I can't believe that we have not updated the site since May. We are so sorry. As in everyones life, we have been busy.
After the Burdicks visit, the Chappels visit and the Hamiltons visit, we went to Aruba and have been trying to enjoy living on Edisto. June brought on the continued chemo with Dacomitinib (daily oral chemo). The visit with the Quinn's from Chruchville was a great time with time on the beach, a great "southern family" day and a trip out to Angel Oak and a beautiful visit of downtown Charleston.
The next excitment was the planning of Derek, Carrie and Jack's arrival. Aaron with the help of all the family delivered a gift of our very own golf cart! I guess we are now offical beach people! Time with Jack was so much fun, we went to the beach, rode in the golf cart , a lot and then joined in the 4th of July golf cart parade (there had to have been 150 golf carts), made rice crispy treats and just enjoyed all the time together. Stefanie, Aaron, Capers, Julie and my mom were all here during the visit at different times and we had some great fun. Having both of your grandchildren together was amazing. We loved it!
While they were here we went in for our first CT scan since the Dacomitinbin, it failed us badly.The original tumor is now two times the size it was when we started. So last Wednesday we planned to start a new infusion chemo - Taxotere. What a crazy day, Dan had not been breathing well so Dr. Ellison thought that Dan should be checked for fluid around his lung. That was a trip next door to the hospital, they drew off 1.75 liters of fluid from the pleura area, then back for chemo, then back to the hospital for x-ray number 2. They thought that he should not come home to Edisto, so we stayed at my moms. Thurdsay - off to the downtown hospital for x-ray number 3, now he had air flowing into the pleura area, ok let,s draw off the air - that didn't go so well. He then needed a chest tube to draw off the air, oh yeah another x-ray. Now needs to be admitted into the hospital to monitor the amount of air and a vacuum box to do all the work. Friday more x-rays and still air is not lessening. Another night in the hospital - Saturday more of the same. Sunday came and went. Monday Dr. Ellison called in a Thoracic surgeon, Dr Eliziebeth Klein. She felt that we had recieved all of the benifet of the "vacuum" and pulled the chest tube. We know that fluid will build up again, however the Pheumothorax (air in the pleura area) should not be a reaccurance. So we will deal with that as it comes. Tomorrow we go in for chemo number 2. We are planning a better day than last week.
Dan is very happy to be home! A shower at home and not a bird bath had him feeling much better today. Derek just told me to pour a big girl drink and I think that I will.
Thank you again for those of you that we able to talk to directly and for those that we we not able to talk to, we know that you are thinking, praying and loving us. We are so pleased with the hospital, staff, doctors our pastor, their care was amazing. And our nurses from the Charleson Chemo Center were outstanding (could not have made it thru without them. And to all of our family therir support during this very difficult time has made it much easier. I don't know how people make with thru without family and God. We are blessed.
I promise to write sooner - so for the run on sentences and mis-spelling just trying to get this out.
With love from Edisto,
Martha and Dan
After the Burdicks visit, the Chappels visit and the Hamiltons visit, we went to Aruba and have been trying to enjoy living on Edisto. June brought on the continued chemo with Dacomitinib (daily oral chemo). The visit with the Quinn's from Chruchville was a great time with time on the beach, a great "southern family" day and a trip out to Angel Oak and a beautiful visit of downtown Charleston.
The next excitment was the planning of Derek, Carrie and Jack's arrival. Aaron with the help of all the family delivered a gift of our very own golf cart! I guess we are now offical beach people! Time with Jack was so much fun, we went to the beach, rode in the golf cart , a lot and then joined in the 4th of July golf cart parade (there had to have been 150 golf carts), made rice crispy treats and just enjoyed all the time together. Stefanie, Aaron, Capers, Julie and my mom were all here during the visit at different times and we had some great fun. Having both of your grandchildren together was amazing. We loved it!
While they were here we went in for our first CT scan since the Dacomitinbin, it failed us badly.The original tumor is now two times the size it was when we started. So last Wednesday we planned to start a new infusion chemo - Taxotere. What a crazy day, Dan had not been breathing well so Dr. Ellison thought that Dan should be checked for fluid around his lung. That was a trip next door to the hospital, they drew off 1.75 liters of fluid from the pleura area, then back for chemo, then back to the hospital for x-ray number 2. They thought that he should not come home to Edisto, so we stayed at my moms. Thurdsay - off to the downtown hospital for x-ray number 3, now he had air flowing into the pleura area, ok let,s draw off the air - that didn't go so well. He then needed a chest tube to draw off the air, oh yeah another x-ray. Now needs to be admitted into the hospital to monitor the amount of air and a vacuum box to do all the work. Friday more x-rays and still air is not lessening. Another night in the hospital - Saturday more of the same. Sunday came and went. Monday Dr. Ellison called in a Thoracic surgeon, Dr Eliziebeth Klein. She felt that we had recieved all of the benifet of the "vacuum" and pulled the chest tube. We know that fluid will build up again, however the Pheumothorax (air in the pleura area) should not be a reaccurance. So we will deal with that as it comes. Tomorrow we go in for chemo number 2. We are planning a better day than last week.
Dan is very happy to be home! A shower at home and not a bird bath had him feeling much better today. Derek just told me to pour a big girl drink and I think that I will.
Thank you again for those of you that we able to talk to directly and for those that we we not able to talk to, we know that you are thinking, praying and loving us. We are so pleased with the hospital, staff, doctors our pastor, their care was amazing. And our nurses from the Charleson Chemo Center were outstanding (could not have made it thru without them. And to all of our family therir support during this very difficult time has made it much easier. I don't know how people make with thru without family and God. We are blessed.
I promise to write sooner - so for the run on sentences and mis-spelling just trying to get this out.
With love from Edisto,
Martha and Dan