The Home Stretch

Today was set to be Jamie's final (hooray!) IP chemo treatment (#6 of 6), ringing in the New Year finished, but she picked up a post-holiday bug of some sort on Friday, so this treatment will be slightly delayed until she's up for it. She's already on the mend and feeling a bit better today, which is great. This last treatment had been delayed a little already since it would've fallen on December 23/24.

All has been well since the last post with Jamie and John chugging along side-by-side at work, and doing their usual busy holiday activities. Aunt Jamie also started a great tradition this year of taking all her sisters and their daughters to The Nutcracker in Seattle, and it was an amazing and simply magical holiday evening. We loved it and are already looking forward to next year!

Here's to a wonderful, healthy, and adventure-filled 2008! It's already starting off perfectly with Jamie in remission, and with only one more treatment to wrap up. Here's to a Happy New Year in '08 that'll see Jamie & John ringing in 2009 in sunny Sydney, Australia!!

Evening News

Ironically an early start yesterday to avoid an weather delays has transpired into the latest discharge time yet. We checked in just before 9 am. There was little snow on the ground north of Olympia and traffic was light, making for a speedy trip. After rejecting our first room due to a poor cleaning we moved down the hall only to find our selves in dimmer circumstances, as only one of the lights worked. Even though patient load was light, staffing was even lighter and the first bags from the pharmacy didn't get plugged in unitl after 3 PM. Chemo got going while Ken and Chris visited, as I snuck out to the School of Architecture Library to do a quick study on pressure treating glu-lams.

Still plagued by second day drop of my DSL connection at UWMC, I haven't worked up much of a post. I interogated Christine, today's chemo nurse for good gossip despite her own personal desire for Grey's Anatomy like drama to spice here work life up (or at least McDreamy like surgeons).

So Jamie made it through #5 OK, cheered on by visits from both our parents last night. Thanks for the Vietnamese dinner Mom C.

Tonight Jamie is bloated and seems a little rougher than ussual so I will round up some take out ASAP and start pushing the pills. Spirits are pretty good though as we can see the end coming.

The Wood clan is in quarantine, recovering from some sort of kid bug so we are without their company. We wish them a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing them soon in full form.

I hope all have survived the storm. My thanks to Jaon for checking on the basement. I worry little about the house, but feared that GB and BB would be using their litterbox as a life raft, drifiting around the basement.

Good night.

Tooting my own Horn (Again!)

Most of you know I had a PET and CT Scan on the 8th. I've been waiting for the "official" results from Dr. Goff before I posted. We still have to talk about them, but Heidi her nurse, described them as "beautiful" with nothing on them. She wanted me to know first hand and to keep up the good work. They don't really have a baseline of my lymph glands, so they wanted to do a scan to see where they were at. I am still going forward as scheduled with all six IP chemo's, per Dr. Goff's recommendation. I guess according to Heidi, I am the first patient to go thru all six dose dense chemo's and all six IP chemo rounds. They are quite unsure what to make of me LOL. They wanted to make sure my bone marrow was keeping up with the IP and it all looks good. It's taking me about a week to feel good after IP, but all in all, it's worth it. Cancer has come a knocking and I'm kicking it to the curb for good.

4th Down

We arrived yesterday without incident, Jamie swiftly admitted and assigned to Room 7348. I followed Jamie into the room, deposited our bags in the closet and set to find a sleeper chair. After pirating one from the adjacent room, I left Jamie to settle herself and went to the lobby to return a cell phone call.

When I came back, the room was vacant and Jamie was now next door with someone from facilities fidgeting with the TV control. Apparently our original room had an annoying mechanical rattle in the ceiling and she had requested a new room, only to find the TV was not tuning all available channels. This would have been a minor issue if it were not channel 41, agitated and unfashionable midget TV, that was not available.

Our diligent “engineer” as the nurse called him (I refrained from correcting her) spent the next hour re programming and swapping out those special TV / light / call controllers while trying not to get in the way of the nurses and the med student going through the pre treatment rigors. Finally Jennie our nurse took control and asked if we could just have a standard TV remote so we could key in number 41, the hot rod and tattoo channel, ourselves. He said he didn’t think he had one but would be back.

He was gone for some time and both Jennie and I began to speculate as to his whereabouts. I having been a maintenance person myself new the perils and demands of his profession and assumed that he had been called to one of those post executive meeting clean ups where he and his custodial equivalents eat leftover croissants and cookies, after being tipped off by some high powered executive assistant who will later ask for an “extra” bulletin board or other chore done off the record.

