Date: Mon, Oct 12, 2009
Subject: Update
Sorry for the email, but I really don't feel like talking.
The results of Michael's PET/CT scan show suspicious lesions on his liver. They will need to be biopsied to know for sure if they are cancer that has spread from the colon.
We are still meeting with the surgeon this week to discuss whether to remove the tumor in the colon or not. Before the lesions were found on the liver, the priority was to remove the tumor in the colon. Now that we know there is something in the liver, the priority is to shrink/reduce/contain any cancer of the liver with aggressive chemotherapy.
So as of right now, there are still two options - 1. surgery then chemo. 2. Chemo to reduce cancer in the liver.
I'm sure there are many more questions than answers, but we are taking this one step at a time, and will know more by next week.
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Date: Fri, Oct 16, 2009
Subject: Waiting
Just want to let everyone know that we won't have much to update for at least a week. The biopsy for the liver is scheduled for next Wednesday 10/21, and the follow up appointment with the oncologist not until 10/28. Thank you all for your emails, thoughts and prayers!
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Date: Wed, Oct 28, 2009
Subject: good news / bad news (?)
Hello all....
So the good news is the biopsy of the liver came back benign!
The bad news is that the oncologist thinks it is a false negative!
(Or as Michael put it.... "the oncologist thinks that the biopsy was fucked up")
So, the oncologist is having a new biopsy scheduled that will be a CT guided biopsy at a different hospital.
I guess more bad news is that we are still waiting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Regarding why the oncologist thinks it is a false negative: He doesn't feel that the sample taken was "deep enough" because there was also muscle in the sample, along with the liver.
The way we see it, though, is that it is better to cover all the bases and have another biopsy done to be certain of what we are dealing with. We are not surprised that a second biopsy is ordered, and still have hope that it could come back benign as well.
Thank you for all of the emails and positive thoughts! Keep 'em coming!
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Date: Wed, Nov 10, 2009
Subject: Still waiting (impatiently)
Another update for y'all....that we have nothing much to update!
The second liver biopsy is (finally) scheduled for this coming Monday, November 16th, at Washington Hospital Center in DC. Then an appointment is scheduled for Friday, November 20th with the oncologist to go over the results.
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Date: Fri, Nov 20, 2009
Subject: Biopsy results
Hello all.
The results of the second biopsy show that the lesions in the liver are indeed cancerous. I plan to put together a more detailed email in the next couple days that will hopefully answer more questions about this diagnosis. Chemotherapy will begin on Monday. Michael will receive 48 hours of chemo every 2 weeks. He will start the treatment in the doctor's office for a few hours, then will be sent home with a pump to continue until Wednesday. He will return to the office on Wednesday to have the pump removed. As a general statement, this particular chemo is not expected to cause many extreme side-effects.
More info to come...
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Date: Mon, Dec 7, 2009
Subject: Round 2
Today marks the start of the second round of chemo. The plan is to complete 12 rounds, every other week. By "round", I am referring to the total amount of intravenous chemotherapy (he has a port in his chest) he is receiving over 3 days, which consists of 2 drugs right now. On Mondays, he receives the first drug (Oxaliplatin) at the Cancer Center over approximately 2 hours. The second drug (5-fu) is given in a pump that Michael has to carry with him for 48 hours. On Wednesday when the pump is empty, we return to the Cancer Center to have it removed.
Based on how the first treatment went, Monday is a good day, Tuesday is a horrible day, and Wednesday is a gradual improvement day. By Thursday/Friday, "normal" returns (Michaels' normal, LOL). Now that we know what to expect, we're hoping to improve Tuesday so he is not as sick as the first time. He is given anti-nausea meds in the initial IV, and in pill form at home. Besides that, his biggest side-effect is having pain when he eats/drinks anything that is not "hot". Even room temperature things were causing him pain. So strange, but at least we know what to avoid!
