Guestbook

It is amazing how many people have visited Pop's Caring Bridge Site and how many wonderful messages he has received in his guestbook. Here is one from my wonderful friend Susan in Atlanta. Thanks Sue!

"THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2007 02:46 PM, CST"

"Hi Mean Gene! Tina has of course been keeping me posted all along, but I just got this link to your journal. I'm so proud of you! Your attitude has and still is the BEST thing about you and I'm so glad you're still so positive. I know better than anyone what you and especially Tina as your daughter are going through. My heart aches that I can' t be near my dad as he goes through his battle with multiple myeloma, and I know Tina's does too. BUT we both know how strong our daddies are and that you *WILL* get through this. It's not a question of 'if', it's a question of 'when'. I hope you realize, and all these messages should be a testament as to how many people love and support you. All our prayers will certainly lift you up. You're doing so well- and always remember, that even when things are the hardest and you think you are at your weakest, that is when we think you are the strongest. So just keep fighting your good fight. My dad is going through his second round treatments after coming out of a 4 year remission, and the best advice I can give you from our experience is this: As hard and long as things seem to be right now, your surgery and treatment will seem like a drop in the bucket when you look back in a few years. Take one day at a time. Please know that this hardship will pass and you'll find a way back to the good life :) The ups and downs seem endless I know, but you're getting through it and I'm so hopeful that you'll always have options to keep fighting, no matter what it takes. You have many loving little eyes, especially Zach :), who are watching you and learning what it means to be a survivor."

"And to you Marge, you deserve to know every day that you are so appreciated, respected and loved. As hard as Gene has it, I believe you may have it even harder. You display strength on a whole new level! It must be a daily test to keep it all together yourself while weathering your husband's own emotions, pain and fear. But if anyone can, it's you. Your spirit and ability to give is what defines you, and it's not failing you now. Please know that you have so many hands holding yours- ready to pick you up when you need us."

"Tina, Rich, Andres and Zach- this is what makes families stronger if you let it. You know I love you like family and all the Popes, Forrests and Calhouns are here for you!"

"Much love and prayers for continued Gene victories!!
Susan, Nick and George"

Light at the end of the tunnel

From Pop's Caring Bridge webpage:

"Day 17, 18 & 19 – November 26th – 28th – Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday. Rain on Monday, finally, and high temps of low 60’s."

"19 Days Completed – 12 Remaining! Two weeks and 2 days remaining. I can actually see the end of the tunnel for this process. As you will see in the NEW photo my radiation is very visible now. I actually thought on Tuesday that the radiation machine had faltered and caused this very red mark on my lower neck. But when I asked the technician about the red mark they said my “suntan” was right on time. Only problem is there is slight blistering and my doctor gave me some gel to put on in the evening. Good news this week and the doctor was happy that I had only lost 1 pound! Better than the 9 pounds I lost the week prior. Eating is still a problem in finding food that does not gag me. Doctor said I must eat more solid foods as only drinking could cause my through to close! Don’t want that to happen! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and were blessed to have Uncle Bob and Donna visiting from Minneapolis. Great to see them. It was also good to have 4 days off from radiation therapy. I want to thank all of you for writing and calling. It means so much to me to here your support. Thank you for your support and prayers."

Lost 9 Pounds last week!

Well, Pops is officially halfway through his radiation! What a reason to celebrate. I know it has been tough on him, especially the whole eating issue. Hang in there Pops! We love you!

Here is his Caring Bridge entry:
"Day 13, 14, 15, & 16 – November 16th – 21st – Friday, Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday – Sunny all days, still NO RAIN!!"

"I guess you could say I am getting use to food having no taste! But unfortunately this will take some getting use to. When I saw the Radiation doctor on Monday he was not happy with my weight loss! I had lost 9 pounds in a week. He said he did not care what I ate but I needed to maintain my weight. So at present I am eating Chocolate Ensure… Tolerable at most, Chili is not too bad… Onion soup, not too bad, biscuits and gravy… and my favorite would be Wendy’s Frosty. Oh yes, 3 or so cans of Ensure. My radiation has not been too much of a problem as far as sunburn on my neck, that’s a blessing. The good News for the week is that I am now 50% through the radiation process. 3 Full weeks remaining and I will not see many new changes in my taste and dryness. The best news is Tina called today and told us that Zachary had taken his first 5 steps! The walking process has begun. My love to all of you who have written and called."

Oral Cancer Foundation

Just spent some time at the Oral Cancer Foundation website. It seems that there is just so much more to learn about what Pops is going through. It seems that Pops has a form of oral cancer that is pretty rare. They have a message board that is really active and full of support and hope. Check it out!

Stage IVa

It looks like Pop's has an updated diagnosis of his cancer to a Stage IVa. Here is some information from the OncologyChannel regarding Staging of Head and Neck Cancer.

"Staging is the process of describing the extent to which cancer has spread from the site of its origin. It is used to assess a patient's prognosis and to determine the choice of therapy. The stage of a cancer is determined by the size and location in the body of the primary tumor, and whether it has spread to other areas of the body."

"Staging involves using the letters T, N and M to assess tumors by:"

"-the size of the primary tumor (T);
-the degree to which regional lymph nodes (N) are involved. Lymph nodes are small organs located along the channels of the body's lymphatic system which store special cells that fight infection and other diseases); and
-the absence or presence of distant metastases (M) - cancer that has spread from the original (primary) tumor to distant organs or distant lymph nodes."

"Each of these is categories is further classified with a number 1 through 4 to give the total stage. Thus a T1-N1-M0 cancer would describe a T1 tumor, N1 lymph node involvement, and no metastases."