Alas I was wrong however, probably because it was Sunday and our engineer was obviously faking his cordial reply when I saw him across the cafeteria cashier line and he said “I will be back in a few minutes”.

But true to his word, he did return and after trying one more bedside controller, relinquished a standard TV remote. By this time Jamie was being accessed and although I assume that he is not squeamish, still he seemed glad to be moving on.

I had seen nurse Christie on the sidewalk last Thursday, from behind easily recognizable by her uniform bright red Dansko shoes and blue scrubs. She was actually off work and returning from class the school of nursing. She said that she was on duty for the coming Monday and we should expect at least a brief visit if she was not assigned to Jamie.

Monday has come and no Christie, but Jennie has proved herself to be equal in skill. A Yakima native drawn to Seattle by both work and the outdoor lifestyle, she seems pretty typical of the younger nurses here. As a surfer, bicyclist and hiker she exchanged tips on both Westside and eastside camping and I got good directions for a future ride to, and around Green Lake.

With the same nurse both days, we seem to be moving along at a good pace. It is 11:15 AM and Jamie has her abdomen accessed and has already started the pre hydration. The first IV chemo bag went well, although we were awakened every two hours as usual by the pump alarm as the bubbles started to accumulate.

I was certain that we would see, Dr. Goff but last night her peer Dr. Swenson made evening rounds, introducing himself as her co-worker who was working because Dr. Goff was not. Dr. Swenson has that sort of wiry gray hair and bald top, that gives him a sort of fuzzy winged look, thin rimmed glasses and designer jeans that only a teenage daughter or overly zealous wife with a Bon Marche charge card would purchase. As with all doctors, he had his own way of conducting business which was very thorough and warm. We asked him about Jamie’s recent PET and CT scans so he promptly pulled them up on the computer. After reading them top to bottom, with me looking over his shoulder he reported that there was nothing of significance from either of them. Good news, which I now hope we will have the opportunity to have Dr. Goff elaborate on during our next consult.

For some, today is a recognized work holiday and the UWMC is no exception. With this came a reprieve form the early morning residents call, as they had no surgeries they didn’t start rounding until 8AM. The team has rotated once again and this morning came with the attending, Dr. Swenson with them. Pretty straight forward and brief as I find myself becoming more distant from them with each rotation. I will forever seem Dr. Unger, Dr. Sementi and the rest of their group as our team and the rest the come and go as just acquaintances. Liz from the second rotation was always enjoyable, but she seems to have gone before we really got to know her.

I need to review my past blogs and make sure I mention everyone in them by name so I can use them to keep track of all those that come and go. It appears though that I will not be forgotten as I met a nurse in the stair last night who asked me if I was leaving and when I replied that I was going to the store for snacks she said “no shellfish or sushi”.

Our nighttime nursing assistant Roger was exceptionally talkative last night, giving us more personal information than before. He has been here since our original visit in May and works a steady night shift schedule such that he has always been here for the IP. He said that he actually prefers the night shift as he can come and go, doing his work with little interruption. My first recollections of him were of a midnight shadow, coming in quietly and leaving with barely a word spoken. But if initiated he can be quite conversive and I now know that he lives with his mother and has worked this shift for nearly five years.

We also saw Michael last night, and although he is not a chemo nurse he always makes time to visit us.

Now we are on the flipping phase and thus I had best keep my closing comments short. There was a bit of spousal tension this morning as we debated when to press the call button as the first bags emptied so as to ensure that Jennie did not have to re prime the line. When it came to the pre hydration I got clearance to close the clamp if Jennie did not return promptly. I never got the opportunity to prove my skill though, as Jennie returned with just a few mL left in the bag.

Since our last visit the meal system has changed, the hospital now using a call in room service available from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PM with a promised delivery time of 45 minutes. Both quality and service have been good up until this point, as an hour has passed and no lunch. Hopefully this delay will result in lunch arriving in the next 3-5 minutes, finding Jamie in the heads up position, the best way to start.

Great luck! I heard the cart in the hall at 1 pm sharp and Jamie is now enjoying her salad, saving the chicken & pasta entrée for the first side position. Coordinating both the meal and operating the bed, will take my full attention so I better put the laptop aside and focus on my jr. assistant nursing duties.

Thursday Quickie

During her visit to the SCCA clinic last week for her regular blood draw, Jamie was told that Dr. Goff had requested a PET scan for her. As usual a hesitant scheduler at the UWMC nuke department was becalmed by Goff’s name and by the following Thursday we were back at the hospital, me learning my way around a new floor.

