Happy Halloween!
Shannon here (Carla and Denny's daughter). I am reporting with good news! Mom's procedure went well today and she will be going home this evening! Dr. Klingbeil was able to do the procedure as hoped and the resectioning was not required.
On behalf of our entire family, THANK YOU. We appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers.
Love,
Shannon
Friday, October 31, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
October 28
Good evening, everyone,
It's been a long day, but I'm here with what we consider to be good news.
This morning we went to St. E's for Denny's MRI. We met with Dr. Howard shortly thereafter, and he gave us the following news. First, there is very little brain swelling left, so he was able to reduce the steroid amount Den is taking to 6mg. That should allow him to sleep better and start to regain his endurance. Steroids really take a toll on a body's muscle and bone strength, which is why Denny has felt so incredibly weak. Next, Steve was able to get a good look at the tumor. Right now it is still too big to consider the stereotactic radio surgery, but that is because it is filled with a lot of the dead debris caused by the radiation and/or chemotherapy. He explained that the brain has it's own mechanism of getting rid of that residue and it will, in time. Once it is gone, the tumor should be within the size range of being treatable. The best news, though, is that the tumor appears to be completely encapsulated, which it had to be in order to even be considered for the gamma knife surgery. Another MRI will be scheduled in another six to eight weeks, and hopefully we'll head to Madison sometime after that.
Denny will continue to see Dr. Howard weekly, his steroids will be adjusted, and he will continue taking the chemotherapy five days out of every four weeks. His work schedule will be determined by his progress. Right now Den is planning to continue like the last few weeks, adding hours of teaching as he can tolerate. I think he realizes just how dangerous it would be to overdo things at this point. Dr. Howard did give Den the okay to start driving and that made both of us very happy!:)
Now, to the other member of the O-Team. Last week I had a colonoscopy that resulted
in some abnormalities. Naturally, it threw us for a loop, but things are working out on that front, too. I couldn't stand waiting the 7 to 10 days they said it would take to get the pathology results back, so my doctor, Nancy Lindo-Drusch, was her wonderful self and called me yesterday with the results. No cancer, but a situation that has to be dealt with. Then last night, just after supper, Dr. Jeff Klingbeil called, asking what he could do to help me!! Imagine that! He is a partner in Phil Vogt's office, and Phil had told him about my dilemma. What a great friend!! Dr. Klingbeil is the only surgeon in the area who specializes in treatment of the colon and bowel. So, to make a long story short, I will be having surgery on Friday. If Dr. Klingbeil can take care of things they way he is hoping, I will probably come home Friday night. If he has to do a resectioning procedure, I'll be in the hospital for about five days and have a longer recovery. I'm all for being there for just Friday.
Everybody always asks what they can do to help us. Doubling up on the prayers is all we really need. We know that's what has gotten us through this so far, so if you can just keep us in your prayers we will be eternally grateful.
Hopefully our future blogs won't be so long!! Thanks for checking in.
Love,
Carla and Denny
It's been a long day, but I'm here with what we consider to be good news.
This morning we went to St. E's for Denny's MRI. We met with Dr. Howard shortly thereafter, and he gave us the following news. First, there is very little brain swelling left, so he was able to reduce the steroid amount Den is taking to 6mg. That should allow him to sleep better and start to regain his endurance. Steroids really take a toll on a body's muscle and bone strength, which is why Denny has felt so incredibly weak. Next, Steve was able to get a good look at the tumor. Right now it is still too big to consider the stereotactic radio surgery, but that is because it is filled with a lot of the dead debris caused by the radiation and/or chemotherapy. He explained that the brain has it's own mechanism of getting rid of that residue and it will, in time. Once it is gone, the tumor should be within the size range of being treatable. The best news, though, is that the tumor appears to be completely encapsulated, which it had to be in order to even be considered for the gamma knife surgery. Another MRI will be scheduled in another six to eight weeks, and hopefully we'll head to Madison sometime after that.
