August 26th 2019

We went today for a follow-up and the first of my Imfenzi infusion which the insurance sent us a letter saying it would not pay for Imfenzi but it would pay for Keytruda. Keytruda is approved for Stage 4 Lung Cancer where Imfenzi is only approved for Stage 3. They used my already installed Port, kit took about an hour and a half this time, next time will be about an hour.

   The Radiation doctor, Dr. Anderson staged it a 3B since there were no brain tumors found and the sack that surrounds the lungs was empty. Dr. Flanders has it Stage 4, so who knows.

I take this on every 3 weeks and will do a year and possibly longer if needed. The list of side effects is scary but no scarier than Imfenzi was.       

August 20th 2019

   Well, it has been a while now and the Esophageal Spasms have decreased, not stopped but less than they were. My back is healing well with the use of Bag Balm and I can't remember the name of the other one, but they work. I should have used them this whole time. You MUST make sure before a treatment they are washed off or else the radiation will be much worse.

   I'm slowly gaining my appetite back, I still get sick if I eat a lot. I've been reading on this Imfinzi medication that I will do every other week for a year and it scares me, the list of side effects are as long as chemo, maybe longer. It ain't over yet.

  The CT showed the right tumor that was 6.4 cm is now 3cm and dying. The right side went from 2.8 cm to 12 mm. Imfinzi is supposed to complete the death of the cancer tumors if it doesn't get me first.

  My big toe is still as big as 2 big toes and painful to walk on. I've been rubbing the pain cream on it and it helps.

We took the calves to Newport Livestock so we could buy the rest of the hay we need, but that was a pipe dream. They brought little and way short of what we were expecting so I think I'll go back to Mascott, but when I'm able to help with the loading of the cows.

   Denise says I'm still to avoid contact with people, not happening, lol. Tomorrow I'll unload the hay.

   And today, I am drinking my first Dr Pepper in weeks with making it flat.    

August 15th 2019

   I've been doing the breathing treatments and they seem to be working, better than I thought they would. My lungs are opening up and I'm coughing up some of the fluids and blood-tinged spit. That said my breathing is still labored. Without O2 my stats run sometimes in the 80s but most times in the lower 90s with my heart rate going fast. I start that next leg of treatment soon.

   Tomorrow I'll pay Mark and Zac to catch and load the calves. I'll be there but not as active as I usually am. I'll work the gate. We get them loaded and sold that money will buy the last of the hay. Hopefully, we will have some leftover for gravel but the market ain't good on cattle here. The only people making money on cattle are the sales lot and grocery stores. 10 years from now small cattle farmers like we are will be driven out and replaced by Factory Farms where they will say how much and how they want to raise their cattle. Mark's hip is gone and I'm not in good shape, so we're both considering a lifetime without cattle.   

August 14th 2019

  Tuesday was my last radiation treatment so I get a break until the end of the month when I start the new drug, which I'll do for a year.

  Dr. Anderson said he heard the congestion in my lungs, which I already knew it. I told him it was either sinus or pneumonia but it felt like pneumonia. He just kind of blew it off and when Denise called his nurse she said nothing even remotely was discussed. So one of the doctors Denise works for setting me up for a chest X-Ray. I was right, fluid was gathering and it was the start of pneumonia. So she called Dr. Flanders nurse who was defensive and wanted to know who ordered the X-Ray and was rude. Anybody that knows Denise knows that won't last long. His nurse asked for the X-Ray and Denise faxed it to her and demanded a call back after Dr. Flanders reviewed it. Denise said she was nicer when she called back. They ask that I increase my breathing treatments.

   As a doctor, if I count Dr. Anderson's staff they rate a 4 star but that is raised up because of the people working there. Every Monday he examines you yet not 1 time did he examine my back. I have 3 places that are burnt so bad they are bleeding. Most radiation doctors are like that, but why?

   Why would Dr. Flanders nurse be on the offensive? Is it always going to be this way?

   Note to Doctors: Most of us know our body and when something ain't right.     

August 8th 2019

   Well, another day another fall. I stepped up on a step and missed, not sure how that works. M y left foot is black from bruising. Thankfully it didn't break. I showed the ladies in Radiation the place on my back where the radiation has broken through the skin and began to bleed a little. They said that wasn't unusual at this stage of the radiation, I have only 3 more left. Finally, the bleeding has almost all the way stopped from the scaring over. Will this cost me in the long run? Probably.

Humana called today and wanted to know about my Colon, if it has been tested and how long ago. I ask the lady "seriously, with all I have going on". We both got a laugh out of it, she said she had to ask. That is getting almost as bad as the Liberty Mutual commercials, except Humana is at least honest.

The Esophageal Spasms continues full force. I have added Nitro to the list of what stops them.     

August 7th 2019

   Right now I'm only doing Radiation, but the markers and numbers have changed. I'm bleeding less, almost stopped completely. I asked what the CT showed from last week but never got a straight answer. I'm not sure what that was about. My back is painful and red, very red. The radiation is taking its toll and maybe that is what is suppose to happen.