I will spare you guys some of the grotesquities, and preserve Jamie’s modesty, but basically they inject you with glucose with a radioactive isotope that the cancer cells are attracted to. They run you through some sort of scanner that I imagine to be like the wheel on Stargate and the cancer cells, if present, light up on the image.

As usual the staff in the nuclear medicine department were all most accommodating, but we will never forget Pam, the third nurse to try and be successful with Jamie’s IV who says “just like the cooking spray” and then giggles in that unique way of SE Asian women. After “non-stick” Pam, we had Rusty, 4th daughter of a Russell who had no hope of sons, and finished Jamie’s prep.

After Jamie retuned from her scans she was ravenous and so down to the basement for a quick bite before our 3 pm infusion appointment on 8 SE.

Again new territory for both of us, the 8 SE outpatient clinic is located directly above our home wing 7SE. Staffed by what can only be described as a silly group of women slightly older than the 7SE crowd, they made for a very light and comical atmosphere in what is otherwise a more open, sterile type IV-infusion room.

In an hour we were out of there, thanks to a diligent nurse whose name evades me, but I will remember her as “patient hog” as described by her co-workers. When we entered the clinic Jamie announced that she had a Power Port that was already accessed and this woman literally elbowed her way in.

Afterwards, traffic and our stomachs directed us eastbound 520 to the Wood’s where Joel
provided us with scrumptious Santorini gyros. Although frequently mis-pronounced by some, these are always a favorite of Jamie and mine.

After dinner we were entertained by what can only be described as Madeline’s performance and of course Erik’s new walking skills. Katrina also dazzled all with a fantastic 100% from scratch pumpkin pie.

So it was back to work for one more day before Saturday chores and then pack it all up again for IP chemo starting Sunday. More later.

Back in The Saddle

Well, I have gone back to work. Only it's with John at Tectonix. His bookkeeper left, so I have officially taken over the duties. I've worked a couple of days before chemo and today after chemo and I'm getting the hang of it. I think it is a great stress reliever that I am there and he can keep a watch over me and me over him (hehehe) We'll see how we do in the long run. My Mom and Dad have been able to do it all these years, so far so good for us!

Happy Friday!

Talked to Jamie this afternoon, and she's feeling a little better after IP treatment #3 than she did post treatment #2. She even went out to lunch with her parents today. And, she's got her niece Katelyn's birthday party this weekend, so thinks she'll even be up for a little partying by then. Yippee! Wheeee!!!

3 down (almost)

Yesterday’s tenuous start, ended well with a pseudo surprise party prepared by my Mom, Sharon and Anne. Of course the men folk came too, like a horse follows the feed wagon. Wilson shocked everyone and flattered me, by calling out and bounding into my lap as he entered the room. He did as well as any toddler could be expected as I understand his desire to pull on Jamie’s tubes and press the IV pump button.

Last night’s entrée was Vietnamese sandwiches from the famed Seattle Deli, along egg rolls and spring rolls and other unidentified but tasty treats. For dessert we baited Jamie to the basement cafeteria with the most flamboyant and delicious cupcakes from Trophy in Wallingford. Of course there was a backup carrot cake as well, just to ensure that there was enough for the whole hospital.

There were leftover cupcakes as well, and after Jamie selected her favorites to be saved for later, I offered the balance to a couple sitting off in the corner of the dinning area. She was a striking woman with a heavy colonial Africa accent while he was a very dorky, white wall haircut, heavy cell phone user who I had earlier encountered in the family lounge with their stroller bound child. As I offered the cupcakes, he still jabbering on the phone, she took control of the box, slapping his hand and saying none for him. At first I thought her actions jovial, but her stare quickly confirmed her conviction. As I backed away saying “that is between you two”, she began to indulge herself in the first cupcake with a very eerie smile.

I donated the carrot cake to a group best described as a clan which has been encamped in the 7SE lobby since our arrival. Mothers, sons, husbands, grandmothers and infants all mingling about in a mass of toys, Doritos and cellular phones. The most junior of the tribe is confined to a baby walker and literally spends hours banging on some sort of flashing, Old MacDonald blaring toy, while the men antagonize the older children and the mothers holler at both of them. They are sort of a NASCAR sort of crowd, baseball caps, goatees and a few tattoos.

When I offered the cake to them, one of the men earnestly thanked me and vigorously shook my hand. The matriarch was equally grateful and informed me that I was only looking at a fraction of their group and that the entire portion would be rapidly dispersed and devoured.