Denny will continue to see Dr. Howard weekly, his steroids will be adjusted, and he will continue taking the chemotherapy five days out of every four weeks. His work schedule will be determined by his progress. Right now Den is planning to continue like the last few weeks, adding hours of teaching as he can tolerate. I think he realizes just how dangerous it would be to overdo things at this point. Dr. Howard did give Den the okay to start driving and that made both of us very happy!:)
Now, to the other member of the O-Team. Last week I had a colonoscopy that resulted
in some abnormalities. Naturally, it threw us for a loop, but things are working out on that front, too. I couldn't stand waiting the 7 to 10 days they said it would take to get the pathology results back, so my doctor, Nancy Lindo-Drusch, was her wonderful self and called me yesterday with the results. No cancer, but a situation that has to be dealt with. Then last night, just after supper, Dr. Jeff Klingbeil called, asking what he could do to help me!! Imagine that! He is a partner in Phil Vogt's office, and Phil had told him about my dilemma. What a great friend!! Dr. Klingbeil is the only surgeon in the area who specializes in treatment of the colon and bowel. So, to make a long story short, I will be having surgery on Friday. If Dr. Klingbeil can take care of things they way he is hoping, I will probably come home Friday night. If he has to do a resectioning procedure, I'll be in the hospital for about five days and have a longer recovery. I'm all for being there for just Friday.
Everybody always asks what they can do to help us. Doubling up on the prayers is all we really need. We know that's what has gotten us through this so far, so if you can just keep us in your prayers we will be eternally grateful.
Hopefully our future blogs won't be so long!! Thanks for checking in.
Love,
Carla and Denny
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
October 21
Hi!
Today was a good day, indeed. We met with both of the doctors this morning and it appears that everything is getting back to where we were at in early September.
The steroids have been decreased to 8mg per day. From this point on, the weaning will go slowly enough so that we know Denny's adrenal system is manufacturing cortisone. There are blood tests that can be done to measure that, but Dr. Howard will see Den often enough to assess the situation. At this dosage, much of the depression should lift and take with it some of the fatigue.
Denny completed a round of chemotherapy on Saturday. He did experience some tiredness during those five days and that may happen each month. His blood work today was almost perfect. Only his liver function level is slightly elevated. All of this is very good news.
Next Tuesday Den will have an MRI. That will give Dr. Howard a very good idea of how the tumor has responded to the radiation and chemotherapy. He will also see how much, if any, swelling is left. If that tumor has responded as we have all hoped and prayed for, another appointment will be set up in Madison with Dr. Mehta, who will proceed with the stereotactic radio surgery. Because Steve Howard works with Dr. Mehta (and has done this procedure himself,) he knows exactly what to look for regarding the tumor.
For the remainder of this week and all of the next one, Denny plans to maintain the schedule he has been following the past couple of weeks. This will allow him to meet with his classes for short periods of time three days each week. He continues to create lesson plans, read essays, and grade papers. He naps when he needs to and tries to pace himself to avoid any exhaustion. He hopes to return to school full-time for term 2.
Thanks again to all of you reading this update. We continue to need and appreciate your concern and prayers, especially as Denny faces the MRI next week. We'll keep you posted!
Hugs to everyone,
Carla
Today was a good day, indeed. We met with both of the doctors this morning and it appears that everything is getting back to where we were at in early September.
The steroids have been decreased to 8mg per day. From this point on, the weaning will go slowly enough so that we know Denny's adrenal system is manufacturing cortisone. There are blood tests that can be done to measure that, but Dr. Howard will see Den often enough to assess the situation. At this dosage, much of the depression should lift and take with it some of the fatigue.
Denny completed a round of chemotherapy on Saturday. He did experience some tiredness during those five days and that may happen each month. His blood work today was almost perfect. Only his liver function level is slightly elevated. All of this is very good news.
Next Tuesday Den will have an MRI. That will give Dr. Howard a very good idea of how the tumor has responded to the radiation and chemotherapy. He will also see how much, if any, swelling is left. If that tumor has responded as we have all hoped and prayed for, another appointment will be set up in Madison with Dr. Mehta, who will proceed with the stereotactic radio surgery. Because Steve Howard works with Dr. Mehta (and has done this procedure himself,) he knows exactly what to look for regarding the tumor.
