Lily brought them back home.

Thursday and Friday were free days, but this morning, Jim had his appointment with Dr. Anderson, so they left here about 9:30 so as to make his 10:00 appointment.

Again, everything went well, and the Dr. gave Jim the good news that his eyes were doing fine.

So,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , except for Linda having to go back to her GP doctor on the 28th of August to get the results of the A1C test and to get her blood pressure checked, both Linda and Jim are done with their doctors!!

Now, let me tell you a little about where we're staying. It's called Woodspring Suites and is an extended stay hotel. (Click on  name to go to their web site). It is kind of spartan, butt that keeps the cost down. They don't furnish dishes, pots or pans, or even have much furniture in the room except the bed, table and 2 kitchen  type chairs. There is a kitchen with a full sized refrigerator, microwave and a 2 burner electric cook-top. And of course a large TV and a full bathroom. Jim and Linda brought along 2 comfortable lawn chairs that they sit in while watching TV or they can lay on the bed which is supplied with bedding.

Some folks may not like this set-up, but Jim and Linda brought along an electric skillet, some cookware and silverware, went to the local Goodwill store to buy a pot they needed and seem to be getting along quite nicely. And, being that they are staying for a month, the nightly rate is less than $35.00 per night.

Not too shabby!!! ;-)

Nothing much scheduled for this next week. I know Jim and Linda have some things they want to do and people to  see, so they'll probably do some of that. In the meantime, I'll just say that Linda was very relieved to get the good news about her eyes and in fact both of them were happy that all the doctors visits went well.

Thanks for reading this and check back again. I'll be posting about things that are happening during this next week.


Did you know that in  In 1991, Wayne Allwine, the voice of Mickey Mouse, married Russi Taylor€”the voice of Minnie?

Woof!!!

More On Jim's Treatments and A "Kicker"

DeBary, FL.

53 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Abundant sunshine. High 88F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph.


On Tuesday, the 2nd of May, Jim had his first radiation treatment. He will have a treatment every weekday for a total of 20 treatments. He did not however. start the Opdivo treatments on the 5th as we had thought because he had some major concerns about the frequency and the total length of time the whole series of treatments would take. (Possibly taking a whole year)!!!!  So instead of a treatment on the 5th, he and Linda had another meeting with Dr. Gupta which lasted for a better part of an hour.

She went into much more detail as to what to expect and also explained what the options were as far as treatment frequency, how some summer travel could be accommodated during the time Jim was having the treatments and  how a treatment or two could be handled, even while we would be traveling.

All of this put both Jim and Linda's minds much more at ease and gave them a more positive outlook for Jim's future.

So,  ,  ,  ,  ,  Jim will start the Opdivo treatments on the 12th of May. He'll have them every other week for 2 months and then will get a scan, (either CAT or PET). If the scan is good, he may not have to have any more treatments for at least 3 months. If the scan shows something, he will have to continue the treatments but more than likely, will be able to get a treatment or two at a facility up North during our travels.

It's not ideal, but at least we'll be able to head up to Illinois so that Linda and Jim can go to their doctors and financial adviser up there and possibly get together with some friends and family.

All in all, both Jim and Linda are feeling much better about these treatments and the outcome of them. There's always a great risk with cancer, but it sounds like they may have caught this round very early and it is hoped that the doctors will be able to knock it out. It may come back or spread in the future, but if Jim has scans frequently, they should be able to "control" it for quite some time.

OK now for the "kicker"..  Jim and Linda have decided to "hang up the keys" as far as RVing goes. Laura and Lindsey, (Linda and Jim's daughter and her husband), will get Nora. They may use her as a trade-in on a different trailer, (more to their liking and smaller, so they can pull it behind their smaller truck). Jim is thinking we'll keep Big RED for now, to use for travel this summer, and then sell him this fall.

The reason for this???? Well, it doesn't look like we'll be traveling a real lot anymore and the cost of insurance, maintenance and lot rent keeps going up while both vehicles are sitting around gathering dust and rust. Jim has done a lot of research and has concluded that because we won't be traveling as much, it would be less costly to stay in hotels/motels and also save a lot of fuel by traveling either with just Big RED or even more with Lila, (Linda's car). This will also make it much easier on Jim, as he won't have to be hooking and unhooking Nora and there's less stress traveling if you're not pulling a trailer or driving a large vehicle.

I'm planning on keeping this blog going as long as I can. It won't be about RVing any longer, but it will help friends and family keep up on what's happening with Jim and Linda as well as where and what we're doing while on "vacation".