When I was awoke at midnight by night shift nurse when she came in to do her start of shift stats and medication, I slipped grumpily out of the room to hydrate a cup-o-noodles I purchased earlier from the late night snack cart. When I passed through the lobby, the group was still there, a sea of white hospital linen lumps, sprawled out on all available chairs, couches and for the lower ranking members, the floor. A few of the men were conspicuous by their absence, but latter encountered in the stair, probably returning from their routine jaunts to the smoking area.

Although I have mocked both these groups, in writing and in spoken word, such comments are mostly in jest. Albeit outwardly annoying, I have spent enough time here at 7SE to know their purpose. Someone in their family is dying. You can readily tell the difference between the groups here to celebrate like our guests yesterday and those here to witness death. Those here to celebrate are upbeat, organized and come bearing balloons, gifts and favorite foods.

The death watch is a more ad hoc gathering, engaged in an instinctual self deprivation with no bearing in time or space. Change the costume, language and geography and this ritual would probably be the same in any part of the world. Death as one of the most basic components of the cycle of life draws people together in a primalistic way that transcends individual character.

I am eternally grateful to still be part of the healing group. During Dr. Goff’s early morning rounds we discussed several subjects including Jamie’s interest in a Stanford study on preventing re occurrence of ovarian cancer (see the link on Jamie’s prior post). Dr. Goff in her open minded way gave us good instruction on how to find out more about this study and others, but also cautioned us to make sure Jamie qualified as many require that you currently have cancer or your cancer is reoccurring. She was quite emphatic that Jamie is considered in remission based on her normal CA-125 levels and CAT scans results.

Dr. Goff also emphasized that Jamie’s current IP regiment is considered a “bonus” and that she has fulfilled the standard treatment protocol. Not meaning to diminish the value of the treatment, she just wanted to re assure Jamie that the six sessions were an ideal do objective and that if the side effects became unbearable, she could opt out without remorse. This is not a new subject for Jamie and me, but as usual she faces the challenge with strength and resolve to do them all.

Today is progressing well, as Christie has returned to be our chemo. Making up for lost time with her charm and professional efficiency, I now write as we are in the timed flipping phase, Jamie once again taken on a supertanker worth of fluid to her abdomen. As I tilt the bed first to the head down position, Jamie once again pushes herself further and tauntingly instructs me to keep going past her original limit of ten to the bed’s full limit of twelve degrees inclination.

Tonight’s after party is being catered by the Lucero’s at our favorite post chemo hangout, the Silver Cloud University District. As we continually push the hotel staff’s patience I only hope that the leftovers from Vince’s cooking will be enough to bribe them as our party size will nearly double and is now demanding use of the pool. Poor Madeline has been subjected to watching other children frolic in the pool from the confines of the adjacent dining area. Tonight we will go all out, justifying our behavior because we have stayed at the hotel many times, but never utilized the pool.

Post B Day

Once again Katrina came through on the birthday plans for Jamie. As most of you know, she is the super duper best friend who has not missed a single year for longer than I have been around. Even when I tried to swoop Jamie out of the country, Katria hunted us down in the Irish countryside.

Last night after the girls returned from their massages, Joel and Katrina treated us to an excellent dinner at the Trellis in downtown Kirkland. The menu was excellent, Jamie had the salmon, while the rest of us went with varied selections of beef. Katrina selected what the waiter described as being the "butcher's cut", apparently significant because there is only one of these per cow. Joel and I speculated as to what exclusive anatomical component it might be, but no matter where our imaginations might lead us, in the end the bite I tried was delicious. Dessert was fabulous as well, each of us selecting our own platter of treats and then mixing and matching between the four.

Also thanks to Grammy and Ukki (that's Finnish for grandpa) for babysitting. Not that we mind the kids at dinner, it is just that Joel and I are enough for Jamie and Katrina to manage in such atmosphere. But we did our best, I always used my silverware, Joel didn’t lick his dessert plate and nobody drank straight from the bottle.

We came home to find Madeline running about unclothed but happy and so enjoyed second dessert of fruit tart with Doris and Vessa as well.

We slept well in the rec room and awoke to a quiet house. Joel, attempting to detain me, had locked the gate between the house and garage, forcing me to tiptoe around the yard, past his bedroom window and out the side yard. After several trips without any sign of his clan, I thought I was in the clear. Then I remembered leaving my cell and Jamie’s purse in the living room. I silently opened the door to the kitchen, and then winced when the floor squeaked when I stepped inside. I listened for a cry from Erik or rustlings from the kids’ room, but still silent, so I daintily crept across the linoleum into the front room. As I glanced about for our belongings, I switched on the floor lamp and was startled by the mechanical sound of some Halloween trinket growling. But still the Woods slept and I exited undetected.