For the remainder of this week and all of the next one, Denny plans to maintain the schedule he has been following the past couple of weeks. This will allow him to meet with his classes for short periods of time three days each week. He continues to create lesson plans, read essays, and grade papers. He naps when he needs to and tries to pace himself to avoid any exhaustion. He hopes to return to school full-time for term 2.
Thanks again to all of you reading this update. We continue to need and appreciate your concern and prayers, especially as Denny faces the MRI next week. We'll keep you posted!
Hugs to everyone,
Carla
Thursday, October 16, 2008
October 16
Hi,
We have had quite a day, considering that all we had anticipated was a day of relaxation and continued improvement for Denny and a day for me to get some things done around here.
Denny had a good, although exhausting, day yesterday with no side effects from the chemo, etc. Last night we had a great dinner at Chip and Jenn's. He played with the boys, and after we got home, he did some homework and wrote out his lesson plans for his classes.
I had an appointment this morning, made weeks ago, that I decided to keep because I was sure it would be okay to leave him alone for a short while. I was just getting off the phone with my sister, ready to dash out the door, when Den told me he was having chest pains! Fearing that this might be the start of a problem with the blood clots, I called the doctor and took Den straight to the hospital. A CT scan of his lungs and an EKG showed no abnormalities, so the theory is that the pain came from taking his medication on an empty stomach, resulting in severe heartburn.
So, it was pretty scary for a while, but better to be safe than sorry. We heard that phrase a lot this morning. Everyone knows that Denny never complains, so we all went into possible crisis mode when he talked about the pain and tightening in his chest.
That's the news from here today. Never a dull moment! My plans are to write again next Tuesday after we see his doctors. Until then, have a great weekend, and enjoy every moment you have with the ones you love.
Love,
Carla
We have had quite a day, considering that all we had anticipated was a day of relaxation and continued improvement for Denny and a day for me to get some things done around here.
Denny had a good, although exhausting, day yesterday with no side effects from the chemo, etc. Last night we had a great dinner at Chip and Jenn's. He played with the boys, and after we got home, he did some homework and wrote out his lesson plans for his classes.
I had an appointment this morning, made weeks ago, that I decided to keep because I was sure it would be okay to leave him alone for a short while. I was just getting off the phone with my sister, ready to dash out the door, when Den told me he was having chest pains! Fearing that this might be the start of a problem with the blood clots, I called the doctor and took Den straight to the hospital. A CT scan of his lungs and an EKG showed no abnormalities, so the theory is that the pain came from taking his medication on an empty stomach, resulting in severe heartburn.
So, it was pretty scary for a while, but better to be safe than sorry. We heard that phrase a lot this morning. Everyone knows that Denny never complains, so we all went into possible crisis mode when he talked about the pain and tightening in his chest.
That's the news from here today. Never a dull moment! My plans are to write again next Tuesday after we see his doctors. Until then, have a great weekend, and enjoy every moment you have with the ones you love.
Love,
Carla
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
October 14
Happy Tuesday!
Things seem to finally be turning around. The brain scan today showed a remarkable reduction of edema (Steve said he could see the improvement from across the room when he went in to view the scan,) so the steroid dose has been reduced by 25%. The plan is that next Tuesday it will be reduced again, and thereafter Den will be weaned off of the remaining 8 mg. very, very slowly. That way his own adrenal system will start making its own cortisone and things will be back to normal. If all goes as expected, the doctor will schedule Den for an MRI in two weeks. He'll have that here and Steve (Howard) will be able to determine when we'll head to Madison.
The other good news is that Den's blood tests are all normal except for the elevation with the liver function test and that, too, has improved since last week. I am picking up a different type of anti-fungal medicine that must be taken when a person is on steroids. Hopefully, that will make a difference with the liver enzymes.
All of Denny's strength and function tests were fine today, so tonight he will resume the chemotherapy. He will take that medicine five days of each 28 day cycle. It's double the amount he took last summer, but at that time he had no side effects, so we hope he will tolerate it as well this time.