So, keep checking back. I'm hoping to blog about some of our past RVing adventures on the road as well as our travels this summer. If everything goes according to plan, we should be leaving here sometime in July or early August to head up North. In the meantime, I'll be letting you know how treatments are going and on what's happening around here.

A Quote to Ponder:  "The trouble with the future is that it usually arrives before we're ready for it."
                                  Arnold Glasgow

Woof!!!

Finally Getting Started With Treatments!!!

DeBary, FL.

74 deg. Partly cloudy, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy. High 91F. Winds SE at 10 to 20 mph.


Yesterday, Jim had an appointment with the Chemo Doctor, (Dr. Gupta), and so he and Linda finally got some answers!!

You see, Jim took a disk of his PET Scan to the hospital and answered a bunch of questions way back on the 20th. He was told that the doctor would look at the scan and then they would call him and let him know when he should come in for the biopsy.

Well,  ,  ,  ,  ,  he waited and waited. Linda finally called the hospital but never could get an answer. She then called the chemo doctor, (who had ordered the biopsy), but got no answer there either. Both places said that "they'd get back to her", but never did! :-(  However, at one point, someone did say that they didn't know if Jim was a "good candidate" for the procedure as the left lung was "compromised" and he does have some emphysema.

Anyway, yesterday, he had an appointment with Dr. Gupta and he and Linda finally found out what was going on. The doctor at the hospital didn't think it was a good idea to do the procedure, but somewhere along the line, there was a lack of communication and that fact was never relayed to Jim and Linda. There was one more option, but it involved surgery and it would be risky as well, so it was decided to just go ahead and treat the new spot on the lung as though it was a worst case scenario.

This next Tuesday, Jim will go to the chemo doctor's office for "Patient Education" and then on Friday, he'll have his first treatment. They will be using the new drug, OPDIVO, and it will be given to him every other week for at least 9 weeks. At that time he will have a "scan" and any further treatment will depend on that.

There are some side effects of this drug, but he was told that most patients were able to tolerate the drug very well. Hopefully, the treatments won't be too bad.

Also, either sometime this next week, or possibly the first part of the next, Jim will start radiation treatments. It sounds like they will be scheduled just like they were the last time. 5 days a week, Monday through Friday.

So,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , now you know just about all of what I know. These last few weeks have been very stressful, but now that we know when and what these treatments will be, it takes a lot of the stress out of it. Hopefully everything will go fairly smoothly and we can get back to a more normal life.

A Quote to Ponder :   "Look up to the sky. You'll never find rainbows if you're looking down"
                                        Charlie Chaplin

Woof!!!

Finally Something To Report

DeBary, FL.

Wednesday 10;00 pm EDT - 72 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast Thursday = Mostly sunny skies. High near 85F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph.


Well, I finally have something to report. 

In my last post, I told you that Jim had had a CT Scan and the doctors had found a spot in his right lung. Since then, he has had a PET Scan on the 13th of April, and it was determined that in addition to the spot in that lung, there was also evidence of something in the same place that had been treated before in his left lung. He has since been to see the Chemo doctor, and now is waiting for an appointment to have a biopsy on the spot in the right lung preformed at the hospital in Orange City.

There is some evidence that the spot in the right lung looks different than the spot in the left lung. That is actually good because if it is, that would possibly mean that the original cancer has not spread to a different part of his body, but is in fact, a different cancer. If that's the case, it would mean that the original cancer is not in his blood stream and going to other parts of his body.

So, we wait for the biopsy and then the diagnosis. After that, there will be radiation and chemo very similar to what he had a little over a year ago. :-(  If that's the case, we won't be traveling at all this summer. 

Jim's not doing too bad. He's "down" at times, but for the most part, he trying to keep a good attitude about all of this. He's very disappointed and is dreading having to go through the chemo treatments again, especially since he still has some side effects from the last treatments he had, just over a year ago.  

Linda is very worried about Jim but is also trying to keep her spirits up. She knows that she'll have to try to stay strong and be there for moral support for Jim. 

So,  ,  ,  ,  ,  that's about all I know for now. As soon as the results from the biopsy come in, I imagine they'll start treatments. At that time, we should find out more about how long the treatments will last and possibly get some idea of what the summer will bring as far as any plans Jim and Linda can make.

Please keep Jim and Linda in your thoughts and prayers. I'll post update here as often as I can to try to keep all of you up-to-date.

Woof!!!

  

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!!!

The Scan and The Results

DeBary, FL.

64 deg. mostly cloudy, no wind.

Forecast = Sunshine and clouds mixed. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 79F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph.