Just so everyone is on the same page, Michael's diagnosis is Stage 4 Colon Cancer, or adenocarcinoma. There is one tumor in his colon and many lesions on his liver. We have been guided to www.cancer.net for any additional information.
I'm hoping this isn't too much info for anyone. The bright side is that he has 10-11 *good* days in between treatments that we are so thankful for! And according to Michael, he can already feel relief from the symptoms in the colon, which we're hoping means the chemo is working! The PET scan will be repeated in 2 months or so.
Thank you all for your support. It means so much!
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Sent: Monday, January 4, 2010
Subject: New Year!
Hello family & friends!
Hope everyone had a terrific holiday and is starting off the New Year well!
Michael is receiving his 4th round of chemo this week (today thru Wednesday). A new drug, Avastin, was added during the last round and will continue to be administered from here on out. Some good things of note: his red blood cell counts have remained at a good level, so he no longer needs an extra shot of Procrit every week. His CBC blood count is still checked every week though, to monitor everything. And his liver function levels have improved, which leads the doc to believe the chemo is reaching the liver and hopefully reducing the lesions! The doc mentioned today that he may repeat the PET scan after the 6th treatment, so it will be at least another month before any news about the true effectiveness of the chemo.
The girls and I are doing well. Glad to get back into a routine after Christmas break. One was overly excited to return to school today, and the other had to be dragged out of bed... I won't say which was which! I have a lot of unpacking to do still from a long trip to Pittsburgh, including lots of toy organizing! The girls are both in Girl Scouts, and you know what that means.... Cookies, anyone??? Taking pre-orders now for delivery in February! :) Shameless plug there!
I'll do my best to update soon. We're hoping new year = good news!
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Date: Thu, Feb 4, 2010
Subject: Cautiously Optimistic
Hello from Snow Ground Zero!
Michael finished his 6th round of chemo today (this treatment went from Tues - Thurs because his doc was unavailable on Monday). As usual he is sleeping tons, but seems to be doing ok. During his appointment Tuesday, the doctor shared two bits of positive news showing in his bloodwork. First, Michael's "liver function" is at a normal level now. Also, the "tumor marker" level is decreasing. This would make one think that the chemo is working to decrease the size of the tumors! Dr K was really pleased, and this has really eased Michael's mind with the upcoming PET scan.
I had to google "tumor markers", so for any who are interested: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Detection/tumor-markers
The PET scan is scheduled for this coming Monday (2/8). I have no idea when we'll receive the results, but it shouldn't take too long. I will update again after we get those results.
Hope everyone is ready to be snowed in! You Pittsburgh'ers are being spared this time, looks like! We're predicted to have 18-24" Friday and Saturday! I'm loving it! :D
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Sent: Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Subject: This might warm you up...
Michael had his PET scan yesterday and has not heard the official results yet, but did receive this email from his oncologist today:
His next visit will be Tuesday for his next round of chemo. But this is welcomed news in the mean time! We have no idea what "hot" means, because this is the first time he's used this term. :) More to come next week...
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Subject: Still waiting (impatiently)
Another update for y'all....that we have nothing much to update!
The second liver biopsy is (finally) scheduled for this coming Monday, November 16th, at Washington Hospital Center in DC. Then an appointment is scheduled for Friday, November 20th with the oncologist to go over the results.
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Date: Fri, Nov 20, 2009
Subject: Biopsy results
Hello all.
The results of the second biopsy show that the lesions in the liver are indeed cancerous. I plan to put together a more detailed email in the next couple days that will hopefully answer more questions about this diagnosis. Chemotherapy will begin on Monday. Michael will receive 48 hours of chemo every 2 weeks. He will start the treatment in the doctor's office for a few hours, then will be sent home with a pump to continue until Wednesday. He will return to the office on Wednesday to have the pump removed. As a general statement, this particular chemo is not expected to cause many extreme side-effects.
