Mixed Bag of News Today

Today was a good and bad day. It was good because we got the news that the tumors in the liver and the lungs have shrunk significantly and Matt's tumor marker is now down to 3! This is great news but then the doctor had to bring me back down to earth as he explained that Matt will never get cured of this cancer, but will have to use chemotherapy medications to control and maintain it.

I had assumed incorrectly that at the end of the 12 rounds of chemotherapy if Matt responded well he would be done. We found out today that after the 12 treatments Matt will continue to have to come to the hospital every 3 weeks to continue on the Avastin medication indefinately. This medicine is given by IV but only takes about an hour. Maybe Matt can take do this at the cancer center in Safford??

It was just such a let down to find out that we will be battling this cancer for the rest of Matt's life. I feel so tired and truthfully a bit discouraged. The doctor told us that because Matt has so many tumors in his liver he is not a candidate for liver surgery and that he will not be having any surgery on his colon either. This was a suprise because initially there was talk of surgery on the colon. I think now that the tumor there has shrunk so much there really isn't a reason to do surgery. He explained it like this, he said that to have surgery you have to be off chemo medicines for about 7 weeks prior and 7 weeks after which will put Matt at a great risk of the tumors growing and spreading again. Because he has extensive cancer in his body the tumors will always come back with or without surgery so better to not put him through surgery.

After the doctor saw how distraught I was with the news he was so kind and said that if we wanted to we could speak with the surgeon after Matt's chemo treatments to see if he would consider doing surgery if that is what we really wanted.

I looked online at a forum where patients and caregivers of colon cancer talk about their struggles and I saw for myself that what our oncologist says is true. I noticed that everyone of the cancer patients who underwent liver and colon surgery had their cancer come back, usually within a year. So if that is what Matt is destined for then why put him through the pain of surgery. From what I read in the forum, both surgeries are very long, difficult and painful.

I don't know.....maybe after the 12 treatments we will at least consult with the surgeon to get his opinion. Right now I am still reeling from the shock of it all. I knew going into this that the prognosis was not good, but it is still hard to hit these bumps along the way.

Sorry this post is not so happy....I am feeling pretty down right now. Matt on the other hand is feeling pretty optimistic. He said he knew all along that he would not overcome this cancer, but instead would just fight it best he could and prolong his life as long as possible. I hope that will be a very long time!

In preparazione per ritornare al centro!

Siamo stati a casa per due settimane ed era veramente bello. Anche se vogliamo che la chemioterapia venga fatta al piu' presto possibile, spostarla a ogni tre settimane invece di due ha decisamente i suoi vantagi! Matt riesce a fare di piu', perche' si sente meglio quando la chemio non e' una dietro l'altra e abbiamo gioito essere a casa con la nostra famiglia per un periodo piu' esteso.

Ritorneremo al centro lunedi 27 giugno e saremo li fino a venerdi 1 luglio. Martedi Matt fara' la tac al fegato e siamo speranzosi che ci saranno buone notizie. Pregate per noi, affinche' il suoi tumori siano diminuito come il tumore al colon.

Siamo in contatto con due sopravissuti della quarta fase e ci e' d'aiuto avere speranza che Matt potra' sconfiggere questo.Un sopravissuto e' dalla Florida e recentemente e' guarito completamente. L'altra sopravissuta e' nel Nuovo Messico e lei e' guarita da piu' di 4 anni!!

Matt e' un po' triste in questi ultimi giorni, perche' sta notando che i suoi capelli si stanno indebolendo. Quando gli hanno detto che quella era una possibilita', lui ha detto che non gli dispiaceva radere la testa.Ora che sta succedendo penso che sia piu' arrabbiato di quanto immaginasse. Sta indossando un cappello al lavoro e fuori per coprire la testa. Quando decidera' di radersi la testa mettero' una foto!

Ho aggiunto una scritta al bracialetto della speranza del quale ho parlato la scorsa volta. c'era gia' una scritta nel nastro che diceva "Speranza" e io ho aggiunto la parola "fede". Ho pensato che fosse bello se ogni persona prendesse il bracialetto e aggiungesse una scritta. Amo il pensiero che un giorno potro' darlo ad un'altra persona che ha bisogno di speranza.