Thursday morning, a little past 9:30, Lila, (who started right up after setting for 4 1/2 months with a Battery Tender hooked up to her battery), took Jim and Linda over to Dr. Graham's office for his 10:00 appointment to get the PET Scan. They got there in plenty of time and a little after 10:00 they called Jim in to get started.

After getting the injection of some radioactive "stuff", Jim had to sit in a little room for an hour to let the "stuff" completely circulate throughout his body. Then, they put him on the scan machine and in about 20 more minutes, he was finished.

Being that Jim hadn't been able to eat or drink anything, (except water), since the night before, he and Linda headed over to Bob Evans for a good breakfast.

Jim hadn't slept very well, so they decided that they'd skip going over to the CG to get more things out of Nora. Instead they came back here to the house where Jim took a nice long nap. ;-)

Then, yesterday morning, Jim had to go back to Dr. Graham's office to get the results of the Scan. He and Linda got there about 9:40, so they had to sit and wait for awhile. In fact, even after the nurse took them back into one of those little exam rooms. they still had to wait for almost 45 minutes before the Dr. came in to see them!!!

Talk about a tense time!!!!!

Eventually, the Dr. came in and gave them the results of the scan.

So,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , "What were the results", You ask????  Well the Dr. said that according to the scan, there are, (Are you ready for this?) No active cancer cells anywhere in Jim's body!!!!!! 

There is some scar tissue in his left lung, but that is to be expected, but the lung looks better than it did in the last scan, which Jim had back in the spring. This does not mean that the cancer will never come back, but as of now, as far as they can tell, Jim is cancer free!!! :-)  :-)  ;-)

A huge load came off of Jim's shoulders when he said that, and Linda cried.

So, because of the thoughts and prayers from all of you and the good doctors, Jim is doing well and will hopefully, be around for quite a few more years. Thank You!!! Thank You!!! Thank You!!!


Did you know that November is Banana Pudding Lovers Month?

Woof!!!

Calahan To Delton, Stuck In The Sand and Back At The House

DeBary, FL.

73 deg, clear, no wind.

Forecast tonight = Showers possible early. Lows overnight in the mid 60s.
Forecast tomorrow = Mostly cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy in the afternoon. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 83F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.


We left Kelly's, just North of Callahan, FL about 5 minute before 10:00 Tuesday morning and continued South on US 301. After passing through Callahan, we followed US 1 down to I-295 which took us around the West side of Jacksonville and down to the South side of the city, where we turned South on US 17. 17 then brought us all the way down to DeBary, where we turned East on local roads and follow them to Deltona, FL. and to the Paradise Lakes CG and RV Park. 

It was about 1:10 when we pulled into the CG, so it took us right at 3 hours and 15 minutes to travel the 154 miles down here.

Jim had called the CG before we left Callahan, and was instructed to just go ahead and take the site we had last year, so when we arrived, we headed right for site 118. All was going well until Jim tried to back Nora into the site. That's when Nora's wheels hit some soft sand and sunk in about 5 inches!!! Needless to say, we were stuck!!!! :-O

Jim called the manager, (Kelly), and she sent her father over to the site with a medium sized tractor. After unhooking Nora from the back of Big RED, they used the tractor to back Nora into the site and then used the bucket on the tractor to smooth the sand in the site and the road.

After all that, Jim and Linda got Nora set up and then headed over to the Double Wide to get it opened up and to unload a bunch of "stuff" from the back of Big RED so that then they could bring boxes back to use for transporting items that needed to go to the house. While they were at the house, Laura and Lindsey stopped by to talk and welcome us back home. During this time, it was decided that we'd spend the night in Nora at the CG and start moving things in the morning, with Laura and Lindsey's help. :-)

So, this morning, Laura and Lindsey came out to the CG, helped pack things in the boxes and then came here to the house and helped carry everything into the house and even help put some of it away.

There's still some stuff in Nora that needs to be brought here to the house, but it's nothing that Jim and Linda will need right away, so they'll bring it over here in the next few days.

Jim and Linda put some more stuff away this afternoon, but took it kind of easy as they were both pretty tired. In the morning, Jim has his PET Scan appointment at 10:00, so nothing will get done then. If Jim's feeling OK, they may go over to the CG and load up a few more items to bring back here, but we'll see.

Then, on Friday morning at 10:00 Jim and Linda will go see Dr. Graham to get the results of the scan. Jim is pretty worried, and it's going to be real hard to go and see the Dr.  Linda and I are worried too, but Linda has confidence that the test will show that everything is OK.

