More treatments...

My husband Jim is continuing his radiation treatments. The radiation should have ended by now, but the treatments were not deemed successful so the treatments will be extended by two weeks. Jim is also simultaneously utilizing chemotherapy treatments once per week. These chemo treatments will also be extended, but no end date has been set as of this posting. 

Jim continues to struggle with day-to-day living because he is so very tired and weak. Jim requires several naps per day, and yet he still feels quite fatigued. Things that Jim used to do, now go undone. 


Jim still has his hair. Jim was told that his first cycles of chemo would cause hair loss; but it did not. Jim was told that this round of radiation and chemo would cause hair loss; but it has not. When Jim became sick Jim had let his beard grow. Jim's beard became a sight with uneven growth. Recently, Jim decided to trim his beard. It looks much neater now. 

Jim tries to keep his spirits up, and for the most part he is successful. Of course he has his low moments, but overall Jim maintains a positive attitude. As we often say: It is what it is and play the cards that are dealt to you. 

Oncology update...

Today my husband Jim had a scheduled appointment with his oncologist for Jim's lung cancer. The doctor has decided to postpone Jim’s radiation treatments until after cycle 4 of Jim’s chemotherapy treatments, instead of after cycle 2 as originally planned. Jim is currently in cycle 2. Jim is too nauseous and too fatigued to do the radiation treatments and the chemo treatments simultaneously (after cycle 2) as we had hoped. Doing these two treatments simultaneously would increase the side effects of both the chemo and radiation, which would be very difficult to manage. So, the new plan is to evaluate a course of radiation treatments after Jim’s fourth cycle of chemotherapy.

from google images

On Monday 22Apr2013 Jim will have a repeat echocardiogram as a follow up to the one he had in Mar2013. Jim will also have a CT scan done as soon as possible to pinpoint the degree of margin that the cancer had spread. As previously stated here, Jim’s cancer is in the pericardium (sac) surrounding the heart, as well as the left superior pulmonary vein. The CT scan should display the cancer and give the doctors a new baseline to measure the results of the chemotherapy.

A PET scan is more detailed than a CT scan, but Jim cannot have another PET scan for a few more months because of his pneumonectomy. The pneumonectomy surgery that Jim had in February will cause false positive and negative results, so it is better to wait until complete healing has occurred so that true results can be seen and measured.

Jim’s fatigue is increasing daily now. Jim’s nausea is also increasing daily. As of right now, Jim is able to manage these symptoms; but management will become more and more difficult as time goes on. We will simply deal with each day as it comes.

Jim continues to have a good attitude. Jim continues to display his humor. Jim is dealing with his cancer in a positive light. Jim is courageous and faces the daily challenges. I try to do the same, but sometimes I am not as successful as Jim.

Our two kids at home are doing well. Our special needs daughter does not understand she simply knows that dad is sick. Our 11 year old is handling it well. He has stepped up and taken on more responsibility at home, as well as more babysitting of his older sister. Three of the four adult children have been very supportive and we appreciate their words, calls and kind gestures.

Our specific requests today are: that Jim’s white blood cells will fall within the acceptable range; that Jim’s side effects will continue to be manageable; and that there are no surprises on the CT scan or echocardiogram.