Scrivero' di nuovo il prossimo mercoledi una volta che avremo parlato con il dottore riguardo la sua tac. Grazie a tutti per essere degli amici meraviglosi!

Getting Ready to Go Back Again!

We have been home now for almost two weeks straight and it has been so nice. Although we want to get the chemotherapy treatments done as quickly as possible, moving the schedule to every three weeks instead of every two definitely has its benefits! Matt is able to do more because he feels better the further away he gets from his chemo treatment, and we are able to enjoy being home with our family for a more extended period of time.

We leave for the cancer center next Monday, June 27, and will be there until Friday July 1. Tuesday Matt will have a ct scan of his liver and we are hopeful it will be good news. Pray for us that his tumors there have shrunk just as his tumor in the colon has shrunk.

We have been in contact now with two stage IV survivors and it has helped us a lot to have hope that Matt can beat this. One survivor is from Florida and he was just recently pronounced in remission. The other survivor is in New Mexico and she has been in remission for over 4 years!!

Matt is a little sad these past few days as he has noticed that his hair is beginning to thin a lot. When they first told him it was a possibility he blew it off saying he didn't mind if he had to shave his head. Now that it is really happening I think he is more upset than he thought he would be. He has been wearing a hat to work and outside of the house to cover this up. When he decides to shave his head I will post a picture!

I have added a charm to the hope bracelet that I spoke about in my last post. There was already a cancer ribbon charm on it that says "hope" and I added a charm with a cross and the word "faith" to it. I thought it would be neat to have each person that takes the bracelet add an appropriate charm to it. I love the thought that I will someday pass this on to another person in need of hope.

I will post again on Wednesday of next week once we have spoken with the doctor about the results of his ct scan. Thank you all for being such wonderful friends!

A Father Indeed

This is a small tribute to all the amazing fathers out there. My father is truly amazing. So remember your fathers this fathers day!

Altre buone notizie!!

Ieri era un giorno di buone notizie! Al pomeriggio abbiamo incontrato il team di dottori che si occupano di Matt ed erano veramente felici riguardo ai risultati della colonoscopia ed erano felici di annunciare il marker tumorale è sceso a 10! Il tumor marker è cominciato a 85!! L’oncologo è certo che anche i tumori al ffegato sono diminiuti. La prossima volta che verremo, faremo la TAC per vedere il fegato.

Oggi Matt si è svegliato presto e si sente abbastanza bene. È anche andato a pranzo con Brittani. Di solito al secondo giorno della chemio, lui si sente così stanco e ammalato che non fa altro che stare a letto. Speriamo che questo sia un buon segnale.

Il dottore pensa che sia meglio fare la chemio ogni tre settimane invece di ogni due. Con le due ultime chemio è andata cosi a causa delle sue piastine a basso livello e Matt sembra che abbia più forza ed energia con cosi tanto tempo tra le due sessioni. Nonstante ci sia un forte desiderio di finire con la chemio, forse a lungo termine è meglio così. Stiamo provando gli integratori consigliati e potremo vedere se fanno la differenza al livello delle piastrine. Se c’è una differenza, allora si ritornerà ogni due settimane, ma dobbiamo aspettare e vedere.

Vogliamo rigraziare di nuovo tutto voi per le vostre preghiere a nostro favore. Vi vogliamo bene!

More Good News!!

Yesterday was a day of good news! In the afternoon we met with Matt's team of doctors and they were very happy about the results of the colonoscopy and they were happy to report to us that his tumor markers have now dropped to 10! The tumor marker had started at 85!! The oncologist is certain that the tumors in the liver are shrinking as well. The next time we come we will have a ct scan to look at his liver.

Today Matt was up early and feeling pretty good. He even went to lunch with me to meet Brittani. Usually on the second day of chemo he is so tired and sick that all he does is stay in bed. We hope this is a good sign.