I sure hope so!!!

If you would like to know more about PET Scans, here's a link that tells about the procedure

Did you know that this week is "National Fig Week?"

Woof!!! 

It's Been Awhile Again

Rantoul, IL.

82 deg. clear, NE wind @ 3 mph.

Forecast tonight = Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 69F. Winds light and variable.

Tomorrow = Partly cloudy in the morning followed by scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. High 87F. Winds light and variable.

It's been awhile again and I hope I can remember what's all happened since I last posted.

Let's see now!!! On the 19th, Linda had appointment with her primary care doctor. All went well and except for still having to get a blood test, (scheduled for this Friday), she was given a good report.

On the 21st, Jeff, (Jim's son from Portand, OR.) called to say that he and Heather would be flying to Illinois for a short visit and that he and Heather would like to come here to the CG on the 12th of September to visit!!!! It's been about 4 years since we've seen them, so it'll be really great to see them, even if it is for only part of 1 day!!!!

On the 23rd, Jim had an appointment at Dr. Gandhi's office to get a scan of his optic nerves preformed. Since then he has heard from the Dr.'s office that all is well, and his glaucoma seems to be under control.

On the 25th, Jim and Linda took Big RED and headed up to Peotone, IL to see Denny and Bev, (part of the "Illinois Bunch"). They have decided to sell their Winnebago Brave Motorhome because of health problems that will not allow them to travel anymore. :-(  That's too bad, we've always enjoyed their visits here to the CG when we were here. They really enjoyed seeing them again and are looking forward to seeing them again in years to come.

The weather around here hasn't been too great!! :-( We've had temperatures in the upper 80's to low 90's with high humidity. When it wasn't too hot to sit outside, the bugs would drive you inside, either that or it was raining, with lots of thunder and lightning. In fact it's rained so much that we're close to setting a rainfall record for the month of August in Illinois.

The weather guessers are saying that the weather should improve for the upcoming Labor Day weekend though. As of Thursday they're forecasting cooler temps and lower humidity and are guessing that it will stay pretty nice throughout the holiday.  

I hope so!!!!

That pretty much brings us up-to-date. Dave and Dee Dee, (another part of the "Illinois Bunch" are planning on coming here to the CG on or about the 8th of September. That should be fun.

Jim has been working on a trip plan for when we leave here and head, first out East and then down to Florida. It now looks like we'll be leaving here on the 21st of September, getting to Mike's, (near Raleigh), on the 28th, Joe's (in Virginia Beach), on the 13th of October, Myrtle Beach on the 26th and arriving back at the house on or about the 1st of November.

As always, this is all written in pencil and yes, Jim still has the big eraser!! ;-)


Did you know that the first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union? The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883.

Woof!!!

Canceled Fireworks, Planning for Family Reunion and Doctor's Visits.

Rantoul, IL.

67 deg. Clear, no wind.

Forecast = Sunshine to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High 81F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.


It's been a long time since I've last posted, but not a whole lot has been happening. The 4th of July celebration here in Rantoul was kind of a "bust"!!! It rained most of the holiday weekend and in fact, the city even canceled the fireworks because of the weather!! :-(  

One evening, Jim and Linda took Big RED and headed into town to have a pizza at Monical's Pizza. Another day Linda went grocery shopping at the County Market Grocery Store, They had dinner at the Blue Star Restaurant in Fisher, IL. another evening and headed to Walgreen's another day for prescriptions and a few other things.

Oh and on the 8th of July, Linda had an appointment with her retinologist, Dr. Gandhi. They did a scan of Linda's eyes and then the Dr. did a visual inspection. When he was finished, he told Linda that both eyes were "stable" and that she should come back and see him in a year!!!!

Folks, that's great news!!!! No more of those dreaded injections into the eye for at least another year!!!! She will have to go see Dr. Anderson, who did her cataracts a couple years ago and have a "film" on her eyes removed though. That will be done in her office with a laser treatment.

Jim and Linda have decided to head up to Wisconsin for Linda's family reunion, at The Wisconsin Dells, the first week of August. So, this last Wednesday, Jim called the Fox Hill RV Park & Campground up there and made reservations for us to stay. I'll stay in Nora out at the CG all day and Jim and Linda will go into the Dells during the days to be with Linda's family.

We'll be leaving Rantoul on the 31st of July, arriving at the CG, (which is actually in Baraboo, WI.) on the 1st of August. We'll be at the Dells for 5 nights and will leave the morning of the 6th, arriving back here in Rantoul on the 7th of Aug.