So, as I type, Den is reading and correcting tests and essays. He won't return to work full-time until the doctors give him the okay, but his goal is to be there for term 2. In the meantime, a former student, Connor McKnight, is now teaching all of his classes, and Den goes in for blocks of time several times a week. This is such a perfect solution for Denny and his students. Connor is such a wonderful young man. He will be a great role model for the kids and seems to be a natural in the classroom.
Thank you for the concern and love you have shown these past weeks as we struggled through some scary days and nights here. Your prayers sustained us.
Today please keep Barb Craghan in your thoughts and prayers as she goes through her eye surgery. She did a great job taking over Denny's classes and we hope that she can go back to a relaxing retirement. We also hold Mary Beth Meehl and her children in our hearts today as we mourn the loss of her husband, Tom. He has been a great friend to us and we will miss him very much.
Thanks for everything!
Love,
Carla
Things seem to finally be turning around. The brain scan today showed a remarkable reduction of edema (Steve said he could see the improvement from across the room when he went in to view the scan,) so the steroid dose has been reduced by 25%. The plan is that next Tuesday it will be reduced again, and thereafter Den will be weaned off of the remaining 8 mg. very, very slowly. That way his own adrenal system will start making its own cortisone and things will be back to normal. If all goes as expected, the doctor will schedule Den for an MRI in two weeks. He'll have that here and Steve (Howard) will be able to determine when we'll head to Madison.
The other good news is that Den's blood tests are all normal except for the elevation with the liver function test and that, too, has improved since last week. I am picking up a different type of anti-fungal medicine that must be taken when a person is on steroids. Hopefully, that will make a difference with the liver enzymes.
All of Denny's strength and function tests were fine today, so tonight he will resume the chemotherapy. He will take that medicine five days of each 28 day cycle. It's double the amount he took last summer, but at that time he had no side effects, so we hope he will tolerate it as well this time.
So, as I type, Den is reading and correcting tests and essays. He won't return to work full-time until the doctors give him the okay, but his goal is to be there for term 2. In the meantime, a former student, Connor McKnight, is now teaching all of his classes, and Den goes in for blocks of time several times a week. This is such a perfect solution for Denny and his students. Connor is such a wonderful young man. He will be a great role model for the kids and seems to be a natural in the classroom.
Thank you for the concern and love you have shown these past weeks as we struggled through some scary days and nights here. Your prayers sustained us.
Today please keep Barb Craghan in your thoughts and prayers as she goes through her eye surgery. She did a great job taking over Denny's classes and we hope that she can go back to a relaxing retirement. We also hold Mary Beth Meehl and her children in our hearts today as we mourn the loss of her husband, Tom. He has been a great friend to us and we will miss him very much.
Thanks for everything!
Love,
Carla
Thursday, October 9, 2008
October 9
Hi,
We just had lunch after being at the hospital all morning. Denny is napping, so I thought I'd let you know what's happening.
Our first stop today was a visit with Steve Howard, who is able to get a pretty good read on things just by looking at and talking to Den. He recognizes the side effects that the steroids are causing, but it's more-or-less a necessary evil in order to get the brain swelling down. He has ordered another brain scan for next Tuesday to assess that situation.
Next, we went to see Kevin Mortara, the oncologist. They did another complete blood panel there, and the good news is that the elevated liver enzymes appear to be self correcting. Those blood tests will also be repeated on Tuesday. If everything is okay, Denny will then resume his chemotherapy. The dose will be double the amount he took before, but he will take it for 5 days out of every 28 days.
Because the trip to Madison is temporarily postponed, the chemo really has to be started just to be sure that the tumor doesn't start growing again. Steve told us this morning that when the swelling has gone down enough to get a good look at the tumor, he will order an MRI to be done here so we won't have to wait even longer to find out if any or all of the treatments achieved what was hoped for.