More info to come...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, Dec 7, 2009
Subject: Round 2
Today marks the start of the second round of chemo. The plan is to complete 12 rounds, every other week. By "round", I am referring to the total amount of intravenous chemotherapy (he has a port in his chest) he is receiving over 3 days, which consists of 2 drugs right now. On Mondays, he receives the first drug (Oxaliplatin) at the Cancer Center over approximately 2 hours. The second drug (5-fu) is given in a pump that Michael has to carry with him for 48 hours. On Wednesday when the pump is empty, we return to the Cancer Center to have it removed.
Based on how the first treatment went, Monday is a good day, Tuesday is a horrible day, and Wednesday is a gradual improvement day. By Thursday/Friday, "normal" returns (Michaels' normal, LOL). Now that we know what to expect, we're hoping to improve Tuesday so he is not as sick as the first time. He is given anti-nausea meds in the initial IV, and in pill form at home. Besides that, his biggest side-effect is having pain when he eats/drinks anything that is not "hot". Even room temperature things were causing him pain. So strange, but at least we know what to avoid!
Just so everyone is on the same page, Michael's diagnosis is Stage 4 Colon Cancer, or adenocarcinoma. There is one tumor in his colon and many lesions on his liver. We have been guided to www.cancer.net for any additional information.
I'm hoping this isn't too much info for anyone. The bright side is that he has 10-11 *good* days in between treatments that we are so thankful for! And according to Michael, he can already feel relief from the symptoms in the colon, which we're hoping means the chemo is working! The PET scan will be repeated in 2 months or so.
Thank you all for your support. It means so much!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sent: Monday, January 4, 2010
Subject: New Year!
Hello family & friends!
Hope everyone had a terrific holiday and is starting off the New Year well!
Michael is receiving his 4th round of chemo this week (today thru Wednesday). A new drug, Avastin, was added during the last round and will continue to be administered from here on out. Some good things of note: his red blood cell counts have remained at a good level, so he no longer needs an extra shot of Procrit every week. His CBC blood count is still checked every week though, to monitor everything. And his liver function levels have improved, which leads the doc to believe the chemo is reaching the liver and hopefully reducing the lesions! The doc mentioned today that he may repeat the PET scan after the 6th treatment, so it will be at least another month before any news about the true effectiveness of the chemo.
The girls and I are doing well. Glad to get back into a routine after Christmas break. One was overly excited to return to school today, and the other had to be dragged out of bed... I won't say which was which! I have a lot of unpacking to do still from a long trip to Pittsburgh, including lots of toy organizing! The girls are both in Girl Scouts, and you know what that means.... Cookies, anyone??? Taking pre-orders now for delivery in February! :) Shameless plug there!
I'll do my best to update soon. We're hoping new year = good news!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, Feb 4, 2010
Subject: Cautiously Optimistic
Hello from Snow Ground Zero!
Michael finished his 6th round of chemo today (this treatment went from Tues - Thurs because his doc was unavailable on Monday). As usual he is sleeping tons, but seems to be doing ok. During his appointment Tuesday, the doctor shared two bits of positive news showing in his bloodwork. First, Michael's "liver function" is at a normal level now. Also, the "tumor marker" level is decreasing. This would make one think that the chemo is working to decrease the size of the tumors! Dr K was really pleased, and this has really eased Michael's mind with the upcoming PET scan.
I had to google "tumor markers", so for any who are interested: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Detection/tumor-markers
The PET scan is scheduled for this coming Monday (2/8). I have no idea when we'll receive the results, but it shouldn't take too long. I will update again after we get those results.
Hope everyone is ready to be snowed in! You Pittsburgh'ers are being spared this time, looks like! We're predicted to have 18-24" Friday and Saturday! I'm loving it! :D
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Sent: Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Subject: This might warm you up...
Michael had his PET scan yesterday and has not heard the official results yet, but did receive this email from his oncologist today:
The pet shows a very good response, the liver lesions are not "hot" anymore.