Then, on the 8th, both Linda and Jim have appointments with Dr. Anderson, (Linda to get the film removed from one of her eyes and Jim to have his glaucoma checked.) Then, in a week, Linda will have to go back and get the film removed from the other eye.

The only other thing that I know of is that sometime before we leave Rantoul around the 22nd of September, Linda will need to see here primary care doctor for an exam and to get here prescriptions renewed.

Did you know that on this date in 1952 - Patti Page made her TV debut in a summer replacement series for Perry Como?


Woof!!!

Back At The Campground Again

DeBary, FL.

94 deg. humidity 59% NW wind @ 3 mph.

Forecast tonight = A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. A few clouds. Low around 70F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph.

Forecast tomorrow = Partly cloudy in the morning followed by scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. High near 95F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.



We're back out at the campground again, only this time it isn't just for a weekend. This time we're getting ready to hit the road and head for Illinois!!!!!

This last week has been very busy. Tuesday, Linda had an appointment with Dr. Saferali and everything went very well. In fact, since Jim was along, there were also talks about Jim's health and what the doctor wanted him to do.

She definitely wants Jim to get a CT Scan while we're up in Illinois but really doesn't expect anything to show up. She just wants to be sure and really, it's probably the best for Jim.

So,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ever since then, Jim and Linda have been gathering things up, bringing them out here to Nora and getting it all packed away in it's proper place. This has taken awhile since the temperatures every day have been in the mid to upper 90's and the humidity had been very high to boot!! :-(

But, they've made it and today they closed down the house for the summer. We could actually leave here tomorrow, but tomorrow is Laura's birthday and Jim and Linda are invited to a Taco dinner at Marv and Inez's house in the evening. And, because usually we're not here to celebrate Laura's birthday both Linda and Jim decided that the originally proposed departure date of the 13th would work out just fine.

So, that's the plan. Unless something unforeseen happens, we'll leave here Monday morning and start working our way North. The weather reports along the way don't sound very good and we may run into a lot of rain on the way. Hopefully not, cause Jim doesn't really like to drive in heavy rain, and it will just put more stress on our travels, not to mention setting up in the evenings and getting going in the mornings in the rain.

We're not in a big hurry though, so if the weather is too nasty, we'll just stay at whatever CG we're in for another day. :-)

Did you know that close to two billion Birthday Cards are sent each year in the U.S. alone, accounting for nearly 58 percent of all cards sent?


Woof!!!

The Scan and The Results

DeBary, FL.

87 deg. clear, NW wind @ 3 mph.

Forecast = tonight, Partly cloudy skies. Low near 65F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.



Tuesday, Lila took Jim and Linda over to the same place where Jim had his radiation treatments so that he could get a PET Scan. The scan went off without a hitch and in about 2 hours, they were on their way back here to the house.

Today, they again headed over to Dr. Graham's office to talk to Dr. Graham to learn about the scan results. This last 24 hours has been quite stressful, wondering weather or not the cancer is gone or not.

The appointment was at 10:00, but of course, Jim and Linda didn't get in to see him until about 10:30. :-( When he came in, he informed Jim and Linda that the scan still showed something in the lung, but he said that he didn't agree with the diagonis of the person that wrote the report.

The spot where the tumor was, showed no tumor at all, but there was another spot lower in the lung that the person who wrote the report thought might be a problem. Well, Dr. Graham, showed Jim and Linda the scan pictures that were on his computer, and proceeded to explain why he didn't agree!!

The spot lower in the lung was not solid, but rather spotty on hazy in the photo. He explained that if it was cancer, it would be a solid spot and not spotty and hazy. In stead, he thinks that what it shows is scar tissue that was caused by the high doses of radiation that Jim recieved. He also believes that if it were cancer, it would show up where the orginal tumor was located and not way down in the bottom part of the lung.

So,  ,  ,  ,  , his diagnosis is that the cancer is gone and he expects that in the next PET Scan, to be done this fall, will show that he is correct. :-)

Oh, and also, he doesn't have a problem with us heading North for the summer and seeing him when we return in  October or November!! ;-) 


Did you know that  Anna Jarvis of Philadelphia who started Mother's Day celebrations also filed a lawsuit in an effort to stop the over- commercialisation of Mother's Day? She lost her fight. Anna had hoped for a day of reflection and quiet prayer by families, thanking God for all that mothers had done.

Woof!!!

Some Good News

DeBary, FL.

77 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast =Saturday Night 04/23

A few clouds. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 62F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.

Sunday 04/24  Intervals of clouds and sunshine. High 86F. Winds NE at 10 to 20 mph.