  So today I messed up, taking on way more than I should have. My heart rate is still over 100 and will not come down. I washed the dishes like I do pretty much every day, then it hit me, I need to do more. So I took the lawnmower and mowed back at the chicken pens, then over at the Tractor Garage. These are things I normally do when I feed the chickens, except I'm not feeding the chickens. I got the lawnmower stuck and decided to unstick it with the tractor. I was using the front spear instead of a rope, mistake 1. The spear went through the grill and almost into the engine and also the hood broke. Then I pulled the tractor close to the garage door and tore another hole in the door... mistake 2. A friend asked a while back if I wanted firewood, sure I said. Well, he brought his 14 ft trailer full of wood and we unloaded it. Mistake 3. Then Mark (my cousin) called and wanted to know if I would buy his hay rake that the tongue broke off and needed to be welded back. Sure, so he brought it back here and we put it in the barn lot.

  I have 4 radiations left and I thank God for that. I got about 2 weeks before starting the Rx called Infinsy (spelling ?). Next week I will get Mark and Zac to load my calves to take to the market. They are not bring well but that is just how things are. I still want to catch them up, they know me and the way things work.

   Oh I am sooo paying for this day. :)      

  

August 6th 2019

  I had a follow-up with Dr. Rathfoot today and it went well. He said those 2 tumors disappearing was a miracle. After the appointment, Denise brought me home and I went to Radiation, only 5 more left to go to. It will be the end of the month when I start Infinsy? I have to do that for a year every other week.

  My bleeding is mostly just spotting now and I seldom run a fever. Denise still doesn't want me in public since my blood work is probably next to zero now, the last one wasn't good at all. I'm still tired but I'm finally pulling out of a 3-day slump. Hopefully, from here I will grow in strength. I did walk to the mailbox one day, about 400 foot.     

August 4th 2019

   I woke up at 5:30 this morning and by 6:30 put my teeth in and ashed the dishes. I felt extremely tired so I went back to bed. I slept until about 4:30pm waking up only long enough to take a pain pill. I washed my hair and removed the bandage today, I have 4 holes in my skull from the frame they put on me. Seeing how the tumors were gone it was worth it, I do believe a miracle just happened. It felt good to bathe and wash my hair, what little I have left.

  Today and tomorrow are the worse two days after chemo Wednesday, so I was expecting this. It has once again hit the kidneys despite my increase in water. I'll go back the 16th to have another MRI done and make sure they are gone forever.    

August 2nd 2019 Tumors AWOL

So we went to the Thompson Cancer Survival Center and was going to burn out 2 tumors that 3 doctors saw. They put the basic frame on my head, screwing it as best we could figure 1/4 inch into my skull. The shots hurt and there was pressure even with being numb that was a dull pain which didn't last too long. I was ready to go to get their extremely accurate MRI. I laid on a table and the thing on my head locked into place and back into the MRI I went.

   That thing was loud. For the surgery you can bring CDs to listen to, I brought Casting Crowns and Mercy Me. I never got to listen to either of them as the Surgery did not happen. The doctors could not find the Tumors. They simply were not there. I take it as a miracle. So I came home wrapped up with the bandages covering 4 screw holes in my skull. I'll take that any day.   

I'll take that any day.

August 1st 2019

  I have been meaning to write this a few days ago but just haven't. Already I have watched everything worth watching on TV, including Netflix, Kodi, and Prime. So this will be a summary of the last days. Since my last post, I was in bad shape until yesterday when I finally felt decent. Maybe too much so since I put the electrical boxes in the Grillzebo. That didn't go over well.

  I have noticed with the heat I stay high on my O2 levels, sometimes as high as 95, but my heart rate is always about 120, sometimes 130. Today they will switch me back to Metropol from the other one that also controlled my BP as it drops my BP too low. We're talking passing out too low. Cardivol I think the name is. I lost weight now I'm gaining weight but my belly doesn't show it so I'm thinking it is muscle. I weighed 235lbs, up in just 3 days from 231lbs. It was a different scale.  

  I looked at my blood work online and my Plalets are extremely low, and that was before yesterday's chemo. I'm sure they are even lower now. I had a temperature this morning Denise noticed. I'm off balance somewhat or as mom use to say, Swimmy Headed. But today I felt good and today's radiation made 25, only 8 more left unless he adds some. So I added a rail in the Grillzebo to hang some stuff on, hopefully, Denise won't notice. I was going to go by there and she said no, 1 sneeze or 1 handshake could land me in the hospital, so I didn't go.

We finally got a replacement for Puppy and may have figured out what might have killed her. There have been Bears all around us lately. I ain't past shooting one and ain 't that sick. We ended up with a Puppy and Taz approves. She is sweet and smart, always chewing on something and always exploring.

Tomorrow I am nervous about and oddly enough more about the pain that will come with the Gamma Knife. I have no doubt that they can safely burn the tumors out but just in case I gave Denise instructions that if I have brain damage that they cannot repair or will not repair in time to not save me. I have no desire to be a burden on anybody, especially my family.

   Humana sent me a price list of what I need to pay and what I didn't after I called and asked them about the 1984.00 bills UT sent me on the Biopsies. I didn't owe a penny of that. They billed the codes wrong and all they needed to do was resubmit the procedures under the correct codes.