October 14th was the date we were waiting for, praying that it would bring us the news that life just might have a chance at returning to our "old normal." Pushing that date back, and realizing that he won't feel any better than he does until the steroid dose can be reduced, is taking an emotional toll on Den. The steroids themselves can cause depression, so it's a vicious circle right now. While he understands it, that feeling of being bummed is difficult -- specially for a guy like Denny. All of this is just so foreign to him.
I'm hoping that visits from the kids and the grandkids will cheer him up -- it always does. (That and the batch of cookies I'm going to make for him.) Who else but Denny could be on all of these steroids, enjoying all kinds of desserts, and only gain two pounds in the last month?
Thanks for checking in and keeping Denny in your thoughts and prayers! Unless there's something to report, I probably won't write again until next Tuesday. No news is good news!
Carla
We just had lunch after being at the hospital all morning. Denny is napping, so I thought I'd let you know what's happening.
Our first stop today was a visit with Steve Howard, who is able to get a pretty good read on things just by looking at and talking to Den. He recognizes the side effects that the steroids are causing, but it's more-or-less a necessary evil in order to get the brain swelling down. He has ordered another brain scan for next Tuesday to assess that situation.
Next, we went to see Kevin Mortara, the oncologist. They did another complete blood panel there, and the good news is that the elevated liver enzymes appear to be self correcting. Those blood tests will also be repeated on Tuesday. If everything is okay, Denny will then resume his chemotherapy. The dose will be double the amount he took before, but he will take it for 5 days out of every 28 days.
Because the trip to Madison is temporarily postponed, the chemo really has to be started just to be sure that the tumor doesn't start growing again. Steve told us this morning that when the swelling has gone down enough to get a good look at the tumor, he will order an MRI to be done here so we won't have to wait even longer to find out if any or all of the treatments achieved what was hoped for.
October 14th was the date we were waiting for, praying that it would bring us the news that life just might have a chance at returning to our "old normal." Pushing that date back, and realizing that he won't feel any better than he does until the steroid dose can be reduced, is taking an emotional toll on Den. The steroids themselves can cause depression, so it's a vicious circle right now. While he understands it, that feeling of being bummed is difficult -- specially for a guy like Denny. All of this is just so foreign to him.
I'm hoping that visits from the kids and the grandkids will cheer him up -- it always does. (That and the batch of cookies I'm going to make for him.) Who else but Denny could be on all of these steroids, enjoying all kinds of desserts, and only gain two pounds in the last month?
Thanks for checking in and keeping Denny in your thoughts and prayers! Unless there's something to report, I probably won't write again until next Tuesday. No news is good news!
Carla
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
October 7
Hi,
Denny's had a couple of rough days lately, so we were happy to get to the doctor today. We were anxious to get the results of the brain scan and we were hopeful that we could get some explanation for the increasing body weakness, dizziness, profuse sweating, and depression that Den's been experiencing.
We received some good news and some not so good news. The good news is that the swelling in his brain is subsiding, slowly, and there is no bleeding. That news did not surprise either of us because Denny's concentration, recall, and writing have all improved a great deal since last week.
The not so good news is that all of the symptoms he has are side effects of the steroid he is taking in mega doses. He will have to continue taking that same dose until at least next Tuesday when he'll have another brain scan, so I'm guessing the next days will surely have their ups and downs.
Dr. Howard also ordered a complete blood panel, just to be sure that something wasn't being overlooked. We had been home about an hour or so after the brain scan when the doctor called to say that there is something "way out of whack" (another of Steve Howard's medical terms) with Den's liver function test. So we had to go back to St. E's for a scan of his stomach, liver, and bowel. You can imagine the fear that went through us. The scan, much to our relief, showed nothing, so Steve and Dr. Mortara are stumped. They know that those enzyme levels were normal on September 9, when Denny had his last blood work done. Now, we were told, we will be referred to a liver specialist. I suspect it's a side effect of the steroids.
The other issue is the blood clots that are currently not be treated. It's my understanding that Denny will go back on a blood thinner as soon as all of the doctors agree that a brain shunt is definitely not necessary. Most likely he will return to taking the shots to his stomach rather than the pills.