This past week has not been the best for Jim, but then I think it was better than the week before it. You see, he's still had a lot of bone and muscle ache and it's been especially bad at night, making for some very unrestful sleep periods. His appetite hasn't been too bad, but much of the food he's eaten didn't taste right and some of it, really tasted bad to him. And, he also still has a lot of fatigue, making it hard to do just about anything.  :-(

Yesterday morning, it was time to go back to Dr. Saferali.s office and get another blood test to see how the counts were doing. The test went off without a hitch and when Brittney, (the lab tech), looked at the results, she said, "Wow!!! Your test results look really good!!!"  :-)

Yep!! Almost all of the counts are right in the "normal" range, and those that are not, are just barely outside the normal range!!!!

Tuesday, Jim has his PET Scan and then Wednesday he and Linda will go to see Dr. Graham to get the results. I hope they're good results.


Did you know that all rose species have 5 petals, except for the Rosa Sericea, which has 4 petals?

Woof!!!

Doing Better and Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

DeBary, FL.

75 deg., overcast, SE wind @ 5 mph.

Forecast = Thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. High 84F. Winds SW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 90%.


To all that e-mailed, commented, called or contacted Jim this last week, Thank You very much!!! He needed that after the rough week he had.

Jim has continued to feel better this week. He's been eating better and drinking lots of fluids and has gotten some of his energy back. :-) In fact, yesterday when he went to get his blood test, the test showed that all of his counts have come back up to normal or near normal readings so he doesn't have to worry too much about his resistance to germs, etc. so much.

Through all the chemo treatments so far, Jim's hair has not fallen out. He's had times when it seemed like there was an excess of hair in his comb after combing his hair, but nothing real serious. But, yesterday, Jim noticed a whole lot of hair is starting to fall out, so Linda called Laura yesterday afternoon and last evening, she and Lindsey brought their hair clippers over so that it could be cut. More than likely, sometime today, Jim will get his last haircut for quite awhile. :-(

Jim's not looking forward to not having any hair, but there's really nothing that can be done about it. If it's not cut off, he'll end up with bald spots and that will look really bad. And eventually, it'll all fall out anyway. :-(

If everything goes according to plan, Jim will get his last Chemo treatment this next Friday. It'll be another large dose treatment, so he probably won't be feeling too well for awhile after he has it. Then, if the PET Scan shows that all these treatments were successful, the recovery will begin.

On a lighter note, Jim and Linda went out to eat at the Jade Garden Chinese Restaurant in Orange City yesterday evening. From what I understand, the food was pretty good, but overall, neither Jim or Linda were too impressed with the place. They enjoyed themselves though and it was nice to get out of the house for a change.


Did you know that April is "National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Month"?

Woof!!!

More Improvement But Also More Side Effects

DeBary, FL.

59 deg. clear, West wind with gusts to 20 mph.

Forecast = tonight, Clear skies. Low 33F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.


The day-to-day happenings around here have been pretty boring. Just normal living.

Monday, Jim had a radiation treatment at 8:45 in the morning and then headed up to DeLand to have his weekly chemo treatment which always includes a chemo doctor's appointment.

When Jim goes for chemo treatment, the first step is to get weighed, have blood drawn and then see the doctor. They have a lab right there, and by the time he sees the doctor, (Doctor Saferali),  she already has the results of the blood test. So far, Jim 's weight has been stable and the blood test results have been pretty good, but this time, he had lost some weight since last week and some of the numbers on the blood test were out of the "normal range".

Jim's appetite has not been real good lately and so he has not been eating as much as usual, thus the weight loss. And, his white blood count is getting low and this can be a very serious thing. You see, if your white count gets too low, you loose your resistance to any infections, such as colds, or other bugs you may pick up by being with other people or eating any fruit or vegetables that are raw and not washed thoroughly or not cooked properly.

So, what does this mean? Well, the doctor recommended that for now, Jim stay away from crowded places, like busy restaurants, stores or any place where there may be a lot of  "germs" floating around in the air. She also said that washing produce was very important and being very careful to cook things completely.  She also said that if the white count hasn't improved by next week, the best thing to do would be to skip a week of chemo and then resume treatment after the bone marrow has a chance to bring the count up some.

Jim is also starting to have more side effects from the chemo. He's noticed more fatigue, loss of appetite, some weakness, and some bowel problems. He pretty much expected these things to happen eventually so wasn't too surprised. Oh, and he's also noticed a lot of  hair in his comb when combing his hair, so that means soon he'll be losing all his hair. :-(

But,  ,  ,  ,  the good news!!!!