We breakfasted at a nearby Starbucks and of coursed enjoyed an easy commute via 520 to the hospital. Jamie was a bit glum, anticipating the after effects of chemo, but she perked up when Dr. Allison said that her peer resident Dr. Liz was on duty in maternity and would try to drop by for a visit. Although doctors are not supposed to have favorites, as we all know, Jamie’s charms are difficult to resist.

So here we are; me in my sleeper chair and Jamie watching the TLC channel. Our nurse today is Katherine, obviously seasoned at her trade, but also disappointingly disparaging about travel to Australia. Apparently she feels that the culture there is chauvinistic, describing it as ”a man’s country”. So I ask what is the problem with that? They have giant cans of beer their don’t they?

Today we are visibly short of staff, so I will forgo the debate and be extra co-operative. I saw the poker faced but efficient Amy on duty, but none of the other regulars are here. Christie of course is most conspicuous by her absence, as apparently there is no one here who has experience with Jamie’s new fangled Power Port. Now before the nail biting begins, be assured that they have plenty of experience on models of similar function but different name, and all have just been trained on the specifics. So with a little guidance from Jamie and the training I received from Dr. Hickman himself, we have the situation under control. We rejected the first needle they brought in, as Jamie did not recognize the color. So after confirming the necessary specifications, we sent Katherine to procure the next size up.

Probably of little consequence, as the black 22 ga. needle will likely deliver the agonizingly (psychologically, not physically) slow 20 hour taxol drip, but why mess with success, we will wait for the yellow 20 ga. We literally have all day.

If there is one lesson I can share, it is that to make the best of any health care, the patient and their family must be control. I will never slight the competence or dedication of the staff here, but still you in the end are responsible for your own care. Last visit Jamie was given her first dexamethazone (a steroid used for nausea control) via IV instead of the pill form she had used before. The results were unpleasant and by voicing her opinion openly and repeatedly we can ensure that such discomforts won’t re occur. The staff are happy to oblige, and there is not a hint of resentment or consequence by mentioning it to every nurse, doctor and resident we encounter. I am certain that a satisfied patient and spouse are far easier to care for. Plus it gives you something to do besides watch 600 lb tattooed midgets give birth while remodeling their home on cable TV.

Happy Birthday to Jamie!

Happy Birthday Jamie!! Wishing you a glorious day, and a year of adventure, much joy, lots of love and continually improving good health!

(A massage, and a great dinner at a fabulous new restaurant is in her very near future, so she's going to have a great start.)

Crazy Fun Adventures

John and I have had a couple adventures in the last couple of days. We decided to go camping last weekend and travelled out to Westport Friday night. The weather turned out to be wonderful and the cranberry festival was going on. John went for a couple of really long bike rides and we quickly toured the cranberry festival. We had a peaceful, restful time.

Over the weekend, a tractor and trailer was stolen from the lumberyard in Olympia. John and I were on our way to dinner last night with Pete and Sharon, when John spotted a cargo trailer load of truck parts that looked suspiciously like the parts off the truck that was stolen. So, we began to follow the truck down I-5, while talking to the county sheriff. We followed the truck towards Bucoda, when the truck suddenly turned into a driveway. Being the cautious guy that John is, we turned around and waited for the cops. The whole time our adrenaline was going crazy. I keep telling John, get closer, don't lose them. He keeps saying we should turn around and stop following...it was exciting. The cops showed up rather quickly and checked out the load. The guy had some story about having the parts in storage...blah, blah. I still think they were the parts, but the cops took pictures and checked out his story. It still remains to be seen, but they could be the parts. It was some of the most excitement we've had in a long time...it was like being a detective. The best part was that Pete and Sharon were willing to wait for us to have dinner, even though we were over and hour late. Thanks guys.

Other good news, I got the results from my last blood draw and my CA-125 was back down to 12. I was rather surprised, because they had prepared me for it to go up (it did go up to 17 after the first IP round). IP is really rough, but I think it will be worth it in the long run. It takes about a week and a half to start to feel human again. I have a large stock of anti-nausea meds and I used them all this last time. I've been swimming again too, it's such a relaxing activity for me, as well as beneficial exercise.

For those of you who are interested, I saw this blip on King5 about a treatment for ovarian cancer survivors. I am going to ask Dr. Goff about it this weekend and am interested in becoming part of the study if she thinks it's a good idea. I'm young and willing to try anything!!

http://www.king5.com/sharedcontent/VideoPlayer/showVideo.php?vidId=182538