Rogflys

After finding out the results of the CT scan and the diagnosis on July 31, 2009, Jen and I began making plans of how to deal with this new reality. We made arrangements to meet with a couple of medical oncologists on Tuesday, Aug 4. We made our decision of which doctor to work with, and she set things in motion to begin chemo-therapy treatments on Aug 9. This has become a weekly ritual for me with treatment each Monday, three weeks in a row then a week off.

Looking back 7 months now, I feel very fortunate. Overall my body is handling the treatment well. I am not experiencing the "typical" chemo therapy side effects. I do not get the nausea and vomiting thing, and I am not losing my hair. I do get fatigued, and the effects seem to be cumulative. I get more tired on week three, then my body recovers fairly well during the off week.

I just completed cycle 8. A cycle is 4 weeks long, consisting of one treatment of the chemotherapy each week for 3 weeks, then the 4th week off. So that makes 24 trips to the infusion center for treatment. In the big scheme of things the treatments are pretty easy. I show up for my appointment, usually on Monday morning, and sit in the waiting room. Unfortunately they are busy and usually run about 30 min late. When I get into the treatment room things go pretty smoothly. I am very happy with the nurses. It usually takes 10 min or so to get the vitals done, get the IV put in and give me a pill for nausea. I am not sure if I really need that pill, but they give it to me anyway, and I don't get nauseous. Then I sit for a about 10 min more and they bring in the chemo medication (gemcitabine). This is administered over a 30 min period, during which I am able to read, write, watch tv, talk with the nurses or sometimes other patients. On occasion I just take the Ipod and nap a little. After the 30 min, they do a flush with saline that takes about 8 min. Then they pull out the needle, and some of the hair on my arm with the tape used to hold the needle, and I am out of there!

I drive myself to and from the hospital. When I get home I usually plan on a low key day. Spending time on the couch or napping. Week one is usually not too bad, but by week three I do get pretty tired, so I try to plan my activities accordingly. I like the fact that there has been a pretty steady pattern to everything, it makes it easier to plan things , and gives me better chances to get the things done that I want and need to do.

I have posted a bit of what has been keeping me buys over the course of all of this. I will post more, hopefully in the next few days. I have some progress that has been made on the archtop guitar, and the 9'6" surfboard.

Blessings to all!!!

The year 2009 had many changes for everyone. Job changes, loss of jobs, and changing economic positions. For some that is all that occurred, for others there were health issues to deal with as well. That has been my situation.

For me, 2009 started out with unemployment. By March I had returned to my old trade of working construction working for a good friend who fortunately had work scheduled and needed some extra hands. In March I began feeling some discomfort and pain in my stomach. It wasn't a sharp pain, more just a constant discomfort that over time seemed to bring me down. I was also losing some weight The pain lasted a little over 2 weeks, and disappeared the day I went to the doctor to have it checked in late March.

My assumption was that it was stress related. I was able to explain the weight loss with my increased physical activity, and was happy about it. I was thinking a lot about my work situation, and while I was pleased to be working I had concerns for being able to pay the bills and I was no longer working in my chosen profession as a pilot. There were explainable stresses in my life.

I continued working construction and looking for a job as a pilot. In early May I lined up a job flying in Southeast Alaska. While I was very excited about the job, it had the downside of taking me away form my family for several weeks at a time. Jen and I discussed it, and it was the right thing to do.

On May 24 I went to Alaska and began working, flying for Fjord Flying Service. Then in mid June the discomfort returned. Again I attributed it to stress, and being away from Jen and Reed. When I came home I went back to the doctor. He did a few tests while I was home. The results were not available until I returned to Alaska on July 5. The results came back showing everything was normal. I responded to the doctor by asking, "if everything is normal then why do I still hurt."

I spent the rest of July working and enjoying my time in Alaska and enduring the stomach discomfort. The doctor finally responded to my request for more in depth tests to figure out what was going on by ordering a CT scan. I scheduled the CT scan for Thursday, July 30, and a meeting with the doctor on Monday, July 27. When I met with the doctor he was able to get the CT moved to Tuesday the 28th.

Going in for the CT scan I was in good spirits. I didn't have a lot of fear, just a hope that we would figure out what was going on. After the scan, they told me the doctor would call me on Thursday to discuss the findings.

Thursday afternoon I was sitting at lunch with a friend when the doctor called. The doctor said they had found a growth on my pancreas, and a consultation was already set up for Friday morning with a surgical oncologist. In addition a biopsy procedure was set up for Friday morning. As I talked to Jen about it, she seemed to have a little more information about what was going on, she made arrangements to join me for the appointments on Friday.

Friday morning, July 31, Jen and I went to the Kaiser Sunset Medical Center to meet with the oncologist. The meeting was short. He informed us that there was a tumor on my pancreas and spots throughout my liver. I had pancreatic cancer that had metastasized to my liver. The biopsy would tell us what kind of carcinoma we were dealing with.

Jen and I had time in the examination room to talk and try and process what was happening. My thoughts were immediate and focused on Jen and Reed.

We went across the street to the hospital for the biopsy. The check in was quick, and the procedure was quick as well. Then I had to sit in the recovery room for 4 hours. I was awake through the procedure, and awake in the recovery room. My brother Fred dropped what he was doing that day and came to the hospital to be with Jen and I.

I had a lot of time to think. I was SCARED. Now I did not have the immortal certainty of seeing my son grow up, the things we take for granted. My life had changed..................

The new blank has been tapered , and now glued to the neck. Not real exciting, but finally some more progress!!!! I will be able to begin shaping the neck tomorrow.