Jim's lung is working very well!! In fact the chemo doctor said that she couldn't tell any difference between the left and right lung when she listened to his breathing with her stethoscope!!! That means that the lung has completely re-inflated and the tumor has shrunk enough to allow good passage of air in and out of the lung!!!! :-)

Yesterday morning, Jim had his usual radiation treatment and then saw the radiation doctor. (He sees Dr. Graham every Tuesday after his treatment), He confirmed Dr. Saferali's diagnosis about the function of the lung and was very pleased with the results. If everything goes a planned, Jim has just 12 more radiation treatments. That means that on or about the 26th of this month, he'll be finished with the every day treatments.

He also only has only 4 more chemo treatments left, but that will stretch out into April as the last 2 treatments will be at 21 day intervals. (More on that in a future post).

The weather around here has been bouncing around all over the place. We've had high temps in the 80's with lows at night in the 60's. But we've also had high's in the 50's with low's near the freezing point. We've had quite a bit of sunshine, but also some very stormy days with very heavy rain. I can't complain though, it sure has been better than the weather up north in Illinois!! ;-)


A Quote to Ponder : “Every man dies. Not every man truly lives.”
Braveheart

Woof!!!

Good News, and The Last Step Become Floridians

DeBary, FL.

36 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy. High near 65F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.   Tonight, Mostly clear. Low 42F. Winds light and variable.


Yesterday turned out to be a very interesting day. Not at all like Jim and Linda had envisioned.

It started about 7:30 in the morning when Dr. Graham's office called and told Jim that he shouldn't come in for his scheduled appointment to have a radiation treatment at 8:45.  Instead, he was asked if he could come in at 2:00 in the afternoon to receive a cat scan?

The reason was that they had looked at the results from Monday and determined that the lung had indeed started to re-inflate and move around, and being that the tumor is on the lung, the location of the tumor inside of Jim's body had indeed moved.

So, being that Jim and Linda didn't have to go to get the treatment, they decided to head over to the DMV and see if they could get their Florida Drivers Licenses. The original plan was to get FL licenses as soon as we returned here in November, but being that Jim was having all those breathing problems, it just didn't happen.

Anyway, they've built a new DMV office just a little North of here, so they headed over there, When they arrived, there wasn't anyone waiting so as soon a couple of the many stations, (10 or 12), became empty they were called right in and in about 1/2 hour, they were walking out of the facility with their new Florida drivers license!!!!

We're now officially Floridians!!!!!!!

At 11:30, Jim had an appointment with the pulmonary doctor for a follow up visit so they headed over there. Her office is also in Orange City, so it was a short drive. After a successful  visit, they headed over to Bob Evans to have breakfast for lunch, and then headed over to the radiation place to get Jim's cat scan.

The tech at the radiation place told Jim that there had, indeed, been some major changes with Jim's lung and that evidently the radiation treatments have been working as planned and the tumor was starting to shrink!!!!! :-)

Today, at 9:45, Jim has to head over to Deltona to get an MRI. That's a scan of the brain to make sure that no cancer has spread there. (evidently that sometime happens when you have lung cancer).  Then this evening at 5:45 he will head over to Dr. Graham's to get a radiation treatment. Then on Thursday and Friday, he'll get his radiation treatments at the normal time of 8:45 in the morning.

So,  ,  ,  ,  ,  a very interesting day, to say the least, but all around the news is good and Jim's lung is starting to return to it's normal shape and function. They'll have to keep an eye on it and adjust the radiation machine to match the changes, so he'll probably be having more cat scans so they can make the correct adjustments.  And, it's good that Jim and Linda got their new Fl. license as that was the last step to officially make us Florida residents.

Jim is feeling better and his mood is better with the good news. In fact, life is pretty darn good right now!! ;-)

Did you know that on this date in 1985 - The most-watched Super Bowl game in history was seen by an estimated 115.9 million people? The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Miami Dolphins, 38-16. Super Bowl XIX marked the first time that TV commercials sold for a million dollars a minute.

Woof!!!

"Bad Dog" Has A Gripe!!!

DeBary, FL.

43 deg; clear, no wind.

Forecast = A few passing clouds, otherwise generally sunny. High 56F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph.  Tonight, clear. Low near 35F. Winds light and variable.


I've got a gripe!!!!!!   It's about Jim's cancer.

You see, a few days ago, Jim got his current medical records off of an Internet site. I don't know what many of those things mean, but when it come to patient's "Social History" it only says one thing!!!!