The doctor thinks that it might be better to have chemo treatments every three weeks instead of every two. The past two chemo treatments have been this way due to his low platelet count and Matt seems to have more strength and energy with that much time in between. While we would like to get this chemotherapy done and over with, maybe in the long run it is better. We are trying the supplements they recommended and will be able to see if they make a difference in his platelet count. If they do then we may go back to every two weeks but we will have to wait and see.

Again we would like to thank all of you for your prayers in our behalf. We send our love to you all!

Buona Notizia!!

Questa mattina Matt ha fatto la colonoscopia e il risultato era formidabile! Il tumore al suo colon è diminuito in modo significativo. Questo significa che la chemio sta funzionando e ora si potrà aggiungere una nuova medicina al suo cocktail della chemioterapia!! :>) Si!!

Questo pomeriggio abbiamo incontrato i dottori e poi Matt avrà il tuo quarto appuntamento per la chemio. Matt ha cominciato a prendere l'integratore consigliato per far salire le piastrine e sembra che funzioni. Le sue piastrine sono salite e questa è un’altra buona notizia.

Sappiamo che il vostro amore e le vostre preghiere ci stanno aiutanto in questo difficile percorso!!

Good News!!

This morning Matt had his colonoscopy and the news was great! The tumor in his colon has shrunk significantly which means that the chemo is working and now a new medicine can be added to his chemotherapy cocktail! :>) Yeah!!

This afternoon we meet with the doctors and then Matt will have his 4th round of chemo. Matt started taking the supplement recommended to build up his platelets and it looks like it is working. His platelet count is way up so that is good news also.

We know that it is all of your love and prayers that is helping us through this difficult trial!!

A Failed Camping Trip! :>(

Last Wednesday before we left the Cancer Hospital we met with a stage 3 colon cancer survivor named Beth. Beth came and picked us up at our hotel and we went for lunch. Beth is a super up-beat person with a lot of spunk. She was so fun to talk to and she definitely cheered us up and gave us hope. She gave me a beautiful bracelet that has a charm of the cancer ribbon on it that says hope. She told us this wonderful story about how a woman had given her the bracelet when she was going through chemotherapy and was super sick and feeling a bit hopeless. This woman told her to wear it until she beat the cancer and then she was to pass it on to someone else who needs hope. I was the lucky recipient of this special gift and I am to pass it on to someone else who is need of hope when Matt beats his cancer! Isn't that so cool!!!!

That same day we also met with the gastro intestinal doctor and have scheduled a colonoscopy for next Wed. morning. Then after that Matt will get his chemotherapy treatment. We will be at the hospital until late Friday. We are hopeful that the cancer in his colon has shrunk enough for Matt's doctors to add the other chemo medicine. When we see our oncologist we will ask him about doing a ct scan to look at the liver as well.

We came home on Wednesday night very excited to go camping with the family this weekend. I packed and cleaned the trailer, made the menu, got the groceries, etc. My sisters did the same and we were so ready to get out of this heat and go up the mountain for a couple of days. Ahhhh.......the best laid plans!!! Matt was supposed to come home at 4:00 Friday afternoon but ended up working late until 6:30. I had everything done and so we jumped into the van and as we were pulling out my Aunt and Uncle told us that the mountain was closed due to fire hazard. We had called the forest service earlier and they had said that it was still open so we decided to go for it. We got up to the gate and it was still open!! But alas we were still unable to go up any further as our van overheated and we sadly had to turn around and come home. :<(

My wonderful sisters didn't let this be a complete failure and waste of time as they quickly unloaded the food, pulled out the bbq grill and made a feast of hamburgers and hot dogs right here in our little park. The kids ran around playing games and we sat around talking. The weather had cooled and it was beautiful. It was just like camping except that we were able to sleep in our own beds!!!! This morning we got together again for a big breakfast and tonight we are having dinner altogether, just like we had planned for the mountain.

Matt is looking into the reason our van overheated as it should be able to pull our trailer without a problem. Hopefully we can figure it out and go camping for real this time!!