Good news, will talk more next visit.
DR K
His next visit will be Tuesday for his next round of chemo. But this is welcomed news in the mean time! We have no idea what "hot" means, because this is the first time he's used this term. :) More to come next week...
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Date: Tue, 16 Feb 2010
Subject: Good news today!
All,
We wanted to follow up the last email with an update. Michael received further explanation in regards to his PET Scan. Once again it is good news. Michael's Oncologist explained what he meant by the lesions not being hot. In the first scan you could clearly see the lesions glowing green on the scan. In the latest scan you can not see anything. The glowing effect is caused by the radioactive sugar that is injected before the scan. The lesions "crave" sugar, so you can see the glow when they receive the radiation. No glowing means there are no active lesions receiving the sugar. Although the lesions are still present he said the lesions are showing no activity and they are probably dead. He even had a hard seeing the tumor in Michael's colon on the scan. So this is very good news. Michael is not out of the woods, but so far so good.
Going forward Michael will complete his remaining 6 treatments, number 7 starting today. The hope is after the last treatment Michael will get another Pet Scan and the lesions will be gone. Cross your fingers.
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Date: May 11, 2010
Subject: Michael's Latest Update
Hello All,
We just wanted to give everyone the latest update. This is kind of a good news/unexpected news update. Michael finished his 12th treatment last week. First the good news. Currently Michael is in Remission. There are no signs of cancer activity in the colon or the liver. Michael recently had a new blood test, called a CTC Test. This test tracks Circulating Tumor Cells in Michael's blood. Michael's blood came back below the acceptable level which is good news.
Now the unexpected news. We were under the impression that if everything looked good after the last treatmentMichael would get a break from the chemo. Unfortunately, since Michael is Stage 4, even though he is in remission, there is no end in sight for the treatments. Basically, Michael's Oncologist told us he will receive treatments as long as his body can handle it. They now look at the treatments as maintenance, lifelong, to keep the cancer at bay. We did make some adjustments to Michael's treatment. He is going to take a break from the strongest chemo he was receiving. This should help with most of the side effects he has been experiencing. Needless to say Michael is not happy about this. We are going to do some research and possibly get a second opinion.
All in all the news is good and we are greatfull. Once again thank you all for your continued support.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sent: Mon, December 13, 2010
Subject: Results from latest scan
Hello family & friends,
Michael received the results of his latest PET scan today. There are some new "hot spots", in other words, active cancer cells again in his liver. Certainly this is discouraging news, but he has not been on a strong chemo since May. We are very hopeful that the new treatment Dr. K. has planned for Michaelwill put him into remission again. Today Michael started a new chemo that will be administered just like the previous one - every 2 weeks in the Center via his port. The new chemo is expected to have far fewer side effects compared to the one he stopped taking in May. He will still receive the 5FU which is administered in a pump over 48 hours. I know it's been a while since my last update, but things were very "status-quo" and there often isn't much to update in between scans. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me!
Wishing you and your families a great holiday season!
Subject: Good news today!
All,
We wanted to follow up the last email with an update. Michael received further explanation in regards to his PET Scan. Once again it is good news. Michael's Oncologist explained what he meant by the lesions not being hot. In the first scan you could clearly see the lesions glowing green on the scan. In the latest scan you can not see anything. The glowing effect is caused by the radioactive sugar that is injected before the scan. The lesions "crave" sugar, so you can see the glow when they receive the radiation. No glowing means there are no active lesions receiving the sugar. Although the lesions are still present he said the lesions are showing no activity and they are probably dead. He even had a hard seeing the tumor in Michael's colon on the scan. So this is very good news. Michael is not out of the woods, but so far so good.
