Hi,
We finally got home from the hospital about 8:00 last night. The MRIs showed nothing new, and the 3-D MRI done on his neck showed no blockage in the artery they were concerned about. It seems this is all coming back to the steroids, so he's back at a very high dosage again. I think the plan is to lower it Thursday and then again next Monday, but then he will stay at that dosage indefinitely. He's definitely clearer-minded and doesn't feel dizzy when standing. But the stroke-like symptoms in his right leg and arm remain. Hopefully, time and therapy will diminish those symptoms.
Not much else for news. We're just hanging in there and hoping for improvement! Thanks for checking in.
Love,
Carla
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
September 25
Hi,
It's been a very long day. To make that long story short, Denny is back in the hospital. His physical therapist assessed that right-side weakness I wrote about and contacted Dr. Meena. Today, before all of the scheduled tests, we had an appointment with her and she gave him a very thorough exam and determined that he should be admitted to the hospital. She added two more MRIs to the one already scheduled, so poor Denny was in that tube for almost three and one-half hours this afternoon. In addition to his brain, they scanned his spine and lower back.
We were both pretty scared for any results and were relieved to get a call from the doctor with the preliminary reports, most of which are inconclusive. The tumor appears unchanged, and the spine and lower back look normal. There is some kind of scar tissue in both lungs (which we knew) so another pulmonary doctor will be seeing Den tomorrow. He is also scheduled for another type of MRI to look more closely at an artery in his neck. So, we wait while someone tries to get to the reasons for the weakness, dizziness, and fatigue. This is getting so frustrating!
So, once again we ask to have Denny included in your prayers. So many others are also in need, and all I can say is it isn't until you are on the receiving end that you realize that your strength is coming from the prayers of friends and family. Thanks for talking to God about Den and all of the others you know facing challenges
that can't be handled alone.
I'll keep you updated,
Carla
It's been a very long day. To make that long story short, Denny is back in the hospital. His physical therapist assessed that right-side weakness I wrote about and contacted Dr. Meena. Today, before all of the scheduled tests, we had an appointment with her and she gave him a very thorough exam and determined that he should be admitted to the hospital. She added two more MRIs to the one already scheduled, so poor Denny was in that tube for almost three and one-half hours this afternoon. In addition to his brain, they scanned his spine and lower back.
We were both pretty scared for any results and were relieved to get a call from the doctor with the preliminary reports, most of which are inconclusive. The tumor appears unchanged, and the spine and lower back look normal. There is some kind of scar tissue in both lungs (which we knew) so another pulmonary doctor will be seeing Den tomorrow. He is also scheduled for another type of MRI to look more closely at an artery in his neck. So, we wait while someone tries to get to the reasons for the weakness, dizziness, and fatigue. This is getting so frustrating!
So, once again we ask to have Denny included in your prayers. So many others are also in need, and all I can say is it isn't until you are on the receiving end that you realize that your strength is coming from the prayers of friends and family. Thanks for talking to God about Den and all of the others you know facing challenges
that can't be handled alone.
I'll keep you updated,
Carla
Friday, September 18, 2009
September 18
Hi,
It was just about a year ago that Denny started feeling tired and weak. At the time we thought it was the reaction to the radiation and chemotherapy. Little did we know that it would become a chronic condition that seemed to get worse with every setback, i.e. blood clots, pneumonia, shingles, etc. Although he hasn't had any chemo since May, the condition remains and it seems he has experienced a minor setback over the past three or four days. Dizziness has returned and the weakness has intensified, so he is feeling pretty bummed.
A sleep study done at Mercy Medical Center last night did not show any signs of obstructive sleep apnea. I was really hoping that it would have been as simple as that, but the technician said she was surprised at how good his breathing and sleep patterns were throughout the night. Today we saw Dr. Meena, who suspects that Denny may be suffering from pulmonary hypertension, an opinion shared by the pulmonary specialist Den saw two weeks ago. All of the answers should be revealed next Friday, when we will spend most of the day at St. E's while he has an eco-cardiogram, a CT of his heart, and another MRI of his brain. We will get the results of all of those tests the following Monday. It sure seems like a long time to wait now that he's experiencing so much dizziness again.
The good news from his appointment today is that, on paper, Denny is pretty healthy! All of his blood work is completely normal, so Dr. Meena won't be ordering
labs for another month. His appetite is good and he doesn't have any pain at all, so we are thankful for that. Usually there is chest pain/discomfort associated with pulmonary hypertension, but he hasn't been "typical" with anything else medical, so nothing surprises me.
The State Street house has a new family calling it home, so that saga is over. We are so grateful to all of our friends who helped with that renovation: Sarah Simon, Kathy Bates, Mike Mauthe, Dan Riordan, Lori Schuh, Adam Bates, the Voss and Lingg families, and the wonderful service group from Texas. Chip did a ton of work and is going to oversee things there so Den won't have to worry about that, Dave came home and painted with me, and Shannon took good care of her dad while I was gone so much of the summer. So, thank you, everyone -- we will never forget your gifts of time and talent. Really, that house has never looked better.
Enjoy what is predicted to be another beautiful weekend. Thanks for staying with us throughout the last year. Your thoughts and prayers help keep things positive!
Love,
Carla
It was just about a year ago that Denny started feeling tired and weak. At the time we thought it was the reaction to the radiation and chemotherapy. Little did we know that it would become a chronic condition that seemed to get worse with every setback, i.e. blood clots, pneumonia, shingles, etc. Although he hasn't had any chemo since May, the condition remains and it seems he has experienced a minor setback over the past three or four days. Dizziness has returned and the weakness has intensified, so he is feeling pretty bummed.