Now, throughout most of Jim's adult life and even as a teenager, he worked on cars and became a mechanic at a car dealership at the age of 19. During these years, he preformed many brake jobs and clutch replacements, dealing with asbestos dust. No one knew how dangerous this dust was so there were no masks or any other type of protection used. In fact, they used to use compressed air to blow the dust off of the brake parts as they disassembled the brake system. He was also exposed to all kinds of fumes, including gas fumes, solvent fumes and other cleaning and lubrication fumes.  And, I'm sure he also inhaled gas and diesel fumes from the running cars, trucks and heavy equipment that he worked on.

Also, from the time he was 13, he worked on farms in the area around the small town he was raised in. Even as an adult, he worked on the farms on weekends and evenings, as a hired hand doing all types of chores including spraying insecticides, weed killers and general work out in the fields breathing in a lot of dust dirt, fertilizers and whatever else was in the soil.

Then, a few times during his adult years, he remodeled some houses, dealing with fiberglass, plaster, lead paint and asbestos shingles and asbestos house siding.

Back in the 50's, 60's and 70's no one even though about what was in all of the above chemicals.

Also, throughout most of these years, Jim smoked cigarettes. In fact, he started at a very young age and didn't quit until he was in his late 50's.

Now, can you guess what was listed under "Social History" on his medical records?????

Yep!! Smoking!!!! Nothing about farming, working as a mechanic breathing asbestos dust, breathing fiberglass or asbestos during home remodeling!!!!

So,  ,  ,  , as you can probably guess, my question is why is everything blamed on smoking??? He may or may not have gotten the cancer from smoking, but why couldn't he have gotten it from all that brake dust and clutch dust that he inhaled or all those chemicals out on the farm!!!!

It's popular right now to blame smoking for a multitude of ailments and so I'm thinking that they didn't even really listen to Jim when he told at least 4 doctors about the jobs he had throughout the years. It was easier to just blame "smoking"!!!!!


Jim is doing fine, he now has had 2 chemo treatments and 9 radiation treatments. He had kind of a  bad night this last Saturday when he was kept awake because of coughing. But by Sunday, he was feeling better and his breathing seemed a little easier. During the night, he coughed up a lot of  "junk" and that probably means that the Radiation is working and has shrunk the tumor a little, allowing some air in and out of the collapsed lung. At his radiation treatment, yesterday morning, he told the techs what had happened and they said that although they didn't know for sure, that was what happened many times when the lung opened up. :-)

They did a scan and this morning, Jim will see the radiation doctor, (Dr. Graham), and maybe he'll be able to tell Jim and Linda if that's the case.

A Quote to Ponder:  “One of the secrets of life is to make stepping stones out of stumbling blocks.”
Jack Penn


Grrrrrrrr!!!! Woof!!!

More Dr. Appointments, Starting More Treatments and A Change In The Weather

DeBary,  FL.

67 deg. overcast, no wind.

Forecast = Mostly cloudy. High around 70F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph.  Tonight, Mainly cloudy. Low 41F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.


Friday morning, after Jim's radiation treatment, Lila took Jim and Linda up to DeLand and to Dr. Saferali's office. They had never been to her office up in DeLand, but it was easy to find and is a much nicer facility than the one in Orange City, where Linda was treated.

The meeting with the Dr. went smoothly and it was decided that Jim would start chemo treatments on Monday. (tomorrow).  The treatments will be once a week on Mondays and will last as long as the radiation treatments continue. Then, there will be a 21 day "rest", a treatment, another 21 day "rest" and then a final chemo treatment. Now, by just roughly figuring this out on a calendar, that would mean that if everything goes well, Jim would be finished with treatments somewhere around the 1st to the 15th of April.

It was also decided that even though the facility in Orange City is closer, the treatments would take place at the DeLand office. The reasons for this is that the Deland office is not as busy as Orange City, and the facilities are much nicer. Actually the additional distance isn't that bad. It will take about 1/2 hour to get up to Deland versus the 10 to 15 minutes to Orange City.

Jim's feeling well. He now has a nebulizer and is using it 4 times a day. This helps with clearing the lungs and makes breathing a little easier.

We're in for  a big weather change down here in Florida. The temperatures have been in the upper 70's and low 80's, and today, the high is only supposed to be in the upper 60's with lows tonight down into the lower 40's. I know that's not really cold, but I'm betting that it will feel really cold to us after having all those 80 degree days.


Did you know that on this date in 1911 - Major Jimmie Erickson took the first photograph from an airplane while flying over San Diego, CA?

Woof!!!

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!!!

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!!!