Going forward Michael will complete his remaining 6 treatments, number 7 starting today. The hope is after the last treatment Michael will get another Pet Scan and the lesions will be gone. Cross your fingers.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: May 11, 2010
Subject: Michael's Latest Update
Hello All,
We just wanted to give everyone the latest update. This is kind of a good news/unexpected news update. Michael finished his 12th treatment last week. First the good news. Currently Michael is in Remission. There are no signs of cancer activity in the colon or the liver. Michael recently had a new blood test, called a CTC Test. This test tracks Circulating Tumor Cells in Michael's blood. Michael's blood came back below the acceptable level which is good news.
Now the unexpected news. We were under the impression that if everything looked good after the last treatmentMichael would get a break from the chemo. Unfortunately, since Michael is Stage 4, even though he is in remission, there is no end in sight for the treatments. Basically, Michael's Oncologist told us he will receive treatments as long as his body can handle it. They now look at the treatments as maintenance, lifelong, to keep the cancer at bay. We did make some adjustments to Michael's treatment. He is going to take a break from the strongest chemo he was receiving. This should help with most of the side effects he has been experiencing. Needless to say Michael is not happy about this. We are going to do some research and possibly get a second opinion.
All in all the news is good and we are greatfull. Once again thank you all for your continued support.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sent: Mon, December 13, 2010
Subject: Results from latest scan
Hello family & friends,
Michael received the results of his latest PET scan today. There are some new "hot spots", in other words, active cancer cells again in his liver. Certainly this is discouraging news, but he has not been on a strong chemo since May. We are very hopeful that the new treatment Dr. K. has planned for Michaelwill put him into remission again. Today Michael started a new chemo that will be administered just like the previous one - every 2 weeks in the Center via his port. The new chemo is expected to have far fewer side effects compared to the one he stopped taking in May. He will still receive the 5FU which is administered in a pump over 48 hours. I know it's been a while since my last update, but things were very "status-quo" and there often isn't much to update in between scans. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me!
Wishing you and your families a great holiday season!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sent: Sunday, April 22, 2012
Subject: Michael update - Surgery Monday
Hi all :)
I know it's been a while since an update about Michael, but this one is big, so I wanted to get the info out there!
Michael is having surgery on Monday that involves a few things.
1 - He will undergo a Liver Perfusion. (there's a Wiki for everything! And his surgeon is one of the wiki references - Pingpank!) This procedure puts chemo directly into his liver, thus limiting the side effects to the rest of his body - this is a good thing! This is a procedure that has been done almost exclusively here in Pittsburgh, and by this doctor.
2 - The doctor will install a pump that also has the purpose of directing chemo only to his liver - this will be used in the future, after he is healed from this surgery, when regular chemo treatments resume.
3 - The site of Michael's original tumor, in his colon, will be removed. It is no longer cancerous (though has some suspicious cells still), so this is more of a "while we're in there" situation where it's worth removing.
Michael will be in the hospital for at least a week after this surgery. He will be at Shadyside hospital. I will send an email update sometime Monday or Tuesday.
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Sent: Apr 23, 2012
Michael's surgery was about 6 hours long today. We met with the doctor a little while ago and are waiting to see him after he leaves the recovery room. Overall the surgery went very well.
Only 2 of the 3 things I mentioned were done. The doctor did not feel that his liver was healthy enough (even though previous tests showed it was) to withstand the perfusion. We did know this was a small possibility.
The pump was installed and will be filled with chemo before he is discharged from the hospital. The pump will have the same intention as the perfusion - to shrink the lesions in his liver without putting chemo into the rest of his body - but every 2 weeks instead of all a once. Dr. Pingpank feels good about this giving Michael excellent results even though he could not do the perfusion.
The site of the original tumor was removed successfully and some inflamed surrounding tissue was biopsied with negative results. So, no cancer appearing in the colon!
I think that is all for now. Thank you all for the nice messages! I will pass them on to Michaelwhen he is aware ;)
Sent: Sunday, April 22, 2012
Subject: Michael update - Surgery Monday
Hi all :)
I know it's been a while since an update about Michael, but this one is big, so I wanted to get the info out there!