"Once the T, N and M are determined, a "stage" of I, II, III or IV is assigned:"

"-Stage I cancers are small, localized and usually curable.
-Stage II and III cancers typically are locally advanced and/or have spread to local lymph nodes.
-Stage IV cancers usually are metastatic (have spread to distant parts of the body) and generally are considered inoperable."

"The staging system for head and neck cancers is a bit complicated. Though the nodal and metastasis staging systems are the same for all the different anatomical regions of the head and neck, the tumor staging systems are different. The nodal and metastasis staging systems are outlined below. Each region's tumor staging system is presented separately on one of the linked pages."

Good News and Bad News...

Here is the latest update from Pop's Caring Bridge Website:

"Day 9, 10, 11 & 12 – November 12th – 15th – Monday – Thursday – Sunny all days, slight amount of rain one evening. 60 to 70 degrees."

"I would never have guessed that food could have NO taste! I mean it’s taste terrible. I also found out that anything fried is the worst. Margaret and I had fried chicken last evening and I had to spit out the skin which normally is my favorite with KFC but this was the worst. I also would not have guessed that my mouth could not get drier but it has. I carry a bottle of water with me at all times to keep my mouth moist."

"Now I have some updated NEWS! Some good news and some not so good news…"

"I initially thought I would be having 7 weeks of treatment or 35 days. Found out yesterday that I have a total of 31 days of treatment. That is 4 days less than previously thought. Wonderful!! So I have completed 12 of 31 days or 39% complete. Now the next piece of good news is that I get Thanksgiving Thursday and Friday off. A 4 day weekend without radiation. That is excellent news. OK, now for the not so good news… Initially thought I had stage III cancer. I actually have stage IVa cancer. There are 4 different levels in stage IV which are a-b-c-d and I have (a) but still stage IV. With that news I continue to fight as hard as I possibly can. Your emails, phone calls and writing on CaringBridge are wonderful and inspirational for me and I thank all of you for your thoughts and prayers. Margaret and I send out love to you."

One Week Down!

Well, Pop's is hanging in there like a trouper! He is such a strong brave person for going through all of this. We celebrate every day he completes another radiation treatment! Here is the latest from his Caring Bridge website:

"Day 7 & 8 – November 8th & 9th – Thursday & Friday – Sunny all days – cool and 60 degrees."

"I realized on Thursday while driving to my appointment that I was TIRED of going in for treatments! Unfortunately I have no choice! This is the end of my first full week. Mouth is very dry and when Margaret and I had dinner Friday evening my pizza tasted “metallic”! Wonderful for someone who loves to eat. So with my taste buds failing it’s still necessary to eat and get as much protein as possible. I am looking forward to the weekend with no treatments. I want to thank all of you for your messages on Caring Bridge as well as all your phone calls and cards. Great hearing from all of you. So, done with 8 of 35 days. Slowly but surely seeing the end of the tunnel! Thank you for your thoughts and prayers."

Keep it up Pops! We love you!

Radiation Days 4, 5, & 6

Pop's has already started losing weight in the week since he has started radiation. I have tried to convince him to treat himself to a Dairy Queen every day on the way home from his appointment. I know with his lack of saliva and his taste buds changing it is harder, but I hope he keeps eating as much as he can. Mom will have to start bringing home ice cream treats after work if he doesn't start eating more!

Here is an update from Pop's regarding his first week of radiation... (taking from his caring bridge webpage)

"Day 4, 5, 6 – November 5th 2007 – Monday – Tuesday – Wednesday – Sunny all days, temp at or around 70 degrees
I have just completed 1 week of radiation. While receiving the radiation treatment I have started noticing things when I’m strapped down. It takes around 15-20 minutes. You can see in the photo there is a very large device to my right, approximately 30” in diameter. This is where the radiation comes from. As this device rotates around my head there is a large glass with blades that move from the outside to the inside forming a small to a large pattern. It directs the radiation to a certain spot on my neck. As the large device rotates around my head it stops in10-12 different locations and radiation is dispersed for 8 to 15 seconds to the spot at different angles. I hope this is not too confusing. At this point I am still tired and napping during the day. My mouth is getting dryer with each treatment. Thank all of you for your thoughts and prayers. I look forward to hearing from you."

Radiation Day 3

Day 3 today... Here is what Pop's had to say... (taken from his caring bridge webpage)

"Day 3 – November 2nd 2007 – Friday - Sunny and 65 degrees
Appointment time 6:00am. Good News! I was able to change my time from 6:00am to 10:45am. Much better! There was another radiation person that had just completed their time so I am very fortunate. So treatment today at 6:00am, home by 7:00am, napped until 10:00am. I really didn’t think it would hit me like this. I was waiting until the 2 week mark or day 10 before I would be feeling anything but it started right away. Feeling good now. Check out the photos on Carinbridge and Tina’s web page for additional photos. Now I get a weekend break before I go back on Monday November 5th."

Radiation Day 2

Today is Day 2 of Pop's "35 Day Marathon" of Radiation treatments. Here are is thoughts about his second day... (taken from his caring bridge webpage)

"Day 2 – November 1st 2007 – Thursday - Sunny and 75 degrees
Appointment time 6:00am. As I am an early person this seemed like a good idea at the time. By the afternoon I was exhausted!! I napped at least 3-4 hours. Very tired. It was like running a full marathon. I was very tired. After speaking with Carol Rowe on how much this was going to take out of me and this was just day 2 of 35. She recommended that I try and change the time until later. Good idea!! Will check with my Radiation Therapist tomorrow!"