Now, with the October 14th appointment at UW postponed, the chemotherapy must also resumed. We will be meeting with Drs. Howard and Mortara on Thursday to discuss that. Den will be changing to a new oncologist next month when Dr. Mortara discontinues his practice at St. E's, but that protocol of 5 days out of 28 on the temador has to begin before the new oncologist is here.
All of this puts everything on hold as far as our jobs. Denny desperately wants to get to his classes a couple of times each week, if only for a half hour or so. Dr. Howard said that would be the maximum and directed me to be the judge of what Den should or shouldn't do. If he feels as lousy as he has lately, my task won't be as difficult as it was those first few weeks of school. Until things improve, Steve said someone has to be with Denny 24/7, so I will be here with him.
That's the medical update for today. After reading it over it sounds overwhelming, but we're actually doing okay. Our kids and some friends check in regularly, Sarah Simon has brought us some meals and is keeping Denny supplied with desserts, and
tonight Den received a book of poems and letters from the students in his honors class that really lifted his spirits. Each day we count our many blessings.
Please know that you are among those blessings.
Love,
Carla
Denny's had a couple of rough days lately, so we were happy to get to the doctor today. We were anxious to get the results of the brain scan and we were hopeful that we could get some explanation for the increasing body weakness, dizziness, profuse sweating, and depression that Den's been experiencing.
We received some good news and some not so good news. The good news is that the swelling in his brain is subsiding, slowly, and there is no bleeding. That news did not surprise either of us because Denny's concentration, recall, and writing have all improved a great deal since last week.
The not so good news is that all of the symptoms he has are side effects of the steroid he is taking in mega doses. He will have to continue taking that same dose until at least next Tuesday when he'll have another brain scan, so I'm guessing the next days will surely have their ups and downs.
Dr. Howard also ordered a complete blood panel, just to be sure that something wasn't being overlooked. We had been home about an hour or so after the brain scan when the doctor called to say that there is something "way out of whack" (another of Steve Howard's medical terms) with Den's liver function test. So we had to go back to St. E's for a scan of his stomach, liver, and bowel. You can imagine the fear that went through us. The scan, much to our relief, showed nothing, so Steve and Dr. Mortara are stumped. They know that those enzyme levels were normal on September 9, when Denny had his last blood work done. Now, we were told, we will be referred to a liver specialist. I suspect it's a side effect of the steroids.
The other issue is the blood clots that are currently not be treated. It's my understanding that Denny will go back on a blood thinner as soon as all of the doctors agree that a brain shunt is definitely not necessary. Most likely he will return to taking the shots to his stomach rather than the pills.
Now, with the October 14th appointment at UW postponed, the chemotherapy must also resumed. We will be meeting with Drs. Howard and Mortara on Thursday to discuss that. Den will be changing to a new oncologist next month when Dr. Mortara discontinues his practice at St. E's, but that protocol of 5 days out of 28 on the temador has to begin before the new oncologist is here.
All of this puts everything on hold as far as our jobs. Denny desperately wants to get to his classes a couple of times each week, if only for a half hour or so. Dr. Howard said that would be the maximum and directed me to be the judge of what Den should or shouldn't do. If he feels as lousy as he has lately, my task won't be as difficult as it was those first few weeks of school. Until things improve, Steve said someone has to be with Denny 24/7, so I will be here with him.
That's the medical update for today. After reading it over it sounds overwhelming, but we're actually doing okay. Our kids and some friends check in regularly, Sarah Simon has brought us some meals and is keeping Denny supplied with desserts, and
tonight Den received a book of poems and letters from the students in his honors class that really lifted his spirits. Each day we count our many blessings.
Please know that you are among those blessings.
Love,
Carla
Thursday, October 2, 2008
October 2
Hi,
We just returned from an appointment with Dr. Howard and I thought you would like to know the latest assessment of things.