Nuova cura per il cancro al colon retto

Ero qui, per i miei fatti, sulla mia scrivania, verso le 15.38 e apsettavo che la giornata laorativa finisse, quando ho ricevuto una email dal mio padre. Ho cominciato a scoppiare dal ridere e tutti erano confusi, “Che cos’è quel strano rumore che sta venendo da quel cubico?

Ho promesso che non avrei messo questo al blog, ma non sono riuscita a resistere. Ecco qui. Se non lo sapete, quello è un microonde.

Qualcuno dovrebbe pulire quel microonde con del Clorox...

Nessun trattamento questa settimana

Queta settimana abbiamo di nuovo ricevuto una notizia deludente, perché il numero delle piastrine di Matt sono andate giù ancora di più e cosi non abbiamo potuto fare la chemioterapia. A casa ci stanno aspettando i consigliati, ma veramente costosi supplementi, che ora proveremo per vedere se potremo risolvere questo problema. Altrimenti Matt dovrà cominciare a venire ogni tre settimane per il trattamento invece di ogni due settimane. Quando combatti contro un cancro cosi agressivo, non vuoi altro che combatterlo il più veloce possibile e in un modo furioso!

Siamo rimasti qui a Goodyear per la notte , visto che Matt ha un appuntamento con il gastointerologo oggi pomeriggio. Fisserà l’appuntamento per la prossima colonoscopia e noi non vediamo l’ora di averla. Vogliamo vedere se la chemio ha ridotto drasticamente il suo cancro nel colon. Speriamo di poter fissare l’appuntamento il più presto possibile.

Scriverò di nuovo domani, dopo che saremo ritornati a casa, per aggiornarvi su quello che ha detto il dottore e per dirvi quando abbiamo la nostra prossima colonoscopia! RICORDATEVI che se avete 50 anni o di più AVETE BISOGNO di un controllo!! Il cancro nel colon è il terzo cancro subito dopo quelli ai polomoni e al seno. Se si riesce a scoprirlo presto, c’è una alta percentuale di sopravvivenza e può essere curato facilmente.

Durante il weekend abbiamo fatto alcune foto della famiglia. Appena le riceveremo le metterò qui. Nel frattempo potete vederle al web site del fotografo:

http://davidpalmerphotography.blogspot.com/2011/05/amazing-c.html

Vi voglio bene!

Niki

New Cure for Colon Cancer

There I was, minding my own business at 3:58pm at my desk, waiting for the work day to be over when I get an e-mail from my dad. I started busting up laughing--everyone was so confused, "What is that strange noise coming from that cubicle over there?"

I promised my pops that I wouldn't post this on the blog but I just couldn't resist. This is my poppi's humor for you. Oh yeah, that's a microwave in case you didn't know.

Someone should probably take some Clorox to that microwave....

No Treatment This Week

This week we had disappointing news again as Matt's platelet numbers went down even more and we were unable to have the chemotherapy. At home waiting for us is the recommended but very expensive supplements that we will now try to see if we can't get this problem resolved. Otherwise Matt will have to start coming for treatments every 3 weeks instead of every 2 weeks. When your fighting such an aggressive cancer you just want to fight it as fast and furious as you can!

We stayed the night here in Goodyear last night as Matt has an appointment with the gastrointestinal doctor this afternoon. He will schedule Matt's next colonoscopy which we are anxious to have. We want to see if the chemo has significantly shrunk his cancer in the colon. We hope to schedule this as soon as possible.

I will post again tomorrow after we get home and give an update on what the doctor says and when we will have our next colonoscopy! REMEMBER if you are 50 years old or older you NEED to get checked!! Colon cancer is the 3rd leading cancer only behind lung and breast cancer. If caught early it has very high survival rates and can be cured easily.

Over the weekend we had family pictures done. As soon as we get them I will post some of them. In the meantime you can view a few at the photographers web site at: http://davidpalmerphotography.blogspot.com/2011/05/amazing-c.html

Love to you all!
Niki