Michael is having surgery on Monday that involves a few things.
1 - He will undergo a Liver Perfusion. (there's a Wiki for everything! And his surgeon is one of the wiki references - Pingpank!) This procedure puts chemo directly into his liver, thus limiting the side effects to the rest of his body - this is a good thing! This is a procedure that has been done almost exclusively here in Pittsburgh, and by this doctor.
2 - The doctor will install a pump that also has the purpose of directing chemo only to his liver - this will be used in the future, after he is healed from this surgery, when regular chemo treatments resume.
3 - The site of Michael's original tumor, in his colon, will be removed. It is no longer cancerous (though has some suspicious cells still), so this is more of a "while we're in there" situation where it's worth removing.
Michael will be in the hospital for at least a week after this surgery. He will be at Shadyside hospital. I will send an email update sometime Monday or Tuesday.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sent: Apr 23, 2012
Michael's surgery was about 6 hours long today. We met with the doctor a little while ago and are waiting to see him after he leaves the recovery room. Overall the surgery went very well.
Only 2 of the 3 things I mentioned were done. The doctor did not feel that his liver was healthy enough (even though previous tests showed it was) to withstand the perfusion. We did know this was a small possibility.
The pump was installed and will be filled with chemo before he is discharged from the hospital. The pump will have the same intention as the perfusion - to shrink the lesions in his liver without putting chemo into the rest of his body - but every 2 weeks instead of all a once. Dr. Pingpank feels good about this giving Michael excellent results even though he could not do the perfusion.
The site of the original tumor was removed successfully and some inflamed surrounding tissue was biopsied with negative results. So, no cancer appearing in the colon!
I think that is all for now. Thank you all for the nice messages! I will pass them on to Michaelwhen he is aware ;)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
First full day after surgery went as expected. Lots of pain and sleeping, but many small improvements that I can see! I don't plan to give daily updates unless something significant changes, but feel free to ask me any questions!
If anyone is interested, you can send Michael an ecard that they will print and deliver to the room - https://ecards.upmc.com/default.asp He is in room 427 at Shadyside.
Thanks again for all of your support, it means a ton!
Holly
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Subject: Michael
Date: Tue, Feb 5, 2013 3:02 PM
Just a quick email to let everyone know that Michael was hospitalized on
Sunday, and his condition is not expected to improve. He is being
transferred to Concordia for hospice care today. (Good Samaritan Hospice,
134 Marwood Road, Cabot, PA 16023)
I will update as I can.
Love,
Holly
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Sent: Wednesday, February 06, 2013 9:48 AM
Subject: Re: Michael
Well I certainly didn't expect to send this email so soon after the last, but Michael passed away shortly after arriving at Concordia yesterday evening.
Thank you all for the messages, thoughts, prayers and offers of support. They mean everything to me and the girls.
First full day after surgery went as expected. Lots of pain and sleeping, but many small improvements that I can see! I don't plan to give daily updates unless something significant changes, but feel free to ask me any questions!
If anyone is interested, you can send Michael an ecard that they will print and deliver to the room - https://ecards.upmc.com/default.asp He is in room 427 at Shadyside.
Thanks again for all of your support, it means a ton!
Holly
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Michael
Date: Tue, Feb 5, 2013 3:02 PM
Just a quick email to let everyone know that Michael was hospitalized on
Sunday, and his condition is not expected to improve. He is being
transferred to Concordia for hospice care today. (Good Samaritan Hospice,
134 Marwood Road, Cabot, PA 16023)
I will update as I can.
Love,
Holly
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Sent: Wednesday, February 06, 2013 9:48 AM
Subject: Re: Michael
Well I certainly didn't expect to send this email so soon after the last, but Michael passed away shortly after arriving at Concordia yesterday evening.
Thank you all for the messages, thoughts, prayers and offers of support. They mean everything to me and the girls.