First, the steroids seem to be working. Den had 22mg of dexamethason on Tuesday, which is a mega dose and should have put him in HappyLand. It didn't exactly do that, but the improvement was evident already that day. Yesterday was also a little better and today we can also measure some improvement. Denny measures this by his penmanship. A few days ago he couldn't finish more than a word or two, and it was illegible at that. Today he wrote a few sentences and his writing looks nearly normal. My measurement of his progress deals more with his balance, walking, retention, and speech pattern. I see dramatic improvement in those areas and the doctor did as well. Thus, Den will continue on the current 16 mg per day of the steroid for at least another week. If all continues to go as hoped, the need for more brain surgery to insert a shunt will be averted. So, thanks for those prayers!
Next, they had to address the blood clot situation in his legs in relation to what's going on in his brain. It's been determined to suspend the use of the blood thinners until more of the brain swelling is gone. We have to be vigilant about being aware of any signs of an embolism, i.e. any fragments of the blot clot making their way to his lungs. That could be potentially fatal, so if we note any of those symptoms they would surgically insert a sieve in his main vein that would prohibit the clots from traveling up toward his heart. Guess what we are praying for now?!
Third, Den has been instructed to be a "couch potato" (another medical term used by Steve Howard) until things are at least stable. This means at least another ten days of staying at the current pace. It means continuing the naps and limiting physical exertion. He'll still be able to correct papers if he's up to it here at home, and we will continue to go to school to get his lesson plans ready, but that's about the extent of his activities.
Finally, the October 14th appointment in Madison won't be happening because Drs. Yazbak and Howard agree that the swelling will not be gone by then. When scans done here show that Denny's brain is back to normal and and they know that an MRI of the tumor (or what remains of it,) would be clear and definitive, the appointment in Madison with Dr. Mehta will be rescheduled.
So, that's it from the OTEAM for today. We appreciate the messages and hope that more of you will leave notes if you have time. Those are real morale boosters!!
When he is able, Denny will get back to writing these blogs. In the meantime, he sends his love and wishes for a wonderful day to all of you! God Bless.
Love,
Carla
We just returned from an appointment with Dr. Howard and I thought you would like to know the latest assessment of things.
First, the steroids seem to be working. Den had 22mg of dexamethason on Tuesday, which is a mega dose and should have put him in HappyLand. It didn't exactly do that, but the improvement was evident already that day. Yesterday was also a little better and today we can also measure some improvement. Denny measures this by his penmanship. A few days ago he couldn't finish more than a word or two, and it was illegible at that. Today he wrote a few sentences and his writing looks nearly normal. My measurement of his progress deals more with his balance, walking, retention, and speech pattern. I see dramatic improvement in those areas and the doctor did as well. Thus, Den will continue on the current 16 mg per day of the steroid for at least another week. If all continues to go as hoped, the need for more brain surgery to insert a shunt will be averted. So, thanks for those prayers!
Next, they had to address the blood clot situation in his legs in relation to what's going on in his brain. It's been determined to suspend the use of the blood thinners until more of the brain swelling is gone. We have to be vigilant about being aware of any signs of an embolism, i.e. any fragments of the blot clot making their way to his lungs. That could be potentially fatal, so if we note any of those symptoms they would surgically insert a sieve in his main vein that would prohibit the clots from traveling up toward his heart. Guess what we are praying for now?!
Third, Den has been instructed to be a "couch potato" (another medical term used by Steve Howard) until things are at least stable. This means at least another ten days of staying at the current pace. It means continuing the naps and limiting physical exertion. He'll still be able to correct papers if he's up to it here at home, and we will continue to go to school to get his lesson plans ready, but that's about the extent of his activities.
Finally, the October 14th appointment in Madison won't be happening because Drs. Yazbak and Howard agree that the swelling will not be gone by then. When scans done here show that Denny's brain is back to normal and and they know that an MRI of the tumor (or what remains of it,) would be clear and definitive, the appointment in Madison with Dr. Mehta will be rescheduled.
So, that's it from the OTEAM for today. We appreciate the messages and hope that more of you will leave notes if you have time. Those are real morale boosters!!
When he is able, Denny will get back to writing these blogs. In the meantime, he sends his love and wishes for a wonderful day to all of you! God Bless.
Love,
Carla
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