A sleep study done at Mercy Medical Center last night did not show any signs of obstructive sleep apnea. I was really hoping that it would have been as simple as that, but the technician said she was surprised at how good his breathing and sleep patterns were throughout the night. Today we saw Dr. Meena, who suspects that Denny may be suffering from pulmonary hypertension, an opinion shared by the pulmonary specialist Den saw two weeks ago. All of the answers should be revealed next Friday, when we will spend most of the day at St. E's while he has an eco-cardiogram, a CT of his heart, and another MRI of his brain. We will get the results of all of those tests the following Monday. It sure seems like a long time to wait now that he's experiencing so much dizziness again.
The good news from his appointment today is that, on paper, Denny is pretty healthy! All of his blood work is completely normal, so Dr. Meena won't be ordering
labs for another month. His appetite is good and he doesn't have any pain at all, so we are thankful for that. Usually there is chest pain/discomfort associated with pulmonary hypertension, but he hasn't been "typical" with anything else medical, so nothing surprises me.
The State Street house has a new family calling it home, so that saga is over. We are so grateful to all of our friends who helped with that renovation: Sarah Simon, Kathy Bates, Mike Mauthe, Dan Riordan, Lori Schuh, Adam Bates, the Voss and Lingg families, and the wonderful service group from Texas. Chip did a ton of work and is going to oversee things there so Den won't have to worry about that, Dave came home and painted with me, and Shannon took good care of her dad while I was gone so much of the summer. So, thank you, everyone -- we will never forget your gifts of time and talent. Really, that house has never looked better.
Enjoy what is predicted to be another beautiful weekend. Thanks for staying with us throughout the last year. Your thoughts and prayers help keep things positive!
Love,
Carla
Friday, September 11, 2009
September 11
Hi,
Another Friday, another medical report. Today we met with a new doctor, a pulmonary specialist. It has been a concern of mine that there was never a follow up after Denny had those blood clots, to measure his lung function. Because his progress has been at a snail's pace and because his breathing seems (to me) to be labored and shallow, I asked Dr. Meena if Denny could see a specialist. After reviewing today's chest X-ray and the other test results, this new doctor is sending Den on for further studies including a CT scan, another eco-cardiogram, and a sleep apnea study. Maybe one or all of these tests will shed light on why Denny just cannot overcome the fatigue that has plagued him for nearly a year.
The weather is too gorgeous to stay inside, so I am going out to use our new trimmer!
I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Love,
Carla
Another Friday, another medical report. Today we met with a new doctor, a pulmonary specialist. It has been a concern of mine that there was never a follow up after Denny had those blood clots, to measure his lung function. Because his progress has been at a snail's pace and because his breathing seems (to me) to be labored and shallow, I asked Dr. Meena if Denny could see a specialist. After reviewing today's chest X-ray and the other test results, this new doctor is sending Den on for further studies including a CT scan, another eco-cardiogram, and a sleep apnea study. Maybe one or all of these tests will shed light on why Denny just cannot overcome the fatigue that has plagued him for nearly a year.
The weather is too gorgeous to stay inside, so I am going out to use our new trimmer!
I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Love,
Carla
Saturday, September 5, 2009
September 5
Hi!
We saw Dr. Meena yesterday who immediately remarked that she thinks Denny is looking much better. She decided to lower the steroid dose, so now he's at 3mg. daily. She also lowered the dosage of a medicine that affects his heart rhythm and blood pressure. Both could and should make him feel a lot better if his body reacts like we are hoping it will.
After Den's next appointment there will be another MRI to see what's going on with that tumor. Regardless of the outcome, we will go to see Steve Howard, who is back at the UW, and get his opinion. We love Dr. Meena and suspect that she and Steve will have the same thoughts, but we've learned that it never hurts to have a couple of people take a look at test results. We always ask Phil Yazbak for his take on the current status of everything, too. He's been with us from day one and we value his evaluations as much as any. I just can't imagine what would have happened if Phil hadn't taken care of that trigeminal neuralgia that hit Denny so hard. I believe life would be a whole lot different--and not for the best. We have been so very fortunate to have such wonderful doctors right here.
I'm down to the two final projects at State Street. Once I paint the powder room and the porch floor I will know that every square inch of the house has been given some type of attention. It really has turned out nice, but I'm happy to be done with it.
Hopefully, everybody reading this will enjoy this long weekend in the company of family and/or friends. Take care of each other!
Love,
Carla
We saw Dr. Meena yesterday who immediately remarked that she thinks Denny is looking much better. She decided to lower the steroid dose, so now he's at 3mg. daily. She also lowered the dosage of a medicine that affects his heart rhythm and blood pressure. Both could and should make him feel a lot better if his body reacts like we are hoping it will.
After Den's next appointment there will be another MRI to see what's going on with that tumor. Regardless of the outcome, we will go to see Steve Howard, who is back at the UW, and get his opinion. We love Dr. Meena and suspect that she and Steve will have the same thoughts, but we've learned that it never hurts to have a couple of people take a look at test results. We always ask Phil Yazbak for his take on the current status of everything, too. He's been with us from day one and we value his evaluations as much as any. I just can't imagine what would have happened if Phil hadn't taken care of that trigeminal neuralgia that hit Denny so hard. I believe life would be a whole lot different--and not for the best. We have been so very fortunate to have such wonderful doctors right here.
I'm down to the two final projects at State Street. Once I paint the powder room and the porch floor I will know that every square inch of the house has been given some type of attention. It really has turned out nice, but I'm happy to be done with it.
Hopefully, everybody reading this will enjoy this long weekend in the company of family and/or friends. Take care of each other!
Love,
Carla
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